Oscar Schmidt OU-26 Full Review
July 22, 2010 at 9:19 pm | Posted in Concert, Oscar Schmidt | 6 CommentsTags: cheap, Full review, Oscar Schmidt, OU-2, OU-26, posts, review, uke, ukulele
As some know, my first uke was an Oscar Schmidt OU-2 and I still play it. On a whole it is an in expensive ukulele and it is very sturdy. I will admit for a little while OS had quality issues but since they moved the production from China to Indonesia it seems to have solved the issues.
The OU-26 is basically an OU-2 with 6 strings. The C and A Strings have an octave string with them (C is up and octave, A is down an octave) Other than that they are identical.
Specs:
Concert
Body: Laminated Mahogany
Saddle : Bone
Nut : Bone
String : Aquila
Peg : Closed Gear chrome
Looks
First look: (4) The newer laminates from OS seem to be more red than before. I would almost say that the color is more of a cedar red. It is obvious that it is not an expensive uke since it has a plain white silk screen logo and it says “Aloha” at the top. I wish they would leave that off, it is really cheesy. One of the things that I think shows that it is at least of some quality is the binding on the fret board and the fret markers are actual inlays. The satin does not do much for it either. I have seen much nicer looking ukuleles. The fact that it has 6 strings will make most uke players pick it up above all other aspects.
Fit and Finish: (4) For the price it is really well made, saying that, it is a tank. The finish is very smooth and there are no glue marks or weird wood patterns that you may find on some other cheaper ukuleles. The laminate they use is very thick and makes it a bit heavy but sturdy. I would give this to any kid and not worry about serious damage. With a basic 3 piece neck with a nice smooth finish it is nice to play. The saddle could use a little work, it seemed kind of rough to the touch. One of my big gripes is that the edges are very sharp, not like a knife, but if you play it for an extended period it will leave a crease and become uncomfortable to play. Over all it is straight and all the parts that you would want someone to pay attention too are taken care of such as the nut and saddle are really well done and the frets are nice and dressed. I know that having the instruments setup in the USA helps with the end product.
Sound:
Sound Type: Fuller than any 4 string ukulele. The extra 2 strings make it almost lute sounding and give that base note that helps round out the sound without having to have another instrument like a guitar helping to boost the sound or having to have a low G string.
Intonation: (5) Intonation is perfect. The compensated saddle may have something to do with it. Also OS is constantly improving their ukes. Tom Ferone seems to always be tweaking the different ukuleles in the OS line to make them the best production ukes he can make.
Volume: (4) With the extra strings it is louder, but still not as loud as many of my other ukuleles. I think the thicker top is to blame for volume.
Sustain: (5) I like the way that it sings. The Wrapped A it seemed to die sooner than the others. Not a big deal.
Feel:
String Height: (Medium) Very playable. The neck is nice and straight so the strings are at a really good height
Neck Radius Depth: (3/4″) Average radius depth for a C shaped neck.
Frets: (5) I really like it when the fret board has binding on it. It is a cheat in some ways, but you can’t feel any frets on the side of the neck. All the frets are dressed nicely. Not too low or high.
Tuning: (4) This is one of those instruments that if one string is off you will notice right away. Since there are an extra 2 strings it is harder to tune and only hit the one string you want to tune. I ended up using a pick to hit each string.
Comfort: (4) HEAVY but you almost don’t notice it. Unlike the OU-2 it is very balanced. Usually the geared tuners make the head really heavy but not on this one. I think that since you know it has 6 strings you excuse that it is heavy. What bugs me is how the edges are not rounded at all. It can make it uncomfortable to play for an extended period of time.
Smell: (Elmer’s Glue)
Final Thoughts
I think that anyone who wants to have some fun and have a very different uke then this is a great addition to any ukulele players collection. I would not recommend this as a daily player though. I found that there are many songs that don’t sound right when played with it, like most songs. I really liked it for a list of Beatles songs like Let It Be, but beyond that it takes some trial and error to find the right songs to use it for. The other thing that I found is that I had to use a felt pick to get the full sound out of it, otherwise I was not hitting the low A and it sounded weird. Other than that I did like it a lot, too bad I had to give it away.
I figured that not very many people would be super excited about an Oscar Schmidt uke as a give-a-way so while I was checking out the Bluestone Folk Schools Uke building class I met Spencer, Joni’s son. Joni was nice enough to let me stay at her house so I would not have to rush home that same day. Her son Spencer is very talented and the night I stayed over we pulled all the ukes I brought to show people, I brought 6 in total, and Spence seemed to gravitate toward the OU-26. So the next morning I got up and took some pics of the ukulele and then handed it over with the promise that he would make a video. The rest is history.
All Rating on a scale of 1-5
Click here for an explanation of reviews
| First Look | 4 |
| Fit and Finish | 4 |
| Sound Type | Fuller than a 4 String |
| Intonation | 5 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Sustain | 5 |
| String Height | Medium |
| Neck Radius Depth | 3/4″ |
| Frets | 5 |
| Tuning | 4 |
| Comfort | 4 |
| Smell | Elmer’s Glue |
Places to buy on the web:
Elderly Music : $75
Oscar Schmidt OU-2 Deal $49.99 Shipped
November 6, 2009 at 1:57 pm | Posted in Oscar Schmidt, Products | Leave a commentTags: cheap, Oscar Schmidt, OU-2, posts, sale, uke, ukulele
Oscar Schmidt OU-2 Deal at JR.com
So….I got an e-mail from JR.com about black Friday deals. I guess they are doing “deals” on every Friday of November. Well today they happen to have a ukulele. This is a place where I buy a lot of my electronics, but hey its a pretty good price. $49.99 Shipped
NOTE: This is one of my first ukuleles, I love it. They did have some issues back in the day with quality, but they have been resolved. Go to my other post on Oscar Schmidt to read more about it.
DEAL LASTS UNTIL SUNDAY AT MIDNIGHT SO HURRY!!!!
Oscar Schmidt OU7T No Strings Attached Review
July 1, 2009 at 4:48 am | Posted in Brands, Concert, Oscar Schmidt, Reviews | 7 CommentsTags: Mango, Oscar Schmidt, OU7T, posts, review, Spalted, uke, ukulele
Today we are looking at an Oscar Schmidt Spalted Mango Tenor (OU7T). This being a No Strings Attached Review I will not be rating this instrument. This Tenor is one of the 10 ukuleles I had the pleasure to play while I was at the U.S. Music Corp. factory recently. I was only able to play it for a short time, but I am hoping that I will have an opportunity to do a full review some day. (Wink Wink, Nudge, Nudge Tom)
Specs: Tenor Size, Spalted Mango top, back & sides, Synthetic bone nut & saddle, Abalone binding, Abalone rosette, Gloss finish, Deluxe Grover chrome tuners with ebony buttons.
First look: This uke sticks out, but in a good way. The spalted mango, yes the same tree that produces the fruit, is the most striking woods I have seen. (If you want more info about what spalted means click HERE) The gloss finish also helps the look, making it very rich looking. The ebony buttons help to finish the look very nicely. Frankly I was drawn to the instrument.
The OU7T on the table. The only shot I got
Looks
Fit and Finish: I noticed no issues with it. High gloss clear finish on the front and back. I did find out that O.S. either does all matte or all gloss. They do not mix a gloss top with matte sides and neck. Tuners where a nice nickel with ebony buttons and like all of their ukuleles the fret board had a nice binding.
Sound:
Sound Type: This thing sings! I would liken it to a spruce top. Very clear and it projects very well. I would call it loud, but very pleasing. You hit it, it gives it back with no mute or muffle. Not mellow sound like other ukes.
Intonation: Not enough time with instrument to say
Volume: Great projection, seemed to ring out. No issues filling a room with sound. You can feel it vibrate all the way up the neck
Sustain: Notes rang out loud, clear, and long. Keep in mind it has a metal wrapped G. Strings can have as much to do with it as the way the instrument is made.
Feel:
String Height: Strings are nice and low how I like them. no way to measure while I was there. easy to hit every note and chord.
Neck Radius Depth: A nice C neck. (“I wrote in my notes that it felt like butter) My big hands had plenty to hold onto, but it did not feel too big.
Tuning: With Grover geared tuners it is really easy to tune it. I believe it is a 16:1 ratio and the ebony tuning heads where very comfortable, very smooth. Since it does transfer sound so well up the neck, a clip tuner works really well.
Comfort: It may have been the size, being a tenor, but it felt nice and balanced to hold. No heavy head like the others I played. The frets where nice and smooth on the sides so I did not catch my fingers. just felt super nice to play. Being larger than a concert or a soprano it actually fits on my lap like a guitar, which was nice not having to hold it up against my chest.
In all honesty if my wife would have not killed me, I would have purchased one of these while I was there. Very tempting. I could have been like “But Amy I don’t have one in that size!”
Please comment on your experience with this ukulele.
Sorry for the lack of pictures on this one.
Places to buy on the web: Hard to find
Oscar Schmidt OU250Bell No Strings Attached Review
June 26, 2009 at 5:31 am | Posted in Brands, Concert, Oscar Schmidt, Reviews | 7 CommentsTags: bell, Oscar Schmidt, OU250bell, posts, review, uke, ukulele
Today we are looking at an Oscar Schmidt Bell ukulele (OU250Bell). This being a No Strings Attached Review I will not be rating this instrument. The bell is one of the 10 ukuleles I had the pleasure to play while I was at the U.S. Music Corp. factory recently. I was only able to play it for a short time, but I am hoping that I will have an opportunity to do a full review some day. (Wink Wink, Nudge, Nudge Tom)
Oscar Schmidt OU250Bell
Specs: Bell-shape body, solid trembesi back, sides & top (similar to mahogany in color & tone), antiqued white binding (uneven color for an aged look), colorful trim around top, abalone soundhole rosette, bound rosewood fretboard with dot inlays, chrome enclosed Grover guitar-style gears with ebony buttons, abalone logo in headstock. Satin finish, GHS strings. Hardshell case included. (Thank you Elderly Music)
Looks
First look:I have to say that I have been looking at this ukulele for a little while. It is beautiful and very striking. To my knowledge one of the few new bell shaped ukes under $900. The white binding with the red, green and yellow inlay on the body with a abalone rosette around the sound hole make it hard not to notice from a distance, never mind the shape and the wood grain. I think the trembese wood the second most pretty wood next to the spalted mango of the OU7.
Fit and Finish: The instrument that I played was the prototype and it was almost flawless, it had a small binding issue just above the sound hole on the neck. Very smooth and even matte or satin finish, which I prefer. the frets were perfectly filed. everything was straight and nice. Strings where nice and low (Tom Ferrone explained to me that low strings are not always desirable to some ukulele players, traditional ukes have a higher string stance) I took a look inside and the construction is a little different, I tried to get shots of it, but could not. They use the normal slotted kerfing like everyone else for the majority but it switches to a thinner strip at the bell curve at the butt. I assume it is either a prototype thing or just how it is done.
Sound:
Sound Type: Sounds like most mahogany wood ukuleles. A mellow/slightly muted warm sound.
Intonation: Not enough time with instrument to say
Volume: Nice projection, seemed to ring out. not the loudest I have ever played.
Sustain: Notes rang out and seem to be on par with other solid wood ukes. Strings can have as much to do with it as the way the instrument is made.
Feel:
Bell Grover tuners
String Height: Strings are nice and low how I like them. no way to measure while I was there.
Neck Radius Depth: A nice C neck with the average 3/4″ thickness. (I am guessing, it felt pretty standard) My big hands had plenty to hold onto, but it did not feel too big.
Tuning: With Grover geared tuners it is really easy to tune it. I believe it is a 16:1 ratio and the ebony tuning heads where very comfortable, vey smooth.
Comfort: The one thing about most Oscar Schmidt ukuleles is that the head is kind of heavy. It makes the balance a little different. if you hold it just inback of the heal it is almost balanced, instead of up in the body. A trade off for really nice tuning machines. Playing it is really nice, I was not sure how the shape would be to hold while standing, it was easy to hold like most other ukes. It has a big area for your arm to hold it against you. The frets are well dressed so you will not catch your finger while strumming. The best part for me is the was prestty fast, meaning switching from one chord to the next was nice and easy, barely have to press to get the notes to just sing, no matter where you hit the fret. One thing I would change, and it may be a prototype thing is that the binding could have been rounded down so that it was not so sharp.
Bells pretty head
Over all nice ukulele, and I look forward to hopefully being able to do a full review someday soon.
Please comment on your experience with this ukulele.
Places to buy on the web:
Amazon has it from a seller for $245
Bell body
Bell red, green and Yellow binding
Side of the bell
My visit to Oscar Schmidt
June 21, 2009 at 7:56 pm | Posted in Brands, Concert, Oscar Schmidt | 9 CommentsTags: Oscar Schmidt, uke, ukulele
Tom Ferrone from Oscar Schmidt
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to tour the U.S. Music Corp. factory in Mundelein, IL Friday. U.S. Music Corp is the parent company for many brands such as Washburn, Parker Guitars, Randall Amps, Oscar Schmidt, and many more brands that we see all the time. I contacted them last week just on a whim. I knew they were in a suburb of Chicago and I am only a few hours away, so I figured that they might let me review a ukulele, a tall order since I do not have a readership at this point. But as luck would have it Tom Ferrone contacted me right away and he asked me to come and see the factory. He Said he would have a few ukes for me to review when I got there.
Tom was really nice to let me come and spend 3 hours there talking and playing.
Very old bell ukulele
I showed up early, this is my first interview and there was no way I would be late. I walk up to the door and was just in awe of the instruments hanging on the walls, an issue I proceeded to have as I walked around later. I was greeted by the person behind their front desk. I asked for Tom and she asked me to take a seat while she summoned him. I am not a person who can sit when he is nervous, plus there are at least 100+ instruments around me, so I started walking around. There were some of the coolest painted electrics and hand drawn on guitars that are signed by various artists, but I did find the one ukulele on the wall. A bell shaped beauty from the 1920? I looked at it and started to just dream of playing it, but the person behind the desk would have killed me if I touched it, so I did not (at least at that point). Tom Came out to greet me and to show me back to the room that he had setup for us to talk and play, but before we went I commented about the bell, so he walked up to it and handed it to me, in my mind I am saying “RUN HE COULD NEVER CATCH YOU!!” But alas I did not; I strummed it a couple times, too afraid to try and tune it and gave it good look over. It is a really well made piece, looks old and used but no real wear to speak of. A few things that I noticed were that around the sound hole it has a raised ivory ring, the saddle is just carved from the bridge, and it smelled like a combination of new wood and dust. (I looked inside to see how it was constructed, I did not just put it up to my face and smell it, that would be weird)
Tom led me down a hall with some of the coolest/weirdest guitars from various artists. We ended up in the room pictured below. You can’t see all the ukuleles on the table, but there were 10 different types plus my OU-2. When someone say “I will have a few to play” You do not expect 10, it was awesome!! Never mind the other instruments on the walls. I hope to have a room like this in my house before I die.
The "Playroom"
The Ukes on the table.
I only had a few hours with them all, so the reviews will be brief.
If my readership goes up I am hoping I can have a couple for longer.
(* = I will review very soon)
OU2*
OU250Bell – NSA Review
OU280SWK
OU220SWK*
OU245SWK
OU7T – NSA Review
OU6
OU55CE
OU5
OU5LCE
OU26 Wide neck Proto type – Ultra wide spacing, I think it will turn into a 6 string uke
During my time there Tom and I talked about many things and I toured the electric guitar factory (Washburn and Parker are made there). At this moment Oscar Schmidt is selling 21 different ukuleles that are made in Indonesia, but setup here in the states. I asked why Indonesia? Tom explained that they have many types of wood farms and access to woods that many places do not have. He made it a point that many instrument woods are not from forests that are cut down, but reclaimed woods, such as the koa, for the most part, has been harvested from trees that were blown down in a huge hurricane a few years back. Oscar Schmidt uses 6-7 different types of wood to make their ukuleles, and they are always looking for better and more environmentally friendly ways to make their instruments. The main goal of Oscar Schmidt is to make affordable, quality instruments. Some companies will use woods that are not ready to be used for instruments, but they dry their wood for 6 months to a year, and will kiln dry most of it to make sure that it right. Otherwise they could not stand by their warranty, guaranteeing that it will not warp or crack for the lifetime of the instrument. I did ask a few pointed questions, there seemed to be nothing off limits. I asked why they are not selling the nicer $200+ ukes under the Washburn name? He quite simply said that would be too confusing and that the O.S. brand is strong with people. I also asked about the quality issues from a few years back that people where seeing. Tom explained, that was when they switched from China to Indonesia. Mainly for quality and the resources that it offered. We proceeded to talk about the individual instruments, which I will talk about in the individual reviews that I do. But he did give me some insight into what is coming. O.S. is never stagnant, Tom is always thinking of ways to improve the instruments.
Prototype neck beside a regular neck (OU26)
Things in the works:
6 string OU2 called the OU26
X-mas packages containing the uke, a case, a book and maybe a DVD
Thinner wood ukuleles
Perforated bracing system (Possibly for better/louder sound)
Thinner neck profiles
I would like to thank Tom Ferrone again for putting up with me for as long as he did. Watch for the reviews of the ukuleles that I played to start coming this week.
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