Winter NAMM 2011 Big Report
January 17, 2011 at 11:39 pm | Posted in Events, General, Shows | 18 CommentsTags: banjo, banjolele, Chris Martin, Eleuke, fluke, Humidity, Laminate, Mango, Martin, posts, uke, ukulele
Well, Winter NAMM 2011 is over and I am on my home (back to reality) so I figured I would do a big recap. The last four days have whizzed by so fast, it is a blur of meeting vendors and walking around with 2 of the most fun people in the world (Sally and Mim).
Below I will break down stuff so you can skip around and not have to read all the boring stuff.
Trends
I have noticed a few trends with the ukulele during NAMM. The first is that ukuleles are still exploding and the market is growing, this is past fad. I was asked so many times what was going on and all I could say is that the uke is here to stay.
Pono Bamboo ukulele
Another trend is bamboo. I did a review of the Paulele already, and waiting on the Cordoba, but I saw several bamboo ukes from Pono, and I carried a Tall grass uke with me to NAMM to show people. I think it is the fact that people are trying to be more eco-friendly and trying new materials. Bamboo seems like the one for now, not sure how it will last. All I can say is that the Pono one hits every wicket on looks, quality, and sound.
Another pono bamboo ukulele
YES! a Fluke banjo uke.
The last one is Banjo ukes. Gold Tone has had the Banjolele for a long time, but it is well above the $300 mark. The holy grail, if you will, is below $300. Morgan Monroe (soon to be Eddy Finn) was the first 6” open back banjo uke that I saw at summer NAMM, but now I can find the exact same one from aNueNue and several other people. It was funny, I went to Chesbro (Eleuke) and said “ Wow! No banjo ukes.” They responded with “wait another month or two” so it seems that everyone is getting in on the game and they seem to be all from the same factory. On the Banjo uke trend there are 2 companies that have ones out or coming out very soon, and they could not be any different. Mainland has their close back concert with a much larger head than all the little 6” head ones you see everywhere, and Flea Market Music (Flea and Flukes) banjo uke made from a small hand drum.
New products
There were so many new products, these are the ones that caught my eye.
Martin S1- I was lucky enough to get one a few days before NAMM and wrote some first impressions on it. LINK
Kala Ukadelics- We knew they were coming out with these, and they are a ton of fun. So many fun designs and they play pretty well, I think they will be about $120. For anyone who wants some fun designs and a pretty good uke, this is a winner.
Kala Ukadelic
Gold Tone Reso uke – Yes it will be $400 but it is a really awesome rose copper color and is a lot less than any other reso uke out there.
Gold Tone Reso-uke
Eddy Finn Ukes – SHS will be making these fun ukes and they range in price from $100 – $400. As you can see the sound hole is very fun with the fin, but it is even cooler than that. When I picked one up I was thinking I was going crazy, I smelled pineapples. The Ukes are rubbed with a coconut and pineapple oil so they will smell awesome. So unique and just par for the course for SHS. Ask Mim of Mim’s Ukes in Charlotte NC about them, she is getting a few of them right away. I will also getting some for review in February.
Wall of Eddy Finns
Flea Market Music Banjo Uke – I was told they will be available soon and be going for $220, but they are working on a poly fret board version to get the price down. I have to say they are a ton of fun and the lightest banjo ukulele you will find. They sound awesome to boot with the open back. When I asked about the body they said “if your wife hits you over the head with it and crack the body we can replace it pretty easily” I said “Do you know my Wife?”
On top of the banjo uke they also came out with a ton of new designs. I really dig the retro countertop design.
More Fluke banjo Ukes, coming March
Big Island Mango – I did a review last year of a SP-KT and loved it, but now they also have mango and mahogany ukes. The mahogany look like the others, but the mango are just eye catching. Sally and I fell in love with them. They will be another Uke that Mim will carry when they come out in the next few months.
Big Island Mango. Very nice
Eleuke Peanut – The one I saw was a prototype and will look different than the one pictured (Square head and a little longer butt to make it easier to hold) and they are aiming at sub $100 for it, and they have the same guts as all the other Eleukes, should be awesome. I hope to review one when they come to market.
Does anyone want a peanut?
Kala Solid UBass – I think this is really cool. I am not a fan of acoustic basses, seems like a waste. You can’t really get a loud sound out of one when a good uke is going. You have to plug it in anyways. They are so light and small; I think regular bass players will get one to travel with or to be unique.
Kala Solid UBass, 4 and 5
Spider Capo – So how many times are you like “man I wish I could change my tuning without having to retune the whole uke? We were sitting in the press area and they did a press conference on this product. It looks like fun. I was lucky enough to get one for review. I will play with it and a contest of sorts will happen in the near future. I will keep you posted.
Spider Capo
Fun
Beside annoying vendors for review stuff I was lucky enough to do some really fun things like the big uke jam that Aldrine from UkuleleUnderground.com organized, and then going to dinner with a big group of UU people, including Aldrine and Aaron of UU; nothing but laughter. Sally made a video of those that were there.
I walked by a ton of famous people, beside Aldrine who played at least 5 gigs. I saw the bass player from Blink182, Jonny 5, Steve Vai, Michael Anthony, and many people signing autographs that I had no clue about. I would just walk by and look. It was weird. I Know Sally saw Glen Campbell. All in all it is weird to see them walking around.
Here is a video that will blow your f-ing mind socks off! 11 string bass plugged into an amp that runs on battery and a pedal box that also runs on battery.
I also was lucky that the two people that came with me are way too much fun. We had so many inside jokes and did nothing but laugh; there are so many great stories.
Sally and Mim
Thank You
I want to thank my readers for some of the biggest site numbers I have ever had without a contest going on. Some of you also contacted me to make sure that I did not miss any of the cool things that where there. I do this for the love of the uke and really love when people care enough to participate and keep me in the loop.
My biggest thanks has to go out to Mim of Mim’s ukes and Sally. Sally was kind enough to kick her kids out of their beds for 4 days so Mim and I could stay at her house. Both of Sally and Mim where the best 2 people to bring I could have ever wished for. Every booth I went to, Mim and Sally would get to later, they would talk Ukeeku.com up and make sure that they remembered me, it was just awesome.
More NAMM 2011 Coverage
The Best place to go for Ukulele related NAMM 2011 coverage would have to be UkuleleUnderground.com
Gallery
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- Wall of Eddy Finns
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- Does anyone want a peanut?
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- Wylde six string ukulele?
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- Gold Tone Reso-uke
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- Kala Solid UBass, 4 and 5
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- Kala Ubass family
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- Kamoa Cases. Come in many colors
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- Sally and Mim
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- Pono Bamboo ukulele
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- Another pono bamboo ukulele
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- Spider Capo
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Mango Fluke Full Review
July 18, 2009 at 5:09 am | Posted in Brands, Concert, Magic Fluke, Reviews | 8 CommentsTags: fluke, Full review, Mango, review, uke, ukulele
The Mango Fluke
I want to start this out with saying that this is a fun instrument……..but it could be better. I received a Fluke and Flea from The Magic Fluke Co. a few weeks ago, thank you Dale Webb for being the first to send me instruments to review. I have played them a few times and have seen many of them at different fests and shops. Many people play them for their looks and the fact that the basic ones with the plastic (Yes I know polycarbonate, but plastic is shorter to type) back and fret board, along with a laminate top, they are almost indestructible. I read a story about a person that actually had to use their fluke as a paddle because they lost the oars on their boat and it was still playable!! I digress; read the full review below.
Specs: Concert size, Australian Hoop Pine top, mango colored (Comes in and ever changing array of colors, designs, and woods), injection molded body, polycarbonate single piece bridge, Maple neck with an Injection molded Polycarbonate fret board with frets part of the mold, Grover non-geared tuners, and Hilo Black nylon strings
Looks
Unique Head stock of the Fluke
First look: (4) The first thing I said when I saw one was “That looks like a boat paddle. Cool!!”. You know a fluke when you see one. One of the things that I like is that the only place that you see the brand is the label on the inside of the instrument, very classy and minimalist. I think the headstock design is just as much a logo as any you see on many ukes like Martin or Bushman. I gave this one a 4 because it is a plain boring mango, they have much cooler looking ones. If I had to pick one it would be the surf fluke with the rosewood fret board.
Fit and Finish: (4) The construction on this instrument is tight. Every bit is sanded with no discoloration in the finish. The neck is smooth with not a single hard edge. Where I ding it is in 3 places. The fret board is slightly smaller than the neck, so there is a slight ridge. The second
Glue under the Bridge
thing that I can see is the glue under the bridge where the strings slide in. My last issue is that the wood on the top sits lower in the body, leaving a ridge which makes for some uncomfortable playing when it digs into my arm. All are very minor items that are not noticeable to most people.
Sound:
Sound Type: Bright and punchy.
Polycarbonite Molded Bridge/Saddle
Intonation: (3) The intonation is not that bad, but it cannot be fixed. With a combined bridge/saddle it cannot be adjusted. Many times the A and the C need to be slightly altered at the saddle (As with this instrument), and that is not an issue for many instruments. With this one, if you go too far there is no way to replace the saddle. you will never notice any issues unless you play past the 9th fret.
Volume: (4) Like all other molded back instruments, it is loud. It can be loader with strings like Aquila or Worth.
Sustain: (5) Notes rang out loud, clear, and long. A very hard plastic fret board and a thin top let it ring. It breaks down very nicely. I think that having the frets molded into the fret board helps the sustain when you are using a vibrato technique (Where you wiggle your finger on the string on the note you want to keep going).
Feel:
String Height: (Medium) The 0 fret design always helps with making the strings very low. One of the nice parts about having molded parts is that they were able to have consistent string height.
Neck Radius Depth: (3/4″) It might be a pretty standard depth, but it far from standard. The neck is the same thickness from the headstock to where it meets the body. The back of the neck is flat; making bar cords a little easier to play. The neck feels very thick, even though it is not.
0 Fret and fret board closeup
Frets: (5) The frets are part of the mold when you get the plastic fret board, so they are very consistent. Very easy to make a solid note or cord. I really like the way that they are very low so sliding from one note is like butter. An interesting feature that many ukuleles don’t have is the 0 fret. makes it nice to have the strings start out so low to the fret board.
Tuning: (4) Friction tuners are my preference, but many people like geared tuners. The tuners did slip at first so I tightened them and they stayed. I did have some small issues though. One of my issues was with the C string, it would catch at the nut causing me to go sharp as soon as it let go. It would be an easy fix if I owned the instrument. Just take a file and loosen it up. By the second week the strings stretched at it stayed in tune.
Comfort: (4) With the composite parts and the laminate wood top, this is a very light uke. I could not weigh it, but is light and also balanced. It almost balances at the 13th fret. One of the other things that I really like is the flat back on the neck along with the consistent width all the way from the first fret to where it meets the body at the 11th fret. My only issue in the comfort area is that it really digs into my arm where I am holding it on the body. I leaves a really deep indentation in my arm. This is due to the top being set in lower into the body, leaving a ridge where my arm holds it. I don’t notice it unless I play for at least an hour or more.
If this was my instrument I would upgrade a few things. 1. Go with a wood fret board. 2. Different strings. 3. Have a design on the body (Very few ukuleles have that option). All in all I really do like the fluke. I think I would use it more for stage use and also a travel instrument because it is bullet proof, so it can take a beating and change in climate and still keep rocking.
All Rating on a scale of 1-5
Click here for an explanation of reviews
Comes with a really nice padded bag
| First Look | 4 |
| Fit and Finish | 4 |
| Sound Type | Bright and Punchy |
| Intonation | 3 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Sustain | 5 |
| String Height | Medium |
| Neck Radius Depth | 3/4″ |
| Frets | 5 |
| Tuning | 4 |
| Comfort | 4 |
Places to buy on the web:
Direct from Flea Market Music store (The only place you can customize the snot out of it) As reviewed $195, Custom can get over $400.
Elderly has it for $189
Hope you enjoyed this full review. Please comment.
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
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