works surprisingly well! another class act from the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
5.5.10
Mainland Mahogany Concert - Slotted Headstock model - review
Hot on the heels of my Flea review, whilst I have posted pics of my beloved Mainland (and raved about it), I noted I had not provided a detailed review.
Background to Mainland is quite interesting - they are assembled in the USA by hand by Hoosier Mike (from Ukulele Underground's) team in Nashville Indiana. The parts though are made and shaped in the far east in the same production facilities as many other mid level ukes such as Ohana I believe. Mike used to be the man at Bushman Ukuleles, (which still exist I think) but went it alone.
What he has provided though is a range of beautifully finished all solid ukuleles at a great price point that I personally would argue is hard to match for the money.
I had read so many good things that I placed my order from the only UK Mainland dealer - the very nice people at Eagle Music in Huddersfield. I opted for the Concert scale uke, and for something a little classier the slotted traditional headstock with backwards facing tuners. Was £179, though I think its a touch cheaper if you go for a standard headstock.
The neck is wonderfully finished and the fingerboard is a beautiful smooth dark wood that just looks quality. Frets are nicely finished too. I think the saddle and nut are bone which is a nice touch.
Headstock as I say is slotted design with rear facing geared tuners with pearloid buttons. If you order from Mainland you can specify exactly what you want down to button colour for no, or little extra cost which is cool. The tuners are nice quality and hold well. Mainland logo is on the headstock in similar ropework finish, but if I am honest, it looks a little pale on the mahogany background - could do with standing out a bit more.
To hold and play, the uke is very comfortable and a nice weight. The extra scale in the concert neck is nice to play on, and the action and intonation was absolutely spot on everywhere - NO complaints here.
Came strung with Aquilas which are obviously nice, but to be honest, I dont think a sweet solid instrument benefits from these butch strings that well. As you will read elsewhere on the blog, I have been playing around with string types on the mainland and seem to have now settled on the new edition Martin Flourocarbons - they give the nicest balance to my ears between volume and sweet chiming sound.
And that sound is what I really like about the Mainland - and what sets well made all solid instruments apart from the cheaper end - the sound is just really sweet and rings - nice sustain (yes, sustain - on a ukulele) but real bell like chimes from it.
I've found myself getting very precious about this uke - certainly not a uke I would take to the pub for a jamming session - I polish it too much (how sad) - but then it has its place - this is my "sit down when the house is quiet and relax with my uke" ukulele!
It therefore comes totally, 100%, no ifs buts or maybes recommended from me. If you are looking for a step up from a beginner uke, or just a uke in the £150 -£200 price bracket, you would be daft to ignore these.
Keep an eye on the Mainland Site too, as Mike is introducing new models, new wood types and shapes - all look nice. I hear the red cedar models are lovely too!
Background to Mainland is quite interesting - they are assembled in the USA by hand by Hoosier Mike (from Ukulele Underground's) team in Nashville Indiana. The parts though are made and shaped in the far east in the same production facilities as many other mid level ukes such as Ohana I believe. Mike used to be the man at Bushman Ukuleles, (which still exist I think) but went it alone.
What he has provided though is a range of beautifully finished all solid ukuleles at a great price point that I personally would argue is hard to match for the money.
I had read so many good things that I placed my order from the only UK Mainland dealer - the very nice people at Eagle Music in Huddersfield. I opted for the Concert scale uke, and for something a little classier the slotted traditional headstock with backwards facing tuners. Was £179, though I think its a touch cheaper if you go for a standard headstock.
On opening the box it was clear that this was a lovely instrument. The Mahogany finish is wonderful, deep grained with a kind of 3d shimmer effect to it. The colour just glows a lovely dark orangey brown. the top and back have a white bound edge, and the top is finished with Mainlands trademark ropework finish around the edge and sound hole. Some love this, some hate it, but I usually find that those that dislike it have seen trade pictures that make it look a stark black and white - it isnt - the white is very creamy and the whole thing looks mellow.
The neck is wonderfully finished and the fingerboard is a beautiful smooth dark wood that just looks quality. Frets are nicely finished too. I think the saddle and nut are bone which is a nice touch.
Came strung with Aquilas which are obviously nice, but to be honest, I dont think a sweet solid instrument benefits from these butch strings that well. As you will read elsewhere on the blog, I have been playing around with string types on the mainland and seem to have now settled on the new edition Martin Flourocarbons - they give the nicest balance to my ears between volume and sweet chiming sound.
And that sound is what I really like about the Mainland - and what sets well made all solid instruments apart from the cheaper end - the sound is just really sweet and rings - nice sustain (yes, sustain - on a ukulele) but real bell like chimes from it.
I've found myself getting very precious about this uke - certainly not a uke I would take to the pub for a jamming session - I polish it too much (how sad) - but then it has its place - this is my "sit down when the house is quiet and relax with my uke" ukulele!
It therefore comes totally, 100%, no ifs buts or maybes recommended from me. If you are looking for a step up from a beginner uke, or just a uke in the £150 -£200 price bracket, you would be daft to ignore these.
Keep an eye on the Mainland Site too, as Mike is introducing new models, new wood types and shapes - all look nice. I hear the red cedar models are lovely too!
4.5.10
Ukulele Chords - standard tuning
Available here in jpg - feel free to copy and paste the images below - you can easily print off at A4 for keeping in your songbook. This page will also be permanently available on the link at the top of the blog page
Flea Ukulele - from the Magic Fluke Company
I do get asked a lot on the Uke Underground forum for my views on my Flea by the Fluke Co, so thought i should probably type out a proper review.
I've had my Flea now for about 2 years, and adore it. It cost me a little over £100 back then, and they seem to be available in the basic form for about £120 now over here.
By way of background, the Flea is a USA made instrument, and is the little brother (or sister) to the Fluke Ukulele. What sets these ukes apart is their design. The back of the instrument is plastic / polycarbonate, and the top is a laminated australian hoop pine. The neck is a nice smooth maple finish with a distinctive headstock, and it is fitted with quality friction tuners.
The fingerboard is a one piece moulded piece of plastic, with integral frets. This seems to be the biggest point of concern with those people considering buying a Flea, but I really dont know why. If you are really fussed, the Company do make a rosewood fingerboard model with metal frets, but why would you bother? This plastic fingerboard is comfortable to play, light, and most importantly of all, its intonation is absolutely spot on - there is no way a fret can be mis-seated on this instrument - it is just naturally accurate.
There are also similar concerns raised by some over the plastic back - to them I would just point them in the direction of the superb Ovation Balladeer guitars - really really nice pro-instruments with, yes, you guessed it, a man made curved back.
So, back to mine - it is finished in a painted purple colour (called Poi-ple by the Fluke Co), and arrived with shiny black hilo strings which I really didnt get on with. Tuners needed a tighten but since that first tighten I have had no problems with them whatsover - i have read that they are made by Gotoh, which may explain it.
I changed the strings for Aquilas, but have since also played around with Martins and Worths - all good - and all better than the Hilos it arrived with.
My model is soprano scale, but you can get them with concert scale necks. The sound for such a small, simple, laminated instrument really is extraordinary - it is loud - certainly as loud as any other uke in my collection, and bright and bouncy. There are zero issues with intonation and action (as I say above), and plays beautifully.
The are also really really tough - I have knocked mine over and dropped it - not a mark and still bang in tune. These are therefore highly recommended for gigging or camping etc.
Slight gripes - the wooden top is actually slightly recessed into plastic body, so where I rest my arm on the top when playing it leaves a red line on my arm. Also, with two years play now, the reslilence of the top finish leaves a little to be desired, and it has polished up in places where my arm has rubbed - oh well, some would call that "patina".
Comes with a zippered padded gig bag and small booklet of uke chords.
I can honestly say, would never change my Flea, and am on the lookout for a Fluke. It just plays so well, is always in tune, and is dead reliable. Would I buy one again - yes I would. Should you buy one - well, if the Flea is in your price range, I would strongly recommend it.
Enjoy!
I've had my Flea now for about 2 years, and adore it. It cost me a little over £100 back then, and they seem to be available in the basic form for about £120 now over here.
By way of background, the Flea is a USA made instrument, and is the little brother (or sister) to the Fluke Ukulele. What sets these ukes apart is their design. The back of the instrument is plastic / polycarbonate, and the top is a laminated australian hoop pine. The neck is a nice smooth maple finish with a distinctive headstock, and it is fitted with quality friction tuners.
The fingerboard is a one piece moulded piece of plastic, with integral frets. This seems to be the biggest point of concern with those people considering buying a Flea, but I really dont know why. If you are really fussed, the Company do make a rosewood fingerboard model with metal frets, but why would you bother? This plastic fingerboard is comfortable to play, light, and most importantly of all, its intonation is absolutely spot on - there is no way a fret can be mis-seated on this instrument - it is just naturally accurate.
There are also similar concerns raised by some over the plastic back - to them I would just point them in the direction of the superb Ovation Balladeer guitars - really really nice pro-instruments with, yes, you guessed it, a man made curved back.
So, back to mine - it is finished in a painted purple colour (called Poi-ple by the Fluke Co), and arrived with shiny black hilo strings which I really didnt get on with. Tuners needed a tighten but since that first tighten I have had no problems with them whatsover - i have read that they are made by Gotoh, which may explain it.
I changed the strings for Aquilas, but have since also played around with Martins and Worths - all good - and all better than the Hilos it arrived with.
My model is soprano scale, but you can get them with concert scale necks. The sound for such a small, simple, laminated instrument really is extraordinary - it is loud - certainly as loud as any other uke in my collection, and bright and bouncy. There are zero issues with intonation and action (as I say above), and plays beautifully.
The are also really really tough - I have knocked mine over and dropped it - not a mark and still bang in tune. These are therefore highly recommended for gigging or camping etc.
Slight gripes - the wooden top is actually slightly recessed into plastic body, so where I rest my arm on the top when playing it leaves a red line on my arm. Also, with two years play now, the reslilence of the top finish leaves a little to be desired, and it has polished up in places where my arm has rubbed - oh well, some would call that "patina".
Comes with a zippered padded gig bag and small booklet of uke chords.
I can honestly say, would never change my Flea, and am on the lookout for a Fluke. It just plays so well, is always in tune, and is dead reliable. Would I buy one again - yes I would. Should you buy one - well, if the Flea is in your price range, I would strongly recommend it.
Enjoy!
1.5.10
Ukulele beginners tips - How do you pick?
Another common question this one - do you play the uke with a plectrum or pick.
Well, personally speaking I dont - I really dont see the need, and find that if I do play with a pick, the sound can be a bit overpowering and sharp.
Tradition suggests that the uke should be strummed with the fingers - held cuddled against the body in a variety of fingerstyles, but generally using the first finger, with some thumb for accenting or other fingers in a fan style.
If you have short nails you will get a softer sound, but growing the first finger nail will add to your "attack".
All of that said, a trawl of Youtube will show you that plenty of people do play with a pick, so it isnt "wrong" - whatever you choose.
What I would suggest though is to go for a specific ukulele felt or leather pick which will help avoid damage to the finish of your uke, and to the strings themselves. Again, I do see some playing with a standard guitar pick, but if you are going to do that, go with a light soft pick and be careful.
Ukes in the pub at Penrith
Ukes in the Pub at Penrith - how uplifting!
01 MAY 10 @ 10:00AM BY OMAR HAMWI
more photos
EVEN a beginner can play the ukulele after only an hour’s practise.
So says Blue Mountains Ukulele Club member Steve Roberts, 54, who attends the club’s monthly Ukes in the Pub gathering at Penrith.
He said both ukulele first-timers and experienced players could get something out of the group.
“With three chords you can play any song with the ukulele. Most of The Beatles and AC/DC songs have three chords,” Mr Roberts, of Penrith, said.
“It has four strings and one of the largest ranges of chords. Beginners can learn a couple of chords and just after an hour they can play You are My Sunshine.”
Mr Roberts first picked up a ukulele after seeing Paul McCartney use one to play The Beatles’ hit Something.
“About two or three years ago I got into it after seeing that performance,” he said.
“I’m not a beginner any more, I’m an improver.”
Mr Roberts said the 134-member club played mainly boisterous and upbeat songs.
He encouraged interested residents to join in.
“If I can play, you can play,” he said.
The club meets at the Australian Arms Hotel, corner of High and Lawson streets, Penrith, on the first Saturday of the month.
For details call Mr Roberts on 0412 228 326 or Rob on 0425 217 316.
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