31 Dec 2015

31 Dec 2015T08:00

Got A Ukulele Review Of The Year 2015

Time for a look back at 2015 through the eyes of Got A Ukulele. This is a feature I try to run at the end of each year, but missed it for the end of 2014 as you may recall I was stuck in a hospital bed! Been looking forward to getting back to normality though!

So 2015 started relatively slowly, but has been a great year for the website. It has now had over 8.9 million page views and the backbone of the site, (the reviews) have gone from strength to strength I think.

Let's look back at some of the highlights!

JANUARY

As I say, a slow start, but I had to start with a delayed review of one of my favourite CD's of the year, from Mr Phil Doleman - Old Is The New New. Also on the review bench was a look at one of the most marvellous instruments I have had.. and one that was delivered to me in a hospital waiting room by the Luthier in question - the Tinguitar solid tenor ukulele...

Also in January, I gave you my choices for Ukulele Tuning devices and the first UK Uke Magazine was born!

FEBRUARY

As a blog that likes to cover ukulele offerings for all price points February saw reviews of a couple of bargain ukuleles. The first one was an absolute stinker in the form of the Stagg US10 Soprano, and the second was a far better offering In the form of the Alic soprano.

February also saw the launch of a new string set from Aquila called Lava, and I had my first 'Got A Ukulele Rant' of the year about Snake Oil in the ukulele world.

MARCH

Rants were a big part of March, including my exposing ukulele dealers who are less than honest in their product descriptions, The nonsense of claiming that solid wood ukuleles are always better than laminates, and how I don't really get Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome.

On a more positive note, Moselele released a great solid wood version of their Bambookulele and I explained what I mean by over building ukuleles..

APRIL

A quiet month, but I did get to review a cracking ukulele from the Snail Brand, and one from Lani Ukuleles. Oh, and a certain busker upset David Cameron with a ukulele..

MAY

In May I reviewed my first ever Baritone ukulele on the site in the form of the Pono MB-e. I also wrote a piece on ukulele humidity and how there is a lot of bad advice in this area.

I also caused quite a stir with my post about using Fishing Line as ukulele strings and the month ended with the rather fabulous Grand Northern Ukulele Festival, featuring the likes of Aaron Keim, The Mersey Belles, Manitoba Hal, Chee Maisel and Mike Hind.

JUNE

Rants again in June. This time questioning why the ukulele world can be so down on people liking anything different, 'tutors' who try to avoid using the first finger to barre and the constant myth that the ukulele is easy... All three led to masses of comments which is always a bellwether that I am on to something..

In June I also reviewed the rather marvellous Ike Soprano from Wunderkammer and Makala launched the Waterman Ukulele and also very kindly donated one for me to give away.

JULY

A quiet month ( a man needs a holiday!) but I did get to review a tenor instrument from PSI ukuleles and also give you a round up of ukulele albums that had been on rotation in my CD player.

AUGUST

A mix of review - from the sublime soprano from DJ Morgan Ukuleles to the most controversial review I have ever done - the Epiphone Les Paul Ukulele. That latter one led to more comments and complaints than any other I have done, ranging from telling me I was just plain wrong to saying it was a nice sounding instrument. On reflection - no, my view is unchanged. It's absolutely terrible.

SEPTEMBER

Holiday month again, but I thoroughly enjoyed doing my first head to head review comparing a range of similar sopranos from Kala, Ohana and Lanikai.

OCTOBER

A range of reviews this month. From the disappointing Vox Ukelectric to the rather lovely Kala Comfort Edge Tenor.

I also returned to the rants with my confusion with why people claim the ukulele is magical, and I finally got around to featuring a ukulele player I have wanted on the blog for ages - Ukulele Russ. Ending the month was a look at the Luna Tattoo Concert.

NOVEMBER

From the ridiculous to the sublime in November. The Vintage VUK20 was one of the worst instruments I have ever tested, and the Beltona Tenor resonator was one of the very best. Oh, and the pUKEs released a new single which is always a good day!

DECEMBER

Always a busy month in life generally, but we ended the year with yet more reviews. The Mahalo 2500 Kahiko, the Kala Travel Concert, and finally one of the fastest read review posts I have ever put up for the oh so pretty Cocobolo tenor.. A smashing instrument. The end of the year soured slightly by some trolls thinking that one mans ukulele reviews are akin to the Cuban Missile Crisis... but... ah well.. the ups and downs of a public website I suppose!

2015... 88 posts... 2.6 million page views this year.... over 8.9 million in total....

Those were the highlights of my year. My thanks once again to readers and supporters of the site and brands who have kindly loaned me instruments to write about. It really is rewarding, and the site it has been a lot of fun this year. I have plenty more ideas in the pipeline for 2016 and instruments already stacking up on the review bench from the likes of Deering, Cordoba, Mahalo and Aiersi already.. All is left is for me to wish YOU all the very very best for the coming year in whatever you do. Hope the site remains of interest!

Take care all.

Baz

© Barry Maz

27 Dec 2015

27 Dec 2015T17:21

James Hill - Voodoo Chile

Regular Got A Ukulele readers will know that I don't flood this site with videos, and really only tend to share them when they stand out to me. James Hill videos normally do that for me.

But I am sharing this for reasons other than the technical standard on display (which, for me, is rather wonderful).

You see, I like James because he pushes some boundaries with what the ukulele can do. Some may not like the music (I'm a Hendrix fan, so I like it just fine - even if James has mis-spelled the name of the track he is covering). Some will say 'you shouldn't play that on a ukulele... And that is really one of the main reasons I am sharing it. You see, I am a strong believer that no matter what the instrument, taking it out of the comfort zone of most people is a HEALTHY thing to do with it. It shows others that the instrument is not so limited, and that has to be a good thing.

The ukulele does, in my view, suffer from being typecast, of people assuming it is a one trick pony, of people assuming that it is 'only' for happy Hawaiian stuff. I say not. I say watch and listen to James Hill.

If you don't like the tune, admire the skill of his playing. If you don't think this should be played on a ukulele... well... it's a musical instrument - they don't come with rule books.

(And if you are interested, James is playing a Mya Moe ukulele)

© Barry Maz

24 Dec 2015

24 Dec 2015T11:26

Merry Christmas from Got A Ukulele!

Well what a year, time now to relax with the family and loved ones. Maybe play a ukulele or two!

With readers around the world and from many different cultures, it's probably unwise to try to cover them all, so if you have a celebration I missed, please add it in the comments below.

Regardless of your background, have a great fun break and me nice to each other.

Happy Christmas, Happy Saturnalia, Happy Natal, Eeda Zura, Junkanoo, Jul...!

Joyeux Noël, Glaedelig Jul, Frohe Weihnachten, Selemat Natal, Buon Natale, Feliz Navidad, Mutlu Noeller, Nadolig Llawen, Crāciun Fericit.

And if you are not celebrating anything - my very very best wishes anyway!

See you soon!

© Barry Maz

20 Dec 2015

20 Dec 2015T14:58

Cocobolo Tenor Ukulele - REVIEW

Ukulele review time! Next up, a brand that has created quite a buzz on ukulele social media. A musical instrument all the way to me on test from Nicaragua, take a look at the Cocobolo Tenor ukulele.

Taking its name from the wood all their instruments are made from the Cocobolo brand is a hand made offering and brainchild of US graduate Kevin Keith who set up the new Cocobolo instrument business in Nicaragua. Just the way they look has generated a lot of interest, so I was delighted to borrow one to take a look.

This tenor model is one of a range of instruments from Cocobolo, from soprano to baritone, 6 strings and custom order options, and arrived with me in standard spec to give you an idea of what you automatically get. Lots of elements can be changed, but this is what you get if you click buy on the standard tenor model. It retails at $399 US too which is a great price I think.

So lets take a look. We have a traditional double bout shaped instrument hand made from all solid Nicaraguan cocobolo wood. cocobolo is a tropical hardwood renowned for its striking colour and grain patterns. And those grains are used to great effect by Cocobolo.

It is finished in satin (thumbs up from me) and is indeed striking. The swirl in the wood on the top and sides makes it look like it has been painted. When your realise that it is actually the wood, you realise what a nice material it is. It kind of glows red / orange in the light with black and yellow swirls. Quite beautiful really.

The sides follow this pattern, and are particularly swirly on this model at the base.

The back is slightly arched and trimmed down the middle join with some lighter coloured wood strips. It's a nice touch that sets it off.

At the base we have a similar trim strip on the butt and it comes fitted with a silver strap button as standard. Nice.

One thing I would mention at this point is that this example is not book matched. That is to say the two pieces of wood that join on the top (and on the back) are not mirrors of each other as you normally find. I think it was done like this on my example to exaggerate the huge swirls on the front, but a look on the Cocobolo website seems to show that a majority of their instruments are book matched, with some using the striking lighter sap woods to great effect. Purely personal choice but if I was buying one of these, I would specify a book matched model myself. That is not a criticism, just personal taste.

Saying all that, the swirls on this are hard not to like.

A look inside shows a reasonably tidy build. The kerfing is notched and the bracing is nice and minimal. The interior bracing is made of Honduran mahogany. There are glue spots however if that sort of thing bothers you. Otherwise the body of the instrument is extremely nicely put together with no finish flaws, gaps or odd bows or buckles. I'd also just point out that it has a wonderful wood shop smell!

The bridge is made of cocobolo also and is a fairly standard designed tie bar affair with a solid bone saddle. The saddle is slightly arched to match the fingerboard (a feature I will come on to!).

The neck wood is Honduran mahogany and made of three pieces, with a joint at the heel and in the headstock. The heel of the neck is capped with more cocobolo.

Topping the neck is a fingerboard also made of cocobolo. I've not seen a fingerboard made of this wood before, but it does work with the body. Like the body, it too is a deep red and full of swirly grains. Some of the grains and knots in the fingerboard do have a slightly rough finish to them though. Nothing major, but I know some people are particular that their fingerboards are as smooth as glass.

One thing that did please me was to see that the fingerboard has a radius. That is to say it is not dead flat like most ukuleles but is very slightly curved. It's a 12" radius and I do like those on instruments as I find they feel incredibly natural in the fretting hand. Nice to see and it explains that arched top to the saddle I mentioned earlier!

The frets are steel and we have 17 in total with 13 to the body. That's an unusual join point but Cocobolo explain that they find this gives the ukulele a sweet balance. We shall see. One thing that did surprise me a little was that the frets are bar style without domed crowns. That is an extremely traditional fret wire style seen on the oldest Hawaiian ukuleles, but personally I find them uncomfortable on sliding up and down the neck as they jar on the fingers a little. I would personally spec more standard crowned frets myself. Incidentally the fret edges are smooth as you would wish and the fretboard edges are unbound.

I am also told that inside the mahogany neck, they employ a strip of cocobolo wood to add to the strength of the neck. Kind of a non adjustable truss rod. Whether that is really necessary I cannot say (I don't tend to think ukuleles need truss rods) but I am not complaining. The whole of the neck, like the body is finished in the same satin coat.

We have fret markers in mother of pearl dots at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th and 12th fret spaces and thankfully these are repeated on the side too.

The nut, like the saddle, is bone and sits below a crown shaped headstock. The headstock is faced with a cocobolo piece complete with a central trim to match the back. There is no makers logo on the headstock and I think the ukulele suits not having one. In fact I think it would spoil it. Unusually the back of the headstock is also faced in the same cocobolo wood. I have never seen a facing on the back of the headstock before, but I think it looks great and adds an unusual touch to the instrument.

Tuning is provided by the ever reliable and top quality open geared Grover brand tuners with silver buttons. No complaints from me here, as these are my tenor tuners of choice.

Completing the $399 deal is a set of Aquila strings. What else?

So I will say this before we get into the real nitty gritty. This is certainly one of the most unusually pretty instruments I have had the pleasure of reviewing on this site. I really mean that. Yes, I would prefer a book matched top, but know they offer that for the same price. But irrespective of that, I just adore the red glow and swirls that adorn almost all of the instrument. I kind of find myself staring at it.

To hold it is nicely balanced, and not overly heavy, in fact just about right for a tenor. Comfort is assisted by that nice satin finish and the rather wonderful fretboard radius which makes fretting so natural. I suppose the only thing I would change to compliment that radius would be to make the nut a little wider, but I have big hands so that is more a personal view.

But pretty woods and comfort mean nothing at all if the instrument is a dead duck to play. I tend to partly judge instruments based on my reaction when I first hit a chord on them. With nice instruments I tend to smile. With really nice instruments I often say 'wow!". I can honestly say that I did both with this Cocobolo.

The first thing that grabbed me was the sustain. It rings and rings and rings and you can feel the vibrations transferring through to your ribcage from the back of the body (always a good sign). In fact I can feel the vibrations in the crook of my fretting hand. It feels like the instrument is alive! Couple this with decent volume too and you are off to a good start.

But aside from those elements, it has a really interesting clarity of mixed tones. It's a warm sound, but each string stands out and doesn't sound confused or muddy. It really took me aback to be honest as I freely admit I wasn't sure what to expect. Fingerpicked and it turns bell like with the high A really cutting through and giving it a shimmer. It's all good really and a joy to play.

Certainly not a case of style over substance, this Cocobolo has a lovely substantial tone that is hard to dislike. Couple that with striking pretty looks and a good build quality and I think this is a winner. And that price - really, that is a great deal for what you are getting I think. I'd need to change those bar frets though..

http://cocoboloukuleles.com

Be sure to read all my other ukulele reviews here

UKULELE PROS

Striking looks
Good build quality
Radius fretboard
Great tuners
Clear tone with wonderful sustain
Just that bit 'different'

UKULELE CONS

Slightly messy interior
Would prefer a book matched model
Not a fan of bar style frets

UKULELE SCORES

Looks - 9 out of 10
Fit and Finish - 8.5 out of 10
Sound - 9 out of 10
Value for money - 9 out of 10

OVERALL UKULELE SCORE - 8.9 out of 10

UKULELE VIDEO REVIEW

6 Dec 2015

6 Dec 2015T10:40

Kala KA-SSTU-C Travel Concert - REVIEW

I've had experience of the Kala 'Travel' series of musical instruments for quite some years now, but only recently managed to get my hands on one to feature on the Got A Ukulele reviews page. Say hello to the Kala KA-SSTU-C Travel Concert.

5 Dec 2015

5 Dec 2015T19:26

Mahalo 2500 Kahiko Soprano Ukulele - REVIEW

Time for another ukulele review in the form of a new entry level model from Mahalo. The 2500 'Kahiko' model soprano.

Now I have not had the best experiences with the Mahalo brand and have been quite vocal about them (see my review of the Flying V Ukulele here) and that is mainly because I think their quality control has been poor. Whilst some people get good ones, I have come across far too many bad ones with fatal build flaws and I am not a fan of playing 'Russian Roulette' when buying musical instruments. But let's not pre-judge this one and take a look at it.

The 2500 Kahiko range is a new development for Mahalo in 2015 and represents what they call the 'best value ukulele in the world today'. Kahiko is a Hawaiian word for a Hula Dance, so it would appear that still, ukulele brands, even those made in China (as this one is) cannot quite let go of that Hawaii thing... Best value in the world? Read on.

The Kahiko series is made in the far east, and comes in a range of translucent colours (red, blue, white and brown), with this review model being the brown variety. The instrument is made from laminate Sengon which is an Indonesian soft wood. Being a soft wood, I am certainly glad it is made from plywood Sengon! The finish is translucent and is satin to the touch. Being thin and translucent does show off the grain of the outer wood veneer and I think it works quite well actually. It's not going to win any prizes for flamed wood grains, but for me it is far nicer than the flat thick coatings seen on so many other entry level ukuleles at this sort of price - it actually looks like wood! I like the open pore look to instrument and am not a fan of satin finishes that look artificial. It should however be said that the open grain is a feature of the outer Sengon veneer as it is not a wood with a tight grain. No matter - it looks better than most at this price!

The body is traditional double bout in shape, and I do rather like the curved base rather than the more traditional flattened off shape on so many other ukuleles. There is no other decoration on the body and I actually like it for that fact as I think the cheap addition of a screen printed sound hole rosette would only end up looking cheap. The laminate wood is on the thick side, but it is neatly finished all over. The front and back are made of single pieces and the back is completely flat. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the body.

The bridge is an unspecified orange hard wood and is a slotted variety which is a boon for beginners as they avoid the tie bar bridge knots. It is glued and screwed in place and is fitted with a straight and non-compensated plastic saddle.

A look inside the instrument shows a very tidy finish for the price. Being made of thick laminate, it is not braced, but equally it is not plagued by wood shavings and glue splurges. The kerfing is not notched but otherwise there is not much more to write about the inside!

Up to the neck and Mahalo specify this as Sengon wood as well. Really? A soft wood for a neck? Oh well. It is made of three pieces with a joint at the heel and one nearer the headstock.

On top of the neck is laid a hardwood fingerboard, very reminiscent of the Vintage model ukulele I reviewed recently. It feels harder than the Vintage though and seems to have some sort of rubbed finish on it whereas the Vintage is bare wood. It's complete with 12 brass frets which is fairly standard for an entry level soprano. There are no outward facing position markers, but it does come with side markers. That is a first for me! No complaints though as they have included the markers that matter.

The edges of the fingerboard are not bound but rather painted in black. I think it looks rather stark against the paler wood of the rest of the instrument and would have preferred they left that off. Not a huge complaint though and some people might like it.

Past the moulded plastic nut we have a fairly generic shaped headstock with the Mahalo logo applied in screen print. I don't much like the Mahalo logo actually and I think it looks cheap. Of course, this instrument IS cheap, but I just think it is time Mahalo re-branded. I think it detracts from the instrument and kind of makes it look like a toy. Just me?

Tuning is provided by open geared tuners that are stamped 'Mahalo'. They are certainly cheap but better than many I have seen at this price point and work well enough. Being a soprano I would rather have seen friction pegs, but at the lower price end of the market, cheap ukuleles mean cheap friction pegs and there is nothing worse. As such, this was probably the sensible choice for Mahalo and the beginners that this instrument is undoubtedly aimed at. The peg buttons are overly large for my liking but I have seen much worse.

Completing the deal are a set of clear nylon strings which are frankly horrible and a cloth gig bag / cover branded 'Mahalo' which offers little to no protection other than keeping dust off it. Strangely, I have seen even worse bags than this one, but still, you do wonder why they bother! Price wise, I have seen these vary quite a bit anywhere between around £23 to £28. Real bargain basement stuff. The 'best value in the world today' as Mahalo claim? Well.. one of the cheapest, certainly. But I don't measure 'value' purely on how cheap an item is. It needs to deliver.

So it's a cheap laminate ukulele but actually I can't find any build flaws, scratches or issues that usually plague instruments at this price point. Yes, it's plain, but it looks like a wooden ukulele to me. I like the shape and I like the finish. But how is it as an instrument?

To hold it is comfortable enough and extremely light. Something that often plagues cheap end instrument is they are overly heavy. I think the Sengon laminate is helping here. It feels nice in the hands and doesn't feel 'cheap' like many others do.

Set up out of the box needs work. Both the nut and saddle are too high, and whilst the nut height is not massively throwing out notes at the lower frets and intonation is generally 'OK', beginners will find the height of the strings uncomfortable to learn on. Bear that in mind if you are thinking of picking one of these up.

Sound wise, I was not expecting great things, and, frankly, didn't get them. The strings are the real let down on this instrument giving it minimal volume, and a real plinky plonk sound with little sustain. A string change would certainly help here. Now people may say, 'well you can apply that thinking to the Vintage you reviewed badly' and of course you can. The difference there though was that the Vintage was plagued with plenty of other build issues that I am not seeing on this one. But I don't sense that underneath that it is a wonder instrument. That choice of Sengon may well make it light, but I am not convinced it will make the most resonant laminate either.

It's hard for me to say much more really. Watch the video below. It's certainly not the worst sounding instrument I have played, but it's definitely not the best either.

For an absolute beginner you can choose better than this one I think, but strings may close the gap a little. I quite like the look of it and the finish is pretty good actually. It still doesnt beat the likes of Makala Dolphin or an Octopus as my favourite bargain priced instruments but compared to entry level Mahalo instruments of old, this is a huge improvement!

Mixed views I guess, but there is 'something' about it that I quite liked actually!

Be sure to read all my other ukulele reviews here