A return to the world of hand built ukuleles once again this week, and back over the water to Nicaragua. This is the NFC Spruce and Cocobolo Concert Cutaway ukulele.
Showing posts with label Cocobolo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cocobolo. Show all posts
1 May 2022
20 Dec 2020
20 Dec 2020T15:48
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Forest Ukuleles COCO-S Tenor Ukulele - REVIEW
I declare 2020 the year of the boom in 'house brand' ukuleles! And here's another. Following on from my look at the 'FUZZ-S Tenor', this is the COCO-S Tenor from Forest Ukuleles in the UK.
23 Aug 2020
23 Aug 2020T13:53
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NFC Ukuleles Cedar Tenor Ukulele - REVIEW
Just before the Covid Pandemic shut down most of the globe I took a look at an early build ukulele from a new hand made brand based in Nicaragua. It was quirky, but intriguingly nice. I'm delighted to see the luthier behind them has kept busy and continued to build. This is another example of an NFC ukulele in tenor scale.
23 Feb 2020
23 Feb 2020T13:13
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NFC Ukuleles Baritone - REVIEW
It's fair to say that Got A Ukulele has featured instruments from all corners of the globe. But perhaps one of the more unusual locations is Nicaragua. And I suppose it's then even more unusual to find myself reviewing a second yet different brand from that country. This is a Baritone ukulele built by NFC Ukuleles.
12 Nov 2016
12 Nov 2016T13:49
I won't go over the background in too much detail as you can read about that in my review of the Cocobolo Tenor, but these are handmade instruments from Nicaragua, made from all solid Cocobolo wood. They've taken the uke market by storm and have proved incredibly popular on account of their striking looks. As you will see from that tenor review though, they also play and sound great too!
So this one comes in an increasingly popular size called the Super Soprano. Basically that is a soprano body with a longer neck, and are often called 'long neck sopranos' too. It's essentially a concert scale neck on a soprano body, meaning more frets.
So aside from the longer neck, this is a typically soprano sized and shaped instrument, with a traditional double bout shape.
The first thing that struck me about this one, like the tenor I reviewed, was the looks. It's absolutely stunning to look at. In my review of the tenor I said I was disappointed that it wasn't bookmatched on the top and back, rather a more random swirl of cocobolo. It was still beautiful, but I hankered for it to be book-matched. I was thrilled to see that this one was a book-matched version meaning that the two pieces of tone wood on the top (and the back) match perfectly like a mirror down the middle. On the top, that book matching makes great use of the much paler sap wood of the cocobolo, creating a cream coloured stripe down the middle. It contrasts brilliantly to the deep red brown of the rest of the wood. I just love it. There is otherwise no binding or decoration on the top, but when the wood looks this good, it hardly needs it. This is one of the prettiest ukuleles I have reviewed.
The sides are in two pieces, and similarly matched, with a nice stripe of paler wood around nearer the back and an inlaid detail stripe where the sides meet at the base.
The back has a nice arch to it, makes similar use of the sap wood to create a pale stripe down the middle and also has a very attracive darker cocobolo inlay running down the join. It's gorgeous.
Complimenting the traditional sound hole on the top, this one is also complete with a side sound port. This is another sound hole on the top side which projects sound up to the player. They are regularly seen on some high end instruments and they really do work well. I would add though, that this feature is an extra on the standard spec.
Bridge wise we have a cocobolo bridge mount holding a bone saddle. The saddle is slightly curved to match the radius of the fretboard (more on that later). Unlike the tenor though, this isn't a standard tie bar bridge, but rather involves the strings running directly through the body. It's not a feature that you see that often, but it is effective. Saying that though, in my opinion it does make string changes far more fiddly than they need to be as you have to fish the strings out of the sound hole to tie knots in them before pulling them tight to the tuners. In its defence I would say that it looks very smart. I'd still prefer a more standard bridge though.
The whole body is finished in a very tactile satin coat. It's incredibly nice on the hands but I do wonder if a mirror gloss would bring that cocobolo grain out even more. That's not a critisism though as the wood is plenty pretty as it is.
Looking inside the instrument and it's all reasonably tidy. There are one or two glue spots, but nothing dramatic. We have notched kerfing and fairly thin braces.
Up to the mahogany neck and this is made of several pieces with a joint at the heel and the headstock. It's also complete with an inlaid cocobolo 'skunk stripe' that contrasts nicely with the paler wood down the back of the neck. The OCD in me notes that the stripe slightly off centre and that would really irritate me though!
On top of the neck is a cocobolo fretboard, which, like the tenor has a radius. That is to say the top of the fretboard isn't flat, but has a slight curve to it from side to side. The jury is split on whether this feature assists playing, with some people not liking them, and some loving them. I'm fairly in the 'love' camp with radius boards. I think they are noticeably more comfortable and natural feeling. Given the choice, I would always have one myself.
Once again, they have made use of the sapwood of the cocobolo with a really striking pale section in the wood up near the nut. I think it looks great. Being a super soprano it's fitted with 18 nickel silver frets with 15 to the body. This is far more than a standard soprano and really welcomed, particularly if you play up at the dusty end of the neck.. The frets are all dressed on the edges really well too. In my tenor review I pointed out that I would have liked to see more crowning to the frets as they were a bit hard on the fingers. They seem to have improved that a little, but I would still like more crowning. This is a minor point and this fret style is actually more vintage. The fretboard edges are not bound, but you don't really see the fret edges either.
We have white mother of pearl fret markers set into the fretboard at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th and 12th spaces and these are repeated on the side. Oddly, the side markers on this ukulele come as standard, but the fretboard markers are a $20 addition. I've never seen that before as an option, but at least the side markers cost you nothing extra!
Past the bone nut, we have a generic three pointed crown shaped headstock which too has a bookmatched double veneer on the face. The back is also veneered with a slab of cocobolo showing off both the dark and light woods. I think the whole thing looks great and anything but dull.
Tuning is provided by wonderful open geared Grovers. Really really good quality tuners these, but you know what I am going to say.. this is a soprano. I'd LOVE to have seen good quality friction pegs
on it! PLEASE!
This model came strung with Worth Brown strings which again are actually an extra at another $20. I have no idea what strings you get if you don't pay that extra. I presume it does actually come with strings!! The tenor I reviewed came with Aquila strings as standard, but I really don't quite get why a set of Worth Browns represents a price increase? Some people like them, but some people like Aquila. They both have their fans and I don't think one brand is better than the other. Either way, if you are selling a ukulele I really don't see that strings should be too much of an issue anyway (so long as you don't use ultra cheap nylon rubbish). Most people change them to suit their preference anyway, so just sell me a ukulele with a half decent set of strings on it, I don't really mind what they are.
So onto that pricing model. The standard spec super soprano (meaning no side sound port, no worth strings and no fretboard markers) will come in at $379 which I think is an excellent price for a ukulele of this spec. With the sound port, Worth strings and freboard markers it moves up to $459 which I still think is a great price, but I just find the pricing model to be a little odd. Personally I would take the side sound port as I like it a lot, but couldn't see me paying an extra $40 just to have fret markers and Worth strings.. Incidentally, you may have spotted a strap button in the pictures. This one was actually fitted with a pickup, but I don't believe they are offering those now. They will however fit you a strap button for another $10. All in all, I would prefer a single price myself.
Let's have a play though. First off, to hold the instrument, as I say, is really tactile. That satin is very nice on the hands and the whole thing feels solid and well made. There are no flaws on it anwhwere at all that I can see. It's also very nicely balanced. It feels heavier than you would expect for a soprano, but then cocobolo is a dense wood, and we do have that extra long neck. What is pleasing me is that despite that extra weight, it is still nicely balanced in the hands.
Checking the intonation and all over the neck it's exactly what I would expect. Visually I thought the saddle looked a little high, but the action above the 12th fret is actually just how I would like it. The nut is a little high, but not enough to create tuning issues so no complaints really.
Sound wise it's much warmer than you'd expect a soprano to sound, but strummed hard you still get a very staccato punchy soprano voice if you want it. Much more like a concert, but with a smaller body and a voice that I found very pleasing. Strummed more softly and things sound much more jangly. It's got quite a range of tones really, and that is the mark of a responsive instrument. Lifeless this is NOT.
There is bags of sustain, volume and ring to the notes and fingerpicking is particularly nice on the ear. I found picking particularly nice and the comfort of that neck probably had something to do with that. The individual notes are particularly clear and defined, and come together nicely when strummed in a rich mix.
And that side sound port really does its job. It doesn't add much for an audience, but coupled with the vibrations you feel in your chest when you play it, it's nice to have that 'in your face' sound coming directly up at you.
All in all it's a warm, rich sounding beast that I think not only looks beautiful, but is really enjoyable to hold and play too. I'd prefer a clearer price model, but even with the extras, I think this is still good value for what you are getting. Once again, Got A Ukulele would give Cocobolo a strong recommendation!
http://www.cocoboloukuleles.com/
UKULELE PROS
Beautiful looks and bookmatching
Great tuners (but see cons below!)
Lots of different voices to the tone depending on your play
Side sound port adds to richness for the player.
Good core price
UKULELE CONS
Odd pricing options. I wouldn't pay extra for fret markers and strings!
Would prefer a less fiddly bridge
Would actually prefer good friction pegs on a soprano
UKULELE SCORES
Looks - 9.5 out of 10
Fit and finish - 8.5 out of 10
Sound - 9.5 out of 10
Value for money - 8.5 out of 10
OVERALL UKULELE SCORE - 9 out of 10
UKULELE VIDEO REVIEW
© Barry Maz
Read More »
Cocobolo Super Soprano Ukulele - REVIEW
A welcome return to Got A Ukulele for a brand I had reviewed favourably before. This time it's a Super Soprano scale instrument from Cocobolo Ukuleles
I won't go over the background in too much detail as you can read about that in my review of the Cocobolo Tenor, but these are handmade instruments from Nicaragua, made from all solid Cocobolo wood. They've taken the uke market by storm and have proved incredibly popular on account of their striking looks. As you will see from that tenor review though, they also play and sound great too!
So this one comes in an increasingly popular size called the Super Soprano. Basically that is a soprano body with a longer neck, and are often called 'long neck sopranos' too. It's essentially a concert scale neck on a soprano body, meaning more frets.
So aside from the longer neck, this is a typically soprano sized and shaped instrument, with a traditional double bout shape.
The first thing that struck me about this one, like the tenor I reviewed, was the looks. It's absolutely stunning to look at. In my review of the tenor I said I was disappointed that it wasn't bookmatched on the top and back, rather a more random swirl of cocobolo. It was still beautiful, but I hankered for it to be book-matched. I was thrilled to see that this one was a book-matched version meaning that the two pieces of tone wood on the top (and the back) match perfectly like a mirror down the middle. On the top, that book matching makes great use of the much paler sap wood of the cocobolo, creating a cream coloured stripe down the middle. It contrasts brilliantly to the deep red brown of the rest of the wood. I just love it. There is otherwise no binding or decoration on the top, but when the wood looks this good, it hardly needs it. This is one of the prettiest ukuleles I have reviewed.
The sides are in two pieces, and similarly matched, with a nice stripe of paler wood around nearer the back and an inlaid detail stripe where the sides meet at the base.
The back has a nice arch to it, makes similar use of the sap wood to create a pale stripe down the middle and also has a very attracive darker cocobolo inlay running down the join. It's gorgeous.
Complimenting the traditional sound hole on the top, this one is also complete with a side sound port. This is another sound hole on the top side which projects sound up to the player. They are regularly seen on some high end instruments and they really do work well. I would add though, that this feature is an extra on the standard spec.
Bridge wise we have a cocobolo bridge mount holding a bone saddle. The saddle is slightly curved to match the radius of the fretboard (more on that later). Unlike the tenor though, this isn't a standard tie bar bridge, but rather involves the strings running directly through the body. It's not a feature that you see that often, but it is effective. Saying that though, in my opinion it does make string changes far more fiddly than they need to be as you have to fish the strings out of the sound hole to tie knots in them before pulling them tight to the tuners. In its defence I would say that it looks very smart. I'd still prefer a more standard bridge though.
The whole body is finished in a very tactile satin coat. It's incredibly nice on the hands but I do wonder if a mirror gloss would bring that cocobolo grain out even more. That's not a critisism though as the wood is plenty pretty as it is.
Looking inside the instrument and it's all reasonably tidy. There are one or two glue spots, but nothing dramatic. We have notched kerfing and fairly thin braces.
Up to the mahogany neck and this is made of several pieces with a joint at the heel and the headstock. It's also complete with an inlaid cocobolo 'skunk stripe' that contrasts nicely with the paler wood down the back of the neck. The OCD in me notes that the stripe slightly off centre and that would really irritate me though!
On top of the neck is a cocobolo fretboard, which, like the tenor has a radius. That is to say the top of the fretboard isn't flat, but has a slight curve to it from side to side. The jury is split on whether this feature assists playing, with some people not liking them, and some loving them. I'm fairly in the 'love' camp with radius boards. I think they are noticeably more comfortable and natural feeling. Given the choice, I would always have one myself.
Once again, they have made use of the sapwood of the cocobolo with a really striking pale section in the wood up near the nut. I think it looks great. Being a super soprano it's fitted with 18 nickel silver frets with 15 to the body. This is far more than a standard soprano and really welcomed, particularly if you play up at the dusty end of the neck.. The frets are all dressed on the edges really well too. In my tenor review I pointed out that I would have liked to see more crowning to the frets as they were a bit hard on the fingers. They seem to have improved that a little, but I would still like more crowning. This is a minor point and this fret style is actually more vintage. The fretboard edges are not bound, but you don't really see the fret edges either.
We have white mother of pearl fret markers set into the fretboard at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th and 12th spaces and these are repeated on the side. Oddly, the side markers on this ukulele come as standard, but the fretboard markers are a $20 addition. I've never seen that before as an option, but at least the side markers cost you nothing extra!
Past the bone nut, we have a generic three pointed crown shaped headstock which too has a bookmatched double veneer on the face. The back is also veneered with a slab of cocobolo showing off both the dark and light woods. I think the whole thing looks great and anything but dull.
Tuning is provided by wonderful open geared Grovers. Really really good quality tuners these, but you know what I am going to say.. this is a soprano. I'd LOVE to have seen good quality friction pegs
on it! PLEASE!
This model came strung with Worth Brown strings which again are actually an extra at another $20. I have no idea what strings you get if you don't pay that extra. I presume it does actually come with strings!! The tenor I reviewed came with Aquila strings as standard, but I really don't quite get why a set of Worth Browns represents a price increase? Some people like them, but some people like Aquila. They both have their fans and I don't think one brand is better than the other. Either way, if you are selling a ukulele I really don't see that strings should be too much of an issue anyway (so long as you don't use ultra cheap nylon rubbish). Most people change them to suit their preference anyway, so just sell me a ukulele with a half decent set of strings on it, I don't really mind what they are.
So onto that pricing model. The standard spec super soprano (meaning no side sound port, no worth strings and no fretboard markers) will come in at $379 which I think is an excellent price for a ukulele of this spec. With the sound port, Worth strings and freboard markers it moves up to $459 which I still think is a great price, but I just find the pricing model to be a little odd. Personally I would take the side sound port as I like it a lot, but couldn't see me paying an extra $40 just to have fret markers and Worth strings.. Incidentally, you may have spotted a strap button in the pictures. This one was actually fitted with a pickup, but I don't believe they are offering those now. They will however fit you a strap button for another $10. All in all, I would prefer a single price myself.
Let's have a play though. First off, to hold the instrument, as I say, is really tactile. That satin is very nice on the hands and the whole thing feels solid and well made. There are no flaws on it anwhwere at all that I can see. It's also very nicely balanced. It feels heavier than you would expect for a soprano, but then cocobolo is a dense wood, and we do have that extra long neck. What is pleasing me is that despite that extra weight, it is still nicely balanced in the hands.
Checking the intonation and all over the neck it's exactly what I would expect. Visually I thought the saddle looked a little high, but the action above the 12th fret is actually just how I would like it. The nut is a little high, but not enough to create tuning issues so no complaints really.
Sound wise it's much warmer than you'd expect a soprano to sound, but strummed hard you still get a very staccato punchy soprano voice if you want it. Much more like a concert, but with a smaller body and a voice that I found very pleasing. Strummed more softly and things sound much more jangly. It's got quite a range of tones really, and that is the mark of a responsive instrument. Lifeless this is NOT.
There is bags of sustain, volume and ring to the notes and fingerpicking is particularly nice on the ear. I found picking particularly nice and the comfort of that neck probably had something to do with that. The individual notes are particularly clear and defined, and come together nicely when strummed in a rich mix.
And that side sound port really does its job. It doesn't add much for an audience, but coupled with the vibrations you feel in your chest when you play it, it's nice to have that 'in your face' sound coming directly up at you.
All in all it's a warm, rich sounding beast that I think not only looks beautiful, but is really enjoyable to hold and play too. I'd prefer a clearer price model, but even with the extras, I think this is still good value for what you are getting. Once again, Got A Ukulele would give Cocobolo a strong recommendation!
http://www.cocoboloukuleles.com/
UKULELE PROS
Beautiful looks and bookmatching
Great tuners (but see cons below!)
Lots of different voices to the tone depending on your play
Side sound port adds to richness for the player.
Good core price
UKULELE CONS
Odd pricing options. I wouldn't pay extra for fret markers and strings!
Would prefer a less fiddly bridge
Would actually prefer good friction pegs on a soprano
UKULELE SCORES
Looks - 9.5 out of 10
Fit and finish - 8.5 out of 10
Sound - 9.5 out of 10
Value for money - 8.5 out of 10
OVERALL UKULELE SCORE - 9 out of 10
UKULELE VIDEO REVIEW
© Barry Maz
20 Dec 2015
20 Dec 2015T14:58
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
Good build quality
Radius fretboard
Great tuners
Clear tone with wonderful sustain
Just that bit 'different'
Would prefer a book matched model
Not a fan of bar style frets
Fit and Finish - 8.5 out of 10
Sound - 9 out of 10
Value for money - 9 out of 10
© Barry Maz
Read More »
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 looksGood build quality
Radius fretboard
Great tuners
Clear tone with wonderful sustain
Just that bit 'different'
UKULELE CONS
Slightly messy interiorWould prefer a book matched model
Not a fan of bar style frets
UKULELE SCORES
Looks - 9 out of 10Fit 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
© Barry Maz
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