My daughters plastic dolphin - update

As posted last week, I bought my daughter a plastic dolphin and thought I'd provide an update on setup (considering I rate these so highly)

I bought my first Dolphin from the Highly Strung online store (based in Wantage).  Its a shop I very much like, cos I know it is run by a musician who cares.  I knew the dolphin would come with nasty strings so ordered it with Aquilas.  Even though he knew I would be changing strings, he set it up for me very good - adjusting the nut slots and the saddle height - the thing played perfectly on arrival - all for £25 plus £2 packing.

My review of that is here - CLICK HERE

Anyway, Highly Strung only do them in three colours, and I wanted something different for my daughter - have been keeping an eye on UK stores waiting for confirmed plastic models to come in - I found one at Bonsai Guitars LINK who I had never seen before - in fact I found loads there - in tons of colours.  £25.50 and free delivery - I ordered her purple

The service was great - and it arrived in super quick time (despite the free postage)

Setup though was, sadly, lacking - mainly at the saddle which needed a major sanding down.  One of the tuners was also loose.  I have set it up myself and put Aquilas on it - and it now plays great - the beauty of these Dolphins.

In summary therefore, if you are looking for no nonsense well set up instrument in the UK - go to Highly Strung.  If you desperately want to get a wackier colour - go to Bonsai - but be prepared to do a bit of work on it yourself.

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Great music shop

I've already given a run down of shops I like - and as you will see, I refuse to pull punches.

Where a shop is decent though, I think it is only fair that they get support. I seriously dislike the large music shop websites - you know the sort - where you call an 0800 number, speak to somebody who cant play a paper and comb, let alone the guitar you are buying for several hundred pounds... they are booking your instrument on a computer screen, and despatching it from a warehouse... ugh!

if you are buying stringed instruments, you really want to try and get a personal service - a shop that will give the instrument a once over - a shop where you can speak to somebody who UNDERSTANDS instruments!

Anyway, getting to the point - I was delighted with my service from Highly Strung in Wantage when getting my new uke - they have kindly namechecked my blog and me on the listing for that same instrument - so its only fair that I name check them back!

Highly Strung website

I've had a few people telling me they fancy one of these - you could do a lot worse than going to Highly Strung

Cheers Nigel!

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Ozark banjo uke - initial review

Having now had time to have a play and a fiddle (and given the new aquilas time to settle in), I am able to give my initial impressions of my new instrument.  As I said, got this from Highly Strung in Wantage  via mail order - great store i've not shopped with for a while, but did buy some guitar bits a while ago - brilliant customer service on the phone, did a deal to get quicker shipping, nice communications (all good!)

On the whole - I think its great - I just love the way it looks - kind of unusual colour for a banjo, and I think that makes it look different enough,

Build quality is pretty high across the board - frets are finished nicely, and the hardware all seems solid. I think the wood used is probably not the best quality and it is obviously painted, as opposed to stained and polished - that looks a bit cheap. Headstock shows this off the worst, and the Ozark logo looks particularly cheap.

Fingerboard was a touch dry on arrival, so it has been given a treatment with some bore oil and now looks beautiful and dark (i think the fingerboard is the best finished "wood" element of this uke)

Few of the tensioners on the pot needed a tighten, but otherwise all looks good. The hole for that top A string hasn't snapped another string yet, so maybe its ok

Its fairly heavy to hold (compared to a wood uke anyway), but it is nicely balanced, and my playing style allows me to cradle it comfortably.

Sound is clearly banjo like, and just the sound I was looking for. It isn't a rich sound though. I took the resonator off the back as I prefer to be able to adjust muting with the position of the uke against my body.

Strumming the uke in similar spot to a wooden uke (ie across the bottom of the fingerboard) tends to make the sound "boom" and resonate a little too much. I therefore get a better sound playing this by lightly placing my palm on the head just at the top to provide a bit of muting - doesn't affect volume, but cleans up the sound completely. Its a flaw with the uke, but one that is easy to overcome. I think you can get banjo mutes that fit behind the bridge, so may look into that also.

It also feels very very good to play - action is superbly low without a single buzz, and having now "tuned" the bridge position with an accurate tuner, the intonation is spot on all over the neck - not something that you can ever guarantee on an instrument of this price.

So all in all - initially - I think this is a great instrument - sure it has some flaws and signs of its lower price, but they are not significant. Its playable, different and fun. Highly recommended!


SCORES

Looks - 7
Fit and finish - 8.5
Sound - 7.5
Value for money - 9

OVERALL - 8

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New Toy arrived - Ozark 2035 banjolele!

Very pleased with new toy which arrived today from the good people at Highly Strung. Its an entry level, but nice looking banjolele.

Its finished in a stained brown, with very nice looking aged brass effect parts. Geared open back tuners with cream knobs. Remo weatherking head, bound neck, 18 frets, and removeable simple resonator back.

I love it, and the sound is just what I was hoping for - that twangy sound that makes my uke versions of irish and folk songs sound that bit better.

It arrived with some terrible nylon strings, which I immediately swapped for aquilas. Problem I think with the slot at bridge end for the 1st (A) string - being made of metal, I think it is nicking the strings under tension - and they snapped twice, at that spot on tuning. I think I need to take a file to it, or wrap some electrical tape around that end of the string. Not a big issue.

Aquilas have made a big big difference - sound is thicker and definitely louder.

I'll post some more thoughts on this baby as time goes on - but very pleased with it. Oh, and it came with a very nice zippered padded Ozark gig bag too!

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