Something very special and very different in the ukulele world this week. I'm delighted to have Beltona back on the site with the Beltona Super Baritone Ukulele.
Showing posts with label resonator. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resonator. Show all posts
27 Nov 2022
25 Sept 2021
25 Sept 2021T14:26
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Gretsch G9112 Resonator Ukulele - REVIEW
Ukulele review day and a return for Gretsch in only their second appearance on Got A Ukulele. This is the G9112 Resonator.
19 May 2018
19 May 2018T11:12
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Sound Smith Resonator Tenor Ukulele - REVIEW
It's always nice to feature a new home grown brand on the Got A Ukulele reviews and that's exactly what Sound Smith musical instruments are. This week we look at their tenor resonator model.
21 Nov 2015
21 Nov 2015T16:37
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Beltona Style 2 Tenor Resonator Ukulele - REVIEW
I am rather excited to have this one in my hands, as it really does hold a special place in the range of ukuleles out there. It's also a ukulele I have wanted to own for quite some time. Hello to the tenor scale resonator ukulele made in the UK by Beltona musical instruments.
4 Nov 2014
4 Nov 2014T15:28
I must say from the off that I find the world of resonator ukes a little odd. Not only do I prefer steel strings on resonators (i.e. guitars, played with slide), but the range of uke resos is really a bit split. On the one hand you have the lower priced models at around £200 to £300, and then you have a pretty large leap to get to the higher end models from the likes of National and Beltona. There is pretty much nothing in the middle (if you know of one, do let me know). To add to the oddness, the lower end resonators I have played have all left me wanting - sounding rather thin and rattly. At the upper end on the other hand, I at first thought Nationals were sublime, but that was until I had a chance to play a Beltona which, in my opinion, left the National in the dust. Now, unlike regular ukes, there seems to be nothing in the middle ground at say £500 ish - a kind of semi pro resonator if you will. This Kala is priced at around $300 or £220 in the Uke, so how does it fare?
The Kala reso is a wooden bodied instrument, unlike the (perhaps) more common metal bodied resonators, and at first glance I think it looks tremendous. It is made from laminate mahogany in the body (solid wood not being felt necessary as all the tone resonance is coming from the resonator unit) and is finished in a kind of vintage semi sunburst finish. This is repeated on the two piece sides and even more pronounced on the arched back. Top and back join the sides along with some nice looking pearloid edge binding. The top is also finished with traditional F holes which add to the vintage look.
The whole body unit is put together very well and has a satin finish that both looks and feels great in the hands. It's also quite light to hold considering all that metal work, which is a nice thing.
And on to that metal work - the resonator unit itself. The Chrome cover (they also do one in Brass finish) is adorned with a fairly simple range of drilled sound holes in five distinct sections. It is not overly fancy but I prefer that myself. It uses a biscuit bridge with a maple saddle on to the spun aluminium cone. Unlike some reso ukes, this has no separate tail piece to attach the strings to, rather a plastic strip screwed to the cone cover to tie them on to. I think I would have preferred the former.
Up to the hardwood neck, this to has an aged finish on the back which I personally think is a little overly done and would have preferred a more softly graded change in colour. On to this is fitted a rosewood neck with some slight colour variation toward the upper frets. The edges look to be bound, and we have 18 frets in total with 14 to the body. Fret markers are inlaid pearloid at frets 5, 7, 10 and 12 and pleasingly these are repeated on the side of the neck. It isn't the shallowest profile neck I have seen but equally not a wide nut either - fairly typical Kala to my hands. It seems to be made from 'at least' two pieces with a clear join at the heel, but the dark staining at the headstock end makes it hard for me to determine any other joints.
The nut is made of Nu-Bone before we head up to the typical Kala shaped headstock. The face of the headstock looks stained rather than capped but I am happy to be proved wrong. The Kala logo is nicely inlaid in pearloid material and all is very neat and tidy. Tuning is provided by sealed geared tuners with small chrome buttons that all work just fine. And (of course) the package is completed with a set of Aquila strings.
All looks very reliable and well put together, and therefore 'very Kala'. I really do adore the look of the instrument and cannot find anything much to dislike about the build. (I cannot really see much inside through the F holes, apart from the Kala label, but it all feels solid.)
But before we go on to the sound, lets revert back to my comment on my thoughts on cheaper reso ukes. You see it really is all about the build with a resonator, and in particular the cone arrangement. Better quality hand spun cones cost more but also sound more rounded and warm. But the ukes that use them cost considerably more too. So I will admit to thinking that his one would let me down as some of the other cheap reso's have done.
Well first up - it didn't, or at least not totally. To me it sounded far better than models I have played from the likes of Asbury or Republic. It also came very nicely set up with no tuning issues or adjustment required to the nut.
The sound is bright and a bit overly so for my ears. Played picked it has a kind of slap back type echo to the picked notes which annoyed me, and strummed was kind of warbly and muddled for my tastes. Some reso players may read this and say - 'of course its trebly - its a reso - but I would just suggest they play some higher end ukes to find some more warmth. (And by that I do mean Beltona or perhaps Mya Moe as I really havent taken a shine to Nationals myself). To me though, this one sound that little bit artificial sounding. That could of course be down to the strings and this begs experimentation - but alas, it is not mine to keep!
But there is good here too - it plays very well, has great projection and as I say, looks great to my eyes. I think though I would have to file it in the try before you buy category - but they I would do that with any resonator, particularly if you haven't played one before. Perhaps it sounds like I am being a little harsh, but that again brings me back to that middle ground of a dearth of entry level pro resonators. It's a great stand alone instrument but perhaps I have been spoiled.
PROS
Looks
Build quality
Volume
CONS
Slightly thin, trebly echoey sound
Finish on the back of the neck
Tail piece arrangement
SCORES
Looks - 9
Fit and Finish - 9
Sound - 7
Value For Money - 8
OVERALL - 8.3 out of 10
VIDEO REVIEW
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Kala KA-RES-CHR Tenor Resonator Ukulele REVIEW
I have not reviewed a resonator ukulele before despite having played a fair few, so thanks to Kala and Omega Music for loaning me the Kala KA-RES-CHR Tenor resonator!
I must say from the off that I find the world of resonator ukes a little odd. Not only do I prefer steel strings on resonators (i.e. guitars, played with slide), but the range of uke resos is really a bit split. On the one hand you have the lower priced models at around £200 to £300, and then you have a pretty large leap to get to the higher end models from the likes of National and Beltona. There is pretty much nothing in the middle (if you know of one, do let me know). To add to the oddness, the lower end resonators I have played have all left me wanting - sounding rather thin and rattly. At the upper end on the other hand, I at first thought Nationals were sublime, but that was until I had a chance to play a Beltona which, in my opinion, left the National in the dust. Now, unlike regular ukes, there seems to be nothing in the middle ground at say £500 ish - a kind of semi pro resonator if you will. This Kala is priced at around $300 or £220 in the Uke, so how does it fare?
The Kala reso is a wooden bodied instrument, unlike the (perhaps) more common metal bodied resonators, and at first glance I think it looks tremendous. It is made from laminate mahogany in the body (solid wood not being felt necessary as all the tone resonance is coming from the resonator unit) and is finished in a kind of vintage semi sunburst finish. This is repeated on the two piece sides and even more pronounced on the arched back. Top and back join the sides along with some nice looking pearloid edge binding. The top is also finished with traditional F holes which add to the vintage look.
The whole body unit is put together very well and has a satin finish that both looks and feels great in the hands. It's also quite light to hold considering all that metal work, which is a nice thing.
And on to that metal work - the resonator unit itself. The Chrome cover (they also do one in Brass finish) is adorned with a fairly simple range of drilled sound holes in five distinct sections. It is not overly fancy but I prefer that myself. It uses a biscuit bridge with a maple saddle on to the spun aluminium cone. Unlike some reso ukes, this has no separate tail piece to attach the strings to, rather a plastic strip screwed to the cone cover to tie them on to. I think I would have preferred the former.
Up to the hardwood neck, this to has an aged finish on the back which I personally think is a little overly done and would have preferred a more softly graded change in colour. On to this is fitted a rosewood neck with some slight colour variation toward the upper frets. The edges look to be bound, and we have 18 frets in total with 14 to the body. Fret markers are inlaid pearloid at frets 5, 7, 10 and 12 and pleasingly these are repeated on the side of the neck. It isn't the shallowest profile neck I have seen but equally not a wide nut either - fairly typical Kala to my hands. It seems to be made from 'at least' two pieces with a clear join at the heel, but the dark staining at the headstock end makes it hard for me to determine any other joints.
The nut is made of Nu-Bone before we head up to the typical Kala shaped headstock. The face of the headstock looks stained rather than capped but I am happy to be proved wrong. The Kala logo is nicely inlaid in pearloid material and all is very neat and tidy. Tuning is provided by sealed geared tuners with small chrome buttons that all work just fine. And (of course) the package is completed with a set of Aquila strings.
All looks very reliable and well put together, and therefore 'very Kala'. I really do adore the look of the instrument and cannot find anything much to dislike about the build. (I cannot really see much inside through the F holes, apart from the Kala label, but it all feels solid.)
But before we go on to the sound, lets revert back to my comment on my thoughts on cheaper reso ukes. You see it really is all about the build with a resonator, and in particular the cone arrangement. Better quality hand spun cones cost more but also sound more rounded and warm. But the ukes that use them cost considerably more too. So I will admit to thinking that his one would let me down as some of the other cheap reso's have done.
Well first up - it didn't, or at least not totally. To me it sounded far better than models I have played from the likes of Asbury or Republic. It also came very nicely set up with no tuning issues or adjustment required to the nut.
The sound is bright and a bit overly so for my ears. Played picked it has a kind of slap back type echo to the picked notes which annoyed me, and strummed was kind of warbly and muddled for my tastes. Some reso players may read this and say - 'of course its trebly - its a reso - but I would just suggest they play some higher end ukes to find some more warmth. (And by that I do mean Beltona or perhaps Mya Moe as I really havent taken a shine to Nationals myself). To me though, this one sound that little bit artificial sounding. That could of course be down to the strings and this begs experimentation - but alas, it is not mine to keep!
But there is good here too - it plays very well, has great projection and as I say, looks great to my eyes. I think though I would have to file it in the try before you buy category - but they I would do that with any resonator, particularly if you haven't played one before. Perhaps it sounds like I am being a little harsh, but that again brings me back to that middle ground of a dearth of entry level pro resonators. It's a great stand alone instrument but perhaps I have been spoiled.
PROS
Looks
Build quality
Volume
CONS
Slightly thin, trebly echoey sound
Finish on the back of the neck
Tail piece arrangement
SCORES
Looks - 9
Fit and Finish - 9
Sound - 7
Value For Money - 8
OVERALL - 8.3 out of 10
To understand my review scoring and see this result in context - visit my review page at
VIDEO REVIEW
22 Jun 2013
22 Jun 2013T08:52
We arrived in Cheltenham mid afternoon to avoid a rush - very nice central hotel, then out for some afternoon drinks with some of The N'Ukes before heading off to the Exmouth Arms for the official festival opener / jam / get together.
The organisers did a grand job, with a large marquee area for fear of rain (thankfully, that rain did not come) which by 7pm was soon filling up and later was absolutely heaving. Such a number of uke fans, clubs, solo players and several well known names too. It was jam central - with groups playing their thing, but also joining in with others when a song started. I particularly liked the blues jam we started in the sunshine which saw loads of players stand up and join in as we worked through a medley of Eric Bibb, Jerry Lee-Lewis, Carl Perkins and Fleetwood Mac.
Had a very nice chat with festival performer Sarah Maisel who had only just arrived in the UK from the USA, tired, jet lagged, but utterly charming and ready to get into the spirit of the festival. She had with her one stunning ukukele made for her by Mike Da Silva.
And always good to meet other new faces who I've only thus far spoken to online together with the great James Hill with whom we had a very nice chat. Always good to see friend of Got A Ukulele and The N'Ukes Ken Middleton too.
So we had sunshine and we had beer, and on this the longest day, the darkness fell, the alcohol levels increased and the jamming continued into the early hours.
I got to finally meet uke performers who I have written about on this blog many times such as Paul Redfern of The pUKEs and Phil Doleman and Ian Emmerson
And there was no stopping the playing as the night wore on (although in our case the playing certainly got rougher and rougher round the edges!)
But most of all it was an evening of big smiles - everywhere you looked were people laughing, grinning and just genuinely having a good time of it.
My sore head tells me everything I need to know, but just relaxing now for the morning before the festival proper kicks of at lunchtime. Couldn't photograph everyone, and I have probably forgotten to mention some. Thanks so much to Richard Gent and Jamie Wright for the kind words about the blog! Great also to meet the likes of Lesley Fowkes, John Caudrey etc for the first time and to catch up with Simon Grove, Paul Mac and Clarice Wokes again.
Off to the town hall soon to see the acts perform, and I'll be back on again tomorrow with an update on Day 2 of the fest.
Pass me the aspirin....
(CHECK OUT THE OTHER DIARY POSTINGS FOR THIS FESTIVAL HERE! )
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Ukulele Festival Of Great Britain 2013, Diary - Day1
Ohhhh my head.... Well, that is day one over at the ukulele festival of Great Britain, and it was late and merry night!
We arrived in Cheltenham mid afternoon to avoid a rush - very nice central hotel, then out for some afternoon drinks with some of The N'Ukes before heading off to the Exmouth Arms for the official festival opener / jam / get together.
The organisers did a grand job, with a large marquee area for fear of rain (thankfully, that rain did not come) which by 7pm was soon filling up and later was absolutely heaving. Such a number of uke fans, clubs, solo players and several well known names too. It was jam central - with groups playing their thing, but also joining in with others when a song started. I particularly liked the blues jam we started in the sunshine which saw loads of players stand up and join in as we worked through a medley of Eric Bibb, Jerry Lee-Lewis, Carl Perkins and Fleetwood Mac.
Had a very nice chat with festival performer Sarah Maisel who had only just arrived in the UK from the USA, tired, jet lagged, but utterly charming and ready to get into the spirit of the festival. She had with her one stunning ukukele made for her by Mike Da Silva.
 |
| Simon Grove (Bridgnorth and Halesowen), Sarah Maisel and N'Ukes Steve |
And always good to meet other new faces who I've only thus far spoken to online together with the great James Hill with whom we had a very nice chat. Always good to see friend of Got A Ukulele and The N'Ukes Ken Middleton too.
 |
| Paul Mac and Clarice Wokes of Bradford Ukes with banjolele maestro Andy Eastwood |
 |
| James Hill and friend of The N'Ukes, Ken Middleton |
I got to finally meet uke performers who I have written about on this blog many times such as Paul Redfern of The pUKEs and Phil Doleman and Ian Emmerson
 |
| pUKEs Paul Redfern and N'Ukes Amanda |
 |
| Ian Emmerson with an 8 string |
 |
| Phil Doleman (with his delightful Beltona Reso) and Sarah Maisel |
Also had a great chat with the lovely Mary Agnes Krell about the upcoming Grand Northern Ukulele Festival, together with chewing the fat with Tim Smithies (Anything Goes Uke Orchestra and Dead Man's Uke) and his delightfully dapper son Jake (Bass and vocals in the same bands).
 |
| Tim Smithies (Anything Goes Uke Orchestra / Dead Mans Uke), Mary Agnes Krell and a drunken fool. |
 |
| Strumming into the night |
But most of all it was an evening of big smiles - everywhere you looked were people laughing, grinning and just genuinely having a good time of it.
 |
| Sarah Maisel and James Hill |
My sore head tells me everything I need to know, but just relaxing now for the morning before the festival proper kicks of at lunchtime. Couldn't photograph everyone, and I have probably forgotten to mention some. Thanks so much to Richard Gent and Jamie Wright for the kind words about the blog! Great also to meet the likes of Lesley Fowkes, John Caudrey etc for the first time and to catch up with Simon Grove, Paul Mac and Clarice Wokes again.
Off to the town hall soon to see the acts perform, and I'll be back on again tomorrow with an update on Day 2 of the fest.
Pass me the aspirin....
(CHECK OUT THE OTHER DIARY POSTINGS FOR THIS FESTIVAL HERE! )
6 Feb 2013
6 Feb 2013T23:59
New Kala Resonator ukulele - featuring Jas AKA Captain Lovehandles
Well, am I loving this ukulele vid from Uke Republic...
Featuring Facebook friend Jas Ingram (AKA Captain Lovehandles ). Nice bit of slide ukulele!
( DIRECT LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFmcZgDX4Pk )
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Featuring Facebook friend Jas Ingram (AKA Captain Lovehandles ). Nice bit of slide ukulele!
( DIRECT LINK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFmcZgDX4Pk )
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