This week a look at a ukulele type I always enjoy - that is to say a hand built luthier instrument. This one comes from Sweden and is built by Gustaf Wettermark at Bagarmossens Ukulelemanufaktur.
Showing posts with label sopranino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sopranino. Show all posts
4 May 2025
8 Oct 2023
8 Oct 2023T14:31
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Kiwaya U-Trip-01 Sopranino Ukulele - REVIEW
It's been a little while since Got A Ukulele looked at the REALLY little guns. Time to set that straight with a look at the Kiwaya U-Trip-01 Sopranino.
10 Oct 2021
10 Oct 2021T13:49
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Ohana TPK-25G Short Scale Sopranino - REVIEW
A return for a very long standing ukulele brand and one featured many times before on Got A Ukulele. This is the Ohana TPK-25G Short Scale Sopranino Ukulele.
9 Aug 2020
9 Aug 2020T13:26
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Antica Ukuleleria Allegro Sopranino Ukulele - REVIEW
Another week and another delve into the weird ukulele world of Antica Ukuleleria. This week I am looking at the Allegro Sopranino ukulele.
6 Jul 2019
6 Jul 2019T12:05
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Ortega Keiki K1 Sopranino Ukulele - REVIEW
I am moving to the smaller end of the uke scale this week on Got A Ukulele with a new sub-soprano sized instrument from Ortega Guitars. This is the K1 Keiki Sopranino ukulele.
24 Mar 2018
24 Mar 2018T15:51
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Andy's Ukuleles Lacewood Piccolo - REVIEW
A welcome return to a UK ukulele builder this week, and the maker of a model that turned into one of my most popular musical instrument reviews. That builder is Andy Miles of Andy's Ukuleles and this time we go a bit 'bigger' with one of his Piccolo ukuleles.
8 Jul 2017
8 Jul 2017T12:23
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DJ Morgan Mini Pineapple Ukulele - REVIEW
It was back in 2015 when I first looked at a musical instrument from the UK luthier DJ Morgan (Dave Morgan) when I was given chance to look at one of his soprano ukes. That one was very nice so I'm delighted to be able to feature him again with a look at the interesting 'mini pineapple' ukuleles he has been is building recently.
27 Nov 2016
27 Nov 2016T15:15
This is not the first sub-soprano scale ukulele I have looked at on the site, and nor is it the first sub-soprano for Ohana, as this follows on from their earlier SK21 series. The difference with the O'Nino however is that it even smaller than the 21 series. Call it a sopranino, call it a sopranissimo, call it a sub-soprano, call it what you like. It's a very small ukulele! And like a lot of the Ohana line, it is made in China, but brought back to the USA for quality control before distribution. I must say, their QC is pretty good too, as I have rarely (if ever) seen a truly bad Ohana.
With a scale length of 11 inches and an overall length tip to tail of only 17 inches, this is certainly a tiny ukulele. Not the smallest out thre by any means as ukuleles like the Tiny Tangi and the Nano Ukes built by Andy Miles are smaller, but it's still smaller than a soprano, and the smallest yet from Ohana. Readers will know of my love for the John Daniel Pixie Sopranino instrument and this O'Nino is very slightly smaller than that!
Size apart though, this is a standard double bout instrument made from all solid mahogany. I really like the shape, and that narrower upper bout which exaggerates the small scale to the eye even further.
The whole body on this review model is flawless and finished in a semi gloss coat that is neatly applied all over the instrument. I've commented on these finishes before on the likes of Kala ukuleles. They are a way apart from a hand rubbed finish which I prefer, and can sometimes look a little synthetic. Saying that, it doesn't look all that artificial and the wood grain shows through the top very nicely. It looks like a solid wood Ohana!
Decorating the edge of the top is a strip of well applied cream binding with black and white stripe detail and a similar cream and black inlaid rosette around the sound hole. It all looks classy and traditional and I like it a lot. The top is a single piece of wood, which is not surprising considering the size of the body.
The bridge is a slotted rosewood affair, meaning straighforward string changes with a white uncompensated saddle that looked to me like plastic, but specs tell me is made of bone. The bridge plate is mounted low down on the top of the instrument to keep the scale length without making the ukulele overly large. I like the look of that too.
The sides are made of a single piece of solid mahogany as is the back which is dead flat. Where the back meets the sides we have more edge binding but this time in straight cream with no detailing.
I like the whole look of the body and it screams ukulele whilst also looking typically Ohana. A look inside the soundhole shows a typical Ohana tidy build, with notched kerfing and no mess or glue spots. All very nice so far.
The neck is made from mahogany and finished in the same satin, meaning it's nice on the hand. It's made from three pieces with a joint at the heel and one near the nut. I'll come on to the width and profile of the neck in a moment.
Topping the neck is a rosewood fretboard with some colour variation near the upper frets which I think actually looks quite nice. It is fitted with 12 nickel silver frets, so a standard soprano number really. They are all dressed very nicely and are of the more jumbo style in width. The end of the fingerboard is also nicely shaped adding another detail to an instrument that already looks quite classy.
We have pearloid position markers at the 5th, 7th and 10th spaces, but none on the side. I usually consider the lack of side markers to be a gripe, but thinking about it on a sopranino, I consider it less of an issue. The small nature of the uke, and the way you need to hold it means that it's probably hard to see the side of the neck in any event, and certainly your fretting hand will hide a lot of it.
Up to the nut, and this is an area that is always of great interest to people wanting a sub-soprano scale instrument. You see, reason suggests that as you go down in overall size, the nut will get narrower too, and if there is one thing that makes a ukulele harder to play it's a narrow nut. In some cases the nuts get too narrow, as was the case with the iUke, but the John Daniel shows that they can be made wider. I measure the nut on the O'Nino as 33.5mm, so very slightly (0.5mm) narrower than the Daniel, but still bigger than the iUke Piccolo by several millimetres. I think it could do with being wider still, but then I think the John Daniel would benefit from that too (and neither are as bad as the iUke in that respect). Talking in millimetres may not seem like much to sniff at, but trust me - nut width is really noticeable when playing and despite the endless myths, has far more impact on space for large hands than the scale of the instrument does. So, thankfully, even with big hands, I can manage this one (wheras I struggled with the iUke). The O'Nino also has a fairly shallow neck profile so it does kind of feel bigger than it is when in the hands anyway. That nut incidentally is also made of bone.
Moving up to the headstock, and we find the first things that I was not too pleased with. Firstly, the headstock is finished nicely, and employs the traditional Ohana curved top. The logo is not screen printed, rather is inlaid in pearloid and looks good. The size however really stands out to me. In fact it looks no different to the headstock on a standard Ohana soprano. I think it's just too big and would have loved to see it smaller. Take a look at the headstock on the John Daniel to see that it is tiny in comparison.
And flipping it over we see another change from the SK21, and the reason for that large headstock. Whilst the 21 was fitted with decent quality Gotoh friction pegs, Ohana have reverted to unbranded open gears on the O'Nino. They are good enough quality in themselves with small white buttons, but you know me.... On small ukuleles I just think they look better with friction pegs to get rid of the 'ears' look. I know why they will have done it, as many beginners reject instruments with friction pegs off hand, but I'd have a couple of things to say to that. First, the SK21 pegs were not the worst friction pegs and shouldn't be rejected, and secondly, I think the O'Nino appeals to more than just beginners. I suspect more seasoned ukulele players may be agreeing with me on the lack of friciton tuners here. Yes, beginners will welcome gears, but what about the rest of us? All things considered, I just think the headstock is out of keeping with the rest of the instrument - big headstock / big tuner / Tiny uke... Will that affect the way it plays?
Completing the deal is a set of Aquila strings, and the O'Nino carries an RRP of $219. In reality you will find them at much more competitive prices online with Ohana dealers like Mims Ukes stocking them at about $140 at the time of writing and about £120 in the UK at somewhere like SUS. You will have noticed a gig bag in the pictures. That doesn't come included, but this is the Ohana UB19 bag they recommend for this model, and will set you back a few dollars more. So be honest though, you could carry this in a sock!
So all in all we have an instrument that will appeal to those in want of a sub-soprano fix. It's well made, looks classy and has a pleasing nut width. Shame about the headstock and tuners... but on to the playing!
First of all, in the hand it is very comfortable. Sure, being so small I wouldn't recommend any sub soprano as a first timer's ukulele, but if you know the ropes, you will not struggle with this one. It feels nice on the finish and it's light and well balanced to despite the gears and large headstock. And that body size has other advantages too of course - travel with one of these would be a breeze!
Tuning wise you have a number of options, but I tend to work on the basis that a sopranissimo is something you buy knowing that you will tune it differently from standard. Yes, you could get away with tuning it to standard C tuning (though the strings would be too floppy for my liking and it may cause intonation issues). You could go C tuning but one octave higher like the iUke (with different strings!), but I seriously dislike that shrill sound. Come on, the ukulele is already very high pitched and I find that 'even higher' C tuning is like nails on a blackboard to me. I saw Mim's recommendation was to try D tuning, but found that the intonation was a bit off with the 3rd string. If this were my ukulele I would however experiement and probably try F tuning like I usually use on the John Daniel which I find works well at this scale. SUS recommend Eb tuning which is somewhere between those two and that's what I chose for the video review. So lots of options really. And yes, I know, some will be reading saying 'but I don't know the chords for that tuning' and may be put off. You really do know how though, and working them out is far simpler than you may think. Have a read of this! (Seriously, don't be afraid of alternate tunings - you know the shapes!).
But, for now, Eb tuning it is (ie Bb, Eb, G, C), and it actually feels quite comfortable that way and intonates well. String tension is ok too. Your mileage may vary of course, but you know - no rules. Your uke - tune it how you are comfortable.
Setup on this one was very good, and I am pleased about that for good reason. The smaller you go with a ukulele scale the more necessary it is to have good intonation setup on the instrument. In other words, the larger ukuleles hide such innacuracies better, but if you are only a tiny bit out on a sopranino, you WILL notice it. For that reason I would certainly recommend you buy this from a specialist dealer who will offer a setup (somewhere like Mim's, HMS or SUS). I know I bang on about the big box shippers not doing setups, and I know many of you risk it, but trust me - this is an instrument for which you will definitely want the setup to be exact. Some say that it's impossible to get a sopranino perfect, and when you understand that all ukulele tuning is something of a 'fudge' in any case, I can understand why. This one is close enough for me though, and it's hardly and instrument for playing orchestral pieces right up at the dusty end of the fretboard in any case I suppose.
Sound wise, I find that people tend to fall into two camps when it comes to ultra small ukuleles. Those that love them and those that don't... (Well duh!).. But in that 'don't' camp, the dismissers tend to be those who don't like them for the simple reason of the staccato sound they have. To me though that is exactly the point of them. The soprano ukulele itself was designed to be a staccato, almost rhythmical instrument and not one for long sustain and massive resonance. That is the point of a soprano in my book. So if you go even smaller it stands to reason that the sub-soprano ukuleles are going to sound even more rhythmical. Of course, you are free to like what you like, but personally I like the range of all sizes of ukulele. If I want sustain and resonance I will go tenor or baritone, if I want something that is more rhythmical, I go soprano. And that's what you get with a sopranino - in spades.
This one is certainly playable, and unlike the neck on the iUke, for someone with my sized hands, enjoyable too. It's certainly staccato as I say, but great fun to strum fast. The sustain is short, but really not much different from that on my much loved John Daniel. Tone wise, it's far, far brighter from the Daniel, which is also made from solid Mahogany. Whether that is down to the strings or the build I am not wholly sure, but it doesn't make one worse than the other - just different. Like many things it will come down to personal taste, and at this size I have to say I like the John Daniel tone quite a bit more, but maybe that's just me. Saying that, I do recall playing an Ohana SK21 and I much prefer the O'Nino tone. It also beats the tone on the Kala Pocket for me and certainly that of the iUke. Volume wise, with a body this small, you are never going to wake the neighbours, but it's as loud as the John Daniel (just in a different way) and great for home use. If you wanted to perform with it - hey, that's why they invented microphones!
All in all, a very well made, nice looking instrument from a reliable brand. No, I don't like the tuners, but I know many of you will and think I am crazy for not wanting gears. I suppose I could always swap them out though. Tuners aside, I think the headstock is just all out of proportion, but that's a personal gripe and it doesn't affect the play in any way. A sopranino is never going to have massive sustain and killer tone, but as I say, that's not the point of them. As sopraninos go though, this is one of the better ones around.
At the deals on price I am seeing, I think it's something of a no brainer as a fun addition to your ukulele collection.
With many thanks to Ohana Music for the loan of the instrument
http://www.ohana-music.com
UKULELE PROS
Great classy look
Great build quality
Decent price (if you shop around)
Wide enough and comfortable neck
Light and balanced to hold
UKULELE CONS
Overly large headstock
Geared tuners
UKULELE SCORES
Looks - 8.5 out of 10
Fit and finish - 8 out of 10
Sound - 8 out of 10
Value for money - 9 out of 10
OVERALL UKULELE SCORE - 8.4 out of 10
UKULELE VIDEO REVIEW
© Barry Maz
WHY NOT DONATE TO HELP KEEP GOT A UKULELE GOING?
THANKS!
Read More »
Ohana 'O'Nino' Sopranissimo Ukulele - REVIEW
A welcome return for the Ohana brand on Got A Ukulele with their latest tiny uke in the form of the "O'Nino" model.
This is not the first sub-soprano scale ukulele I have looked at on the site, and nor is it the first sub-soprano for Ohana, as this follows on from their earlier SK21 series. The difference with the O'Nino however is that it even smaller than the 21 series. Call it a sopranino, call it a sopranissimo, call it a sub-soprano, call it what you like. It's a very small ukulele! And like a lot of the Ohana line, it is made in China, but brought back to the USA for quality control before distribution. I must say, their QC is pretty good too, as I have rarely (if ever) seen a truly bad Ohana.
With a scale length of 11 inches and an overall length tip to tail of only 17 inches, this is certainly a tiny ukulele. Not the smallest out thre by any means as ukuleles like the Tiny Tangi and the Nano Ukes built by Andy Miles are smaller, but it's still smaller than a soprano, and the smallest yet from Ohana. Readers will know of my love for the John Daniel Pixie Sopranino instrument and this O'Nino is very slightly smaller than that!
Size apart though, this is a standard double bout instrument made from all solid mahogany. I really like the shape, and that narrower upper bout which exaggerates the small scale to the eye even further.
The whole body on this review model is flawless and finished in a semi gloss coat that is neatly applied all over the instrument. I've commented on these finishes before on the likes of Kala ukuleles. They are a way apart from a hand rubbed finish which I prefer, and can sometimes look a little synthetic. Saying that, it doesn't look all that artificial and the wood grain shows through the top very nicely. It looks like a solid wood Ohana!
Decorating the edge of the top is a strip of well applied cream binding with black and white stripe detail and a similar cream and black inlaid rosette around the sound hole. It all looks classy and traditional and I like it a lot. The top is a single piece of wood, which is not surprising considering the size of the body.
The bridge is a slotted rosewood affair, meaning straighforward string changes with a white uncompensated saddle that looked to me like plastic, but specs tell me is made of bone. The bridge plate is mounted low down on the top of the instrument to keep the scale length without making the ukulele overly large. I like the look of that too.
The sides are made of a single piece of solid mahogany as is the back which is dead flat. Where the back meets the sides we have more edge binding but this time in straight cream with no detailing.
I like the whole look of the body and it screams ukulele whilst also looking typically Ohana. A look inside the soundhole shows a typical Ohana tidy build, with notched kerfing and no mess or glue spots. All very nice so far.
The neck is made from mahogany and finished in the same satin, meaning it's nice on the hand. It's made from three pieces with a joint at the heel and one near the nut. I'll come on to the width and profile of the neck in a moment.
Topping the neck is a rosewood fretboard with some colour variation near the upper frets which I think actually looks quite nice. It is fitted with 12 nickel silver frets, so a standard soprano number really. They are all dressed very nicely and are of the more jumbo style in width. The end of the fingerboard is also nicely shaped adding another detail to an instrument that already looks quite classy.
We have pearloid position markers at the 5th, 7th and 10th spaces, but none on the side. I usually consider the lack of side markers to be a gripe, but thinking about it on a sopranino, I consider it less of an issue. The small nature of the uke, and the way you need to hold it means that it's probably hard to see the side of the neck in any event, and certainly your fretting hand will hide a lot of it.
Up to the nut, and this is an area that is always of great interest to people wanting a sub-soprano scale instrument. You see, reason suggests that as you go down in overall size, the nut will get narrower too, and if there is one thing that makes a ukulele harder to play it's a narrow nut. In some cases the nuts get too narrow, as was the case with the iUke, but the John Daniel shows that they can be made wider. I measure the nut on the O'Nino as 33.5mm, so very slightly (0.5mm) narrower than the Daniel, but still bigger than the iUke Piccolo by several millimetres. I think it could do with being wider still, but then I think the John Daniel would benefit from that too (and neither are as bad as the iUke in that respect). Talking in millimetres may not seem like much to sniff at, but trust me - nut width is really noticeable when playing and despite the endless myths, has far more impact on space for large hands than the scale of the instrument does. So, thankfully, even with big hands, I can manage this one (wheras I struggled with the iUke). The O'Nino also has a fairly shallow neck profile so it does kind of feel bigger than it is when in the hands anyway. That nut incidentally is also made of bone.
Moving up to the headstock, and we find the first things that I was not too pleased with. Firstly, the headstock is finished nicely, and employs the traditional Ohana curved top. The logo is not screen printed, rather is inlaid in pearloid and looks good. The size however really stands out to me. In fact it looks no different to the headstock on a standard Ohana soprano. I think it's just too big and would have loved to see it smaller. Take a look at the headstock on the John Daniel to see that it is tiny in comparison.
And flipping it over we see another change from the SK21, and the reason for that large headstock. Whilst the 21 was fitted with decent quality Gotoh friction pegs, Ohana have reverted to unbranded open gears on the O'Nino. They are good enough quality in themselves with small white buttons, but you know me.... On small ukuleles I just think they look better with friction pegs to get rid of the 'ears' look. I know why they will have done it, as many beginners reject instruments with friction pegs off hand, but I'd have a couple of things to say to that. First, the SK21 pegs were not the worst friction pegs and shouldn't be rejected, and secondly, I think the O'Nino appeals to more than just beginners. I suspect more seasoned ukulele players may be agreeing with me on the lack of friciton tuners here. Yes, beginners will welcome gears, but what about the rest of us? All things considered, I just think the headstock is out of keeping with the rest of the instrument - big headstock / big tuner / Tiny uke... Will that affect the way it plays?
Completing the deal is a set of Aquila strings, and the O'Nino carries an RRP of $219. In reality you will find them at much more competitive prices online with Ohana dealers like Mims Ukes stocking them at about $140 at the time of writing and about £120 in the UK at somewhere like SUS. You will have noticed a gig bag in the pictures. That doesn't come included, but this is the Ohana UB19 bag they recommend for this model, and will set you back a few dollars more. So be honest though, you could carry this in a sock!
So all in all we have an instrument that will appeal to those in want of a sub-soprano fix. It's well made, looks classy and has a pleasing nut width. Shame about the headstock and tuners... but on to the playing!
First of all, in the hand it is very comfortable. Sure, being so small I wouldn't recommend any sub soprano as a first timer's ukulele, but if you know the ropes, you will not struggle with this one. It feels nice on the finish and it's light and well balanced to despite the gears and large headstock. And that body size has other advantages too of course - travel with one of these would be a breeze!
Tuning wise you have a number of options, but I tend to work on the basis that a sopranissimo is something you buy knowing that you will tune it differently from standard. Yes, you could get away with tuning it to standard C tuning (though the strings would be too floppy for my liking and it may cause intonation issues). You could go C tuning but one octave higher like the iUke (with different strings!), but I seriously dislike that shrill sound. Come on, the ukulele is already very high pitched and I find that 'even higher' C tuning is like nails on a blackboard to me. I saw Mim's recommendation was to try D tuning, but found that the intonation was a bit off with the 3rd string. If this were my ukulele I would however experiement and probably try F tuning like I usually use on the John Daniel which I find works well at this scale. SUS recommend Eb tuning which is somewhere between those two and that's what I chose for the video review. So lots of options really. And yes, I know, some will be reading saying 'but I don't know the chords for that tuning' and may be put off. You really do know how though, and working them out is far simpler than you may think. Have a read of this! (Seriously, don't be afraid of alternate tunings - you know the shapes!).
But, for now, Eb tuning it is (ie Bb, Eb, G, C), and it actually feels quite comfortable that way and intonates well. String tension is ok too. Your mileage may vary of course, but you know - no rules. Your uke - tune it how you are comfortable.
Setup on this one was very good, and I am pleased about that for good reason. The smaller you go with a ukulele scale the more necessary it is to have good intonation setup on the instrument. In other words, the larger ukuleles hide such innacuracies better, but if you are only a tiny bit out on a sopranino, you WILL notice it. For that reason I would certainly recommend you buy this from a specialist dealer who will offer a setup (somewhere like Mim's, HMS or SUS). I know I bang on about the big box shippers not doing setups, and I know many of you risk it, but trust me - this is an instrument for which you will definitely want the setup to be exact. Some say that it's impossible to get a sopranino perfect, and when you understand that all ukulele tuning is something of a 'fudge' in any case, I can understand why. This one is close enough for me though, and it's hardly and instrument for playing orchestral pieces right up at the dusty end of the fretboard in any case I suppose.
Sound wise, I find that people tend to fall into two camps when it comes to ultra small ukuleles. Those that love them and those that don't... (Well duh!).. But in that 'don't' camp, the dismissers tend to be those who don't like them for the simple reason of the staccato sound they have. To me though that is exactly the point of them. The soprano ukulele itself was designed to be a staccato, almost rhythmical instrument and not one for long sustain and massive resonance. That is the point of a soprano in my book. So if you go even smaller it stands to reason that the sub-soprano ukuleles are going to sound even more rhythmical. Of course, you are free to like what you like, but personally I like the range of all sizes of ukulele. If I want sustain and resonance I will go tenor or baritone, if I want something that is more rhythmical, I go soprano. And that's what you get with a sopranino - in spades.
This one is certainly playable, and unlike the neck on the iUke, for someone with my sized hands, enjoyable too. It's certainly staccato as I say, but great fun to strum fast. The sustain is short, but really not much different from that on my much loved John Daniel. Tone wise, it's far, far brighter from the Daniel, which is also made from solid Mahogany. Whether that is down to the strings or the build I am not wholly sure, but it doesn't make one worse than the other - just different. Like many things it will come down to personal taste, and at this size I have to say I like the John Daniel tone quite a bit more, but maybe that's just me. Saying that, I do recall playing an Ohana SK21 and I much prefer the O'Nino tone. It also beats the tone on the Kala Pocket for me and certainly that of the iUke. Volume wise, with a body this small, you are never going to wake the neighbours, but it's as loud as the John Daniel (just in a different way) and great for home use. If you wanted to perform with it - hey, that's why they invented microphones!
All in all, a very well made, nice looking instrument from a reliable brand. No, I don't like the tuners, but I know many of you will and think I am crazy for not wanting gears. I suppose I could always swap them out though. Tuners aside, I think the headstock is just all out of proportion, but that's a personal gripe and it doesn't affect the play in any way. A sopranino is never going to have massive sustain and killer tone, but as I say, that's not the point of them. As sopraninos go though, this is one of the better ones around.
At the deals on price I am seeing, I think it's something of a no brainer as a fun addition to your ukulele collection.
With many thanks to Ohana Music for the loan of the instrument
http://www.ohana-music.com
UKULELE PROS
Great classy look
Great build quality
Decent price (if you shop around)
Wide enough and comfortable neck
Light and balanced to hold
UKULELE CONS
Overly large headstock
Geared tuners
UKULELE SCORES
Looks - 8.5 out of 10
Fit and finish - 8 out of 10
Sound - 8 out of 10
Value for money - 9 out of 10
OVERALL UKULELE SCORE - 8.4 out of 10
UKULELE VIDEO REVIEW
© Barry Maz
WHY NOT DONATE TO HELP KEEP GOT A UKULELE GOING?
THANKS!
29 Sept 2016
29 Sept 2016T17:55
Firstly, some years ago the more common tuning for the soprano ukulele was actually D tuning (which is ADF#B) and of course the most common tuning for the Baritone tends to be in G tuning (or DGBE). In fact, many banjolele players today will still use that D tuning as they prefer the sound and string tension. It gets more complicated when you realise that years ago the original tuning for tenor ukuleles was actually G tuning yet today most people go with C tuning and many Baritone players today go for C tuning..... So no, GCEA is only the standard of common convention TODAY.
And what is common between all these other tunings is that they have the individual strings in the same interval relationship to each other. That is to say, they are effectively the same tunings but just in different keys either a bit up or a bit down in pitch.
What does that mean? Well for a new player, the most important thing to bear in mind is that because that relationship between the strings is the same in C, D or G tuning (or any other that has the same relationship), the chord SHAPES themselves will still work no matter what tuning you use. Of course, the shape you play will then play a different chord to the chord you get in C tuning, but they still work as chord shapes. Understanding what those chord shapes then become is key to unlocking the ease of working with ANY other relative tuning.
What I hear most commonly from people who are reluctant to try alternative keys is that they 'don't want to learn a whole new bunch of chords' or 'i'm still struggling with this tuning'. In fact, it's that reason that so many people are now choosing to tune their baritones to C tuning or even playing sopraninos at the ear piercing, shrill a whole octave above C tuning. They are doing it because they think it gets complicated when you change and they prefer to play what they know. And this post is intended to show you that it really isn't complicated at all. In fact it's easy. You already know it.
First of all, you really just need to understand the musical scale on a keyboard..
Or even better, print off a copy of the Circle Of Fifths that shows the notes of the scale in an order separated by musical fifths.
A musical fifth can be heard by using a piano keyboard and counting up 7 half steps including the black keys. That is to say a total of 7 physical piano keys upwards. (And why 5ths, and not 7ths? Well because the 5ths refers the 5 intervals, which in a perfect 5th is made up of 7 semitones!) So from a C on the keyboard graphic shown above, the fifth above it is the note of G, being 7 keys (or 7 half steps / semitones) up from the C. Count them on the keyboard above to see. The next note in the circle of fifths, (and indeed all the notes work the same way) - 7 up from the G on the piano is D, 7 from the D is the note of A, and so on. Now do the same on the Circle of Fifths - you will see that because of how it is laid out, that 7 piano key step up from C to get G is immediately next to the C on the Circle. Likewise, the 7 piano key step from G to D - on the Circle, the D is next to the G. That's because the Circle is counting the fifths, or the 7 half steps! (Incidentally - the Circle Of Fifths is helpful in all sorts of other ways in music - such as transposing and finding chord relationships etc)). Oh, and for this purpose - don't worry about the inner circle - that's not used for this level of transposing.
Anyway, I said this was easy, so let's put the theory away and get back to re-tuned ukuleles. As I say, a common factor that puts people off is the thought that they will have to learn a bunch of new chords. Bear in mind though, if you know your chord shapes for GCEA tuning, you already know the chord shapes for other key tunings so long as you keep the relationship between the strings the same!
So lets look at the most common example - the move from C tuning to G tuning that players will face if they buy a baritone. We already know the chords in standard C tuning (called C tuning after that third string) and we know the baritone is in G tuning (the tuning of the third string again). Looking at the Circle of Fifths, we see that the G is therefore a fifth up from the note of C, as indicated by the fact it is immediately to the right of the C on the Circle. (And yes, I know that Baritones are tuned lower than C tuned ukuleles, but it is still in the key of G and the Circle of Fifths doesn't alter between octaves). So we know that the G tuned ukulele is a fifth up from the C tuned ukulele or one space up on the Circle. It therefore also follows that every C tuning shaped chord played on the G tuned ukulele will be a fifth up, or rather, one space clockwise on the Circle. And knowing that, and having the Circle with you will unlock the simple way of transposing.
Play a C chord shape on the baritone - you get a G chord - one step round on the circle. Play a G chord shape on the baritone and you get a D (one space up on the Circle), play an A chord shape on the baritone and, you guessed it you get an E. And it applies to every chord shape you know on the C tuned ukulele - if you play that chord on a G tuned baritone, it will play the chord name of the next note on the Circle. Basically every chord will be the same step up as the G is from the C. (Incidentally, don't get foxed by minor or 7th chords - just use the Circle to tell you the root key - so C7 shape on the Baritone, plays a G7 etc.)
And this works with any tuning so long as the string relationship is the same. I mentioned above the common practice of tuning sopranino ukuleles with C tuning but a whole octave above the soprano. I think it sounds shrill and overly bright myself and I therefore prefer to tune mine in F tuning (CFAD). I just think it's nicer on the ears. And once again people look in horror and say, 'but I don't know the chord shapes for that!'. You DO know them, for exactly the same reason as above.
Back to the Circle of Fifths - we note that the F is one step to the left of the C. Therefore, if you play a C chord shape on an F tuned ukulele you get an F chord. Play a G chord shape on an F tuned ukulele and again, using the circle to go one step to the left, you get a C chord. Play an A chord shape and you get a D. All of them being one step to the left on the circle. It works for all chords.
Want to go really exotic? - what about tuning to A tuning (EAC#F#) - I've never done that, but bear with me! Again, using the circle and we note that the A is three steps round to the right from the C. So playing a C chord shape will give you an A, playing a G chord shape gives you an E. And so on.
And that really is all there is to it. Yes, you could use a piano keyboard to work out the fifths sequence if you like, but just printing off the Circle (or memorising it) is so much easier. Use the circle to work out the relationship between the chord shapes you already know in C tuning and the key you want to tune to - and that difference in numbers of steps left or right from C on the Circle can be applied to all the chord shapes.
I hope that helps and I really hope it means that people will stop being worried about moving to Baritone. Heck, I LOVE Baritone ukes and they are no harder to play than any other! Bear in mind that this article just deals with changing the key tuning of the ukulele whilst keeping the string intervals the same, and doesn't apply to other more exotic tunings like dropped strings and open chords, but I may save that for another post! Have fun!
© Barry Maz
Read More »
Don't Be Afraid of Alternative Ukulele Key Tunings
Something I realised I hadn't written about in my ukulele beginners tips section
And that of using alternative tunings on the ukulele. Then I seemed to get a flurry of questions on email from readers who were experimenting with new tunings on their musical instruments. Thought it was therefore about time to look at this in a little more detail. First up, one of the most common myths you will see written about the ukulele is that standard tuning is GCEA (or rather gCEA with a small g to signify that re-entrant G, or GCEA if you are using low G). And that's it.... People think that IS the way to tune a ukulele, or more particularly, the ONLY way to tune them.... But that actually misses some pretty important aspects aside from it just not being true.Firstly, some years ago the more common tuning for the soprano ukulele was actually D tuning (which is ADF#B) and of course the most common tuning for the Baritone tends to be in G tuning (or DGBE). In fact, many banjolele players today will still use that D tuning as they prefer the sound and string tension. It gets more complicated when you realise that years ago the original tuning for tenor ukuleles was actually G tuning yet today most people go with C tuning and many Baritone players today go for C tuning..... So no, GCEA is only the standard of common convention TODAY.
And what is common between all these other tunings is that they have the individual strings in the same interval relationship to each other. That is to say, they are effectively the same tunings but just in different keys either a bit up or a bit down in pitch.
What does that mean? Well for a new player, the most important thing to bear in mind is that because that relationship between the strings is the same in C, D or G tuning (or any other that has the same relationship), the chord SHAPES themselves will still work no matter what tuning you use. Of course, the shape you play will then play a different chord to the chord you get in C tuning, but they still work as chord shapes. Understanding what those chord shapes then become is key to unlocking the ease of working with ANY other relative tuning.
What I hear most commonly from people who are reluctant to try alternative keys is that they 'don't want to learn a whole new bunch of chords' or 'i'm still struggling with this tuning'. In fact, it's that reason that so many people are now choosing to tune their baritones to C tuning or even playing sopraninos at the ear piercing, shrill a whole octave above C tuning. They are doing it because they think it gets complicated when you change and they prefer to play what they know. And this post is intended to show you that it really isn't complicated at all. In fact it's easy. You already know it.
First of all, you really just need to understand the musical scale on a keyboard..
Or even better, print off a copy of the Circle Of Fifths that shows the notes of the scale in an order separated by musical fifths.
A musical fifth can be heard by using a piano keyboard and counting up 7 half steps including the black keys. That is to say a total of 7 physical piano keys upwards. (And why 5ths, and not 7ths? Well because the 5ths refers the 5 intervals, which in a perfect 5th is made up of 7 semitones!) So from a C on the keyboard graphic shown above, the fifth above it is the note of G, being 7 keys (or 7 half steps / semitones) up from the C. Count them on the keyboard above to see. The next note in the circle of fifths, (and indeed all the notes work the same way) - 7 up from the G on the piano is D, 7 from the D is the note of A, and so on. Now do the same on the Circle of Fifths - you will see that because of how it is laid out, that 7 piano key step up from C to get G is immediately next to the C on the Circle. Likewise, the 7 piano key step from G to D - on the Circle, the D is next to the G. That's because the Circle is counting the fifths, or the 7 half steps! (Incidentally - the Circle Of Fifths is helpful in all sorts of other ways in music - such as transposing and finding chord relationships etc)). Oh, and for this purpose - don't worry about the inner circle - that's not used for this level of transposing.
Anyway, I said this was easy, so let's put the theory away and get back to re-tuned ukuleles. As I say, a common factor that puts people off is the thought that they will have to learn a bunch of new chords. Bear in mind though, if you know your chord shapes for GCEA tuning, you already know the chord shapes for other key tunings so long as you keep the relationship between the strings the same!
So lets look at the most common example - the move from C tuning to G tuning that players will face if they buy a baritone. We already know the chords in standard C tuning (called C tuning after that third string) and we know the baritone is in G tuning (the tuning of the third string again). Looking at the Circle of Fifths, we see that the G is therefore a fifth up from the note of C, as indicated by the fact it is immediately to the right of the C on the Circle. (And yes, I know that Baritones are tuned lower than C tuned ukuleles, but it is still in the key of G and the Circle of Fifths doesn't alter between octaves). So we know that the G tuned ukulele is a fifth up from the C tuned ukulele or one space up on the Circle. It therefore also follows that every C tuning shaped chord played on the G tuned ukulele will be a fifth up, or rather, one space clockwise on the Circle. And knowing that, and having the Circle with you will unlock the simple way of transposing.
Play a C chord shape on the baritone - you get a G chord - one step round on the circle. Play a G chord shape on the baritone and you get a D (one space up on the Circle), play an A chord shape on the baritone and, you guessed it you get an E. And it applies to every chord shape you know on the C tuned ukulele - if you play that chord on a G tuned baritone, it will play the chord name of the next note on the Circle. Basically every chord will be the same step up as the G is from the C. (Incidentally, don't get foxed by minor or 7th chords - just use the Circle to tell you the root key - so C7 shape on the Baritone, plays a G7 etc.)
And this works with any tuning so long as the string relationship is the same. I mentioned above the common practice of tuning sopranino ukuleles with C tuning but a whole octave above the soprano. I think it sounds shrill and overly bright myself and I therefore prefer to tune mine in F tuning (CFAD). I just think it's nicer on the ears. And once again people look in horror and say, 'but I don't know the chord shapes for that!'. You DO know them, for exactly the same reason as above.
Back to the Circle of Fifths - we note that the F is one step to the left of the C. Therefore, if you play a C chord shape on an F tuned ukulele you get an F chord. Play a G chord shape on an F tuned ukulele and again, using the circle to go one step to the left, you get a C chord. Play an A chord shape and you get a D. All of them being one step to the left on the circle. It works for all chords.
Want to go really exotic? - what about tuning to A tuning (EAC#F#) - I've never done that, but bear with me! Again, using the circle and we note that the A is three steps round to the right from the C. So playing a C chord shape will give you an A, playing a G chord shape gives you an E. And so on.
And that really is all there is to it. Yes, you could use a piano keyboard to work out the fifths sequence if you like, but just printing off the Circle (or memorising it) is so much easier. Use the circle to work out the relationship between the chord shapes you already know in C tuning and the key you want to tune to - and that difference in numbers of steps left or right from C on the Circle can be applied to all the chord shapes.
I hope that helps and I really hope it means that people will stop being worried about moving to Baritone. Heck, I LOVE Baritone ukes and they are no harder to play than any other! Bear in mind that this article just deals with changing the key tuning of the ukulele whilst keeping the string intervals the same, and doesn't apply to other more exotic tunings like dropped strings and open chords, but I may save that for another post! Have fun!
© Barry Maz
22 Jul 2014
22 Jul 2014T17:43
A little while ago I reviewed another piccolo uke (the John Daniel Pixie) and in that made reference to the iUke and the fact that I didn't really like it that much. That was based on me having played a couple briefly at uke festivals and nothing more. The UK distributor, Stones Music, got in touch and (rightly) suggested that I actually test one for a while and write up a fuller review. So here we go.
The iUke is a solid topped piccolo or sopranino scale instrument developed by iUke in conjunction with Aquila strings. It is a solid topped instrument and designed primarily for beginners on account of the fact that it is designed to be tuned to standard GCEA tuning but one whole octave above a soprano uke. The strings were developed specifically for the uke to allow this tuning to work, but this was actually one of the things I didn't like about it.
The ukulele retails at around £79 in the UK which is pretty terrific value for any instrument, particularly one with a solid wood top like this one has. This one has a solid cedar top and hardwood laminate back and sides, and is in a pineapple shape and plain finish. They are also available in traditional figure of eight shape and with different top finishes.
Looking at the build at this one, it really is nicely put together. The grain on the solid top is simple, but nicely lined up with the top of the uke, and the laminate sides too are nicely lined up. The sides are, incidentally, a single piece of wood with no join at the base.
The bridge is a rosewood slotted style for easy re-stringing and it appears to be screwed to the top of the uke. Looking inside, all is nice and tidy, with fairly minimal bracing on account of the size of the uke (in fact, I think there is just a single brace on the top and nothing on the back on account of the extra strength in laminate. Kerfing is un-notched but well applied, and the makers label shows both the Aquila and iUke logos, and the fact it is made in China. The label actually says 'Mini Uke' not Piccolo, but there you go, its still a piccolo.
The edges of the body are unbound, and that means you see the uke top and back in section, with the top clearly showing off the solid wood. The back though shows off the laminate and looks a little scruffy and I wonder if binding would have been a nice addition. The whole body is finished in satin.
Moving on to the hardwood neck, this is made from three pieces with a joint at the heel and one halfway down the neck which is unusual. For such a small instrument I would have thought it would be easy to shape this out of a single neck block, but presume this is cost saving. The profile and finish on the neck is very nice though.
The fingerboard is also very nicely finished and impressed me. Its topped with rosewood which is uniform and dark in colour. The edges of the fingerboard are not bound, but stained so you can hardly see the fret edges. Best of all, the edges of the fingerboard are rolled / shaped meaning you feel no hard edges which is a really nice touch. The frets too, all 12 of them in nickel silver, are really nicely finished with no sharp edges.
Fret position markers are provided on the fingerboard at five, seven and ten in pearloid inlays, but no markers are provided for the player. Perhaps not essential for a very short scale instrument, but it really wouldn't have been a big deal to add one or two.
My first gripe with the instrument comes with the width of the nut which I find VERY narrow. Sure, I get that it is naturally a small instrument, but it is at least 3mm narrower than my John Daniel Piccolo of the same scale. This means a cramped playing area that could easily have been resolved by making that neck a touch wider for virtually no extra cost. As an instrument aimed at the beginner (mainly) I found this a surprise.
Up to the headstock and we have a nice unique design for the iUke with friction pegs fitted in a diamond configuration which I like a lot. The headstock is not faced, but finished in satin and the iUke logo is etched into the wood on an angle.
Those tuners are really cheap though, yet they do the job, even with a fair amount of tension on those strings. The washers though are cardboard, and I found that having set the uke down for a day or two, when adjusting tuning they kind of stick on the first turn and need loosening a touch. Still, when tuned these are holding just fine and you could upgrade them easily.
And that is about it, bar the specific iUke Aquila strings and a rather nice padded gig bag with an embroidered iUke logo. Not a bad bundle for £79.
What about playability? Well, the uke is light and, naturally very small. I found it easy enough to hold though new players may find it a bit of a fiddle. That is hardly a complaint though as the size is what it is. It's balanced though, and the neck feels good in the hand.
Playing though, that narrow neck does present issues to me with lack of space (though I do have big hands). Some may say that is the challenge of piccolo ukes, but others I have played, including both the John Daniel and the Ohana just felt more natural.
It is loud enough when strummed below fret five, but beyond that it gets so shrill and the sustain goes too. This though is perhaps more a feature of the tuning it has been designed for and more on that now.
I totally GET the thinking behind keeping it GCEA, as that allows beginners to jump to it from a standard soprano with ease as the chord shapes are the same. This too allows a club player to immediately join in with others without transposing at all. What I find though is that the soprano naturally high pitched and shrill enough (especially where several are playing together) and to take that up one more octave again just starts getting into irritating territory for me on sound. However... strings are there to be changed, and I would be really interested to try some standard Piccolo strings on the iUke to try to find a lower tuning that suited the build. Ukes tend to have a natural sweet spot on tuning and I found that on my John Daniel with CFAD tuning which really gave it a nice balance and richer tone. I see no reason why that cannot work on this as otherwise the uke is built well. As such, I am not going to run scores down on this review for the fact it is tuned GCEA as that can be changed. As for the concept of learning to transpose - its really not that hard, and you would need to do it with a Baritone too. Remember, in doing so, the chord shapes remain the same just the chords they play will differ. I would certainly recommend anyone buying one of these tries that.
At GCEA though, I think this is just too shrill for my ears. The build though is good and the price extremely attractive and am happy to say that my original views have been changed a little.
Available to buy here! Amazon.co.uk via Omega Music
As usual, here is a video review, and below that the PROs CONs and the scores.
VIDEO REVIEW
PROS
Price
Build quality
Neck finish
CONS
Neck width
Cheap tuners
Anything but high GCEA, please!!
SCORES
Looks - 8
Fit and Finish - 7.5
Sound - 7 (assuming a string change!)
Value For Money - 9
OVERALL - 7.9 out of 10
Read More »
iUke Piccolo Mini Ukulele REVIEW
Back with another ukulele review, and an instrument that has actually been around for a little while now - the iUke Piccolo mini ukulele.
A little while ago I reviewed another piccolo uke (the John Daniel Pixie) and in that made reference to the iUke and the fact that I didn't really like it that much. That was based on me having played a couple briefly at uke festivals and nothing more. The UK distributor, Stones Music, got in touch and (rightly) suggested that I actually test one for a while and write up a fuller review. So here we go.
The iUke is a solid topped piccolo or sopranino scale instrument developed by iUke in conjunction with Aquila strings. It is a solid topped instrument and designed primarily for beginners on account of the fact that it is designed to be tuned to standard GCEA tuning but one whole octave above a soprano uke. The strings were developed specifically for the uke to allow this tuning to work, but this was actually one of the things I didn't like about it.
The ukulele retails at around £79 in the UK which is pretty terrific value for any instrument, particularly one with a solid wood top like this one has. This one has a solid cedar top and hardwood laminate back and sides, and is in a pineapple shape and plain finish. They are also available in traditional figure of eight shape and with different top finishes.
Looking at the build at this one, it really is nicely put together. The grain on the solid top is simple, but nicely lined up with the top of the uke, and the laminate sides too are nicely lined up. The sides are, incidentally, a single piece of wood with no join at the base.
The bridge is a rosewood slotted style for easy re-stringing and it appears to be screwed to the top of the uke. Looking inside, all is nice and tidy, with fairly minimal bracing on account of the size of the uke (in fact, I think there is just a single brace on the top and nothing on the back on account of the extra strength in laminate. Kerfing is un-notched but well applied, and the makers label shows both the Aquila and iUke logos, and the fact it is made in China. The label actually says 'Mini Uke' not Piccolo, but there you go, its still a piccolo.
The edges of the body are unbound, and that means you see the uke top and back in section, with the top clearly showing off the solid wood. The back though shows off the laminate and looks a little scruffy and I wonder if binding would have been a nice addition. The whole body is finished in satin.
Moving on to the hardwood neck, this is made from three pieces with a joint at the heel and one halfway down the neck which is unusual. For such a small instrument I would have thought it would be easy to shape this out of a single neck block, but presume this is cost saving. The profile and finish on the neck is very nice though.
The fingerboard is also very nicely finished and impressed me. Its topped with rosewood which is uniform and dark in colour. The edges of the fingerboard are not bound, but stained so you can hardly see the fret edges. Best of all, the edges of the fingerboard are rolled / shaped meaning you feel no hard edges which is a really nice touch. The frets too, all 12 of them in nickel silver, are really nicely finished with no sharp edges.
Fret position markers are provided on the fingerboard at five, seven and ten in pearloid inlays, but no markers are provided for the player. Perhaps not essential for a very short scale instrument, but it really wouldn't have been a big deal to add one or two.
My first gripe with the instrument comes with the width of the nut which I find VERY narrow. Sure, I get that it is naturally a small instrument, but it is at least 3mm narrower than my John Daniel Piccolo of the same scale. This means a cramped playing area that could easily have been resolved by making that neck a touch wider for virtually no extra cost. As an instrument aimed at the beginner (mainly) I found this a surprise.
Up to the headstock and we have a nice unique design for the iUke with friction pegs fitted in a diamond configuration which I like a lot. The headstock is not faced, but finished in satin and the iUke logo is etched into the wood on an angle.
Those tuners are really cheap though, yet they do the job, even with a fair amount of tension on those strings. The washers though are cardboard, and I found that having set the uke down for a day or two, when adjusting tuning they kind of stick on the first turn and need loosening a touch. Still, when tuned these are holding just fine and you could upgrade them easily.
And that is about it, bar the specific iUke Aquila strings and a rather nice padded gig bag with an embroidered iUke logo. Not a bad bundle for £79.
What about playability? Well, the uke is light and, naturally very small. I found it easy enough to hold though new players may find it a bit of a fiddle. That is hardly a complaint though as the size is what it is. It's balanced though, and the neck feels good in the hand.
Playing though, that narrow neck does present issues to me with lack of space (though I do have big hands). Some may say that is the challenge of piccolo ukes, but others I have played, including both the John Daniel and the Ohana just felt more natural.
It is loud enough when strummed below fret five, but beyond that it gets so shrill and the sustain goes too. This though is perhaps more a feature of the tuning it has been designed for and more on that now.
I totally GET the thinking behind keeping it GCEA, as that allows beginners to jump to it from a standard soprano with ease as the chord shapes are the same. This too allows a club player to immediately join in with others without transposing at all. What I find though is that the soprano naturally high pitched and shrill enough (especially where several are playing together) and to take that up one more octave again just starts getting into irritating territory for me on sound. However... strings are there to be changed, and I would be really interested to try some standard Piccolo strings on the iUke to try to find a lower tuning that suited the build. Ukes tend to have a natural sweet spot on tuning and I found that on my John Daniel with CFAD tuning which really gave it a nice balance and richer tone. I see no reason why that cannot work on this as otherwise the uke is built well. As such, I am not going to run scores down on this review for the fact it is tuned GCEA as that can be changed. As for the concept of learning to transpose - its really not that hard, and you would need to do it with a Baritone too. Remember, in doing so, the chord shapes remain the same just the chords they play will differ. I would certainly recommend anyone buying one of these tries that.
At GCEA though, I think this is just too shrill for my ears. The build though is good and the price extremely attractive and am happy to say that my original views have been changed a little.
Available to buy here! Amazon.co.uk via Omega Music
As usual, here is a video review, and below that the PROs CONs and the scores.
VIDEO REVIEW
PROS
Price
Build quality
Neck finish
CONS
Neck width
Cheap tuners
Anything but high GCEA, please!!
SCORES
Looks - 8
Fit and Finish - 7.5
Sound - 7 (assuming a string change!)
Value For Money - 9
OVERALL - 7.9 out of 10
8 Jan 2014
8 Jan 2014T15:09
I have been hankering after a pocket sized ukulele for some time, and that desire grew a little more after the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain in the middle of 2013. At that even everyone seemed to be walking around with tiny iUke instruments and they intrigued me. But.... not in a good way. I have to say it - I really don't like the feel or sound of the iUke at all, but most of all I don't like the feel of the neck. It is however priced a little more keenly than the Ohana SK21 I was looking at, and quite a bit more keenly than the Kala Pocket Uke.
Then another festival came along. I was at the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival when one of the performers, Phil Doleman called me over to show me what he had bought from the Southern Ukulele Store stand. He took out a John Daniel Pixie and I knew I had to have one. I enquired at the stall and they told me that when they had more in they would let me know. And they did! This came to me for a little over £100.
John is a private luthier who builds in small quantities and is based in South Wales (making this my first ever Welsh instrument!). The Pixie is completely hand made, and is constructed completely from solid mahogany. I am told that it is wood that has been taken from old furniture hundreds of years old (in this case, an old lab cabinet) which seems a very nice resourceful idea to me!
The uke is in traditional shape with a double bout, but it is quite subtle in its curves which I like. The body is extremely well put together with no gaps and the whole thing is finished in a hand rubbed oil finish. The top is quite plain apart from the fabulous dots decoration around the sound hole in white.
The grain on the sides is in line with the wood, and the back is flat with perhaps a slight curve. The top and back (being a small instrument) are single pieces of wood.
The bridge is a standard tie bar affair with a white trim and a bone saddle. The bridge is made of rosewood. Inside all looks very tidy, and shows the use of un notched kerfling holding the top and back to the sides. It also holds the John Daniel label, with serial number and the proud claim that it is 'Hand Crafted In Wales'.
The neck is a particularly fine element of this uke for a couple of main reasons. Firstly the profile is nice and flat which is what I want on a tiny uke, but the nut width is really no different to any other soprano. That is a very good thing in my book. With a smaller uke, things are going to get cramped as the frets are closer together, but if you narrow the nut as well, then things get quite difficult. The iUke suffers here. This comes back to the common misconception people have that bigger ukes are easier for beginners to play as they have more space. Nonsense. I have sopranos with wider nuts than concerts and they are the ones with more playing comfort. What is interesting to note is the headstock seems to be made of two pieces with a slightly visible joint at the top end.
The other nice element on the neck is the fingerboard - it is a made from rosewood with 12 nickel silver frets, but it is finished beautifully. The edges of the fingerboard are 'rolled' meaning they have a curved outer which makes for real comfort on the hands. You really only tend to see such detail on ukes at the upper end of the price range.
Fretboard markers are at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th and are inlaid in white plastic. It is a little disappointing not to see side markers, or at least a single one for the players benefit. Still, with a neck this short, it is not hard to get lost on it!
Beyond the nut, the headstock is crown shaped with no outer facing, and is decorated with three small dots mimicking the detail from the sound hole and are the Daniel logo. These are set a little off centre, but this is not a factory made uke and I like the fact it LOOKS handmade.
Tuners are friction pegs (naturally - geared tuners on a uke this size would look ridiculous), though they represent my only gripe about it. They are bottom end friction tuners, that use plastic on plastic to hold. I found them extremely jerky and sticky and pretty quickly swapped them out for a slightly better set I had lying about which work much more smoothly.
I am not sure what the strings are that it came with (clear fluorocarbons of one brand or another, STOP PRESS - John has advised they are his own strings, and are indeed in flourocarbon) but SUS also shipped it with some Aquila Piccolo strings as used on the iUke to allow me to tune it a full octave above. I spent about ten minutes playing that way before being totally convinced that I had now found another thing I dislike about the iUke - the fact it is tuned so high!! So back on went the original strings and I started playing with tunings before deciding that F tuning suited my ears (that is to say, CFAD).
So how does it play? Well it is as light as a feather as you would expect, extremely nicely balanced and despite the diminutive size, actually quite comfortable to play and hold.
The setup is spot on with a very nice action and no intonation issues anywhere on the neck. The nut is cut well and the fingerboard is incredibly comfortable to play on. I love the nut width and don't find it particularly cramped at all, even with my large hands. It is a joy!
It also has a ton of volume when you give it a heavier strum, but also sounds delightful when picked. I would suggest if you get one that you too should play with other tunings to suit your own ears. DGBE tuning for example may be another alternative. Heck, that is part of the fun of owning one. I think it has a nice balanced sound and has become a uke I tend to keep very close to wherever I am sitting as it is a joy to just pick up and play. I've also jammed with it along with instruments of all other sizes and it fits in the mix quite well.
In short, I am delighted I got hold of it, and if you get the chance to own a John Daniel, I would give it some serious consideration. Check out the scores and a video review further down the page.
FOR
Good price for a hand made uke
Tone and volume
Sublime neck
'different' detailing such as the sound hole
AGAINST
Not much - cheap friction tuners
SCORES
Looks - 9
Fit and Finish - 8.5
Sound - 9
Value For Money - 9
OVERALL - 8.8
Read More »
John Daniel Pixie Sopranino Ukulele - REVIEW
What better way to kick of 2014 on Got A Ukulele than with an instrument review. Say hello to the John Daniel Pixie Sopranino.
I have been hankering after a pocket sized ukulele for some time, and that desire grew a little more after the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain in the middle of 2013. At that even everyone seemed to be walking around with tiny iUke instruments and they intrigued me. But.... not in a good way. I have to say it - I really don't like the feel or sound of the iUke at all, but most of all I don't like the feel of the neck. It is however priced a little more keenly than the Ohana SK21 I was looking at, and quite a bit more keenly than the Kala Pocket Uke.
Then another festival came along. I was at the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival when one of the performers, Phil Doleman called me over to show me what he had bought from the Southern Ukulele Store stand. He took out a John Daniel Pixie and I knew I had to have one. I enquired at the stall and they told me that when they had more in they would let me know. And they did! This came to me for a little over £100.
John is a private luthier who builds in small quantities and is based in South Wales (making this my first ever Welsh instrument!). The Pixie is completely hand made, and is constructed completely from solid mahogany. I am told that it is wood that has been taken from old furniture hundreds of years old (in this case, an old lab cabinet) which seems a very nice resourceful idea to me!
The uke is in traditional shape with a double bout, but it is quite subtle in its curves which I like. The body is extremely well put together with no gaps and the whole thing is finished in a hand rubbed oil finish. The top is quite plain apart from the fabulous dots decoration around the sound hole in white.
The grain on the sides is in line with the wood, and the back is flat with perhaps a slight curve. The top and back (being a small instrument) are single pieces of wood.
The bridge is a standard tie bar affair with a white trim and a bone saddle. The bridge is made of rosewood. Inside all looks very tidy, and shows the use of un notched kerfling holding the top and back to the sides. It also holds the John Daniel label, with serial number and the proud claim that it is 'Hand Crafted In Wales'.
The neck is a particularly fine element of this uke for a couple of main reasons. Firstly the profile is nice and flat which is what I want on a tiny uke, but the nut width is really no different to any other soprano. That is a very good thing in my book. With a smaller uke, things are going to get cramped as the frets are closer together, but if you narrow the nut as well, then things get quite difficult. The iUke suffers here. This comes back to the common misconception people have that bigger ukes are easier for beginners to play as they have more space. Nonsense. I have sopranos with wider nuts than concerts and they are the ones with more playing comfort. What is interesting to note is the headstock seems to be made of two pieces with a slightly visible joint at the top end.
The other nice element on the neck is the fingerboard - it is a made from rosewood with 12 nickel silver frets, but it is finished beautifully. The edges of the fingerboard are 'rolled' meaning they have a curved outer which makes for real comfort on the hands. You really only tend to see such detail on ukes at the upper end of the price range.
Fretboard markers are at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th and are inlaid in white plastic. It is a little disappointing not to see side markers, or at least a single one for the players benefit. Still, with a neck this short, it is not hard to get lost on it!
Beyond the nut, the headstock is crown shaped with no outer facing, and is decorated with three small dots mimicking the detail from the sound hole and are the Daniel logo. These are set a little off centre, but this is not a factory made uke and I like the fact it LOOKS handmade.
Tuners are friction pegs (naturally - geared tuners on a uke this size would look ridiculous), though they represent my only gripe about it. They are bottom end friction tuners, that use plastic on plastic to hold. I found them extremely jerky and sticky and pretty quickly swapped them out for a slightly better set I had lying about which work much more smoothly.
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So how does it play? Well it is as light as a feather as you would expect, extremely nicely balanced and despite the diminutive size, actually quite comfortable to play and hold.
The setup is spot on with a very nice action and no intonation issues anywhere on the neck. The nut is cut well and the fingerboard is incredibly comfortable to play on. I love the nut width and don't find it particularly cramped at all, even with my large hands. It is a joy!
It also has a ton of volume when you give it a heavier strum, but also sounds delightful when picked. I would suggest if you get one that you too should play with other tunings to suit your own ears. DGBE tuning for example may be another alternative. Heck, that is part of the fun of owning one. I think it has a nice balanced sound and has become a uke I tend to keep very close to wherever I am sitting as it is a joy to just pick up and play. I've also jammed with it along with instruments of all other sizes and it fits in the mix quite well.
In short, I am delighted I got hold of it, and if you get the chance to own a John Daniel, I would give it some serious consideration. Check out the scores and a video review further down the page.
FOR
Good price for a hand made uke
Tone and volume
Sublime neck
'different' detailing such as the sound hole
AGAINST
Not much - cheap friction tuners
SCORES
Looks - 9
Fit and Finish - 8.5
Sound - 9
Value For Money - 9
OVERALL - 8.8
To understand my review scoring and see this result in context - visit my review page at
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