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Original Post By:
Guest_jeremy
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Date: 4/5/2005 |
Vineyard (Praiseland) CK-150-B
http://www.praiselandmusic.com
This uke was crafted in China. The uke has the following features:
-Concert scale
-Solid mahogany body, neck
-Rosewood fretboard, bridge
-Bone nut and saddle
-Satin finish
-Comes standard with friction tuning pegs
The instrument 'as is' is definitely a good instrument. However, for me there is no such thing as an off the shelf instrument that is just right for me. Therefore, I made some changes to the instrument. I added Gotoh sgm geared tuning machines with white pearloid buttons. I purchased these from:
http://www.hanalima.com
The action on this uke was actually close to my personal preference right out of the box. I did lower it some though. I prefer an action that is very slightly above 1/16" (12th fret) on my ukes and guitars.
I know this is considered low by some people, but it's just right for me.
I also put on Worth low-g strings (clear, medium). I prefer low-g strings if the uke can handle the sound of the low g without getting too bass heavy. I have found all solid mahogany ukes can handle it no problem
usually. I had to widen the g string's nut slot to accept the low-g string. The nut slots on this instrument were all cut very nicely so there was no need for me to make further adjustments. This was nice as i'm used to having to make adjustments to the nut slots on any instrument I buy.
The construction on this instrument is VERY clean inside and out. It's built light enough to sound good, but not so light that it feels so fragile that I have to be
extra careful with it. It's very well built. I'm very pleased with the attention to detail that went into it.
The sound is just what I was looking for. Sound is obviously hard to try to describe with words but here's my attempt at it: It's a sweet, smooth, and balanced sound. It handles the low-g string very well.
I might experiment with a worth standard g string too.
The action is just right since I adjusted it
to my personal preference, and the intonation is good.
This is a good looking ukulele! Very nice selection of woods and the binding and inlays are also very nice.
After trying out different ukes to find out my personal preferences, this instrument turned out to be everything I hoped and thought it would be.
You can find some pictures of the instrument here:
http://photos.yahoo.com/netbiz3
Here is an mp3 sound file:
(please note, I don't have any high quality recording equipment but hopefully this will give a good idea of the character of this uke setup to my personal preferences). using open g,c,d chords as usual for testing.
http://www.christianguitar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=49394
**if any of the pics or sound files won't work try typing or cut and paste the addresses directly into your web browser rather than clicking on them.
I also got the light hard case to go along with it. It's similar to the Hohner/Lanikai cases in construction. This case is smaller in length and is some different on the inside.
In closing, I must say it's been a pleasure getting to know some and dealing with Louis at Praiseland Music.
These guys are really devoted to putting out quality instruments at affordable prices. They are very open
to feedback both good and bad so they can keep improving and moving forward on what they are already doing. They are a fairly new company, and I think they have great potential.
If you're curious about pricing, this model retails for just over $200 usually. They have some other models in that range as well.
I'm giving this one 2 thumbs and 2 big toes up. |
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Posted By:
Guest_Ernie
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Date: 4/5/2005 |
| Jeremy, thanks for the review, and the sound samples!
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Posted By:
Guest_jeremy
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Date: 4/5/2005 |
since i had worth low and regular g's here to experiment with i decided i'd go ahead and try out the standard tuning too. here's a clip of
that one:
http://www.christianguitar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=49409
if i had the money, i think i'd have one of these ukes in each tuning, ha. i'm having trouble deciding which i like best.
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Posted By:
Guest_John
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Date: 4/5/2005 |
Is that the beginning to a song? Post something on EZFolk, mister! With all these ukes (Mele, Lanikai S-C and now the Praiseland), you oughta be inspired!
Thanks for the review
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Posted By:
Guest_Human Uke
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Date: 4/5/2005 |
| Thanks for the great review!
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Posted By:
Guest_jeremy
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Date: 4/5/2005 |
no problem guys.
john,
it's just me messing around, it could turn into a song i guess, heh..i actually ended up selling the mele. i wanted something with more of the feel of the lanikai and sound of the mele, and the vineyard is it. the lanikai is considered my backup uke now. the mele was worth more so of course that's the one i sold.
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