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Original Post By:
Guest_David Jones
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Date: 12/19/2004 |
| Okay folks, hold on to your hats.
I have a Jenny concert in-hand and
can now give everyone my humble
opinion. First let me say that I
own and play several ukes. I have
classic Martins and Gibsons, a
Fluke, A Koaloha, Lanikai,
Applause, and others. Given that,
I can say that the new Bushman
Jenny is by far and away the most
fantastic uke I've seen and played
for the money. I am totally
blown away. Lets start with the
looks, fit and finish. The lower
bout is constructed of flat-sawn
Brazillian mahogany and is stained
to a classic honey brown. The
soundboard is tripled bounded with
a white binding strip, then
abalone, then a final white binding
strip. The last strip is very
narrow to offset the abalone.
There is an abalone rosette around
the sound hole that is also framed
by thin while binding strips. The
back is even bound with a white
binding strip. The headstock is
also mahogany and is bound in the
same manner as the soundboard with
a Bushman Ukulele's stamp at the
top. Overall, it has a very
classic beauty. The fretboard and
bridge are rosewood. The fretboard
has nickle-silver frets that are
uke sized, verses some of the other
ukes that seem to use guitar sized
frets (e.g. Washburn) The frets
are nicely dressed on the edges
with no sharpness. The fretboard
sports 5 position markers that
seem to be mother of toilet-seat,
but I have a question to John Hall
to see if they are mother of pearl
or not. The position markers are
of appropriate size. This is nice
because some of the modern ukes
have these useless tiny inlays
(Lanakai). The bridge is really
nice with a through-hole string
design for good strength. I like
the fact that the bridge bar and
the top nut are removable for easy
adjustment, if needed. (The action
on my uke was just fine.) However,
I have family members that play
left handed, and the ability to
reverse the top nut, especially
with tenors and baritones with
their wound strings is a welcomed
feature in my family. The strings
are real Aquila's. The tuners are
top of the line friction Grover's.
These are the tuners with the big
knobs and the thumb screw for
locking the setting in. I have a
set of these on my KoAloha and love
them. (I think Kamaka is also
using these tuners in their new
ukes) But, I know opinions vary on
friction vs. geared tuners. I
guess the point is that these are
first class tuners. If you prefer
geared tuners, I suggest you drop
John Hall a line at jumpingflea.com
and weigh in on this subject. With
the exception of the oiled
fretboard & bridge, the uke is
finished in a high gloss (laquer I
believe) finish. Satin Finish
versions are also available, but I
have not seen one yet. On a scale
of 1 to 10, the fit and finish are
9.9. So, how about construction?
Well, I was expecting what I've
seen in other ukes of this price
range. Heavy bracing, laminated
boards and thick soundboards. This
is the area that totally blew me
away. There are lots of pretty
ukes available that sound like
bricks when you play them. Not
this uke. Lightweight and
appropriate bracing, with a nice
thin solid wood soundboard are what
I found in the Jenny Uke. In fact,
the whole soundbox, neck and
headstock are solid wood. Wow.
Finally, for sound.... It's a
winner. My everyday player is a
KoAloha concert. I play this uke
because it sings. The Jenny keeps
right up with my KoAloha with a
fantastic resonance. This new
Jenny matches it for 1/3 the price.
I really don't know how this can
be done. This is a $500 uke for
under $200. I guess low overhead
and direct manufacturing really can
bring the prices down. If someone
would like me to snap some pics,
I'd be happy to share. As I've
stated before, I know John, but we
do not have a business
relationship. I am not paid by
John. My interest has been to
encourage him to bring his
successful business acumen to the
ukulele world. It is gratification
enough to me to see him bring this
product to market and I thought
folks may like to know that.
So, that's my opinion. Overall
score out of 10: 9.8
(btw... these ukes are sold at
www.jumpingflea.com)
I hope folks found this of use. If
your looking for something
negative, I'd be happy to report
it, but I didn't find anything. |
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Posted By:
Guest_soybean
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Date: 12/19/2004 |
| Thanks for the review. It seems they've
done a lot of things right. The Chinese
have been making great strides lately
in all the stringed instruments. The
Eastman company, for example,
makes an archtop/jazz guitar that's
been the talk of the town. They also
make a highly rated mandolin. These
Eastmans are also at 1/3 the price of a
comparable instrument. The only thing
i balk at on the Jenny is those tuners.
I'm not the only one who doesn't like
them. They're too heavy and can make
the uke unbalanced in some cases.
They're also unreliable, in my opinion.
However, at this price, changing tuners
is no big deal. Did you get a case with
it, and how do you rate that?
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Posted By:
Guest_Don
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Date: 12/19/2004 |
| Now here's a funny thing. After
checking out the Bushman 'Jenny' &
reading the story of how the same
got it's name etc, @ the Jumping
Flea site, I dropped in on
Sydney's (Australia)arguably
biggest uke retailer on Saturday,
to find 2 ukes, one of which was
an identical looking uke as
the 'Jenny'. Marked 'not for
sale', I was told by the assistant
that they were samples, & that the
boss had just been to China to
line up the production of same, &
that they were due mid January.
From Daves description I'd swear
not only was one the same uke, but
I'd go along with his description
of how it played(as far as one can
in the shop trial situation). Here
down under it was marked at
$180AUS or near abouts from
memory, that is, when it comes in,
& couldn't remember what they were
going to brand it(there was
nothing on the peg-head)but
thought it could be a 'Royal'
or 'Aloha'...all that as just a
bit of trivia...
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Posted By:
Guest_Don
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Date: 12/19/2004 |
| That should've read 'the assistant
couldn't recall what they were
going to brand it' etc
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Posted By:
Guest_David
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Date: 12/19/2004 |
| Hey soybean,
I got a nice enough gig bag with
the uke. It has a zippered pocket
and a carry strap. It's also
marked Bushman with the "size" uke
on it, namely: Concert.
As I said about the tuners, it
really is a religious discussion.
If you were to pick your favorite
tuner, what would you pick?
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Posted By:
Guest_Geoff
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Date: 12/19/2004 |
| David- John called me right after you
left and was pumped with your
reaction. I'm running down some time
this week and play the Jennys. After
reading your review, I'm anxious to do
so.
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Posted By:
Guest_soybean
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Date: 12/20/2004 |
| I like the regular grover sta-tites and
also Ping tuners (cheap and good). On
a new uke, i'm gonna' try a set of
Pegheds, which are geared internally
but look like ebony violin pegs. Dave
Means has been using some of these.
These could be the ultimate uke peg.
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Posted By:
Guest_Doug
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Date: 12/20/2004 |
| Aren't those tuners with the
thumbscrews made by Schaller? I
thought all the Grovers had small
adjusting screws. The Chinese are
making some nice violins these
days too. Maybe we'll start seeing
ukes at WalMart?
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Posted By:
Guest_David
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Date: 12/20/2004 |
| I've noticed how these Grover
Tuners look just like the
Schaller's. Does one make them for
the other? I don't know. But,
these tuners are Grovers, and can
be viewed on their web site as
their super deluxe tuners. As far
as WalMart goes, you can buy
woodwinds their today!
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Posted By:
Guest_Ed B.
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Date: 12/20/2004 |
| The three contenders for mid-
priced tenor uke would seem to be
the Bushman, RISA's new Uke-
Acoustic-Tenor, and the Lanikai CK-
TEQ. Anybody have a direct
comparison among these?
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Posted By:
Guest_Brian
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Date: 12/20/2004 |
| Actually, the local Wal-Mart (MD)
does sell ukes. They have a
Chinese-made Hilo tourist clone
back in the educational toy aisle.
Heavy plywood, reddish-brown
finish, black nylon strings, but
decent for a child at 20 bucks.
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Posted By:
Guest_Bad Juju
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Date: 12/20/2004 |
| Stay away from Walmart, Guitar
Center and Chinese instruments
when possible. Beware Of Darkness.
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Posted By:
Guest_Zathras
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Date: 12/20/2004 |
| And I just got notification that my
Jenny Concert has shipped. Looking
forward to it.
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Posted By:
Guest_Ernie
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Date: 12/21/2004 |
| Is "Bushman" stamped on the back of
the heaadstock, or the front? In the
pictures I've seen, There is nothing on
the front of the headstock (which I
really like)!
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Posted By:
Guest_Geoff
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Date: 12/21/2004 |
| I just got back from playing the
Bushman line and will write a review
later today. In short...I was very
impressed! The logo is on the front of
the headstock. The available photos
are of the prototype...prelogo.
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Posted By:
Guest_David
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Date: 12/21/2004 |
| RE: comparing the three makes.
I can compare the Bushman and the
Lanikai's. (I have both) There is
no comparison. The bushman is
twice the uke for the same money.
Better lightweight construction,
better tuners, overall a superior
product.
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Posted By:
Guest_stinks
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Date: 12/21/2004 |
I hope the Chinese kids at the
factory making these things for
pennies a day will feel some deep
sense of satisfaction that their
miserable existence makes our joy
possible. If you really want to
feel sick, read the enchanting
"story behind the name." Isn't it
cute how the American calls his
instrument "Jenny," after the
English name that Chinese girls use
to "seduce" American businessmen to
buy their "uncle's" high-quality
merchandise? And isn't it sweet how
he "takes it to bed" and makes his
wife jealous? Don't you want your
own little, Chinese "Jenny" to take
to bed, too? (Look at the picture
on the page: It isn't the real
Jenny, but, hey!: all women are
pretty much interchangeable,
right?)
I agree with Bad Juju--People of
conscience, stay away!
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Posted By:
Guest_The Self Righteous Police
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Date: 12/21/2004 |
| Hi 'stinks', it must be time to go
to your house and see all the
things you own. We know you only
buy American and always tip 20%.
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Posted By:
Guest_Norm
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Date: 12/21/2004 |
| To "Stinks"-What an appropriate
handle you have. I get so sick and
tired of the "world-savers" who
assume that their prejudices (ie,
that anything made in China is
made in a sweat shop)are
universally accurate. And even if
this were to be a sweat shop, no
one's holding a gun to their
heads. I talked to John Hall,
personally (did you?) and
understand that the Chinese
luthier he has contracted does,
indeed, run a family operation,
not a sweat shop. Also, what in
the world is your problem with the
naming story. How does this
devalue women? And your expansion
on John's mention of taking Jenny
to bed is disgusting &
inappropriate. You must be just
another venom spewer, or a
disgruntled competitor who's
worrying how you can come close to
matching Bushman's value
(quality/price equation), and
still make your profit. John's
worked hard and thoughtfully to
put this deal together and I
predict there will be a lot of
Jennys out their shortly giving a
great deal of pleasure to the
players, and several Chinese folks
who are happy to be associated
with Bushman. You also referred
to "the American" when referring
to John. This would lead me to
believe that you're not. If my
hunch is true, "what a surprise"!.
Is your hair green too? By the
way, I'm in no way affiliated with
John, or Bushman. I did talk with
him at a ukefest, but probably
couldn't pick him out of a line-up
right now, and doubt that he could
me, either. I just get so sick of
these poison, half-truth (if
that), prejudiced, negative, mean
spirited posts.
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Posted By:
Guest_PhonoFred
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Date: 12/21/2004 |
I just spoke with John this
morning, and congratulated him on
his new product lines. Of course
he wants to make a buck. Don't
we all? What I like best about
John is the way he is genuinely
pleased to be making people happy
by selling them a nice instrument
at a bargain prices. John,
provides good products, and good
service.
The China thing
seems a bit silly to me.
Products are made all over the
world these days. The company
that I work for has 70,000
employees who make, and sell
products all over the world. The
Chinese people who make these
ukuleles deserve to make a living
as much as I, or even
Stinks.
John's story of
the Jenny name harms no one.
Stinks, you are reading things
into an innocent tale that just
are not there. Go wash your mind
out with soap. A while back I
promised to stay out of this kind
of stuff but you are going after
a guy that has been nothing but
nice to me. He's also been good
to the friends I have referred to
him. Go find something better to
do with your time than pick on a
guy who is trying to make an
honest living. What have you
done for the Chinese lately
Stinks? John is helping them to
feed their family.
,br>I'll go
back to being a nice positive guy
now until someone else goes after
a friend of mine.
Fred
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Posted By:
Guest_pagan vegan uker
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Date: 12/22/2004 |
| What is the origin of this
product? What life has been
sacrificed to produce it?Under
what conditions were the materials
procured and the product built and
sold?Is it necessary? Can I buy a
used one that already exists?
American agression and
shortsightedness is not
sustainable, people are truly
suffering by our decisions, and
those of the businessmen who cut
these deals. It is shameful. If I
need a product(like this computer)
I must compromise,to be sure but I
don't do it lightly and I do give
back to the needy fred. At this
time of year American christians
especially should take the council
of their own prophet(or profit?)
and care first for the exploited
ones and lastly for themselves.
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Posted By:
Guest_PhonoFred
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Date: 12/22/2004 |
| I will not be baited into turning
this into some kind of religious
discussion. Stinks, whoever they
are went after John on a personal
level. They made unfounded, and
unfair accusations about his
motives. The anonymous attacker
then tried to make him look like
some kind of smut dealer. This
was all very uncalled for.
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Posted By:
Guest_Beefeater
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Date: 12/22/2004 |
| Hi vegan, go suck an egg, just
don't swallow.
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Posted By:
Guest_MCA
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Date: 12/22/2004 |
| I too am getting a Jenny sent to
my store today, am looking forward
to seeing it. The Chinese luthiers
have just as much skill as we do
and in most all cases (at least
from reputable distributors) they
are being paid fair in relation to
where they are (just compare
different wages across the country
and comparable cost of living
expenses). Many companies get
instruments from over seas - Japan
and Korea for example. If we ever
see Ukebrand again, it will be
made in China - from the same
luthiers that make Kenny Hill's
Old World Guitars now. To the
complainers - Do you boycott
Mexican made instruments also?
Have you researched fully all
available sources before your
complaints here, or are you just
stroking it?
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Posted By:
Guest_p.v.u.
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Date: 12/22/2004 |
| I research all my consumables and
as I stated,must make compromises
to exist in this world. Thank you
for your reasoned reparte' MCA-
Have a Blessed New Year.
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Posted By:
Guest_casual female observer
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Date: 12/22/2004 |
| I must admit, the whole referring
to the uke as "her" is a little
creepy. I know people do it with
boats and other things, but you
never hear inanimate things called
"him." I wouldn't make a big
political issue out of it, but I
don't find it particularly
endearing, either. Despite all
that, I do love a bargain, and this
sounds like one.
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Posted By:
Guest_MCA
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Date: 12/22/2004 |
| p.v.u. - then nothing more can be
asked of a person - and the best
to you.
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Posted By:
Guest_MCA
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Date: 12/22/2004 |
| Hi casual female observer, I have
a nice collection of kitchen
cutlery - Japanese, layered, hand
hammered carbon steel/iron. I'm
very proud of these 'Bad Boys'.
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Posted By:
Guest_Howlin' Hobbit
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Date: 12/22/2004 |
casual female observer -- the
Russians (or at least, the Soviets)
call their ships "hes" (hims?).
My guitars over my life have
universally been "shes" but oddly
enough, my favorite uke is a he.
Dunno what's so creepy about
anthropomorphism. Silly maybe, but
creepy?
BTW... my other instruments
(harmonicas, washboard, my old drum
kit, etc.) seem to be neuter.
Though I suppose the recorders,
flutes, penny whistles and such
that I own or have owned should be
male, for all the obvious reasons. :-)
HH
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Posted By:
Guest_Norm
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Date: 12/22/2004 |
| To PVU: Suggest you stop
making "compromises" and stick to
your principles. The result would
be a better world, if you get my
drift. To Casual Female: Any
references I can think of to
calling an object a "she" are
those of endearment, and I find it
hard to see how anyone could be
uncomfortable with that. And so
far as male references, how
about "Big Ben". How dare them
Brits!
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Posted By:
Guest_p.v.u.
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Date: 12/22/2004 |
| Thanks Norm, I wouldn't compromise
my principles,forgive me if I
misspoke. I compensate to enjoin
the world as it is, for example I
took in a stray cat and she needs
animal products to live well. I
buy her small farm organic
products and don't feel
compromised, thouigh I wouldn't
buy them for myself. I love my old
Martin and Kamaka ukuleles but if
I had reason to buy a new
instrument and after research
thought that critical materials
are needed or laborers are
exploited I would think well about
that and act in the best interest
according to my beliefs. Merry
Christmas to you and yours- our
shared belief may be greater than
we know.
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Posted By:
Guest_casual female observer
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Date: 12/23/2004 |
| When I get my Jenny, maybe I'll
change "her" to a "him" and name
him Jude (Law, of course).
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Posted By:
Guest_MCA
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Date: 12/23/2004 |
Hey casual - I thought you'd call
him 'Johnny'. Instead of beefcake
he'd be your little
Johnnycake.
My second
posting here on how I like the
concert 'Jenny'. This is one VERY
nice ukulele.
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Posted By:
Guest_Bejing Undergrad
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Date: 12/23/2004 |
| I've enjoyed reading these posts.
"Stinks" really got us freaking out about
what we do when we buy and sell and
play. I think a lot of the posts mis-read
what Stinks means and so responses
have tended to shove it back in his (or
her) face, with a few exceptions. What
is Stinks saying to us? That we use
sex to sell? That we're entangled in
economic-international relations that
are rife with issues of race, power and
profit? That there are lines of force that
run the world, and here they are,
according to Stinks, running right down
my C string. Ugh. Who wants to hear
that? Stinks, I know I don't. I want to
ESCAPE the world and live in my own
private Idaho. My music is a way to
flee the disaster of the modern world. I
live in the past. The best was better.
Men were manlier. Woman, hippier.
Please leave me alone with your
satire, your wicked sense of humor,
and your truth-telling! I don't like it! It
scares me!
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Posted By:
Guest_Jenny
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Date: 12/24/2004 |
| Me love you long time!
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Posted By:
Guest_Michael
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Date: 12/28/2004 |
| Thank You all for LOL!
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Posted By:
Guest_Ed Petersen
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Date: 1/20/2005 |
| It's my understanding that
musical instrument companies
(for instance, GUILD and their
new Chinese line) treat their
workers very well. They buildin
factories with dorms and they
provide for their every need
which may sound a bit like
slavery to us, but in the Chinese
culture is a desirable and
enviable lifestyle. They are paid
relatively well and are now
encouraged to perform quality
craftsmanship instead of
bangin'em out as they used to do.
I don't claim to know what's
right, but I know we can't apply
our cultural mores to other
cultures. It's quite obvious how
that gets us into trouble.
P.S.American companies would not
be beyond using "Jennies" if it
would get them the contract.
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Posted By:
Guest_Phil
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Date: 3/4/2005 |
| Is this a Sociology page, or are we supposed to be talking about ukes? It if ain't about ukes, keep it to yourself.
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Posted By:
Guest_barney
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Date: 5/1/2005 |
thanks for your report on the jenny uke...I got a fluke 5 months ago and the sound was a huge improvement from my first uke,a johnson,but it did serve its purpose. could you tell me the sound comparason from your fluke and the jenny ?
thanks ,barney
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