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Original Post By:
Guest_william thompson
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Date: 8/16/2005 |
| I spoke with Jason of Nazareth this morning.Had it been Jesus of Nazareth had told me, I would not still be skeptical. He (Jason) said the bracing on an SO was like a 15 series Martin guitar and the HSO was braced like a series 16. Anyone know what that means? The bookmatching on the backs are better on the HSO and the tuners are a better quality. Though assembled in Mexico, they go to N.Pa. for final finish and set up. There is not a big difference in price between the SO or the HSO right now. Is it a worthwhile gamble at $250? They do not come in a hard case at that price. |
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Posted By:
Guest_JB
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Date: 8/16/2005 |
I had both. Got the HS-0 from Elderly and sent if back. It was more like $500 and had a hard case.
It would not intonate and was basically dead sounding. With a little elbow grease the new S-O is just as good. You will need to adjust nut and saddle, and file fret ends. With that said, it's also dead sounding and still has intonation problems. I would avoid it too.
The S-O and the HS-0 fall into the category of starter Uke's. (Sorry if I offended anyone).
For a starter Uke and for less money, you would be better off with a Bushman or a Fluke.
The Bushman sounds more woody, but you will probably have to file fret ends and adjust nut and saddle. The Fluke's are usually set up perfect.
I am not a big fan of either Bushman or Fluke, but since you are talking lower $'s, I would go Bushman. Martin cannot seem to get it right with their new Uke's. The tops are much thicker than the old guys too. They try and sell you on the bit that it will get better with age. That is crazy.
I heard that Martin is going to come out with a ne thin topped Uke with a vintage sound. Don't know when, maybe it's a rumour. If they have reduced the price of the HS-0 to $250, that shows what a failure it was. I think list was more like $700.
The best thing about the HS-0 was the hard shell case. For $250, and if you are dead set on a Martin, you can find an old style 0 for that.
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Posted By:
Guest_JB
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Date: 8/16/2005 |
oh yeah, not sure what series 15 and 16 means, but from memory the S-0 had a stamped on back, like the baby taylor guitars. And the HS-0 had standard kerfing (sp).
Both are dead in sound compared to what same $ value elsewhere will buy you. They are selling the Martin name, not sound.
Maybe some heavy sanding of the top to thin it would make it better, and then shaving of the top braces. The sound hole is pretty small for that.
Too bad Martin made these this way. They got back into this before the Uke craze came back and there was not much competetion. Then came Flukes and Bushmans.
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Posted By:
Guest_william thompson
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Date: 8/16/2005 |
This is not a starter uke for me. I have 3 Favilla soprano;a greatly modified Martin backpacker;Giannini tenors;a Donmo galvo;a custom AAAAcurly koa taropatch;several different baritones, but guess I have been dreaming about having a nice traditional shaped Martin soprano
that was new and a good player.
If a Bushman Jenny is just another beginner uke with a pretty face, I will stick with the Favillas. Thank you for your post.
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Posted By:
Guest_P.V.Nasby
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Date: 8/16/2005 |
| Your source is wrong! The big difference in 15 and 16 bracing are in parts not even used on ukes. The 15 series has no tone bars( the 16 has two) and the 15 has an odd shaped bridge plate with a brace at the low edge. A 16 has a more traditional Martin guitar bridgeplate no plate brace. None of this is found on their ukes of any age. Ukes have bridgeplates but nothing like guitars and the rest of the Martin ukuleles bracing is nothing like that used on Martin guitars. S-0 are not bad ukes just that for the price you can get many ukes much better. They are a good under $100 uke priced like a fine uke.
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Posted By:
Guest_Gypsy Jim
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Date: 8/16/2005 |
William,
In my experience, the "worst" Favilla I've ever played sounds better than any of the new Martins. Again, very sorry, but they are selling the name.
And although I know you're not looking for a starter uke, for others reading this post, we've missed probably one of the best --and easiest to find starters, the Lanikai.
Sure, not solid wood, but some of them sound as good as some solids (but are less fragile), are usually set up fairly well out of the box, and they're reasonable. Soprano for around $60, concert around $85, spruce top concert around $100, then the curly koa series for a little more. Part of me hates to say it, but they're all really good ukes for the money.
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Posted By:
Guest_Sandy
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Date: 8/16/2005 |
If this helps, both the SO and HSO will sound better than your Martin Backpacker.
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Posted By:
Guest_Ernie
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Date: 8/16/2005 |
Having owned and played vintage Martins, Favillas, etc- I must say that the S-O I had was a nice uke. I did pay $60 to have it set-up, but after that, the intonation was perfect. I've heard mixed reviews of these, and I assume they vary, but the one I owned, (and two that I've played in music stores) sounded quite good.
By contrast, for the last two years I've attended the NAMM show, where Martin has displayed both their S-O and HS-O ukes. Both years, the S-O sounded MUCH better that the HS-O. Maybe that means nothing. Maybe they displayed the same exact two ukes both years (seems likely). Maybe they had different srtrings, but anyway, I have yet to hear a good HS-O. There's my observation, for what it's worth. If you buy one, play it first. If you can't. make sure you can return it if it proves to be a dud. Better yet, for another $150 or so, you can get a vintage Martin, which is what you really want. Trust me :^)
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Posted By:
Guest_duane
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Date: 8/16/2005 |
| If I wanted a Martin uke, I would buy a vintage uke, not the newer S-0 or HS-0. The main reason is that the type of mahogany that Martin is using today is a different type and not the Honduran mahogany the older ukes were made of. The mahogany used now by Martin is African I beleive, although I can't be sure. I do know that the newer ukes are never going to age like the older ones did. The grain difference is very noticiable when I have work with both mahoganies. African mahogany is lighter in color and softer, not as dense. The fibers are shorter and it is harder to bend without some fatigue taking place. I would use this wood for back and sides of a guitar, but never for ukes, it is too mushy. Just my opinion.
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Posted By:
Guest_CooperBeagle
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Date: 8/17/2005 |
I have an older Martin S-O and it sounds wonderful!... No Fluke or Flea I've played is even close... So you never know, ya gotta play 'em.
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