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| Value: | |
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Pros:
- Warm, rich sound
- Well made uke for its price
- Nut and saddle are good quality
Cons:
- Not available on many online websites
- Tuning issues (almost all ukes in this price range have this issue and it does go away after the break-in period)
This uke is marketed as a student-friendly, good for travels model. To be honest, almost all ukes are travel-friendly. I mean, for God’s sake, have you seen the size of soprano ukuleles?? That being said, what I think is more important is not just the size but the ability of the instrument to endure flights or being carried around and maybe getting a scratch or two. REGIS 21 Inch Soprano Ukulele with Aquila Strings, apart from having great tone and playability, is a solid and durable instrument which will be a companion to you wherever you go.
Build
This uke has beautifully grained solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides. The choice of tonewood allows not only for durability but great resonance and nice sound. Soprano ukes are popular among beginners because they are smallest one in size and thus, usually, comfortable (unless you have bigger hands and fingers). BUT sopranos also do not offer that much from the volume perspective. If you are going for this uke to get some bombastic, loud sound then you will be disappointed. To be honest, I was a little bit surprised with the overall craftsmanship of this ukulele. I did not expect it to be this good in quality. The tonewood is durable and beautiful looking. The mahogany neck with well-polished fretboards is easy to use and comfortable.
Hardware
Okay, not let’s talk a bit about the hardware on this soprano uke. I would say that while this is not the most complex and high-tech hardware it definitely does its job pretty well. I mean, after all, as a beginner, you will just need the beginner-friendly hardware without any extra complications. So, what you get is a standard shaped, comfortable mahogany headstock with die-cast tuners that hold the tune pretty well. While I am saying that it holds the tune, the truth is the first week or two you will have to tune more often than usual. That is the case with most ukes. BUT if after the break-in period the tuners still do not hold the tune well, that is when you have a problem. With this model, it won’t be an issue at all. The nut and saddle on this model are made from OX bone. This is quite a good quality material that adds to the tone and the moveable bone saddle makes you have a better control of the intonation.
REGIS Soprano Sound
Warm sound and control over intonation. The nut and saddle are pretty good. The Aquila strings that come with this instrument are decent enough although they, definitely, are not the best part of this ukulele. The sound is clear and there is no buzz at all. While this ukulele will probably not impress and wow a professional player, the sound is pretty damn good to make a beginner fall in love with music again and again.
Conclusion
One great thing I did not mention is that, although the one I am reviewing is a spruce soprano, there are options of zebrano, mahogany, and maple. You can have your pick, determine exactly how you want your uke to look and sound. Apart from that, this is a solid model in its price range that delivers great sound, playability at a very nice price.
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