Great product for a great price

Great product for a great price Read Less

I want to start by saying I did not purchase my OU5 from this seller so this is a review of the instrument and not the vendor. ...Read More

I want to start by saying I did not purchase my OU5 from this seller so this is a review of the instrument and not the vendor. I feel the need to leave this review because this is such a wonderful instrument. I have owned mine for about a year and a half and have been completely satisfied with it. It looks great, sounds great and the build quality far exceeds my expectations for an instrument at this price point. As a point of comparison, my daughter recently upgraded her starter uke to a Cordoba CM15 and while that is a decent instrument it falls well short of the OU5. The CM15 looks and sounds great but does not stay in tune as well as the OU5. The CM15 also had sharp uneven edges on many of the frets which is a problem with the finishing work that is not unexpected in low end fretted instruments but a problem that did not exist with OU5. The OU5 I purchased was flawless and compared well to high end guitars I have owned over the years.Read Less

I’ve played the guitar for years but have only recently gotten into the ukulele. For this purchase I wanted something that wou...Read More

I’ve played the guitar for years but have only recently gotten into the ukulele. For this purchase I wanted something that would look and sound good at a budget under $200. I did a lot of research both online and in stores and eventually narrowed my options down to the Oscar Schmidt OU5.PriceThis ukulele tends to go for $120-130 which puts it above the cheap ukuleles and into the midrange for beginner/intermediate ukuleles. As an aside, I would recommend skipping over the bundle unless you really want everything that it includes since it doesn't save any money compared to buying everything separately.AppearanceThe OU5 is one of the prettiest ukuleles you will find under $300. The koa laminate is very attractive and the abalone rosette and purfling make this model appear much more expensive. Based on the pictures I had mixed feelings about the moustache bridge and less traditional headstock but after seeing them in person I have no complaints. The fretboard is slightly darker on the edges than in the center which gives a more natural look that I find quite nice. I do wish that the fretboard dot inlays were abalone or a more interesting shape, diamonds perhaps, and I think the tuners would look better with nicer buttons but these are nitpicks.Build QualityFor this section I have to add a disclaimer. I was concerned about buying an instrument at this price without getting to see it first so I ordered two with the thought that both were good then I could sell one to a friend at cost and if one was bad then I could return it. As it turned out I had to deal with the latter. One of the ukuleles arrived with many noticeable issues that affected both the appearance and the playability so I shipped it back. The other ukulele was in much better shape and my review is based off of it. Some reviewers have complained about this model being overbuilt but I appreciate the solid construction. There were some minor finish issues, mainly around the inner rim of the sound hole, and there was also some excess glue right above the sound hole where the fretboard meets the body. One small piece of the abalone for the purfling about 2mm wide is missing . Thankfully these issues are all small enough that you won't notice unless you look closely. The fretboard was pretty dry but nothing a dab of fretboard conditioner can't fix. I’d prefer a bone nut and saddle over plastic though this is common among the price range. The Grovers are a nice touch as is the limited lifetime warranty.SoundMine came with Aquila strings and sounds great . I would describe it as slightly mellower than a typical concert ukulele but still pleasant. It doesn’t get as loud as other models but resonates well, at least below the 12th fret.PlayabilityThe factory setup was well done. Intonation is accurate across the frets and the action, while a bit high, is acceptable. This model is slightly heavier than most ukulele in this range but is still very comfortable to hold and feels well balanced. The neck is also comfortable.OverallI would consider this ukulele to be one of the best beginner ukuleles and one of the best ukuleles for the buck on the market. To get a considerably nicer instrument would cost considerably more money. The quality issues with the one I returned are concerning but if you can play before purchasing or buy through a site with a reasonable return policy then I would definitely recommend the OU5. Read Less

good!

good! Read Less