Oscar Schmidt OU2 Concert Ukulele

by Washburn

Product Features

• Mahogany body
• Geared chrome tuners
• Bound mahogany neck
• Inspected and adjusted in the USA by a skilled technician
• Smooth fret ends

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 24 x 3.5 x 12 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0002GLMEK
• Item model number: OU2
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #870 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • #16 in Musical Instruments > Folk & World Instruments > Stringed Instruments > Ukuleles

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

These satin finish mahogany ukuleles offer a lively full body that resonates with sparkling highs and warm lows--an affordable instrument to make you fall in love with playing a ukulele.

An affordable instrument to make you fall in love with playing a ukulele. Click to enlarge.

Ebony bridge.

Geared chrome tuners.

The OU2 Concert Ukulele
The OU2 concert ukulele features a mahogany top, back and sides, along with a bound mahogany neck. Geared chrome tuners and the ebony bridge keep your tuning in check. The satin finish shows off the wood grain--why ruin a beautiful thing?

Each ukulele is inspected and adjusted in the USA by a skilled technician, your assurance for smooth fret ends, precision low action and resonant sound quality.

Oscar Schmidt instruments feature a lifetime warranty.

About Oscar Schmidt Musical Instruments
The Oscar Schmidt Company was founded in 1871 and incorporated in 1911. By the early 1900s, the company had five factories in Europe and a factory on Ferry Street in Jersey City. They made all kinds of stringed instruments, guitars, banjos, mandolins, ukuleles, zithers, and Autoharps.

The company prospered through the early 1920s. Oscar Schmidt instruments were sold in many rural parts of the country where no music stores existed. Salesmen distributed the products far and wide, making them available in general, small town furniture and dry goods stores. Country guitar pickers and blues musicians living in areas of the South and in Appalachia, far from the city, frequently played Oscar Schmidt instruments because they were both inexpensive and available locally. But equally important, they were often chosen solely on merits of their superior tone and volume.

Today at Oscar Schmidt, premium woods, quality hardware and modest prices create an ideal instrument. Each is inspected and adjusted in the USA by a skilled technician, your assurance for smooth fret ends, precision low action and resonant sound quality. Unequalled standards in easy playing comfort and tone response creates the perfect value... Oscar Schmidt.

What's in the Box
Oscar Schmidt OU2 Concert Ukulele

Product Description

This concert ukulele features a mahogany body, geared tuners, bound mahogany neck, and a beautiful sound at an affordable price. Each is inspected and adjusted in the USA by a skilled technician, your assurance for smooth fret ends, precision low action and resonant sound quality.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great beginner's instrument, March 28, 2005

By 

John M. Thomas (Danville, Kentucky United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oscar Schmidt OU2 Concert Ukulele (Electronics)

Having listened to George Harrison's "Brainwashed" and seein the lovely Concert for George DVD, I have become fascinated with the possibilities of the little four-stringed ukulele. Not being inclined to playing stringed instruments, I figured the uke would be good for an absolute beginner. The OU-2 is a pretty good quality instrument with clear tones and appears well built; this is not some cheapie plastic toy, but can be played easily in a little bit, mastering the three or four chords taking a little practice. The instrument sounds nicely, especially as one gains a "touch" on the strings, and it can take a beginner to more complex studies easily. Would recommend highly to the novice (like me) as a great starter instrument.

83 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Start, June 25, 2006

By 

Thomas Elliott "Uke Lad" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oscar Schmidt OU2 Concert Ukulele (Electronics)

This is a fine Uke. It has good machine tuning pegs. It needs to be tuned regularly however. That is not to say that it slips badly out of tune. But is a mighty fine practice and travel instrument.
Follows a standard GCEA string configuration and the strings installed with the instrument are satisfactory.
However, if you are a serious UKE player, this instrument isn't good for much beyond travel and messing around. But, then again if you are a serious UKE player you wouldn't be expecting to get a serious instrument for under $40.
Update 08/26/06
Upon futher use of the instrument, I find that the fret-board/intonation is off. The third fret is off by degree which is causing the pitch to be sharp.
An open 4th string is a G and the third fret on the 2nd string should be the same G. It is more of a G#. Which again is ok for messing around, but after playing a while on a higher quality instrument has begun to bother my ear.
This may be a localized problem unique to my particular instrument or it may be a bigger problem common to other instruments of its make and class.

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Looks over Playability, March 8, 2007

By 

A. Pingol (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oscar Schmidt OU2 Concert Ukulele (Electronics)

--AESTHETICS AND BUILD--
Considering the price point for this uke, I was pleasantly surprised at the build quality. Nice neck, pretty good tuners, great-looking bridge. Feels solid. The mahogany ply is a lot darker and less textured than the stock photos shown here and most other websites, but still looks quite nice under bright lighting and natural daylight. The headstock is a little weighted thanks to the geared tuners, but you get used to it quickly. I was complemented on the uke's looks when I brought it into a coffee shop.

--PLAYABILITY--
The action on the uke is set very, very high, making it a little difficult to play. I had to file down the saddle considerably before it was set comfortably, although this did introduce a small amount of fret buzz. The nut needed no adjustment, which was nice. 16 frets is also a welcome addition. The intonation on this uke, however, is my biggest complaint. Compared to the harmonic, the 12th fret is sharp, meaning the saddle needs to be moved - not a difficult job if you have the proper tools (like a bandsaw) and you know what you're doing; then again, most people, like me, neither have the necessary equipment or knowhow. The uke also comes installed with very low quality strings; I recommend swapping them out immediately with a pair of black nylon concert strings (D'Addario J53's) or Aquila Nylguts (a little more pricey), as this will improve the sound of uke substantially. The resonance is a little weak, making the acoustics sound flat, but good strings will help here, too.

--OVERALL--
If you're an active musician with a good ear, this uke isn't for you, even if you've never owned a ukulele. The intonation problems will drive you crazy, as chords fretted up the neck will be out of tune no matter what. If you're just starting out, then this uke is perfectly fine - especially for the build quality at this price. It'll give you a feel for the instrument and allow you to learn basic chords, and you may not even notice the poor intonation or mind the high action. At the time of this review, I've owned the OU2 for about a month now, and have realized that I enjoy this instrument enough to have purchased a more expensive model (<$200). This is a good model to decide whether or not the ukulele is for you - if it is, upgrade; if not, you'll still have a great-looking instrument that didn't make too much of a dent in your wallet.