Customer Reviews

Oscar Schmidt OU2 Concert Ukulele

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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.

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.

--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.

I have had this instrument for 6 months now and I love it! In my younger days I had tried to master the guitar and I did not feel comfortable with it. The ukulele is extremely easy to play and mastering a dozen basic chords can be done in a few weeks. The OU2 is perhaps not the perfect instrument, but for the beginner it is an incredible buy. I had thought to move up to a more sophisticated instrument if I caught the bug, but after following the advice of other reviewers and upgrading my strings, I am very happy with my sound. A day without strumming my uke is like a day without sunshine.

Yes, this is an unbeatable value and a good uke to learn on, but it doesn't sound all that great compared to say any recording you may ever hear. It is definitely not a toy, though. Stays in tune fairly well. I replaced my strings with Aquila strings and lowered the action and it sounds and plays much better. All in all, this is the best value I could find for something to learn on, but now I'm eager to get something better.

I bought this ukuele for my grandaughter's 8th birthday. I play the guitar and had her playing 4 chord progressions for me in two days. This is not a toy. The fretboard and tuners are very nice for a level entry instrument. I'd recommend it for anyone wanting to learn to play.

This ukulele is a nice instrument for starting out on ukulele. I ordered it and got one with a light colored body and a bar bridge (as opposed to the mustache style shown here). Then I ordered two more and got dark red-brown mahogany bodies and mustache bridges.

For the price, it is pretty nice. I had no quality issues with construction--no delamination, no coming apart. The sound was pretty nice, much better than I expected for the price. (That is, once strung with Aquila Nylgut strings.) It had nice balance of high and low, not "plonky," and decent sustain. The sound is quite pleasant. The action was good, and it fretted well for single-note playing. I would say it had its limits in chording high up the neck, but that's not this particular uke but the nature of the beast.

The finish is plain but attractive, and while other low-priced ukes near this price look very cheap, this one looks decent. I had no fret snags, it was smooth the entire neck on each one I got. There was one issue: On one of the 3 OU-2 I bought, there was a buzz on certain fretted notes if played single-note.

Overall, my experience with it has been good. Good enough that I would buy 3 total, so I could give my bandmates good ukes without breaking the budget. I like it, and I will probably buy another.

This ukulele has been great. I've had it now for twenty four hours and every free second i have i've been playing it. It seems to be well built, it has good sound, and the strings seem adequate. I've already memorized all of the chords you might need for 99% of the songs out there, though this may be simpler for me because i play guitar. But nonetheless i can strum along now with any song i find a tab for. Other reviewers had mentioned an intonation problem, particularly once you reach the twelfth fret. I don't think my uke has this problem, and my tuner seems to agree with me, as after tuning the string the twelfth fret is in tune as well. However, even if you're ukulele has such a problem, you won't need to be playing on the twelfth fret unless you're doing hardcore solos, in which case you're probably committed to buying more than a sixty dollar uke. I love this instrument, it's fun, fairly easy, and very portable, and it's about as cheap as a good uke can get.

This ukulele is a musician's dream! It has wonderful tone quality, making every song you play sound great. Since the strings are nylon, you never have to worry about hurting your fingers... plus that adds to the classic "hawaiian" sound we all love! Honestly, since I paid so little for it (about 50 dollars) I wasn't expecting much, but I'll tell you, it's beautifully crafted and is the envy of all my friends. I love this ukulele and would recommend it to anyone :)

This is my first stringed instument. This is a good value. It is fun to play with. I dont have the skill to demand a lot from the instrument. I must point out that there is an intonation problem between the open and fretted strings. Chords using open and fretted strings sound off, especially if the same note is played on a fretted string and open string. After some research, I have determined that the nut is placed too far up the fingerboard, the strings are too high off the fingerboard, and the bridge is set a little too close to the 12th fret. (These are fixable problems, by the way.) On average, I suspect that any instrument in this price range will have similar issues. This is just my instrument. I cant say how likely this will be a problem for any other OU2. The appearance is good, plain and simple, not ugly. No obvious defects. Constructed of laminated wood which is true of all instruments in this price range. Construction seems a little heavy, lots of bracing on top and back which I am sure deadens its sound. Complaints about ukuleles going quickly and wildly out of tune are issues with all ukuleles when the strings are new. Mine took a week of daily retuning to stop stretching.

As a follow up on the above comments, I have happily had the uke for almost five years. I have developed a bit more skill playing and have tried and owned other ukuleles. I like the concert size as it is easier to fret than the smaller soprano size ukulele. It is not a loud instrument, so it works well as my practice uke. It is very sturdy, so I have it siting on the couch without fear of its destruction. A ukulele on the couch will see more use than one hidden in a case. I have had no problems and much fun. Aquilla strings sound nice on this uke.