Got A Ukulele Reviews - Martin 0X UKE Bamboo Soprano
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
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Got A Ukulele reviews and buyers guides looks at the innovative and challenging Martin 0X UKE Bamboo - click this link for the full written review and more sound samples www.gotaukulele...
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Honestly, your channel made me a lot more educated on ukuleles than I was before. It gives tons of information on basically everything I was questioning and needed to know as a beginner. Thank You so much Barry, loving your work!
Thank you! Stay tuned - lots coming soon!
Agreed!
I played one of these a few months ago. Just noodling around. I was pleasantly surprised about how good it sounded and the playability was excellent. I almost picked one up that day.
Perhaps I haven’t tried that many ukuleles, but I tried this uke in the store, and it truly was the best I’d ever played! Excellent uke it is.
Not just you. These are fabulous ukuleles. The Martin traditionalists love to bash them, but I am sure most have never played one.
I really like the fact that you played one of these (possibly the koa print) to your blindfolded wife, and she thought you had come home with an expensive wood uke! That says it all, doesn't it? I purchased one of their full size HPL guitars a few years ago. Great sound quality comparing extremely well to their $2,000 plus guitars. Thank you for all you do, Barry!
Finally got to watch your review! hehe I've been slacking and doing useless uke things as of late. LOL This was a great review and I learned a few things to boot. 8-) My 2017 "Oh naturel ooh lala" Bamboo uke review this Sunday will compliment your work very well. hehe
You'll play it better than I do - was pleased to know that you liked yours too though!
Great review, Barry. The sound quality of this Martin uke really surprised me. How great that your wife thought you had bought a much more expensive uke, only to find out you hadn’t.
I own and have owned quite a few Martin ukes and guitars as their factory is in Pennsylvania and is not that far from where I live. I have a 1930s Martin Style O and I love it. Nothing else plays or sounds like it. I had an SO and sold it. I had and S1 and sold it. I even had a backpacker that I loved and regret selling. It was a unique little uke. I also have a 1960s Baritone but that’s for another time. A couple years ago I got the Martin Soprano OXK. I love it. It sounds great. It looks funky. It smells great and it is indestructible. Like you, I like it much more than the S1. It’s a faithful beater that sounds good and feels good. Maybe some day I will get a fake bamboo in blue like yours. I did write Martin and tried to talk them into making a black version of this uke similar to their Little Martin LX guitar. They wrote back to say, “thanks for the suggestion. You never know.”
Thanks Fred - I'd immediately get a jet black one!!
Me too!
Very nice review. Thanks ❤️
I guess we who are truly Martin fans does not care a bit of what material it is. A Martin is a Martin, and the sound of it is absolutely fantastic.
Well said!
I bought one based on this review.
I couldn't be happier! I've actually sold my other ukulele's, and only play this one.
Not only does it sound as good as a solid wood instrument; It's also way easier to take care of. You don't need to baby it at all. Very easy to travel with.
Big thank you for this review!
Terrific aren't they? Really sad that so many people still sniff at these despite never having played one.
I always wondered since the surface is a picture anyway why the original OXK did not have a picture of the most curly, figured Koa Martin could find. It's nice they have come out with these colors (colours):)
I think they missed a trick to make it look even funkier. Why make it look like wood at all?
I’ve been shopping for a new ukulele for a while...saving and watching reviews and saving some more. I wanted something less fussy than a solid wood uke (so I can travel with more ease); something more eco friendly; something with some style. Of course, more than any thing I wanted a cheery, warm, rounded soprano which sounds great with strumming and finger picking. Your review pushed me over and helped me to finally buy this uke! Thank you! I’m head over heels for it.
✨ Head. Over. Heels. ✨
Good choice!
Great review, Barry. I have the original 0XK. What a lovely player it is.
Thanks Rick!
OK another comment. Ever since this review by Barry, I have been intrigued with this HPL uke. I am lucky enough to live 40 minutes from the Martin factory and I visit a few times per year. I've had many Martin instruments over the years for better or worse . . . GAS, UAS and all that. The tour Martin provides is fabulous as is the smell of the factory - mmm fresh cut timber. If you get a chance . . . Anyway I went this week. They had the Bamboo ukes hanging on the wall to try and I was stunned by the lovely tone. I'm a soprano lover and often disappointed by the voice of even high end and custom built sopranos which I have purchased without hearing - my bad. You can't buy Martin instruments at the factory, nor would you want to as they would charge full MSRP. (they do have a program to purchase through a dealer and come to the factory for your choice though) So I visited a Martin dealer near me to procure the bauble. To my surprise, they still had an S1 Centennial model for sale (only 100 made). My heart raced. I picked up the S1C and was curiously not blown away. A lot of string energy not manifesting as sound. Perhaps tuned up to D6 it would have been better. I pulled down a Pistachio green Bamboo and it was as good as Barry says. I'm very happy with it and it's my current favorite ukulele fickle as I am. Thanks for the review, Barry . . . Yes it would be neater with some wild formica graphics, but Martin's following the legacy of their X series guitars appearing to be wood.
They sound remarkable don’t they? Martin purists shun these for reasons I think are silly. It’s their loss!
Luckily I got this ukulele in brand new condition from a music store! I am so happy that I got it! Although, it didn't come with a case... But, oh my goodness! The sound is absolutely wonderful, and I love how it is really light. The tuners are really good, but quite hard to turn (since I haven't used friction tuners before). And, I think Martin did a fantastic job with this ukulele.
So, thank you Baz for reviewing this uke! Love it! 👏
I love them!
Thanks Barry - another great review. Love the Martin and hate it at the same time!
It certain is divisive! On the whole though, it's impeccably made and sounds tremendous!
I saw these at the Martin factory in Nazareth, PA. They had them on a table with other instruments you could pick up and play. I liked it. I had no idea they were not made of bamboo. I'm glad I didn't buy one thinking it was made from bamboo. I don like being 'bamboo-zaled"
It is a bit odd that everyone thinks that they are, though to be fair, the Martin specs do say its just a print. For me - I dont really care what they are made from. All I care about is what they sound like, and to me they sound as good if not quite a bit better than many solid wood ukuleles of the same price - including their own S1 soprano
Didn't expect the sound....Wow
Yep - from the moment this arrived it totally surprised me.
I really like martins strata bond neck. Their very fast to play and so comfortable.
I agree with you!
finally :-) --- had been sooo keen on this one, barry, thx a ton. really interesting. cool little box, kinda want me one now...
I've been through ups and downs working out what I really thought of it. I think all things considered, the tone and playability have to be the most important - and on both counts they are great!
its not plastic...its resin that cures...unless i am wrong, its not formica...its tempered hardboard
No it's not plastic. It IS the same as formica though - sheets of card in a resin.
Great review. Ya there is a premium for the name but it is what it is. I got an Outdoor Ukulele that is 100% plastic... green translucent. I am sure there are lots of people who "Wood" go for a non-wood ukulele too... especially if it sounds that good.
This certainly sounds to me on a par with solid wood ukuleles of a similar price, in fact better than many that cost more too.
S-1 or oxk? Tough decision. Prolly end up with both eventually so I guess it matters not, only affects which one I’ll get first. Thanks for the great reviews and for reminding people that sound s what matters ....not necessarily materials.
It's very close. For me, the 0XK edges it over the S1, if you can live with the looks.
This sounds just like the Ohana vintage SK-21 I think it is with the rope binding - I love it. If they come with a gig bag I wish you'd show them too. Nothing like a nice gig bag. Thank you.
Yeah, that's the SK21. In my opinion, I think these are leagues above any Ohana or Kala.
Interesting - I think I tried one of the laminate Martins and found it was hard to play jazz chords on them because the headstock had kind of a sharp edge that the Ohana doesn't that prevented my wrist from turning out...is this one different?
Cynthia Wigington it’s not sharp - but identical to all Martin’s on width and profile
Very helpful, thank you. I had trouble with the one I tried out, too bad. I sure like that sound and the action was super. That's an awesome gig bag as well.
Thank you Barry for this excellent review. I agree with you that if you're going to go Eco friendly and cost effective, they should have gone "all the way". They probably will in time. Mario :-)
Thanks Mario
I always look forward to more of your reviews!... ;-)
Next one is a soprano too Mario!
Thank you! I enjoyed that. I got to play one and sure enough it sounded quite nice. The price is a bit much, but I will get one for Christmas or birthday.
PS... Paper is "wood"....
I didn’t say it was solid wood. It’s paper composite.
I think the strings are probably the real star. From my experience, Nylgut is a bit more muted and dull than clear nylon. I recently changed from some Aquila's to some D'Addario EJ65T's, and the difference is noticeable. The tones are crisper, and the sustain is long. I counted it, and a single strum sustains for nearly several seconds until it quiets down.
Hmmm, don't fully agree. Strings are a very personal choice and the player and your own tastes come into it. I DO like Martin strings though. But I don't think the sound of this is all down to the strings at all. I have no doubt that Worths, Living Water etc would sound great on this too.
Well I guess it might prove that maybe the form is 90% of the function. I've heard carbon fiber ukulele's and they don't sound as good but I think it's because they're soo stiff they don't allow for as much vibration in the body, the sound must reflect off the insides like a brick wall, dampening it. This is actually quite an expensive uke at from what I can see, $450. Considering the materials used, I expected it to be closer to bargain bin prices. I'd love to see a review of the Kala Elite series, although I don't know if they'd be kind enough to send any along as they're very expensive.
Really? - have you played the Blackbird Clara? - that's composite of flax and resin (no wood at all) - sounds truly astonishing. And that will cost you $1500. On that basis, I don't actually think this is all that expensive actually.
Huge fan of Martin 600s.
I’ve been shopping for a new ukulele for a while...saving and watching reviews and saving some more. I wanted something less fussy than a solid wood uke (so I can travel with more ease); something more eco friendly; something with some style. Of course, more than any thing I wanted a cheery, warm, rounded soprano which sounds great with strumming and finger picking. Your review pushed me over and helped me to finally buy this uke! Thank you! I’m head over heels for it.
✨ Head. Over. Heels. ✨
Uke and review both sound great! I agree it's strange that they named it bamboo, when there's no bamboo in it. Aren't there ukes that are really made of bamboo?
Yes there are - Kiwaya make one, and Moselele too.
Nice review ! If you and the misses come to Kansas City in America. I would show you around and stuff you both with Kansas City BBQ. Good to see you Barry.
Melissa
+Fairly Decent Comedy thanks!
Another great review. Very thorough. Well said. The uke sounds very good.
Thank you / these ukes get some bad press but I think they are terrific!
I can't agree that wood isn't ecofriendly. Depends on the wood. Birch is easy to grow and is in plentiful supply. Growing it is as ecofriendly as using paper in the HPL . The rosewood at the size of the pieces on that uke may also be ecofriendly because they only need small trees from plantations. On their bigger instruments they use richlite for the fretboard.
Erm... you are aware that because it's not considered eco friendly, rosewood, no matter how small is now restricted from international shipping by CITES regulations. As the years go by, more woods will be added to the list. It's happening..
True but CITES regulations are there to prevent the use of unsustainable and illegally harvested wood. I'm sure Martin sourced the rosewood very carefully even before CITES restricted it and there's no reason why they shouldn't use documented sustainable wood. The CITES regulations may just add to the cost. Wood in general if it's not illegally logged from wild trees is an ecofriendly product. Of course wild trees and remaining virgin forest should be protected and restored if possible.
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I think we are at cross purposes. CITES by it's very nature restricts wood movements on eco grounds. Ukulele manufacturers are moving to woods off the CITES lists. It's happening and will continue to do so more and more. I spoke to a distributo who just got back from a big trade show (MusicMesse) and said it was staggering how many 'non wood' ukes and guitars are arond the corner.
Awesome review Barry! The big question for me is- does this sound identical to the OXK? Thanks!
I think it has to Brent - they are identical in the body. The original OXK used morado on the fingerboard, but I can't see that making a difference. The body is identical - and it's just a screen printed image on the outside. Same tuners, same bridge, same frets, same bracing.
Technically, even bamboo is not wood, it is grass. Never mind love your stuff!
I had one for a little while but i do prefer the S1 and still have it. Great review!
I've got both in the house at the moment and spent most of the day switching between both. I like them both, but in many ways prefer the 0X. It's also much better finished than the S1 I have
Hello! I'm buying my first soprano uke and looking forward to buy some strings to keep like extras. Could you please recommend some not very expensive but good quality strings? Thank you!
I never recommend particular strings - it's just too personal despite people endlessly debating which are 'best'. It depends on your ukulele, your playing style, but more of all your own ear. What I like you might not. thankfully these days threre are not really any 'bad' strings about. They are all just different. It's highly likely if you are buying a new ukulele it may come with Aquila brand - they are just one brand. Also look at Worth, Southcoast, Living Water, D'Addario, Fremont, and many many others.
Loved your review. What an interesting piece, but it sounds just amazing!! Too bad the price is equally amazing. :( But, yes, it is an eco sustainable model and kudos to Martin for this model. I really like it and as you said, it just sounds brilliant!! Bravo, Martin!
You know, i'm coming to a different view on the price. It's far cheaper than a Clara and sounds to me better than the more expensive Martin S1.
Awesome! Keep it up!
Thanks!
Very good gotta try this ukulele
Technically paper is wood so in theory this ukulele made of HPL is made of wood.
'technically'! ;-)
This is a pretty neat Uke. I like the blue. The sound seems more mid-tone? Anyway, I do like the sound. I am looking for a soprano and this might be the one.
I am going to wait for a few more of your vids before I decide, though.Anyway, again, thanks for your videos. You always do a great job on them. Very thorough.
Yes - it's more rounded and richer in tone than Martin's wooden equivalent the S1. Both very good ukuleles, just different. Plenty more reviews coming!
Lovely, Baz. You sold me. Being a Martin man I think I need one. Cheers from Portland--pdxuke
I genuinely think anyone who avoids these off hand is missing a massive treat. No, it’s not a vintage Martin, but it’s not claiming to be. What it IS is a very good ukulele though, very good,
Wow amazing sound great review.I watched both of your review and i love both ukulele but lets say if you could choose only one ukulele between the Martin s1 and the Eastman Solid Mahogany which one do you prefer.
Probably the Eastman
@@GotAUkulele Ok thanks keep up the good work.
Thanks I think I'll try the Grover 6w.
Good chance they may be a straight swap - you 'might' need to widen the hole where the front collar goes into the face of the headstock, but not much.
I just bought this exact Uke, thanks for the recommendation. It is an amazing sounding Uke. You mention that you will upgrade the friction pegs. Can you recommend an upgrade for the pegs?
Eddie Moy Grover 4s should be a straight swap
Wow, that one just rings and rings. The sustain and tone are amazing.
How does it compare to the Flea?
I'm on the fence between a Fluke or Flea and this, leaning towards one of the Flukes.
But the sound of this makes me pause.
Impossible to really compare to the flea - completely different body shapes and construction. I like both though and own both!
@@GotAUkulele Enough said, thanks!
I desire this uke as my upgrade soprano more than anything.
So much it hurts actually. Does that mean it's meant for me?
I'd say so! Great ukuleles I think
Good honest review, sounds really terrific, comparable to any Hawaiian handmade ukes..
Yeah - really good sounding. Many people overlook these. Wrongly i think!
By the way, does it use any tuning washers (e.g. cardboard washer) or not? Thanks again!
The pegs? No washers - these are Grover 2's. The friction is between the plastic peg and metal collar. You would need to go to Grover 4's for the smoother feel as they have lots of internal metal and plastic washers.
@@GotAUkulele ahh, got it. I can use Grover 4's on them! Thank you! Gotta order to Stew Mac now. Thanks!
Yesterday I received my Martin OX in blue. Love the sound, look, and feel of it. The friction tuners don't seem to test my patience and it stays in tune after only one day, unlike Aquila strings which take several days. The Martin strings feel narrower to my fingers than the Aquilas which are on all my other ukuleles, but that's OK; I'll develop callouses. If I look closely at the bamboo pattern, I see subtle reds and yellows - very pretty! The fingerboard and bridge are a finely-grained medium-brown wood - I'm assuming it is Sipo - very attractive.
This instrument has inspired me to work on my fingerpicking so as to be worthy of such a classy instrument!
Enjoy it - you made a good choice.
Nice review Baz. If I could afford one, I'd choose the green one. It's even more "eco" looking. LOL
ha ha!
Great review BRO!!!!!
Thanks for the review. What are you thoughts on the Martin Soprano OXK (HPL koa version) ?
It's exactly the same - it's just a different outer screen print of koa instead of bamboo - there is no wod in the body of either.
Thank you for the reply! Cheers :)
Excellent review!👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you! 👍
You are like a kid in a candy shop playing this one!
Ha ha!
Agreed. Your joyful "uh-HMMM" at 6:59 made me chuckle. Great review!
It genuinely surprised me and still does when I play it!
interesting thought there was someone comparing the ox to the oxk and there seemed to be a difference in sound ?how would paper or plastic have tonal characteristics?any thoughts could they sound much different made of same hpl but different photos?? lol i think not but who knows is there a difference in ox and oxk tone wise????thanks great review gonna pick one up
I have an 0xk review coming this weekend. Watch this space, but in short summary - I don’t think there is a difference. What they are hearing is natural differences between two identical ukes. I’d wait for the 0xk review!
ok great i am fond of my s1 so you like your bamboo as good or better has me curious about one of these .i think it pure visual which ever one you like .looking forward to the reviews always.thanks
Awesome channel! best wishes, Pete,
Thank you!
hey again Baz :) , I recently found a £65 Solid Koa Wood Soprano Ukulele By Antonio Carvalho on sale from £138, do you think it is worth it? it's handmade and has a bone nut with Aquila biogut strings. What do you think?
£149 not £138
+Paven Rai it's not solid Koa. It's acacia. They call it 'European koa' but there is no such thing / Koa must grown on Hawaii and nowhere else. Terrible misleading marketing. It's not handmade either. Aside from that I have played one and wasn't impressed at all!
Oh thank you so much!! I was about to order it, you saved me!! Thank you, I don't understand why some companies mislead their own customers like that, it's horrible
it's awful isn't it?
This needs to come in Tenor.
That would indeed be cool. I'm happy enough - I adore sopranos
GotAUkulele Lol they're too small for me. But it's an awesome uke. Odd about why Martin didn't go all in HPL. Maybe they're afraid people think first they go away from the traditional material then they will decline in quality.
Why are they too small out of interest? These have wide nuts (meaining more fingerboard space where it matters). I'm also 6 foot 4 tall and don't find this too small for me. The fact it's not all HPL also confuses me. Blackbird did it with the Clara and that costs 5 times this price (so very much high end). Bridges and fingerboards can be made from Richlite - similar to HPL - paper based composite - incredibly hard.
GotAUkulele consumers are very fickle and perhaps the manufacturers don't want to change even if it's for the better if the risk of loosing costumers is too high. I never felt a comfortable soprano uke but we got a new store in Queens, NY that may have well made and comfortable sopranos. I'm 6'1", 240 lbs and it's more difficult for me to hold it and not crush it.
We can only wish or at the least a concert...
Very good review! I have one of the older models OXK and love it. These are made in the Martin Factory in Mexico and very high quality. The one thing I dislike is the tuners they are not the best quality and I've had trouble with them,can you suggest a good replacement friction tuner for them? I feel as you do, the sound is what is important and it doesn't bother me a bit that they are hpl. Thanks for a great review.
I'd be swapping them for Grover 4W or 6W's. My concern is how easy that Stratabond neck is to ream if the holes need widening. No issue if they don't. But if you wanted to fit something like Gotoh UPT planetary tuners (superb tuners!!) you WOULD need to ream the holes.
This is a good one!!
They are terrific ukes. People have a downer on them because of what they are made of. I don’t care what instruments are made of if they sound good. And these sound and play great!
Hey :) I'm living in the UK, could you recommend a Ukelele that's under £50 and has good sound quality, it would mean alot if you replied! :)))))
Probably the Makala Dolphin and Octopus Soprano and that would be about it.
They are not under £50 though..
I actually think the Octopus is on a par with, if not better than the Dolphin
hey guys :) I looked up the Laka VUS10 Soprano on gear4music and it was on sale for £39.99 I was also looking at the dolphin and the Octopus, I don't know which to chose because I want the ukelele with the best sound quality, which one would you recommend?
Disagree - depends what you are after. As cheap ukuleles go, the Dolphin and Octopus are very good.
This one for sale? Or sold?
Long since sold on, sorry
@@GotAUkulele your uke reviews are amazing though! Love it!
Lovely looking ukulele and very tempting, however I think it's very expensive, you are definitely paying for a name, I have the Martin t1k and it's nice and all but not worth the sale price I paid for 420, I picked up a Portuguese tenor up to try in a shop, it was 80 pounds and sounded better than my Martin and was finished lovely, so I think your paying a 100 pound at least for the name.
The price was one of the troubling parts of the review - but the more I think about it I keep coming back to two others. The Blackbird Clara is all synthetic and is $1200 and nobody queried that. The Kiwaya KS5 is all laminate and about the same price as this one. So in the scheme fo things, it's not actually all that expensive. I actually think this sounds better than most wooden ukuleles I have played at the $300 mark (and I've played a LOT). To me it sounds like a $500 instrument
And I think it's too easy to say 'oh I bought this one for 100 less and it sounds better as 'better' is so subjective of course. Looking at this another way, I think this sounds quite a bit better than the Martin S1, and the S1 costs more than this!
12 frets to the body, not 15.
Slip of the tongue.. sorry
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?
What?
Sure it sounds great but the problem here is they are giving you nothing material wise and you are paying way more than that garbage material is worth. It’s not about all that eco crap. It’s about how cheap can they invest to build it and still charge you big money to make them a profit! Nobody likes to be cheated no matter how good it sounds. Maybe if it was around $170.00 it would be much more tolerable.
I don't consider the material 'garbage' at all - I only consider it how it sounds (and it sounds great). In the bill of materials, I very much doubt that these sheets of HPL are all that different from sheets of regular grade mahogany as they use on the S1 in price terms.
I didn't feel cheated - i'd buy another of these ahead of a wooden S1 every time because I think it's as good (if not better) and also a bit cheaper.