Clearwater Ukulele

6 Comments

1. Jonathan Mellor November 28th, 2009 3:45 pm
   

   I own the NEW CLEARWATER TENOR ELECTRIC UKULELE IN ROSEWOOD, and have for several months. Firstly, the sound quality is superb. I play with guitarists and the tinny sound of a soprano often sounds cheap and shallow compared to the guitarists. Not so with this instrument. The electric pickup system is very good, offering clear feedback and huge volume. The frets take a bit if getting used to, especially from a soprano uke, but they offer a well spaced area to play. The dark rosewood styling is different and looks great, as well as the stylish f hole on the body. The tuning is good, staying in tune for several days, and each string rarely straying far from the desired note. I recommend this uke to anyone with an eye for quality and playability.

2. Woodshed December 7th, 2009 8:45 pm
   

   Thanks for the review, Jonathan.

3. Ambient Doughnut March 10th, 2011 10:57 am
   

   Has anyone tried the solid telecaster shaped clearwaters that are cropping up on ebay? Quite fancy an electric for quiet practice and am torn between these, Eleuke and Risa.

   Overall	Not Rated	Sound	Not Rated	Playability	Not Rated
   Value for	Not Rated	Looks	Not Rated	Construction	Not Rated

4. Uke Dave March 16th, 2011 1:00 pm
   

   I just got a Clearwater Pineapple soprano for the pick-up feature but I can’t get on with it.Changed strings immediately for Aguilas and it still sounds shocking.I don’t know if the shape affects the tone but I find it virtually unplayable which is a great shame as I look set to play my first uke gig in a few months.HELP!

   Overall		Sound		Playability
   Value for		Looks		Construction

5. Uke Dave March 20th, 2011 12:11 pm
   

   Hi. I need to revise my previous review.Played around with tuning and managed to get it about right.Sounds quite sweet but I am afraid struggles to hold the tuning for much more than a song.Definataly a wise move to dump the original strings.Happy strumming.

   Overall		Sound		Playability
   Value for		Looks		Construction

6. Unclekenny February 23rd, 2012 11:46 am
   

   I have had a Clearwater roundback concert uke for a couple of years now and I must say I am really pleased with it. It cost less than £100 at the time (although it now seems to be unavailable) but if the quality and sound of this particular model is anything to go by, I would recommend Clearwater ukes to anyone looking for a reasonably priced yet good quality instrument. It is well constructed with a solid spruce top, rosewood fretboard, mahogany neck and a bone nut and saddle. It has a lovely tone and a clear, bright sound but without sounding harsh and is surprisingly loud when played acoustically (perhaps due to the round-ish back shape). It does have a built in passive pick up but without tone or volume controls. However I rarely use it and then only through a cheap Yamaha practice amp, so I don’t really feel qualified to comment on it’s efficacy.
   I recently visited my local uke store with a view to a possible upgrade. I tried out several different ukes but I found that I was playing instruments costing more than twice as much before I even started to be tempted. In the end I decided to stick with the Clearwater and intend instead to invest the money in a new Clearwater soprano of which will post a review at a later date.
   Before I end, a brief word about the strings. Unlike the uke in the previous review, mine arrived already fitted with Aquila clear nylon strings which I changed a few weeks ago for D’Addario black nylons. It still sounds pretty good but the Aquilas definately gave it a fuller and more rounded tone so it’s back to Aquila at the next string change.

   Overall		Sound		Playability
   Value for		Looks		Construction