Stagg Ukulele
Stagg Ukulele Review
Today I’ll be reviewing the Stagg US10 Soprano Ukulele.
Here are the specs as found on the Stagg Music
Traditional soprano Ukulele, in black nylon gigbag
Top: nato
Back & Sides: nato
Neck & Headstock: nato
Fingerboard & Bridge: nato
Tuners: non-geared pegs w/ “antique white” plastic knobs
Scale length: 349 mm, (13.74 in.)
Fingerboard Dim. 177 mm (7 in.), 12 frets
Neck & Head: 300 mm (12 in.)
Body: 240 mm, (9.3 in.)
Total length: 540 mm, (21.25 in.)
Finish: natural.
Availability: ****
From what I can gather, this is the most basic ukulele available on the European Market, outside of eBay, where the Sponge Bob Squarepants Ukulele reigns supreme. I purchased mine from a local music shop. Since my purchase, I’ve notice that most small, independent music shops in the North West of England will usually have one or two Stagg ukuleles on the shelf, either the US10 or the only marginally better mahogany US20.
Build Quality: **
The uke is solidly constructed entirely from nato laminate, or eastern mahogany. The matt finish is even, except for a small area where the heel meets the body. The double white rosette is actually a decal of some description and upon close inspection the ‘transparent’ sections are clearly visible as a cloudy, semi opaque ring. There are fret markers at the 5th 7th and 10th frets. Like the rosette they’re decals, but are made of think paper and protrude significantly from the fret board.
Playability: ***
It cost me £14. Bearing that in mind it’s actually a very playable instrument. The frets ends are actually the smoothest I’ve ever encountered, on any instrument. The action is good and obviously adjustable with a little work. The stock strings were, as expected, crap and new Aquilas make it sound like a much more expensive instrument. The only real problem is a dead spot on the C string second fret. When picked at the second fret this string warbles bizarrely. It’s not noticeable when strumming however.
Conclusion:
If you’re in the market for a cheap, playable uke, this might be the one you’re looking for. Available just about everywhere, and unlike other ukes at the same price point, this model can usually be found at a local shop so you can try before you buy. I love mine and it’s the perfect uke for picking up and playing whenever. I’m not afraid to bang it around or let the rug rats have a strum. It’s a good little player despite the cheap build quality and it was good enough to keep me interested until I could upgrade to a better ukulele when my skills warranted it.
Review by Cary
On Amazon UK
On Video
Fin (the one on our right) of GUGUG plays his Stagg ukulele.
16 Comments
I recently purchased a stagg US80-SE ukulele for about 140 U.S. Dollars. It has a solid mahogany body which is awesome for the price range. The pickups are UK-2000 which are active and have a preamp and are pretty decent. However the A string seems to have trouble registering when i plug it in. The strings it came with (ghs black nylons) will be replaced with aquillas or worths in the near distant future but aren’t horrible. The tuners are quite possibly the prettiest i i have ever seen on a uke. They are open geared tuners with gold plating and what appears to be ivoroid knobs. After tightening them they work brilliantly and look fantastic. when i first played it i was very surprised with the volume of the instrument. My other uke is an Oscar Schmidt OU-5 Concert size (which i highly recommend) and i was expecting this one to be a bit quieter. However it projects much better than my other one and for a uke of it’s size sounds brilliant. The action and intonation are average but not bad at all. Overall the whole thing is gorgeous and plays well. For the price amazing. I highly recommend it.
Price:*****
Looks:***1/2
Plays:****
Got a us80-s for my 40th last new year and the only fault with it are the poor quality tuners(any ideas for replacements anyone?).Overall great sound with plenty of volume and it looks great.
Sorry,I forgot to rate it.Can’t comment on the value as it was a gift.
I have had my Stagg US10 for some months now, its a fairly good uke, and is excellent value for money at only £15. It is fairly well built, although some the finish is coming off around the top edge. The strings it came with are okay, but soon I will buy some Aquila strings in order to maximise its potential. Overall, a very good ukulele, and its great value for money.
7/10. 🙂
I bought a Stagg US10 for £18 from Amazon and also Aquila strings for £6. The Ukelele is great value for money and a great first buy
I would Highly Recomend you change the stings, it’s almost impossible to tune it with the suppilied Stings
i bought a uc80
the sound was quite warm and mellow and it is quite loud (im not sure if this is because im used to soprano ukes)
i agree with others that the strings were hard to tune, and i also advise replacing the strings.
Thank you very much for this review. I was a bit concerned about which uke and strings to get as a beginner and this review has made my mind up for me!
Got a US-20 from eBay, not a bad ukulele, though the stock strings are awful, once i changed them for aquilla strings however, the sound wasn’t bad at all. Best cheap ukulele around. It’s taken a fair bashing around the house to be fair so the thing is quite hardy.
Thank you all. Specially to Joshua Timmins. I’m buying the US-80-SE and I was trying to inquire as much as I could to ensure me that I was not buying a very low quality instrument.
A friend lent me a US-40-S and after playing it for a few weeks I found it a little low quality but acceptable. Anyway I pretended the US-80-SE to be highly higher quality.
I’ll left the rate for the US-40-S with stock strings (those GHS horrible black strings :P)
Have had US10 for about half a year now. I replaced the original strings with Aquilas as soon as I got it, and this made it very playable and a very good buy for the money. The craftsmanship is also not bad. I like the dark reddish brown color of mine, looks very warm. The back side however looks a bit cheap. All in all, very recommended for a beginner uke.
Got a UC60-S and think it sounds really good with Aquilas on – and damned good price too!
Jim
Hello,
I just purchased the Stagg US20 from ebay for my daughter. It hasn’t arrived yet, but it will be her first ukulele. She is a beginner. After reading your reviews, I’d like to purchase a set of the Aquila strings for her too, but I have no idea what to get. Could you please advise me? Thank you!
This review has been a great help for me to decide which uke is good for a beginner like me. I purchased a Stagg C510 USNAT Ukelele from eBay, just now. But before that, I had Googled for uke brands around. I think I made a decision, purchasing this. I am so excited to see my new uke.
Thanks a lot!
I love my US-80 S
It allows scrumming and picking and always sounds loud and precise at it. Mine is very well made. All frets are in correct place and tuning is a breeze. And last but not least, it looks damn good. Buying a uke is a ceremony of it’s own. I’d always try before buy to get around the quality spread.
To be honest, my uke is a Stagg US-50 S. I can’t find it anywhere but I bought it then (2009) for €99. I brought it to a local luthier to make some arrangements and put Aquilla strings on them. The top is solid mahogany. I’m not sure about the rest. I play on it for several time, and bought a tweed case to protect it. I think its a great uke. Certainly for a starter.
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