Fender Pa’ina Ukulele

4 Comments

1. Ryley February 27th, 2012 1:12 am
   

   First off, let me say, this is my first Ukulele. So I wont go too deep into the sound quality and all that, cause frankly, I don’t know my ass from my elbow when it come’s to that yet. However, I can recognize poor craftsmanship when it’s this obvious. I originally purchased my Pa’Ina in January 12′. By mid February, I had noticed the mahogany on the back begin to bubble up near the edge. I also noticed a small crack in the wood mid-way up the side in the waist of the body. Finally, I noticed a crack forming by the bubble on the back. So I had the instrument sent back to Fender, and it was promptly replaced with a new Pa’Ina. I was thrilled, until I got home and inspected the new one. The wood for the body was at least a quarter of a milliliter thicker than the original, and had a completely different tone. I could just be imagining it, but it sounded like it didn’t project quite as well. The finish on the mahogany was applied much heavier on the new one. The pieces that make up the rosette are about an inch long, and there is a gap between each one, the largest being about a half a milliliter wide, noticeable from a bit of a distance. the bridge saddle is crooked, the bridge itself is glued on slightly crooked, and the slot for the saddle was clearly not sanded after being routed, as there are bits of wood sticking out, the finish is spotty on the bottom of the bridge. The fretboard had a slot drilled for a fret which was never installed as it is only a milliliter from the bottom end of the fretboard. The slot is visible, and can be felt with a fingernail. The end of the fretboard touching the nut was not sanded well either, as it has frayed bits of rough wood sticking up. I am extremely disappointed with both of these instruments, and will be returning the new one, and buying a different ukulele pronto. I really expected better from a company like Fender. All of my other instruments are Yamaha’s, and I love every one of them, so this is my first, and last experience with Fender, I promise you that.

2. Robert February 10th, 2013 2:27 pm
   

   I had a similar problem. One day I picked the instrument up and noticed a large crack on the back. I returned it, and they sent me a new one, but less than two weeks later it also developed a crack in the same place (center of the back panel near the bottom). We have two acoustic guitars, two soprano ukuleles, an upright piano, and a baby grand, none of which have experienced any similar problems. I am extremely disappointed and would not recommend the instrument.

3. Jez Quayle January 8th, 2015 6:38 pm
   

   I recently acquired a Fender Pa’ina tenor ukulele. I‘ve been playing ukulele since I was a young kid (about 38 years) and have owned many different ukes. I currently have 4 that I play and perform with regularly – a soprano, a concert and 2 tenors. I was initially put off buying the Pa’ina by the reviews I read on this page, but noticed that reviews on some other sites were much more positive. Being a guitarist as well as a uke player (I have owned several fender electric guitars over the years), I was drawn to the uke because of its cool looking Fender Telecaster style headstock, and I thought I would try one out in the music shop to see for myself. I was very impressed with the instrument, and decided to buy it – it cost me £246.

   I have now been playing my Pa’ina quite intensively for about 3 weeks. It sounds great (both acoustically and plugged in), it feels great to play, it keeps its tuning well, and the intonation is spot on all the way up the neck. The finish and workmanship on my uke is excellent. It came fitted with Aquila strings (my usual choice), and with a slightly padded gig bag. I don’t care where my ukuleles are made – there seems to be some snobbery about this.

   I’d say that my Pa’ina compares very well with other ukes in the same price range, and better than some much more expensive ukes I have owned. Maybe the earlier reviewers were just very unlucky, or maybe the manufacturers have improved their processes and quality controls. Whatever is the case, based on my purchase I would heartily recommend the Fender Pa’ina tenor ukulele. It’s well worth the money. My only gripe is that the gig bag it comes with is rather insubstantial, and you may wish to invest in a good quality hard case. The Telecaster style headstock makes the Pa’ina a little longer than a standard tenor ukulele (the Pa’ina is just under 27 ½” long), and so you may have to shop around a bit to find a hard case for it.

4. Lewis July 30th, 2015 8:58 pm
   

   I have a Tenor Fender Pa ‘ina that I purchased in the summer of 2012 from Hawaii Music Supply. It was my first Uke. It has played beautifully since the day I received it. The fit and finish are excellent and the intonation is near perfect, within 5 cents all the way up the fret board. I purchased a case with the instrument so I don’t know about the gig bag.

   Since 2012 I have purchased several ukuleles for myself and for my son. Luna, Cordoba, Oscar Schmidt and Kala brands in the concert and tenor sizes. I have learned from my experience that purchasing from a shop that does a thorough inspection and setup (nut and saddle adjustments and fret work) of the instrument is absolutely essential in the lower to mid price ranges. It is another level of quality control, as they will reject any serious flaws, and it makes sure the instrument is playable with a comfortable action.

   I will always purchase from a reputable shop that does a thorough inspection and setup. I have had very good experiences with Hawaii Music Supply and Elderly Instruments.

   The extra few dollars in cost and/or shipping is worth it.