OU5 Concert Ukulele

One night I'm watching Joe Versus the Volcano... and Joe is afloat on his steamer trunks playing the Cowboy Song on his ukulele... and it hits me: I want to learn to play the ukulele just so I can play that song! I've played guitar casually for many years, but I had no clue about the guitar's little cousin. I knew that I wanted something better than a toy ukulele, but also knew I had no plans to play this professionally. After looking around online, I decided to order the OU-5 Oscar Schmidt by Washburn from Amazon. Summary: I could not be happier. This is a wonderful instrument for both the first time user and the semi-serious amateur. The ukulele is beautiful. The woodwork is gorgeous. Everyone who has seen it says "wow". It sounds just like a ukulele should. And it is a blast to play! The worst thing about this ukulele is the product description page. The description provided by Amazon is terrible. At the time of this writing, there is no photo of the product (I bought it on faith based on reviews of a couple others here). The product description is a single, incomplete sentence and uses the word "founf"... and the description is so bad, it's not at all obvious that you're getting an OU-5 (look in the item details under model number), but that is what you get. But please, don't be fooled by what may be the worst page on Amazon's otherwise wonderful site... this is a great product. One user complained about the strings not holding their tune, and I've seen at least one complaint about the tuners. Well, the ukulele comes with nylon strings, and there is a fair amount of stretching before it will stay in tune. My first couple of attempts were frustrating... the top string would be badly out of tune by the time I had tuned down to the bottom string. It took a couple of days of constant tuning before the strings were properly stretched. There's probably some trick to pre-stretching nylon strings, but I just kept at it and eventually prevailed. Now it stays in tune comparable to my guitar. The chrome tuners appear to be of good quality. They are solid and have a good feel. The Koa wood is stunning, and has a wonderful finish, especially for an instrument in this price range. The detail in the inlay really makes this uke visually impressive. I grabbed a chord chart off the internet to learn chords and fingering... there are plenty out there. I decided to learn to play songs from movies featuring the ukulele. A quick search and I found the chords (all two of them) for Joe's Cowboy Song... awesome! It sounds great! Tonight You Belong to Me by Steve Martin was next, followed by Forgetful Lucy featuring Adam Sandler on the uke. I suggest looking for ukulele performances on YouTube for inspiration. You haven't really, truly played a string instrument until you've played Rawhide on the ukulele.

I love it! It sounds great. it comes with good strings (I think Nylegut) which ring and sounds good right out of the box! (almost in tune.) It holds the tune very well. (G_C_E_A). I think they set up the strings, nut and bridge at the factory. The strings are low over the frets and it's easy to play. The varnish is beautiful on the Koa wood, which is the best wood for a ukulele, from Hawaii, very shiney. I have played other concert size ukuleles and this one is superior and at a good price. I bought the Oscar Schmidt hard case for it and it fits snugly. I am so happy with it. I've played it for 3 months now and I definitely recommend it.

I’ve played the guitar for years but have only recently gotten into the ukulele. For this purchase I wanted something that would look and sound good at a budget under $200. I did a lot of research both online and in stores and eventually narrowed my options down to the Oscar Schmidt OU5. Price This ukulele tends to go for $120-130 which puts it above the cheap ukuleles and into the midrange for beginner/intermediate ukuleles. As an aside, I would recommend skipping over the bundle unless you really want everything that it includes since it doesn't save any money compared to buying everything separately. Appearance The OU5 is one of the prettiest ukuleles you will find under $300. The koa laminate is very attractive and the abalone rosette and purfling make this model appear much more expensive. Based on the pictures I had mixed feelings about the moustache bridge and less traditional headstock but after seeing them in person I have no complaints. The fretboard is slightly darker on the edges than in the center which gives a more natural look that I find quite nice. I do wish that the fretboard dot inlays were abalone or a more interesting shape, diamonds perhaps, and I think the tuners would look better with nicer buttons but these are nitpicks. Build Quality For this section I have to add a disclaimer. I was concerned about buying an instrument at this price without getting to see it first so I ordered two with the thought that both were good then I could sell one to a friend at cost and if one was bad then I could return it. As it turned out I had to deal with the latter. One of the ukuleles arrived with many noticeable issues that affected both the appearance and the playability so I shipped it back. The other ukulele was in much better shape and my review is based off of it. Some reviewers have complained about this model being overbuilt but I appreciate the solid construction. There were some minor finish issues, mainly around the inner rim of the sound hole, and there was also some excess glue right above the sound hole where the fretboard meets the body. One small piece of the abalone for the purfling about 2mm wide is missing . Thankfully these issues are all small enough that you won't notice unless you look closely. The fretboard was pretty dry but nothing a dab of fretboard conditioner can't fix. I’d prefer a bone nut and saddle over plastic though this is common among the price range. The Grovers are a nice touch as is the limited lifetime warranty. Sound Mine came with Aquila strings and sounds great . I would describe it as slightly mellower than a typical concert ukulele but still pleasant. It doesn’t get as loud as other models but resonates well, at least below the 12th fret. Playability The factory setup was well done. Intonation is accurate across the frets and the action, while a bit high, is acceptable. This model is slightly heavier than most ukulele in this range but is still very comfortable to hold and feels well balanced. The neck is also comfortable. Overall I would consider this ukulele to be one of the best beginner ukuleles and one of the best ukuleles for the buck on the market. To get a considerably nicer instrument would cost considerably more money. The quality issues with the one I returned are concerning but if you can play before purchasing or buy through a site with a reasonable return policy then I would definitely recommend the OU5.

I became interested in the ukulele after seen a group of players at a local Fete. I have recently retired and my wife suggested I take up learning an instrument. I decided that I would take up the Ukulele. I went searching for advice on what to buy. I did not want the most expensive nor did I want the cheapest. I found a youtube channel by a guy calling himself Ukulele Mike. I liked his style and his way of playing. I found a video of him advising what type of instrument is best suited for a beginner. Mike teaches ukulele to kids in schools. He said he would strongly recommend the Oscar Schmidt Concert Ukulele. I searched the internet for what others had to say about this model and all the reviews were positive. It is a well made Ukulele and it is a very attractive instrument. It came with Aquila strings which are the strings that most Ukulele players use and recommend. I found the tone to be on the mellow side which I like really.. I bought a snark clip on tuner. Because the strings were new they needed to be streched before they settled down and they need to be tuned a lot during the breaking in period (About 1 Week) Now they are settled they done require to be tuned so often. When people see my Ukulele they go wow. There is one tiny negative that I experienced. Whilst I was learning chords I found the tips of my fingers were quite sore from pressing the strings down on the frets. A friend of mine who plays the acoustic guitar looked at my Uke and said the problem with my sore fingers was caused by the action on the ukulele being too high. He advised me to have the instrument set up and the action made lower. Most decent music shops will do this. I brought the instrument into a local music shop and explained my problem. They said they would set it up. It cost me £20 quid to have this done. And the good news was that my ukulele was easier to play and the set up made such a difference. This is very common with acoustic instruments. and they all need to be set up. So be prepared for this. Some shops do this when they sell you an instrument but there is a charge associated with it. After saying all this I can strongly recommend The Oscar Schmidt Concert Ukulele. . it is an absolutely beautiful instrument and the high gloss finish is flawless. and for what it is, the price is very reasonable. Hope this helps.

This instruments is simply beautiful. The wood is darker than the picture shows, so if you think it's going to look like maple or pine, it does not. The sound is exceptional. I really love playing it. The tuning mechanisms are of great quality. Definitely recommend for beginners or intermediate players. I would like to change out the strings because they are a bit thicker than I am used to playing on, but other than that, it is an excellent instrument. It DOES come with a case. I hunted everywhere on the listing to see if it did. At the time, the listing did not mention a case being included. So, no need to buy one! It is a soft sided case with one backpack-like strap and it also has a handle so you don't have to carry it on your shoulder. The sound of the Koa wood is different than that of maple or other woods and I think it gives you that more authentic Hawaiian feel. Highly recommend this instrument!

This is my second concert ukulele. I had purchased a highly rated one for 70 bucks on amazon and the washers on the keys got loose vibrated and could not be tightened so I returned it and decided to spend a little bit more then double that on this ukulele. This one has very close action, is louder, sounds better, and the finish is quite nice. Two noted blemishes on the bottom where the neck attaches to the body the grain looks bad and you can see some glue, and on the top of the neck there is an area where they missed applying the glossy finish. BUt they are very minor details and I feel like this is a great ukulele for themoney.

Ok so I've only had this for two days (I know, I usually hate these reviews too but I'm just throwing in my 2cents) but I will say that it sounds great, with a prominent presence in the lower frequency range. Definitely NOT as high-pitched as your standard ukulele. The construction is solid, no obvious problems with the frets or tuners or neck. One thing that I noticed right away is the string's boundary condition on the bottom (opposite the tuners). The strings are tied off and then are run over a raised bar of plastic with no notches or anything to keep them from vibrating. Up by the neck, however, there are notches to hold the strings in place. This isn't much of a problem once you actually tune it, there's more force holding the strings down. Regardless, once in a while when I strum it, I hear a noise as if the strings are bouncing on the plastic bar. Not sure where that sound is coming from... Definitely needs to be re-tuned constantly, but maybe the strings and neck/body need to stop moving from the new tension, another review said this could take up to 2 weeks. In the end, nice solid wood with shiny varnish, great sound with plenty of body down into the lower frequency regime, easy to handle and plays fine. UPDATE (8/7/11): So, after practicing a bunch on/off for since I got it last christmas, I'll say it sounds pretty good, everything I would want out of a beginner instrument. Not to say it sounds bad, it's more than enough to satisfy you up until you can play "while my ukulele gently weeps". Three key points: 1) The vibrating sound I mentioned above was just me not pressing hard enough on the strings against the fret bar. Also, you have to be careful so that your finger doesn't bump against other strings on the fret bar, same problem happens. 2) The tuners. sigh. they work and hold tune pretty well. However, they do this hysteresis business where they go through loose region then a very responsive region as they are turned. Then going backwards doesn't trace back perfectly, and there's a little lag. 3) Holding tune. Despite the less-than-satisfying tuners, the uke will hold tune to within 5 Hz after about an hour of practice and a night in the case. This is after a break-inn period of about of week of daily hour sessions. So there you have it! a great uke for the price that has plenty of quality for the beginner. FYI, I talked to one local store that sells ukes and whatnot, and they said that if you're serious about learning to play ukulele then you should spend at least $250... we'll leave that to the people that make over $100k.

This is my first ukulele and it is beautiful! The sound quality is fabulous, it sounds so professional. I have very small hands, but I can easily play this one. I noticed in general a lot of people seem to have trouble with their ukes staying in tune, but I for one really enjoy tuning it. (I got the least expensive electric tuner offered by amazon and it makes tuning a breeze) I play every 2-3 days so it's really no trouble, and it stays in tune for the whole day after. I would highly recommend this brand and this size uke if you are looking for something that doesn't sound like a toy. It has good volume, but can be played softly too. ♥ I love this instrument!!