I was getting spammed about an Enya EUT-70 pretty much every time I opened Amazon, and I was thinking of getting another ukulele as a "toss in the trunk" cheap uke. So I figured "what the heck?"
It comes with pretty much everything a newbie like me would need to get started- a basic electronic tuner, gig bag, extra strings, strap, "finger shaker" (???), a cleaning cloth and guitar picks (not felt ones, too bad).
The Amazon shipping box was ripped and damaged at one end (OH, NO!!!). I opened it up, and found the Enya box inside was damaged and missing the end (DOUBLE OH NO!!!). I opened the box, and there sat the gig bag... When opened, I found no damage to the ukulele (WHEW!). I also found that it had some beautiful Acacia wood veneer... and the decal ring around the sound hole actually seems to be inlaid- NOT a decal!
Ok, so far so good. I checked the accessories. Nothing broken, everything is there that is supposed to be, although it did not have the accessory bag that the US version comes with.
Time to tune... I installed the included cell and powered it up. Lights up, good start. I tested it on my other (freshly tuned) uke, it seems accurate. Tried it on the Enya, OMG!!! The strings are so loose! The tuning pegs are brass gear, and seemed to tune smoothly and turned easily. After a lot of cranking, got the strings in tune. By the time I tuned the A string, I had to go back to the G string- did this about 4 times! Strummed a C cord... sounds nice to my cauliflower ear... Oh, wait... time to tune it again! LOL Bottom line, it has a nice rich sound and no rattle or buzzing. Great! And plastic strings will stretch a lot for the first dozen tunes, so this is nothing to be surprised over.
Now on to the accessories... The tuner is extremely small, changes color to green when in tune to a note. The strap is red, white and blue (American influence, I guess), but seems usable and is a shoulder strap- not a J-hook. The ukulele comes with two buttons installed for the strap. The capo seems pretty flimsy, but does work well. The picks are hard plastic in 0.5mm and 0.75 mm- great for a guitar but I don't think I will be using them on my uke. The finger shaker makes a shakey sound, so I guess it works fine. The strings are same as the ones installed- Enya carbon strings. I have read good and bad for these, so I may change them down the road. But always nice to have spare strings! The microfiber cloth seems ok for dusting or removing fingerprints... The gig bag is AMAZING! It is fairly thick padding (took a pic to show, but it seems to be close to 3/4" with the fabric on both sides), has a nice raised pocket on the outside for all this stuff to be stored, and fits the ukulele perfectly (I should hope so...). Unfortunately, it is basic black with black piping and the only splash of color is the Enya logo on a chrome badge. But it is a great and well made gig bag! Oh, and you get access to OKMusician with a free account, so free lessons (not sure how good they are, but they are free).
Now I do not (yet) know musical instruments, but I do know how to judge fabrication quality. I can tell you that the fit and finish is excellent, the Enya has an absolutely smooth neck- not a single sharp edge from the brass of a fret sticking out. The edges are seamless, and the neck is tight flush with the body.
So... if you know of anyone who wants to try getting into playing the tenor ukulele but does not want to spend a bunch of money right away, suggest this to them. Honestly, the gig bag is worth more than half of the cost!
Update- I have had this ukulele now for about 5 weeks... Still love it, no issues. I am going to change out the strings though- not a fan of the carbon strings, and I want to change over to low G anyway. But there is nothing wrong with the strings, just prefer Aquila Nylgut. Dollar for dollar, this is the best deal for a tenor ukulele!
| Product Dimensions | 63.5 x 26.67 x 10.79 cm; 1.29 kg |
|---|---|
| Item model number | EUC-25D Nature |
| Back material | Mahogany |
| Body Material | Solid Mahogany |
| Colour Name | Nature Concert |
| Fretboard material | Richlite |
| String Material | Fluorocarbon Strings |
| Top Material | Mahogany,Solid Mahogany |
| Neck material type | Mahogany |
| Number of strings | 4 |
| Size | One Size |
| Item Weight | 1.29 kg |
