I got this ukulele as a review sample from Hricane Ukulele. I’ve seen quite some folks playing their ukes at several festivals in the last year, so I was really interested to see how they feel and sound. Either way, I’ve got way too many ukuleles around, so there is a giveaway coming up with this baby in August – so stay tuned.
So this is the Hricane UK-21 Soprano Ukulele. Top and back are made of mahagony with a rosewood fretboard. It has a very nice satin finish – unfortunately with two small indentations on the back of the neck – however nothing major.
When it came out of the box it had a nice wooden smell with a hint of glue. The smell of glue fainted by now and it actually smells really nice. The soundhole is embellished with engravings. They are not too deep, so no fear of getting your finger caught in them. They obviously won’t do anything for the sound, but it does look cute.
The ukulele came with nylon strings. As you all know, they are not my favorite, but then again, this is something that can be changed real quick and with low cost. The action might need a slight adjustment – again, most ukes out of the box might need a proper setup, so no surprise there. It does stay in tune though and seems to have some quality tuners on it. What I am missing are fret markers on the side of the neck.
The ukulele comes with a really nice soft gig bag. It has two straps, so you can wear it like a backpack. It’s very well padded and even has a removeable neckrest in it. In the outside pocket you can find a cleaning cloth and an extra set of strings.
The Hricane Soprano Ukulele has a very nice warm sound. I imagine it would be even nicer with some fluorocarbon strings on it. The fret ends are a bit sharp, which can be bothersome depending on your playing style and it does have some issues if you’re high up the neck. However, if you’re just a regular strummer (like me) and don’t venture too much past the 7th fret, it’s all good.
If you have a smaller budget or you are just starting out, this might be a good deal for you. However, if you’re lucky you might get it for free – so stay tuned for my upcoming giveaway.
xoxo Nikky