Life in the Village and beyond, based around the interests of my life.

Life in the Village and beyond, based around the interests of my life. Sunset at Telegraph Point.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Bruce Wei Ukuleles - A Small Review

There has been much discussion about the pros and cons of various ukulele makes - from a wide range of different manufacturers.  Any Ukulele Forum will have a place for this kind of discussion.  I would like to comment upon some ukuleles made in Saigon, and marketed under the Bruce Wei label.
These are sold via his ebay store under bruceweiart and bruceweiguitars  pseudonyms.

The first thing to realise is that there are so many different types and styles of ukulele, produced as Bruce Wei.  Apart from the traditional Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone ukes, there are a multitude of different styles within these four sizes.

In Soprano, one can choose from hourglass or cutaway,  in standard or long necked versions.  The long necked have a concert sized neck on a soprano body.


Concerts come in a slightly bigger range of body shapes - including the two above, as well as teardrop.  There is no production long-necked concert ukulele from Bruce Wei at the moment - perhaps in future.  He will, however, custom make one if so desired.  Sound hole placement on the concerts can include the f-holes variation adjacent the bridge, as well as the standard round three-quarter hole on the soundboard.

Tenor ukuleles show the most variety.  As well as the three styles mentioned for the others, there are: boat paddle, balalaika-style flat ended, pear shaped cutaways, tear drop cutaways that resemble a leaf - and all come with or without bindings.
Baritone ukuleles come in one shape - standard hourglass, with standard and f sound holes.  There is an archtop variation, but this looks tricky to play.
Sound hole placement on the tenors can vary enormously - from standard three quarter rounds to side f's, upper bout paired scrollwork, birds, turtles etc etc.  Sometimes the upper bout soundholes are accompanied by one in the side of the body - either high or low.  The pear shaped cutaways can have an extra sound hole in the back that is fitted with scrollwork.
There are four, six and eight string tenor ukes - the latter two being standard hourglass shapes.

And just to add two more variables to all Bruce Wei ukulele sizes - the body and/or the neck can include timber or mother of pearl or abalone inlay.


It would take an age to review all of the permutations and combinations of Bruce Wei ukuleles.  Here I am going to limit myself to just a few.

I am going to make an assumption based upon my direct observations of work practice in Saigon, as well as the sheer diversity that exists within even the one style of instrument marketed under the Bruce Wei brand.  It is common for western production methods to centralise manufacture within a single building or factory, and to complete most, if not all the stages of the manufacturing process under the one roof.  This can be efficient and cost effective.

Vietnamese  manufacturing may head in this direction, but it is more common to see small operators, in family-run businesses, sub-contracting to a centralised marketing hub,  I believe that this is the model being utilised for the manufacture of these instruments.  It explains why there are so many variations within even the one style of ukulele.

For example, concert body shapes of the hourglass design are not consistently the same profile.  The waists vary - depending on where they were sourced.  This is not a bad thing, but it does make quality control more difficult.


One thing that all Bruce Wei ukuleles seem to have in common, is that they are all hand built.  Made of solid woods, there are no laminated ukuleles from this manufacturer. In a sense, they are all custom made instruments - no robots, no assembly line - no two ever the same.

Timber selection in the Bruce Wei range is based around proven tonewood performers - acacia koa, mahogany, maple and spruce (and occasionally rosewood) for the bodies,  mahogany for the necks and Indian rosewood for the fretboards and bridges.  Headstocks vary, but are usually acacia koa or Indian rosewood.  There are always MOP or abalone fret markers (except in the case of fretboard inlay), and it is most uncommon for the fretboard to not have side markers as well. 
Strings are nearly always Italian Aquilas.


Quality shown on all the ukuleles is truly excellent.  The satin finish is impeccable, and all glued joints are tight, with barely noticeable seams.  Bruce admits that years ago, when he first started, quality control was his strongest challenge, but these challenges have been successfully met - and currently quality control is a strong point in his line-up.


The backs are radiused in most cases, but the soundboards are flat.  In the larger ukulele bodies, this may lead to distortion around the bridge as the instruments age, but there is little sign of that at the present.  The one improvement that the larger ukuleles could use, is a gently radiused soundboard.  Not only would it add strength, it looks more attractive in my view.  The generally accepted soundboard radius is 22 feet if I recall correctly.


The fit of the necks to the bodies is particularly impressive, as is the neck shaping and sizing.
In combination with the fretboard, the mahogany necks are a work of art and exceptionally comfortable to play.


The fretboards are Indian rosewood - hard and durable - and the scale on each is exact.  They are as straight as a die and the frets themselves have been nicely bevelled along both edges.  Inlaid fretboards eschew the surface dot markers, but plain rosewood fretboards have MOP or abalone.  Usually these are the standard dots, but sometimes they are dressed up as birds, dolphins and other exotic shapes. All fretboards have inlaid MOP side markers at the 5th 7th, 10th and 12th frets and many have one at the 3rd.


The action on all the ukes is well set - not too high and with no buzzing.  Nuts and saddles are of quality buffalo bone - no plastic here.


Tuners are low geared requiring quite a lot of initial winding to bring the strings up to pitch, and require a lot of fiddling during the first week or so as the strings stretch.  Once the strings settle down, the low gearing is an advantage, and gives a precise adjusting mechanism in finding the correct tuning for each string.


All of them play and resonate well, with good sustain and clean and clear intonation.  There are differences in volume which I put down to the different body designs.
There are also differences in tone which reflect the chosen wood used in construction - particularly the body, and most especially the soundboard.  Mahogany sounds brighter and louder than does the acacia koa - which, to my ear, sounds more mellow.

There are hundreds of different brands and types of ukuleles on the market, endeavouring to meet a burgeoning demand for an instrument whose popularity has risen dramatically over the last few years.  There may have been a time in the past when musical instruments from Asia were looked upon as toys - particularly in the case of ukuleles.  Not any more.
These are serious instruments - made to a performance standard - that anyone would be pleased to own and play.  Apart from their beauty, their other attraction is their unparallelled value for money, and the fact that at this time - postage or freight costs are included in the price.

I am delighted with mine and am pleased to recommend them

As Teddy Roosevelt says ............

...... Speak softly ... and carry a ukulele ............

May your problems be small ones and your joys many .................


Post Script September 2014:

It is around two years since I first wrote this review.
I have written a Follow Up Review on my blog here:

PART TWO - What a difference time makes.


23 comments:

  1. Great review,I am a beginner Uke player, but an avid woodworker and from Bruce's photos I could see the quality... I have heard some reviews the speak of later damage do to moisture problems... how are yours holding up?

    I have a Tenor on the way UTT-761 the back and sides are Rosewood with the back having multiple strips glued together with rounded bottom edges, I paid $54.00 and $60.00 shipping

    i wrote to Bruce telling him that he needs to sign the head stock "Bruce Wei Uke" I label the inside, his work is so nice I think one day they will be collectible...

    great review, Thanks,
    Donovan

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Donovan.
    The ukuleles have grown with playing. The sound has matured and has a lovely deeper tone from when they were new. Still bright though.
    We have had extremes of heat here - months of dry weather then >43 degrees C for many days, and still exceptionally dry.
    To be followed by 12 inches of rain in four days, and unbelievable humidity.
    The ukes have handled these extremes easily.
    I have had no problems at all.
    Cheers
    Tom

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Tom, do you have Bruce's direct email address, I tried to send him mine but Ebay would not send it through messages.... I want to tell him again to sign his Ukes and maybe put a label inside...

    Do you use a humidifier in the case?
    I am in California, and don't want it to distort, we do not have extreme wet humidity but it does get hot and dry.

    I expect my first Uke from Bruce any day
    Thanks,

    Donovan

    donofish@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very helpful review.. Do you know what's the difference between UG and UTT series? Which one better? Thanks..

    Oktavina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Oktavina.
      I am not familiar with the different model numbers and what they represent. Remember that it is unlikely that these all come from the same factory, as the model of manufacture in Asia is to have smaller suppliers providing finished product for marketing through one outlet.
      You could try contacting Bruce to ask what the differences are in the two models.
      Since I wrote this review, I have gotten on with ukulele playing and have not kept up to date with model manufacture.
      Good luck
      Tom

      Delete
  5. Great review. I have had my Bruce Wei soprano for about 6 months and have just bought another one. I agree it is a very high quality finish and I love the sound. Also very accurate. Cannot believe how little I paid really, considering how much pleasure it has already given me!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Tom,
    It's a really great review. I just brought a tenor from him for a week. And I love all solid woods from his Uke but I just found one laminated wood ule was sold last week! So please check every time you want to buy now. Thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks JLRB and David for your comments. A timely reminder from David - this is the first that I have heard of laminated timber being used in a Bruce Wei instrument, but I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. There really is no substitute for solid timber in ukuleles though.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi, my friend lives in Saigon and she's looking to buy a uke. This review tops a number of accounts solidifying Bruce Wei's reputation. Can I get contact details for either Bruce or a dealership in Saigon itself so I can hook her up? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I could help you. As far as I know Bruce Wei ukuleles are only sold via Ebay.
      Check there and contact Bruce directly via ebay messaging. He may be able to give you contact details for Ho Chi Minh City

      Delete
  9. Hi Tom
    Two years now. The sound and volume keeps improving?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Congi Thu,
      yes indeed.
      I have just come home from our local ukulele group, and I must say that the playing is still a pleasure.
      I now play a Bruce Wei 8 string more than any other, and it has matured into a lovely instrument.
      I am working on a tenor cutaway and will finish it in the next few months. Following that I hope to start an 8 string of my own construction, but am not sure that it will be as good as the one that I have at present.

      Delete
    2. I have thought about the response from Congi Thu and have decided to write a follow-up review of these Ukuleles.
      It is here:
      http://thevillagewoodworker.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/bruce-wei-ukuleles-follow-up-review.html

      Delete
  10. Bought a Bruce Wei tenor uke in solid maple 3 months ago. Fit and finish are superb. I did have to lower the action a tad at the nut and bridge. The sound continues to improve with each passing month. Would not hesitate to get another!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have purchased three tenor ukuleles from Bruce Wei and I am absolutely delighted with them all. The quality of the wood and the beautiful abalone inlay is stunning, the sound is beautiful and mellow and the instrument stands up well to heavy use. Correspondence with the seller is excellent and everything ordered is confirmed and well packed. I can highly recommend these ukuleles.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have an electric guitar that my wife had bought me and i must say that not only is it just a beautiful looking guitar, it also plays wonderfully. it was bought for me in 2007 and i have never had a problem. this guitar is and always will be one of my favorites. W.H. HALL. NEW YORK USA

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have a friend in Vietnam who is interested in trying to purchase something directly from Bruce Wei. Do you know if he has a shop there and also a direct way to contact him (phone/address)? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry, I do not know of any contact other than the sales via ebay. I don't know if he has a shop presence in Vietnam, sorry I cannot help there.

      Delete
  14. Hi
    As with many uke players, my collection of instruments has grown steadily into double figures over the years. I love the fact that they all have individual characters and idiosyncrasies and that they all have different 'voices' (try explaining that to a non-uke player!)
    However, the two ukes that I keep going back to, time after time, are my Bruce Wei tenors. Their warmth of tone, clarity of sound, perfect intonation and musical responsiveness is incredible in instruments that cost so little!
    They have a different feel to your standard Chinese uke - you can tell there's been more (dare I say it) 'love' put into the making of each instrument. Just looking at the website shows that each uke is unique. If you're thinking about adding a reasonably priced instrument to your collection - one with a bit more character than your standard uke - you can't do much better than consider Bruce Wei.
    Go to -
    http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Bruceweiart-Musical-Instrument-Shop
    then go to the very last page (usually about 49/50) and see the instruments he's just added to the auction. Then bid away! I got my last one for £17, but remember that you will pay about £40/50 for postage (to UK). Still a great price for a unique instrument
    Will

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have just been in contact with Bruce via his email address. I have just sorted a custom hand made mandolin and as part of the design have requested he either inlay his name or logo into the headstock. I am currently waiting for the next stage of the process, which is the design plans from him. He has been very helpful and very quick with his replies. His email address is: bruceweiguitar@yahoo.com.tw

    ReplyDelete
  16. I bought 2 harp ukuleles from Bruce and liked them so much I have bought 5 more instruments all quality and a piece of art to look at. They sound good too. Brent

    ReplyDelete
  17. what challenges will an 8 string uke present as far a difficulty in playing?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Glenn - very few. If you have a medium to large hand it is actually easier than a four string. Try one in a music store and you will soon see how easy it is

      Delete