Oscar Schmidt OU4 Spruce Top Tenor

                              

I’ve reviewed 2 soprano size ukuleles thus far and am venturing to the tenor size this time. Today’s review is of the Oscar Schmidt Spruce Top Tenor (OU-4).

My digital camera decided to quit working for me, so I had to negotiate the webcam to take the photos. I really need to improve my technology so I can provide higher quality sound and images, but that’s a different issue. So, the ukulele is not crooked like the images indicate, it’s perfectly shaped.

The Oscar Schmidt spruce top series are really some beautiful ukuleles! It has a tenor scale with 19 frets. The top is solid bookmatched select spruce. The back and sides are rosewood (laminate). There is abalone inlay on the top and around the soundhole and the gloss finish really gives this ukulele a wonderful look and feel. Some people may like a satin finish on their ukes, but when it comes to a fine looking uke, you can’t beat it! Check out the picture of the back above, you can see my reflection taking the picture! The glossy finish seems to make this instrument a bit heavier and some have said it may also affect the sound. It isn’t the loudest ukulele out there.

This ukulele has a smaller body as compared to a Lanikai or Kala Brand tenor. It’s about 3/4″ smaller in both length and width. It has a nicely tapered and slightly rounded back. The size of the body and the glossy finish may both be responsible for the relatively quiet sound this ukulele emits. For comparison in the video, I played a Kala Brand tenor and the difference in loudness (is that a word?) is noticeable. I don’t necessarily mind this, but some people may be looking for a more boisterous ukulele. To me, it being a bit more quiet gives it more of an ukulele sound versus the somewhat guitary (now that’s definitely not a word!) sound that some tenors make.

The workmanship seems very good, and the price is good too. For a suggested retail price of $169, or less at ukewarehouse.com, you get a nice sounding, beautiful looking, quality instrument. I like glossy finishes as they tend to withstand a bit more abuse and I also like abalone inlay to distract people’s attention from my playing. If your looking for an ukulele that looks great for an affordable price, this is a good pick. If your looking for something with booming tenor sound, you may want to look elsewhere.

Hope this helps you on your ukulele purchasing quest! Oh yeah, in the video you’ll see me tuning the G string. I pulled this uke straight out of the box and thought it worth mentioning that whenever you buy a new uke or re-string an existing one, there will be a break in period for your strings. I tuned up right before the video and saw the G lose it’s tune in just a few seconds. I generally find it takes almost a week in some cases, playing 1-2 hrs. per day for your strings to hold their tune. The metal C string will hold it’s tune almost immediately, but both the G and A will require constant attention until that one magical day you pick it up and it’s perfectly in tune!

Tags: oscar schmidt OU4 spruce tenor ukulele uke review washb