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Bushman Baritone discontinued - anyone has similar recommendations?

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b-uke
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 04:28 am

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UPDATED QUESTION: Anyone have comments on the Bushman "Hardshell" Case vs "Black Knight Case? Gotta decide real soon. (Found a Bushman Baritone!!)....

(YA-HOO!! Was getting ready to make a LONG trip to see an Amigo, but...found a Bushman BARI that was "in the back/a blem". I'm probably going to get it, awaiting pictures before making the final purchase.)

Detailed Question is: has anyone seen the Bushman "Hardshell case" ($40) versus the "Black Knight?" ($99). Anyone have the Hardshell and think it's enough protection..or anyone got the Hardshell and WISHED they'd gotten the "Black Knight, etc.?" Anybody seen BOTH cases for a comparison? I'm interested in protection moreso than looks but...I wasted my money many moons ago on a non-standard case for an old Harmony banjo.

(old/previous question now moot) Understand Bushman has discontinued their Baritones. Any personal experiences with (non-Bushman) solid mahoganey baritone w geared tuners? Have read recommendations: Amigo has friction tuners (not interested), Amigo with geared tuners not solid soundboard, yadda.

Last edited on Sun Dec 30th, 2007 05:08 am by b-uke

Richard Hefner
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 11:45 am

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Have you looked at the Silver Creek baritone? I haven't played one but it looks good, is in stock, is reasonably priced, and has geared tuners...

http://www.ezfolk.com/mf/ukulele/Silver_Creek_All_Solid_Baritone_Ukulele_Natural.html

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b-uke
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Posted: Sun Dec 23rd, 2007 02:59 pm

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I had briefly looked at Silver Creek Baritones, but I just hadn't heard a lot about them and cannot find any REVIEWS..I've searched this forum and net.

Will
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Posted: Tue Dec 25th, 2007 07:47 am

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b-uke wrote: Understand Bushman has discontinued their Baritones. Any personal experiences with (non-Bushman) solid mahoganey baritone w geared tuners? Have read recommendations: Amigo has friction tuners (not interested), Amigo with geared tuners not solid soundboard, yadda.
The Amigo AMB-7 does have a solid spruce top, and sells for about $50 to $60. The friction pegs can easily be replaced by a set of ukulele ping machines (geared tuners), and fitted with C-tuned baritone strings, which is what I did with my Amigo AMB-7.

This dealer is selling the Amigo baritone for $42:

http://www.harmonyonline.com/amigo-baritone-ukulele-p-8258.html

Ukulele ping machines (geared tuners - set of 4) @ $20:

http://www.musicity.com/viewlarge.cfm/item_id/1414

Hilo now has a solid spruce top baritone that sells for $70, but I do not own that model and cannot vouch for it:

http://www.musicity.com/viewitem.cfm/item_id/2106/cat_id/56/subcat_id/57

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PhilUSAFRet
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Posted: Wed May 14th, 2008 11:48 pm

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[highlight= #ffff88] Amigo AMB-7 It is my understanding that this uke has geared tuners while the less expensive B-7 has friction tuners. Also the B-7 does not have the rosewood fretboard that the AMB-7 does.

Will
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Posted: Thu May 15th, 2008 12:23 am

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PhilUSAFRet wrote:
[highlight= #ffff88] Amigo AMB-7 It is my understanding that this uke has geared tuners while the less expensive B-7 has friction tuners. Also the B-7 does not have the rosewood fretboard that the AMB-7 does.

Excuse me, Phil, but what is the "B-7" you are referring to? I own the Amigo AMB-7, and it came with friction tuners, which I replaced with geared tuners. I'm not sure what the fretboard is made out of, but the frets are low and thin, not oversized like some other ukes.

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Posted: Thu May 15th, 2008 12:27 am

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Was going by this link, I don't actually have one. Maybe they changed since you got yours? Maybe this ad is false? After re-checking, they state they both have geared tuners with the fretboard and solid spruce top being the main difference. http://www.bringemusic.com/SCG6.htm

Last edited on Thu May 15th, 2008 12:31 am by PhilUSAFRet

Will
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Posted: Thu May 15th, 2008 03:47 am

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PhilUSAFRet wrote: Was going by this link, I don't actually have one. Maybe they changed since you got yours? Maybe this ad is false? After re-checking, they state they both have geared tuners with the fretboard and solid spruce top being the main difference. http://www.bringemusic.com/SCG6.htm
The Amigo AMB-7 has a solid spruce top, but still has friction peg tuners (no "ears" in that photograph). The B7 is a different brand name altogether - it resembles the Rhythm Band laminate-top ukes made in Indonesia, which all come with geared tuners. The photo that the dealer uses for the B7 is not a baritone - it is the same photo as the soprano.

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Posted: Thu May 15th, 2008 01:23 pm

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Thanks for clearing that up Will. I Was actually thinking of getting one of those $42 Amigo's. Are the geared tuners that much better than the grover friction tuners I see on ebay? Also want to put either a graphtech nut and bridge insert, or make them myself by laminating some very old (hard) real ivory piano keys. Your thoughts?

Last edited on Thu May 15th, 2008 01:25 pm by PhilUSAFRet

Will
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Posted: Thu May 15th, 2008 01:49 pm

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PhilUSAFRet wrote: Thanks for clearing that up Will. I Was actually thinking of getting one of those $42 Amigo's. Are the geared tuners that much better than the grover friction tuners I see on ebay? Also want to put either a graphtech nut and bridge insert, or make them myself by laminating some very old (hard) real ivory piano keys. Your thoughts?
The Amigo baritone is a very nice solid spruce top uke for the price, much better than the usual starter instruments. You may find that the friction tuners are acceptable. I replaced them on my Amigo because friction tuners take me 3 times as long to get the strings into tune vs. geared tuners. I have not bothered to replace nut or saddle, although I did order some bone saddle blanks that I could use, but I'd have to take the time to grind them down from guitar size. The most immediately way to improve the sound of the Amigo is to change the strings. My Amigo has a set of Aquila Nylgut baritone strings. Changing to the harder material for the nut and saddle will be a more subtle tonal improvement.

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Posted: Fri May 16th, 2008 02:57 pm

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The "UHS" hardshell case is a great deal,it's a good travel case and can be worn like a back pack,however if someone sits on it,it might not save the uke.The Blackknight case is more expensive but is wood lined and gives your uke alot more protection,it is a really solid case.

ichadwick
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Posted: Sat May 24th, 2008 12:35 pm

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Will wrote: The Amigo baritone is a very nice solid spruce top uke for the price, much better than the usual starter instruments.
Interesting. I've been looking at Amigos as a possible baritone uke. Price is right, but I'm always worried about sound and build quality. I am spoiled by the rich sound of my Kala spruce top... will an Amigo disappoint me?

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Will
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Posted: Sat May 24th, 2008 03:47 pm

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ichadwick wrote: Will wrote: The Amigo baritone is a very nice solid spruce top uke for the price, much better than the usual starter instruments.
Interesting. I've been looking at Amigos as a possible baritone uke. Price is right, but I'm always worried about sound and build quality. I am spoiled by the rich sound of my Kala spruce top... will an Amigo disappoint me?
Ian:

I don't think you'll be disappointed. Maybe the best demonstration is done through recordings of the instrument. Here's what the Amigo baritone uke sounds like with Aquila Nylgut strings:

Aura Lee (Love Me Tender)

http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/song_player.php?mode=song_hifi&type=song_id&a=true&id=1034

Shady Grove

http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/song_player.php?mode=song_hifi&type=song_id&a=true&id=2613

And here's the Amigo baritone uke playing rhythm in place of a guitar (I didn't yet play guitar at the time). Yes, those bass notes are coming from the baritone uke and I'm playing with just my bare thumb (no picks).

The Chicken Reel

http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/song_player.php?mode=song_hifi&type=song_id&a=true&id=1059

Last edited on Sat May 24th, 2008 03:50 pm by Will

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Posted: Mon May 26th, 2008 06:18 pm

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Thanks for the sound clips. If you were buying one today - say from the Amigo price to around $150, what might your choices be?

Will
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Posted: Tue May 27th, 2008 01:26 am

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For $150, the pickings are a bit slim. The Amigo AMB-7 sells for about $60, the Oscar Schmidt OU53S (solid spruce top, rosewood back and sides, abalone trim) sells for about $149 (I own this model also), and there is a Silver Creek baritone made of solid mahogany sold by Musician's Friend for $170, which I have not heard or played yet. (Maybe someone else at the forum has bought the Silver Creek and can tell us about how it plays and sounds.)

Oscar Schmidt OU53S baritone uke

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Oscar-Schmidt-OU53S-Baritone-Ukulele-?sku=514019

Silver Creek All-Solid Mahogany Baritone ($170)

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Silver-Creek-All-Solid-Baritone-Ukulele?sku=513380

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Posted: Tue May 27th, 2008 03:43 pm

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Hmmm. The OS looks pretty nice. Would you say it's $100 better than the Amigo?

I'm just a bit cautious about spending only $60 on a musical instrument. Seems too low to get anything worthwhile. I'm sure everyone has had that experience - the expectation of a bargain that turns out to be a mistake.

I may be surprised by the Amigo, but if there's any hesitation over the models, I'd rather spend the extra to get something better.

Had I infinitely deep pockets, the price would be no object. But reality wields a big stick.

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Posted: Tue May 27th, 2008 03:47 pm

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Don't know about the baritone, but I have an OS Koa concert with a "laminated" top that sounds better than some solids (with Aquila strings). I'd have to classify it as a real "bargain", plus, it looks 4 times nicer than any low-end "solid topped" uke and at $75 to $100 less.

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Posted: Tue May 27th, 2008 06:43 pm

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ichadwick wrote: Hmmm. The OS looks pretty nice. Would you say it's $100 better than the Amigo?

I'm just a bit cautious about spending only $60 on a musical instrument. Seems too low to get anything worthwhile. I'm sure everyone has had that experience - the expectation of a bargain that turns out to be a mistake.

I may be surprised by the Amigo, but if there's any hesitation over the models, I'd rather spend the extra to get something better.

Had I infinitely deep pockets, the price would be no object. But reality wields a big stick.

The Oscar Schmidt OU53-S looks better (gloss finish, solid spruce top, rosewood back and sides, full abalone trim, chrome-plated geared tuners), but doesn't necessarily sound $100 better. The top is thicker than the Amigo (I think its thin, satin-finished top is the secret to its amazingly crisp sound).

Here are some Christmas tunes I've recorded on the OU53-S (Aquila Nylgut strings):

We Three Kings Of Orient Are

http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/song_player.php?mode=song_hifi&type=song_id&a=true&id=3344

Silent Night

http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/song_player.php?mode=song_hifi&type=song_id&a=true&id=3345
I Saw Three Ships

http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/song_player.php?mode=song_hifi&type=song_id&a=true&id=3347
O Come All Ye Faithful

http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/song_player.php?mode=song_hifi&type=song_id&a=true&id=3405

If you were to buy the Amigo baritone for the $42 sale price, it's not a huge investment, and expectations are not as high for such an instrument as if you had spent $400. My very first baritone uke was a $50 laminated mahogany Hilo 2655, and the $50 solid spruce topped Amigo AMB-7 sounds way better than the Hilo.

Last edited on Tue May 27th, 2008 06:44 pm by Will

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Posted: Mon Jun 9th, 2008 11:49 pm

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Howdy, everybody!

So, has anyboy actually ordered the Amigo Baritone from Harmony Online? I got excited last Tuesday and ordered one, but I just checked my order online today and saw that in the last six days it has moved from pending to processing, but hasn't shipped. I haven't been told it's been backordered or anything. I'm just wondering if anybody has had any problems (and hoping they haven't.).

I've dropped Harmony a line to see if they'll give me a better idea of what's going on.

- Ellen

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Posted: Tue Jun 10th, 2008 01:51 am

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Some folks balk at spending money on something as cheap as the Amigo. So it's 42 bucks, install a tusq nut and some grover tuners, Aquila strings.......you have $150 uke (at least) for a hundred bucks and with those upgrades, it no longer is a $42 uke. You get what you pay for, including the upgrades.

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