Samwill ukuleles
There had been a thread on the Ukulele Underground about a small, new Chinese manufacturer, calling itself Samwill. This was read by several people as "Sawmill" but apparently it's based on the sound of some Chinese characters for strong will. I haven't managed to uncover those characters, but I'm still looking.
I was intrigued - Samwill was not the typical mass-production factory, but rather a small company with limited output, and working on several designs (including some custom work) apparently with just a small crew of craftspeople. And neither a website nor a North American distributor for more information (although a couple of their ukes were listed online through a US uke store). Just posts and pictures in the forum. I wanted to know more.
I decided to take a chance and buy one. Shipping from China is expensive and it was a gamble to order from an unknown. But who knows - if they prove a popular success in future, I could say I have one of their first!
China has a reputation for mass-produced goods, often of mediocre quality, for big-box outlets like Wal-Mart. However, they are capable of making much higher quality products, as this and several other ukulele companies are showing. It's nice to see a 'reputation-buster' like this one coming from China (Kala is also Chinese made).
Payment is a currently bit of a muddle and still being sorted out (my attempt to send a wire transfer through my bank failed, Paypal doesn't work in China, so I had to use Western Union). I assume when they have a North American distributor, these problems will not occur.
The pineapple soprano pictured here arrived Friday, an act of trust, since I still have to pay for it. It spent as much time in the glacial grip of DHL in Canada as it took to get from China to Canada. But it arrived safely and undamaged.
Basic features: solid mahogany top, back and sides, rosewood fretboard, nut width 1 3/8", soprano scale. Fret edges were smooth, high-gloss finish immaculate, intonation appears accurate. Overall it appears well-made. From what I can see inside, the lining is well attached, and there are no glue spots or finish glitches anywhere.
Nice topboard wood, well bookmatched. The back is a bit plainer, but it's not relevant - I never see it.
Weight is 386 g, so it's light. Fret markers at the fifth, seventh and 10th fret (and neck-side marker dots as well), 12 frets, slightly high action for my taste, but playable.
Not sure about the bridge and saddle material but I think rosewood and possibly bone (although perhaps plastic). The bridge area is small, perhaps a little too small and could do with some side 'wings' to help distribute the string energy more fully. Since the bridge isn't changing, I want to experiment to see if replacing the saddle with a Tusq saddle will change the sound.
I would have preferred 14 frets rather than just 12, although I don't play much above the 12th fret usually.
It feels a bit thin in depth compared to my Ohana soprano, but measures only marginally thinner.
Sound is louder than the Ohana, and not as bright as cedar or spruce - the mahogany is a bit more mellow. Sustain is fair (the Mainland beats all comers in that area). Overall, its a nice sound - Susan thinks it's sweeter than the Ohana.
This is my first pineapple-shape ukulele. I know it's popular with many ukulele players, but I'm somewhat indifferent to it. I like the waist of a traditional shape which fits nicely on a leg when sitting down to play. But this shape may offer sound enhancements, too - the sound bouncing around inside the body may be less diffused.
What initially interested me was the amount of decorative purfling work had been done - the 'rope' binding (see the Mainland, above). The rosette is a double circle, the rope work runs along both sides of the fretboard and around the headstock, and the bridge even has a herringbone strip on it. Very fancy! I suspect that means a lot of labour will go into this brand, at least some of their models. That might translate into greater expense. But it is worth it - the ukulele has the look of a custom-made instrument, not a factory product.
The Samwill is, at the moment, poised in the same general price range as the Kala, Ohana and Lanikai ukes. But the limited output and small-scale production puts them more in the Pono bracket for output scale. So any uke you can get from them is going to be either one-off or limited production at this point. That alone may get some collectors interested.
None of my other ukes show as much decorative work on them - the Mainland coming closest. I suspect Samwill will offer different options - plain and more decorated - because the work involved in the that amount of purfling must be extensive. But what I've seen of their ukuleles in pictures posted in the Ukulele Underground forum, they make some very fancy instruments (the quilted maple model is particularly nice).
I'm still testing - the strings are still stretching and need to be retuned every few minutes (a common experience with ukuleles and synthetic strings). But my initial impressions are very positive. It has all the right elements - look, feel, sound and build quality - to make it a success in the market, if Samwill can get their ukes into the hands of the players. I'll update this once it's settled in more and I've had more time to ply it and compare it with others.
Susan, by the way, thinks the Samwill is nicer sounding, and louder, than my Ohana soprano. There's a greater richness in the tone she hears from the Samwill. Unfortunately for my playing preferences, it was a soprano, so I decided to sell it.
Samwill does not have a Web site yet, nor a distributor outside China.
Would I purchase another Samwill? Yes - a more
traditional shape, and a tenor.
Would I recommend them to others? Yes.
Rating (0-5): ***1/2
Status: Sold.
