Saturday, 23 January 2016

Sigma SUM-2T Tenor ukulele ALL SOLID Mahogany Construction New in OZ.

SIGMA SUM-2T TENOR UKULELE
RRP $550 in OZ with gig-bag.
Solid Mahogany Top Back and Sides

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE 
SAVE $100
$449 (3 units only at this price)

Includes:
FREE Set-up
FREE Clip on Headstock tuner
FREE Ukulele Lesson from USA tutor Jeffrey Thomas

Obviously it pays homage to proper USA made Martin ukuleles in terms of the design, looks, tone and overall performance. Given its price and that its made in China (like the Gretsch' ukulele reissues) its build quality and tone is really remarkable at the price in the market.

The Competition in the Australian Sub $600 Solid Wood Tenor Ukulele Market just got very competitive indeed.

HISTORY
Guitar maker C.F. Martin & Co., based in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, created a line of inexpensive guitars in 1970 to compete with the increasing number of imported guitars from Japan and elsewhere. The result was Sigma Guitars.

In addition to the ongoing Martin inspired guitars, Sigma has now launched a range of all-solid mahogany ukuleles, in soprano, concert and tenor sizes and it’s those that we look at here.

There is no mistaking the heritage of these instruments; everything about them is supposed to make you think Martin, see Martin, and expect Martin, but without the price tag of course.

ABOUT 
When I heard that the Australian Importer/Wholesaler  fo Sigma Guitars had imported a batch of Sigma ukuleles I was genuinely excited to get some in and try them out.  Sigma are a brand with a long history of making quality instruments, licensing designs from the Martin Guitar company

You see I owned and love a Sigma guitar, it was my first really good acoustic.  I used that old sigma acoustic in recording, it always held its own against the pukka Martin guitars we had available to use in the studio. I always go that 'double take' look from engineers and producers when they heard it.  So I had high hopes that the Sigma ukulele would be similar.

RESULT
Well I am very happy to say that I am not disappointed at all, and have no hesitation recommending the Sigma SUM-2T Tenor ukulele to my customers, its a cracker!

LOUD LOUD LOUD is the tone, really punchy tone from this all solid Mahogany wood tenor ukulele. And the build quality and the sound certainly match up to the expectations that I had of the Sigma brand.

REVIEW FROM ACOUSTIC MAGAZINE
http://www.acousticmagazine.com/reviews/gear-reviews/sigma-sum-2s-sum-2c-sum-2t-ukuleles/

"It’s a nicely put together instrument for the price point; the nut and saddle are bone, not plastic, the assembly is excellent, and frankly, it looks nice, in a traditional sort of way. We were particularly impressed with the appearance of the wood on this instrument, ... it even comes with a free gig bag...

... no doubting that at the £200 price point, these represent excellent value in terms both of materials and construction...

Mahogany guitar tops tend towards a warm, dark chocolatey tone that emphasises the mids and low notes ... The result is that the wood takes the potentially shrieky edge off the sound coming from that tiny top, and leaves you with something loud but still palatable, which we’d describe as “punchy”.

... the tone more nuanced, and there is notably more sustain. This combines nicely with both the longer scale, and the easier top fret  access provided by the 14th fret join to greatly encourage more complex playing.

These are not vintage Martin ukuleles, but they are lovely little ukes, and great value for money at the £200 price point ($550 in OZ) ... are good

players, well made, and very well appointed. Indeed, seeing all-solid ukes delivering well at a price that normally only gets you a solid top may well rattle the competition.

...The tenor ... shines brightest when sweetly picked. ... If you’re ready to move from budget models on to your first really decent  instrument, you should give these Sigma ukuleles a try"

SPECS
Model: Tenor SUM-2T
Retail Price: $550
Body Size: Tenor
Made In: China
Top: Solid mahogany
Back and Sides: Solid mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Bridge: Mahogany
Frets: 20
Tuners: Nickel w/black buttons
Nut width: 36mm
Scale Length: 432mm
Machine Heads: Nickel / White & Black Buttons
Gig Bag/Case Included: Gig bag.































































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