Oscar Schmidt OU5 Review – A Seriously Beautiful Concert Uke

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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It’s hard to overlook the ukulele offerings from Washburn’s budget subsidiary Oscar Schmidt. This budget brand excels in delivering a quality build and tone, while producing instruments that don’t cost the earth. Their popular concert uke, the OU5, features in our chart on the best ukuleles under $200 – a price that promises a lot more than an entry-level toy. Let’s see what it’s all about.

Body & Neck

One of the highlights of this little uke is its design, which just screams ‘look at me!’ – in a good way. It’s not garish or OTT, but uses elegant detailing to add a little glamour to a sub-$200 instrument. For example, the matching abalone purfling and rosette gives some sparkle, while the cream binding borders the ukulele nicely, while adding a bit of protection.

The top, back and sides of the concert-sized body itself are made entirely of laminated select Hawaiian Koa, covered in gloss, which nicely shows off the handsome grain. The neck is made of nyatoh, a style of Asian hardwood (not to be confused with nato), and topped with a rosewood fretboard, featuring 16 frets in total. As for craftsmanship, it’s what we’ve come to expect from Oscar Schmidt, who seem to punch above their weight – very solid, and possibly worthy of a higher price tag. These ukes are made in Asia, but receive a good stateside inspection and setup.

Hardware

The OU5 is a solely acoustic affair, so no electronics are included and it’s not swimming in hardware otherwise. It also doesn’t arrive with any accessories or a case. However, it does come fitted with a set of very good chrome closed-gear Grover tuners, which hold tuning very well (after the strings eventually settle in). The bridge of this uke is also made of rosewood and features an ABS saddle, as well a nut made from the same material.

Sound

As for sound, the OU5 really impresses in this department too. It offers a typically bright but balanced tone, with great crispness and the typical ukulele jingle, as you’d expect from a Koa build. It’s not the loudest we’ve encountered and doesn’t have the richness of some others in our chart, but the projection is pretty good, even for the smaller concert uke size.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced player, you can find plenty of worth in this affordable OU5 from Oscar Schmidt. The design and build alone is worth the cash, but solid playability and tone add to the overall feeling of value.

For more info about the Oscar Schmidt OU5 Ukulele, click here.
For more Ukulele Under $200 you might like, click here.