Thanks for another honest review. Totally agree with your view. For me, it’s a lot of money for something released for sale, this shoddily. However, seeing these Ukes reviewed, allows all price points to be considered, which is why I enjoy the videos. Thanks and have a great week.
When we have seen QC standards jump across the board from the very cheapest ukuleles to the most expensive (I think about how The Ukulele Site has to send K models back), it is amazing that a brand continues to sell models without kicking its QC standards at the factory up a notch. While I have nothing against Luna, I have never played one in “the wild” that was set-up to what is expected standards for set-up or that didn’t have sharp fret ends-issues that point to Luna and their dealers.
Agreed - I think this comes back to why uke specialists don't really carry these. The work is too much for the low return. And this one came from a WELL known UK big store - the factory box was sealed - had never been checked.
Sounds better than I expected but the high action alone is a killer. What would concern me is some beginner buying this as a modestly priced instrument that in the end they find too hard play, and they give up, thinking all ukes are like that.
Hi Baz, I didn't see anybody that commented and said you would 'trash' this! I think most of us said you 'wouldn't like it' especially because of the etching .. and you didn't. All I can think of with that etching is .. can you imagine the amount of dirt, dust and grub that would get into those grooves. Yep, can be cleaned but ugh .. makes my skin crawl. The rest of the review, to be honest, for me, was to be expected. I don't know how Luna get away with it.
I doubt that anyone purchasing this uke would be gigging with it. Sans the pick-up and sell it for $49. Considering the geometry and action problems, your 6.6 score seems exceedingly generous. I think Luna relies on the laser etching as their "sizzle." Some folks like it. Luna used to market their instruments as "designed with women in mind." I haven't seen that pitch in a while. You may have saved some ukers from buyers remorse with this review. Good be upon thee.
Agree on that sort of price. I didn't trash it because, despite the high action it still plays accurately and, fingerpicked at least, doesn't sound horrible. Still - anything in the 6's from me is an 'avoid' as detailed on the reviews page.
Huh. I thought the fancier (to me) sounding name "henna" instead of "tattoo" line would be a bit less scruffy. I wonder why they didn't use a line out jack / strap button combo unit. I bought a discounted tattoo concert as my first traditional styled uke a few years ago. It's been a learning tool for playing, setup, installing a piezo pickup and any other experiment that came to mind. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone as there are far better options for less money nowadays. I've always hoped I'd come across their vista line in person but feel it would be about the same as tis Henna model in build and quality. Great review!
My very first ukulele was a Luna and even back then, I soon realized that it was garbage. At least they have maintained consistency as to their quality.
In their defense, the moon phases go in one way from new-moon to full-moon, and then the other way back to new-moon. However, because they're always caused by us looking at a half-filled sphere, the terminator (the curve dividing the lit and dark parts) always goes the full length of the moon, tip to tip. The only time you'd see this effect, where it's like bites are taken out would be during an eclipse!
I was recently at a jam that had ended when someone came to me with a question. My uke was already put away, so to demonstrate my answer, I asked the woman next to me-and she always brings her “cherished,” tattooed Luna-if she wouldn’t mind that I use her ukulele to demonstrate my answer to the question. 😮WHOA!! Was I ever impressed with the lightness of the instrument, the volume and the clarity!! I was shocked!😲 Handing it back-still in answer mode to the question on the table-I said, “”Wow, I didn’t know your Luna was so pretty!” She replied, “Oh, my Luna is at home! This is the Kamaka that my husband bought for me as a surprise!” (It was an HF-2.)😅 😂😂😂😂
I won a Luna ukulele in a drawing once. I sold it. The workmanship was really questionable. It was fully laminate. That preamp dug into the side was awful. Luna does not have good quality control. Mine was poorly setup, too.
I had a Luna Sahara that played beautifully. I did buy it with a good set up. I like the looks of this one. The etching on this one is very busy. This one does look cheap. I don’t like pick ups on ukuleles. I own Ohana 35 Soprano and 38 Tenor. I am a traditionalist at heart😂. It is an $80 ukulele if you ask me. This one is a big NO from me… can’t come close to the Luna I had. Maybe they are hit or miss….. thanks my friend…. DOC
I bought a luna soprano tattoo pineapple some years back. For 60 bucks I thought, hmm might as well. Fast forward to now. I've bought quite a few ukes since. They all have problems. Mainly the unbright sounds and horrible fret edges. I must say, that little luna pineapple is my favorite. Perfect smooth fret ends and really better sound than my others. Just saying. It's my go to peanut!
I have 3 Lunas, including the henna dragon guitarlele. I thought about getting the concert, but the that guitarlele is sweet! Frets are almost to sharp but it won't cut you haha. I haven't had any QC issues yet. They aren't the BEST value for dollar but if you catch one on sale it's decent IMO. Every luna needs a setup, my local guitar shop does me good. I have a couple kalas, they are better quality all around. They guitarlele doesn't have bridge issues 🙂 the nato wood is a bit disappointing tho.
You really should give a caramel mango concert a try if you want something that doesn't break the bank and will hold its own. I own ohana, kala, Kamaka, and Koaloha.....the caramel has the sweetest and most balanced sound. I honestly can't believe it. Got it for $79 ok amazon. Downside is the pickup and strap buttons already installed.
@@decadeca1000 I've looked at a couple of Caramel ukes before. Thought both were extremely average and dull to be honest. Amazon only too - which is not a route I ever recommend.
I will say I think it sounds a bit better than the other lunas you have reviewed. But way overpriced for what it is. I spent less than that in either my solid enya concert for my Baton Rouge ecotimber tenor.
Yeah. My mom, who is not a ukulele player wrote to me about lunas once. She and my dad stopped in a store that mostly had lunas and while my dad was playing them, she wrote to me to say how sad they sounded compared to my enya ukulele. And if a non ukulele player can hear that, I don’t think it’s a good sign.
Gosh! It looks horrible. When you played, it sounded like you were under water. The price (IMO) is over the top. What I REALLY hate is the descriptive deception at the selling point. Just tell it as it is for goodness sake. Apart from that it's ok 😜 Thanks as always Baz for the subjective AND objective review 😂 Stay safe mate 👍
Luna are a strange company. I have two Luna guitars which are really nice but much higher quality and without any dressing up. But these days they seem to be more about dressing up than quality especially with the ukes but also with the guitars. Then there's the fancy etched banjo which is just a dressed up very overpriced Dean (who own Luna) banjo.
![BEFORE YOU BUY A UKE, WATCH THIS (comparing ukuleles) [Kala vs Luna vs Fender]](/img/n.gif)
I am comforted to learn that Hell has not frozen over.
Ha ha - yes - business as usual here!
Please imagine this comment is in fact a clip of Lord of the Rings movie, where Hugo Weaving yells "CAST IT INTO THE FIRE!"
I always like to guess the score you’ll give in the written review. I was pretty close with this one. I’m glad you review such a range of ukuleles.
Thanks!
Thanks for another honest review. Totally agree with your view. For me, it’s a lot of money for something released for sale, this shoddily. However, seeing these Ukes reviewed, allows all price points to be considered, which is why I enjoy the videos. Thanks and have a great week.
Thanks!
When we have seen QC standards jump across the board from the very cheapest ukuleles to the most expensive (I think about how The Ukulele Site has to send K models back), it is amazing that a brand continues to sell models without kicking its QC standards at the factory up a notch.
While I have nothing against Luna, I have never played one in “the wild” that was set-up to what is expected standards for set-up or that didn’t have sharp fret ends-issues that point to Luna and their dealers.
Agreed - I think this comes back to why uke specialists don't really carry these. The work is too much for the low return. And this one came from a WELL known UK big store - the factory box was sealed - had never been checked.
Hope you had a good holiday in Napoli Barry welcome back
Was a wonderful place!
Sounds better than I expected but the high action alone is a killer. What would concern me is some beginner buying this as a modestly priced instrument that in the end they find too hard play, and they give up, thinking all ukes are like that.
Picked, i'd agree. Strummed, less so - very muddy
It's got some stiff competition at that price point (whichever one you take) - some really nice instruments. Thank you as always for the review.
Very!
Hi Baz, I didn't see anybody that commented and said you would 'trash' this! I think most of us said you 'wouldn't like it' especially because of the etching .. and you didn't. All I can think of with that etching is .. can you imagine the amount of dirt, dust and grub that would get into those grooves. Yep, can be cleaned but ugh .. makes my skin crawl. The rest of the review, to be honest, for me, was to be expected. I don't know how Luna get away with it.
Had a couple of those!
I doubt that anyone purchasing this uke would be gigging with it. Sans the pick-up and sell it for $49. Considering the geometry and action problems, your 6.6 score seems exceedingly generous. I think Luna relies on the laser etching as their "sizzle." Some folks like it. Luna used to market their instruments as "designed with women in mind." I haven't seen that pitch in a while. You may have saved some ukers from buyers remorse with this review. Good be upon thee.
Agree on that sort of price. I didn't trash it because, despite the high action it still plays accurately and, fingerpicked at least, doesn't sound horrible.
Still - anything in the 6's from me is an 'avoid' as detailed on the reviews page.
Huh. I thought the fancier (to me) sounding name "henna" instead of "tattoo" line would be a bit less scruffy. I wonder why they didn't use a line out jack / strap button combo unit.
I bought a discounted tattoo concert as my first traditional styled uke a few years ago. It's been a learning tool for playing, setup, installing a piezo pickup and any other experiment that came to mind. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone as there are far better options for less money nowadays.
I've always hoped I'd come across their vista line in person but feel it would be about the same as tis Henna model in build and quality.
Great review!
My very first ukulele was a Luna and even back then, I soon realized that it was garbage. At least they have maintained consistency as to their quality.
I think that speaks volumes - they are in all the big music stores so lots of people come across them. For the wrong reasons though!
In their defense, the moon phases go in one way from new-moon to full-moon, and then the other way back to new-moon.
However, because they're always caused by us looking at a half-filled sphere, the terminator (the curve dividing the lit and dark parts) always goes the full length of the moon, tip to tip. The only time you'd see this effect, where it's like bites are taken out would be during an eclipse!
Really not my biggest issue here…
@@GotAUkulele oh absolutely. Just stretching for anything I can find nice to say 😂
I was recently at a jam that had ended when someone came to me with a question. My uke was already put away, so to demonstrate my answer, I asked the woman next to me-and she always brings her “cherished,” tattooed Luna-if she wouldn’t mind that I use her ukulele to demonstrate my answer to the question.
😮WHOA!! Was I ever impressed with the lightness of the instrument, the volume and the clarity!! I was shocked!😲 Handing it back-still in answer mode to the question on the table-I said, “”Wow, I didn’t know your Luna was so pretty!”
She replied, “Oh, my Luna is at home! This is the Kamaka that my husband bought for me as a surprise!” (It was an HF-2.)😅
😂😂😂😂
Ha ha!
Stupid reply, comparing an $80 to 1k uke!
I won a Luna ukulele in a drawing once. I sold it. The workmanship was really questionable. It was fully laminate. That preamp dug into the side was awful. Luna does not have good quality control. Mine was poorly setup, too.
Never seen a good example myself.
The *only* things I like about this are the dragon tattoo and the wonky moon dots!
I had a Luna Sahara that played beautifully. I did buy it with a good set up. I like the looks of this one. The etching on this one is very busy. This one does look cheap. I don’t like pick ups on ukuleles. I own Ohana 35 Soprano and 38 Tenor. I am a traditionalist at heart😂. It is an $80 ukulele if you ask me. This one is a big NO from me… can’t come close to the Luna I had. Maybe they are hit or miss….. thanks my friend…. DOC
Agree on that price point!
you could always use it as a wall hanger
Bird house?
Not a bad idea but don’t think it would last long in an English ‘summer ‘
I totally agree with your assessment. The finish is poor and my 8 string exploded when the bridge separated from the bout. One ugly mess!!!!
Ugh...
I bought a luna soprano tattoo pineapple some years back. For 60 bucks I thought, hmm might as well. Fast forward to now. I've bought quite a few ukes since. They all have problems. Mainly the unbright sounds and horrible fret edges. I must say, that little luna pineapple is my favorite. Perfect smooth fret ends and really better sound than my others. Just saying. It's my go to peanut!
I like this ukulele very much. The laser etching is great, and a slotted head stock is marvelous ❤
Thank you so much for a nice review ❤❤❤
sorry - but I think the underlying ukulele is lousy..I'd avoid it.
I have 3 Lunas, including the henna dragon guitarlele. I thought about getting the concert, but the that guitarlele is sweet! Frets are almost to sharp but it won't cut you haha. I haven't had any QC issues yet. They aren't the BEST value for dollar but if you catch one on sale it's decent IMO. Every luna needs a setup, my local guitar shop does me good. I have a couple kalas, they are better quality all around. They guitarlele doesn't have bridge issues 🙂 the nato wood is a bit disappointing tho.
I think even at £99 this is expensive.
I suspect specialist uke stores don't carry these because of all the work they DO need..
You really should give a caramel mango concert a try if you want something that doesn't break the bank and will hold its own. I own ohana, kala, Kamaka, and Koaloha.....the caramel has the sweetest and most balanced sound. I honestly can't believe it. Got it for $79 ok amazon. Downside is the pickup and strap buttons already installed.
Forgot to say ALL SOLID mango
@@decadeca1000 I've looked at a couple of Caramel ukes before. Thought both were extremely average and dull to be honest.
Amazon only too - which is not a route I ever recommend.
I will say I think it sounds a bit better than the other lunas you have reviewed. But way overpriced for what it is. I spent less than that in either my solid enya concert for my Baton Rouge ecotimber tenor.
It does a bit - especially fingerpicked. But still.. meh..
Yeah. My mom, who is not a ukulele player wrote to me about lunas once. She and my dad stopped in a store that mostly had lunas and while my dad was playing them, she wrote to me to say how sad they sounded compared to my enya ukulele. And if a non ukulele player can hear that, I don’t think it’s a good sign.
@@abbeyhudec9566 Yep. There's a reason the specialist uke stores don't tend to carry them!
Well I think the back of it looks good. Other than that...
Which really looks just like any other cheap laminate ‘mahogany’ uke. It’s weird how the top wood between the etchings looks far worse
LUNA: Lousy Ukulele, Nasty Accoutrements perhaps?
I should work in advertising.
Ha ha
oh Luna … paleaaase …
and that a Big Mac 🍔 headstock 😣
Ha ha!
Gosh! It looks horrible. When you played, it sounded like you were under water. The price (IMO) is over the top. What I REALLY hate is the descriptive deception at the selling point. Just tell it as it is for goodness sake.
Apart from that it's ok 😜
Thanks as always Baz for the subjective AND objective review 😂
Stay safe mate 👍
Agreed!
Hmmm, no. Great review though, as usual. ✌🏼
Thanks! 👍
Luna are a strange company. I have two Luna guitars which are really nice but much higher quality and without any dressing up. But these days they seem to be more about dressing up than quality especially with the ukes but also with the guitars. Then there's the fancy etched banjo which is just a dressed up very overpriced Dean (who own Luna) banjo.
Another brand that don't take ukes seriously I guess.
Luna has been playing this "lipstick on a pig" game for a long time.
OW MUCH?!
Too much..
To sum up in four words: It's crap, buy another. It's also hideous.
Fair enough!