Got A Ukulele Reviews - Donner DUC-1 Concert

[@noahcchapman]

Oh my so surprised to see this one reviewed! My wife surprised me with this ukulele for Christmas a couple years ago, as my first musical instrument ever. I was so surprised by its tone and playability at the price point she told me. It’s truly a solid little instrument, and I always wondered what Baz would think of it! So happy to see my thoughts confirmed by the authority on ukuleles! Thanks Baz!

[@GotAUkulele]

My pleasure - yeah - it's a sound little uke!

[@behlanarenu1119]

This donner concert is actually my first ukulele and I still find it special in my heart. Also because it was so plain that you can decorate it yourself.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yes nice ukes. Never felt the need to decorate a uke myself - plus adding decoration can affect the tone remember.

[@adigenix]

Ye, I like painting a lot. My friends said I wouldn’t mess it up but I wasn’t sure so I wanted a cheaper uke to paint. This seems good, I might paint some sunflowers on it

[@Dr.Turkey]

Good review. One thing I've learned from collecting instruments is if you learn how to file fret ends (and how to service frets in general) then you can get great instruments at basically any price point

[@GotAUkulele]

Setup skills are indeed a good thing to know!

[@juliespeaksout]

Thank you for this review. The DUC-1 was my first foray into ukuleles since when I was a kid growing up in Hawaii. I did a lot of comparison shopping and tried to learn what to look for as far as quality from watching KZbin reviews. I was very pleasantly surprised when I started playing it. I'm happy to say that it's sound has gotten better and better as I have played it constantly over the last two years. On a side note, I would actually like to see more reviews of Amazon ukuleles. There are those of us out there, such as myself, who have mobility issues and are unable to visit the local music stores in order to buy an instrument, let alone comparison shop. There is also the issue of living in the Midwestern U.S. where we might find one or two ukuleles in our local stores but certainly not enough to make an informed decision. Speaking of which... No matter which retailer, stay away from Glarry ukes. They are horrendous! I had to learn the hard way! 😉

[@AnitaLife27]

I had a Donner concert with electronics. I loved it. I passed it on to someone. She needed an upgrade and she's got health and finance issues. Felt confident giving it to someone! She'll play it every day. Mine had a solid top which pulled away from the base. My fault, since I didn't keep the humidity up on the instrument. I fixed it with some wood glue, and kept going. One of my jam friends got the tenor with electronics and loves it. Yes, for the price, features, tone, quality, the Donnor is a great value. Great first uke!

[@GotAUkulele]

Thanks Betsy!

[@francescomanfredi]

Yes the tenor is great and the pickup is good as well, but the neck saddle is too high so I will need to lower it to make it easy to play.

[@ianchadderton5294]

Sounds better than some more expensive “beginner” ukes I have heard and looks tidy. Have a good week.

[@GotAUkulele]

Indeed it does - thanks Ian!

[@stoneyrunva]

Having had a Donner DUT(Tenor)-4 for a bit over 2 years I can offer an educated opinion on these Donner ukuleles. They are an excellent value. The tone of mine keeps getting better as it ages. The construction is rock solid. I bought this Donner brand as my little pub beater uke. Meaning I take it to the local pub often and many people play it, spill things on it, drop it, kick it, and knock it about often. It has held up amazingly well. In fact, the only thing wrong has been one of the tiny clear plastic tuner gear covers popped out and vanished. Aside from that, it's a solid Chinese built instrument and I'd buy another if this one ever gets broken beyond repair.

[@chuckvt5196]

Well, colour me surprised! I did not expect so much for so little money! Eye opening review, Baz!

[@GotAUkulele]

Cheers Chuck!

[@Bob_Amaral_Photography]

I actually like it too. Ticks some of my boxes: plain with no bling, nice wide neck, and of course decent sound. This would make a perfect uke for a beginner. You are right about the quality control though. Most of these ukes are hit or miss on getting a good one. Score one for Amazon. Also, I just received the blue Flight TUSL-35 that is behind your head. I love it. Had to get it from Germany. It is very difficult to find. Just going to change out the strings. Great recommendation on that one. Another great review on this one too. Thanks Baz!

[@GotAUkulele]

Thanks Bob!

[@cefarther3945]

Love your reviews. I really enjoy your videos; dry humor and just interesting insights. Love em'.

[@GotAUkulele]

I appreciate that!

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for another great review! A friend has a different model from Donner and is very happy with it. This one, with the exception of the bridge, fretboard end and headstock logo, appears identical to the Kmise mahogany ukuleles (soprano & baritone) I reviewed on my channel.

[@GotAUkulele]

I think there is a lot of sharing of factory lines going on in China. What I find sets brands apart is the quality controls they apply

[@DarrellW_UK]

I think that Donner makes great beginner Ukes, I’ve had 3 and still got my solid mahogany to electro set up low G, it’s really impressive for the price it was plus it has the comfort chamfer which makes it really comfortable to play. It’s usually my go to even though my other Ukes cost a lot more!

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep - reviewed a couple and think they are good for the money

[@EagleUkes]

Looks ( for those that dont like bling )and sounds like a great uke for a fantastic price. I'd certainly recommend it for players in our uke group... thanks Baz for the review...:)

[@GotAUkulele]

My pleasure Graham!

[@antonlossev3302]

Thanks so much! You're my go to reviewer when it comes to ukuleles. Just bought this for my mum as her first uke thanks to this review!

[@GotAUkulele]

Glad they help!

[@jorgealvarez8894]

Excuse me sir, the chords from 7:43 to maybe 7:50, are they from a song or did you come up with them? Also thank you for the honest review, I always hesitate listening to other reviews that I’ve seen.

[@GotAUkulele]

See the video description!

[@andydunn5673]

Nice one Barry Not Uke talk but I have just acquired 3 Donner special effects pedals Blues Driver ( drive overdrive) Yellow Fall ( delay) Verb Square ( reverb) For my amplified Blues Harmonica amp and mic And they are very well made and fantastic value for money compared to every thing else out there. So in this house Donner gets the thumbs up Just thought I share that with you Thanks again

[@GotAUkulele]

Yeah - looking at their website they make a huge range of musical related stuff!

[@desktopkitty]

The fluctuating prices on Amazon has its pros and cons. If you time it just right, you can get a really good deal. Luckily I wasn't in too much of a hurry, and kept my eye out for a really good deal. I bought 2 Donner ukuleles, one concert and one tenor. I timed it just right and got one for $34 and the other for $48. I've just checked and sure enough, the prices have already gone back up.

[@reyna7175]

I'm officially considering on buying this one, thank you so much!

[@GotAUkulele]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@reyna7175]

@@GotAUkulele Thank you!!!

[@weshughes5180]

Got the Donner Duc-1 today. Has a warm tone. The laminate mahogany gives it a nice feel. Put Aquila Nylguts on it. Not the loudest but ok for playing around the house. May switch those to Aquila Reds. Have had good success with those in the past. Gets a solid 4/5. Quite pleased with it.

[@GotAUkulele]

I quite liked it too.

[@freedoomed]

I bought this uke about a month ago as my first ukulele. I just ordered a kala tenor for my next instrument.

[@GotAUkulele]

Good choices!

[@weshughes5180]

Have decided to buy the Donner duc-1. Will see what I get. That will give me 2 Donner concerts. Like the tuners and build quality on both. Cant go wrong with 2. One or the other will be better. Can use that one for performance.

[@davidmolloy126]

That sounds a lot better than some 3× that, mellow and a nice note seperation, with the added bonus that it made you smile! Nice one.❤️🌞

[@GotAUkulele]

Yeah - and i've played a few Donners. All need a bit of touch up work on the setup, but sound wise they are pretty decent. Worth the effort i'd say. Could be a great option for beginners if they were sold by specialist stores who set them up before sale.

[@markattardo]

😲 That's a pleasant surprise. 👍

[@GotAUkulele]

Yes it was. I'd still exercise some caution buying from Amazon, but it's nice to see that they CAN get it right

[@randomperson712]

I retired, moved, downsized, sold my grand piano a few years ago. Knew nothing at all about ukes but the first thing I did was but a donner duc-1 just based on the Amazon reviews. The Donner name doesn't get you much prestige/status but for the $65 i spent I guess I could have done worse. Thanks

[@GotAUkulele]

yes you really did. Amazon is a minefield - but this one is decent!

[@gneveln]

I have 4 Donner instruments, two ukuleles, a classic guitar, and a guitalele. I'm generally pleased with all of them The ukes are not my favorites but to me they sound nearly as good but at a much lower price.

[@GotAUkulele]

Only reviewed a couple. This is certainly much better than the first which may indicate they got better at QC or got lucky. But either way. Actually the first was not wholly bad either to be fair.

[@samcowen4909]

Thanks for the review(s). I tend to be leery of Amazon/Chinese products as well but I bought a pedalboard and power supply from Donner and was pleasantly surprised at the quality. So yes, one needs to be cautious but it’s not necessarily all crap.

[@GotAUkulele]

Indeed - for a while i made a decision to stop reviewing Amazon supplied stuff. But realised that was probably not fair on my readers and left them in the hands of the shill marketeers who will say ANYTHING is great if you pay them to. Thought it was right I would offer some balance. Now, that made some people assume that I would automatically trash anything that was Amazon supplied - but that's not true. I just only ever speak my mind, and it was nice to get this one in and be able to be postive about it!

[@psilver03]

Thanks for the review. Good for not bashing every cheap Amazon ukes out there. I’m a beginner and have a few US$50-100 range Amazon ukes and I like them. Yes, I do find a difference in sound in my more expensive range ukes but in the end, most are fun to play depends on my mood that day. I just wish people would stop saying “maybe”. Like “maybe I got a good one”. Or “maybe I got lucky”. It’s not based on facts. Btw, I’m overseas right now on vacation and I’ve seen really terrible ukes and they make “Amazon” ukes sound really high end!

[@GotAUkulele]

But the maybe is correct. I’ve had a LOT of ukuleles through my hands (several hundred) and have seen enough to know quality control varies wildly when buying direct. Had I got a bad one and said so people would be all over me claiming I was dissing it just because it was cheap. I can’t win.

[@psilver03]

GotAUkulele I do understand. It was just my opinion based on my limited experience. Keep the reviews coming.

[@cazhowe737]

Another great review. Thank you 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@GotAUkulele]

Thank you as always!

[@weshughes5180]

Just ordered a Donner DCF-100 carbon fiber uke from Amazon. I had a choice between this one and a CF. Dont suppose you could review their carbon fiber concert. That'd be great.

[@GotAUkulele]

I believe it's identical to this one - wasn't great i'm afraid - also NOT carbon fibre (plastic with carbon powder in the mix). www.gotaukulele.com/2022/01/rosen-nova-concert-ukulele-review.html

[@rohanjoshi1849]

Hi great review! I recently bought this Ukulele based on your feedback. Unfortunately I’m finding that the action is too high for my liking; I’ve heard you can sand down the saddle however I’m having trouble removing it to do so. Will I have to remove the strings completely rather than just loosening them? Is the saddle on this particular uke adjustable?Terribly sorry for all the questions, thanks again :)

[@GotAUkulele]

Yes, you need to remove strings and then remove saddle. Don't see why this is not removeable on the Donner. You can then sand the base of it - be careful not to go too far and essential you keep the base perfectly flat.

[@ernestryles]

I've had only good experience with dinner instruments. I have their bass, and it's great!

[@abagatelle]

Agree, the bass is excellent.

[@PokePokeu]

Howdy. wwondering if you will recommend this over the Lohanu (LU-T) ? i am a very very beginner and cant decide between these 2 starter piece.

[@GotAUkulele]

Sorry, never played the LU-T - so not fair to comment. Not impressed with what I hear about Lohanu quality control though

[@PokePokeu]

@@GotAUkulele ​ i just watched another Lohanu LUC-1 you reviewed. i know im comparing concert to tenor. but i am just trying to gauge which brand is better for a starter. This Donner Duc-1 review seems better overall. Surprised u responded so quick! :D thanks

[@CKWINN11]

My first ever uke was a donner and was pretty much identical to everything in this review, perfect little starter to be honest and it's been passed down to my son. Side note my only regret was getting the zebrawood version, beautiful at first glance but starts to grate on you a bit haha

[@GotAUkulele]

Agree with that (and on zebrawood too. Totally over done look in uke circles)

[@giovannimarchetto309]

My first Uke... You get almost everything, dimension s of the keyboard and thickness of the neck helped me a lot in the first approach as a beginner... I played it a looot during the lockdown. What now to step up? I am thinking for this summer (I move a lot for work and umidity is a issue) to get an enya nova or perhaps an hpl pineapple X1, i like a lot also the flight 310pineapple... Is it a stepping up or is it better if i save for something else?

[@GotAUkulele]

I don't think either of those are HUGE step ups. I'd save more

[@thurgogopro5338]

Hi. Love your video reviews but as a beginner I'm confused a little. When you show how to play the sister kate and creep you refer to for example 0101 then say it's from left to right ie G0 C1 E0 A1 whereas everyone else refers to this as right to left. Am I mistaken because your method makes more sense. Bob

[@GotAUkulele]

thurgogopro most in my experience use the note naming convention G to A which is left to right?

[@thurgogopro5338]

@@GotAUkulele kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIbTkGWjftyAa7s Thanks for replying. This guy The ukelele teacher, shows a method for beginners that goes from A to G ie the opposite of what you do that's what I had seen that was confusing me.

[@thurgogopro5338]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIbTkGWjftyAa7s Sorry my mistake, gave you wrong link hope this one works.

[@veroldaley1]

It’s no surprise you had that look of pleasure on your face Baz,even when you hit that bum note, anyway I purchase the DUC 3 after your review,you know what I would swop my Kala and any of my ukuleles for one of these, i stuck a red series low G on that baby and it’s outstanding, sustain is great, it never goes out of tune even when I put her in the case for a month.I will never understand how a cheap ukulele can sound better than one costing over two hundred pounds, think i will get the DUC 1 as well , my good lady won’t know any different. Good review Sir

[@GotAUkulele]

ha ha! thanks Michael

[@dazey100]

Hi sir, thanks for the review! I'm unsure whether I missed it, if you did make a comparison, but which one between the DUC-1 and 3 would you recommend?

[@GotAUkulele]

I didn't and try to keep off such comparisons. For what it's worth the DUC-1 got a better score!

[@dazey100]

Awesome, thank you! I certainly trust your judgement more than mine of a novice :)

[@square-on-wheels]

I've got a Donner on order. . . fingers crossed!

[@GotAUkulele]

Enjoy it!

[@kle2217]

I just went to Hawaii and have a new interest in Ukulele's to get into. I've been looking on Amazon and have been looking at this model bundle to buy. Any thoughts on this DUC-1 model vs the DUC-200? Also, there's a Ranch brand of affordable Ukulele's in the same bundle pricing. Any thoughts on brands? thx

[@GotAUkulele]

Not played the 200 so would be unfair to comment - all my scores of what I have looked at are on the website - anything above 8 out of 10 is worth investigating

[@BanjoPicker]

What is te riff you strum at 7:48 ...love it...may buy a Uke just to rip that ...

[@GotAUkulele]

See links below the video!

[@csothy3491]

Thanks for your review! Which one would u recommend between this Donner DUC-1 and the Luna Tattoo concert ? Thank u 😊

[@GotAUkulele]

These are not half bad. I'd NEVER recommend the Luna brand though. Too bad at quality control.

[@pvsamorgan9803]

Hi, thank you for your wonderful review. Are the plastic tuning pegs good enough? Do you recommend this Ukulele over Enya, Hola Music or Kmise (Tonal quality and volume wise)? I am confused which one to get. Thanks in advance for your advise.

[@GotAUkulele]

Tuners on this are pretty good. Comparisons are tough without knowing which model. I like Enya too, never played a Hola, but would NEVER recommend Kmise

[@pvsamorgan9803]

Thanks 😊 a lot for your quick response. If possible please do a tone/sound comparison video among the below $100 Ukuleles. I am really interested to see how Hola Music ukes and Enya hold up to this Donner. I play guitar and looking for my first Ukulele which is cheap but has a great tone and volume. (Not considering solid top ukes as I want to carry it everywhere I go) 😃🎸

[@GotAUkulele]

Doubt that can be possible i'm afraid. - virtually all the ukuleles I review are with me for a short period of time on loan - so I don't tend to have a number of them that are comparable in the office at any one time. I have a few here right now for example, but none would make for fair comparisons against each other.

[@Bee-tn8ko]

Fair. Thanks Baz

[@GotAUkulele]

My pleasure

[@MirjamFrank]

Thanks for your reviews, Baz, I'm really enjoying them! There's one thing I'm wondering about (and this goes for most ukulele review sites): there's very little commenting on intonation. I find that, by and large, cheaper instruments really go sideways beyond the 5th and/or 7th frets. I can hear this in the review above as well. I know you do expect much less from instruments at that price point, but I think it might be worth mentioning anyway. I'm a professional musician, but a beginner on the uke, and I really couldn't deal with poor intonation when I bought my first instrument.

[@GotAUkulele]

I mention it in all reviews if it is noticeably bad. If I don't mention it, it's more likely down to strings stretching on new instruments. I check all with a strobe tuner. If there is no mention you can be assured that the core intonation is ok

[@MirjamFrank]

Thanks@@GotAUkulele , that's very helpful information!

[@FamDamilyVlogs]

Seeing your reviews, I'd say the donner is better than luna?

[@GotAUkulele]

MILES better.

[@FamDamilyVlogs]

@@GotAUkulele awesome... I am looking into getting a starter concert uke as I picked up a soprano and ended up loving it. Now I find myself learning more and wanting to get the best uke I can for the money. What would your recommend be for a uke to start with and keep for a few years?

[@jensenhealey08]

I have a number of friends with Donner's and they are top notch value for money. They hold their tuning well even with the original strings. Until you are a pro, I really don't think you need anything else.

[@jensenhealey08]

KZbin put in the apostrophe, not me.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yes pleasantly surprised. Not sure about the pro thing though - there's quite a gulf between this and something at the $1000 level or more - that would miss out a huge swathe of intermediate ukuleles that many experienced non pro players tend to settle with.

[@george_yeh]

I legit said to myself at the start of this video that you were gonna trash it 😂

[@GotAUkulele]

Bit naughty of me!

[@karlsten6946]

After watching both of your Donner reviews, I ordered the 410 solid spruce top concert by Donner. It had two problems; the fretboard was not glued at the corner near the sound hole(small area only about 1/4 inch), and the rear corners of the bridge were not glued all the way down. I unstrung it, clamped and glued the part of the fretboard to the top and left it overnight. It's good now. For the bridge I squeezed some glue into the gaps with a syringe and left it overnight as well. Seems to have worked ok. Here are some good things: the intonation is really good, the action is good, the sound is nice and bright (using Martin 600) and there were no cosmetic issues. The nut and string spacing is wider than my Kala and Martin tenors, some might like that. Overall I actually like this ukulele. I also want to say thanks for doing these vids, I think you do a great job reviewing ukuleles. For what it's worth your opinion on ukes is the only one on youtube that I listen to. Lots of other channels seem more like product promotions. Anyway have a great day, and I look forward to your next review.

[@GotAUkulele]

Thank you!

[@dr.nancydewanjee8632]

Which one is better to start with as a beginner? DUC-1 or DUC 4E?

[@GotAUkulele]

Not sure it makes much difference to be honest in the core ukes - one has a pickup though if you plan to amplify it

[@linacaldera1122]

Hello sir, is a KALA KA-C or Donner concert Acoustic-Electric better? I want to buy my first ukulele. 😊

[@GotAUkulele]

That’s really difficult. Years ago I’d have said Kala as they do so well at this price. But that is because there wasn’t so much competition. A lot of the competition today is shoddy, but the Donner ukes are really good and I prefer them to Kala at this price. But... Kala have better quality control still so you ‘may’ stand a better chance of getting a Kala without issues.

[@linacaldera1122]

@@GotAUkulele Thank you for your review, I will choose Kala. Regards 😊

[@Fthrjohn2014]

Very cool beginner ukulele.Nice sound

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep!

[@gardnerfiddle2927]

Can you only play “Fine young Cannibals” on a Donner Ukulele? Get it? Donner Party? Cannibals? Too soon? (Sorry for the Dad joke)

[@markwatson4460]

Watched review liked it bought one pleased cheers

[@GotAUkulele]

Enjoy!

[@thayerkids]

Christ, relative I know but it literally sounds better across recording and KZbin than most you’ve done. I give up, playing my mainland soprano until I die and never watching a ukulele video of any sort again. 👍

[@GotAUkulele]

Ha!

[@joeobyrne3189]

Wow, a decent Amazon uke. Great price too.

[@GotAUkulele]

Aye!

[@ponyboyack00]

What strings would you recomend for this?

[@GotAUkulele]

Sorry - I never recommend any strings - it's impossible - we all hear sound slightly differently and play differently. What I like you may not like and vice versa.

[@kahluagirl56]

have u tried the bamboo tenor from aklot

[@GotAUkulele]

No I haven't. Aklot will never feature on Got A Ukulele as I don't agree with their marketing practices.

[@kahluagirl56]

@@GotAUkulele aklot is owned by kmise so sad to hear that i rspect your opinion

[@GotAUkulele]

christine lynch I know they are. Another brand that will not feature! They sent me a model then I learned some things about how they were marketing reviews. I gave them a chance and put it to them and they straight up lied to me in response. The review I did was up for 12 hours and I deleted it. First and only time I’ve done that. Not much to ask brands to be honest with the reviewer, and I don’t want to be complicit. They could be the best ukes on the planet for all I care (it wasn’t but you get my point) but I won’t recommend them.

[@colwarsstudiobrickfilmandm8580]

I got the tenor doesn’t stay in tune well

[@GotAUkulele]

With geared pegs there is no way that can be a function of the ukulele itself - more likely the strings are not tied on properly or they are still settling (settling can take weeks)

[@itsBrittanyOlivia]

What strings does it have?

[@GotAUkulele]

They are their own brand strings - which in reality means they will be something else put into their own branded packets

[@itsBrittanyOlivia]

Oh okay! So they won't be as good as the Aquila strings? But I could possibly replace those strings with Aquila strings?

[@steve7015]

never understand why you blast us with an irritating strum to start your videos otherwise, really great!

[@GotAUkulele]

Merely to annoy...

[@ChrisOttoSTL]

AAA mahogany, lol. Nice review.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yeah - daft!

[@rogerburford4291]

Donner, it took 22 emails and PayPal to get my refund, after they sent the wrong size.

[@nytrayfl2]

I just think the cheaper Ukes sound better.

[@GotAUkulele]

Better than what?