Got A Ukulele Reviews - Enya Nova U Mini Soprano - 4K

[@faethe000]

Mine finally arrived. I like it! I'm sort of shocked at how loud it is, and the sustain ain't half bad. Also surprised at how solid it feels. And you'll be happy to know they apparently come with strap buttons and a shoulder strap on the case now, along with a much-improved zipper.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yes, I heard they addressed the strap button and case. Enjoy it!

[@andreastzanneskastritis4367]

Your comments are always go to first for me. Thank you. I purchased this ukelele after listening to you playing it and your review. Can't wait for it to arrive. Thank you for all the hard work, information and knowledge you share with us all

[@GotAUkulele]

My pleasure! Thanks!

[@OwlCassettes]

I just ordered mine, and I am so grateful to have found this ukulele, and for your review. Thank you :)

[@GotAUkulele]

Glad it helped you!

[@ukeplayalongs]

I had asked about the strap button and side sound hole, and was told that they had structural issues with them on the soprano and then chose not to use them; however, a slight redesign is coming soon which will have strap buttons.

[@GotAUkulele]

Interesting. Can see how people would miss them. Personally speaking, it doesn't bother me - never used a strap with a soprano

[@bnolsen]

I picked one of these up they are now 49 usd normal price on Amazon. New ones have startup buttons. The intonation is shockingly good, my only complaint is that the nut is too high for my taste it makes it tiring to play. I don't mind the stock fluoro carbons. The string spacing is a bit on the narrow side for me.

[@alanwhitney3263]

Like the gold on black, sounds great, I recently bought an Enya Concert uke, really like it

[@GotAUkulele]

My views on the tuner colour very subjective of course. I love the concert - love this too! Great ukes!

[@sunnyscott4876]

I just ordered the concert size and now I want the baby one. ❤

[@suziofftheplanet977]

I don’t usually like sopranos but that is really nice. Nice tone and lots of projection and you play it well.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yeah - something really nice and comforting about it

[@joephillips4082]

Here I am three years later with a comment. I got mine at a good (US) Black Friday price last Fall and I really enjoy it. All I'd add is that mine has strap buttons and side dots. It's great fun in a plastic uke that sounds very good, unlike some others. Great review.

[@GotAUkulele]

Agreed - out of the plastic ukes there are - these are no brainers!

[@partyontheobjective]

It's nice. The concert was nice too. These ukes are so well established by now. Wish they made the sopranos when I was in the market for a travel ukulele. I was seriously considering the concert but went with Flight TUS because of the tiny size. Not that I'm unhappy with my choice! But if this was out then, it'd be a much tougher decision.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yes - i'd agree - two great soprano choices for not a lot of money!

[@tommorrisey3999]

I bought the concert-ish version of this (sans pickup) when it was offered at an introductory price of-if memory does not fail me-$79, shipped. It stays at our Fort Myers house so I don’t need to pack and schlep a uke when I go there. Nice beach uke but, if I am playing at a beach event, I’ll use my Outdoor tenor instead.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep- grab and not worry kind of a uke I think

[@mikevandebunt811]

The Outdoor Ukulele people sell a set of self-adhesive strap buttons. They are holding on very well to my Outdoor Tenor.

[@GotAUkulele]

Good idea

[@djgreiner1000]

Love the Outdoor stick on strap buttons! They work great.

[@Nobody_Nowhere_Never]

I got them on my Outdoor too. Just to be clear they use 3m VHB tape. Which I've used before to permanently mount solar panels to the roof of a van. It's seriously permanent stuff.

[@alanmckean]

The Enya Nova U Mini that I just got has strap buttons and side fret markers. They listened to you and they are welcome additions. What strings would you put on it? I have a set of D'Addario Fluorocarbons coming but I was going to put them on my Flea.

[@GotAUkulele]

I only ever use fishing line!

[@michaelduke2026]

I would be interested in knowing what kinds of strings people use as well. I installed some D'Addario titaniums on this since that's what Enya uses on their tenor version, but I don't like the way they sound at all.

[@miltonbuu]

Just bought one after watching your video. It was enough to convince me that the quality and sound it their and that is enough for me so that I can play music for my baby nephew who I would wish for him to learn and love to play guitar

[@GotAUkulele]

Glad I could help!

[@mmactc]

Just got this uke today and thought you might be interested to know it now comes with strap buttons and dot markers on the side 5,7,10 and 12 interesting no strap. Maybe they were watching your review! Thanks for the great review.

[@GotAUkulele]

Maybe so! Thanks for the update Mark.

[@djgreiner1000]

I ordered a black one for my teaching set and will order more if they come in more fun colors. I generally use Makala Dolphins but like to have a few options to choose from. Of course if I would stop giving them away I wouldn't have to replace them so often.

[@GotAUkulele]

They are great value little things and very tough - good choice

[@el7145]

Have they watched your review??? find out now...so i just received by nova u mini (from amazon US) and surprisingly it came with gold strap buttons and 4 side dots (5th,7,10,12th fret), this ukulele is small, but wow, it has a nice punch to the sound

[@GotAUkulele]

Yes, they saw it.

[@marcd1981]

Thank you for this review. I see this is from about 2 years ago, and it is May 11, 2023 today. I saw updates in a couple of comments about the strap buttons now being added. I have a comment regarding the comments made in the video about this being made of carbon fiber, as I suspected stating it is actually plastic was not correct, so I looked it up: "The properties of a carbon fiber part are close to that of steel and the weight is close to that of plastic. Thus, the strength-to-weight ratio (as well as stiffness-to-weight ratio) of a carbon fiber part is much higher than either steel or plastic." The one thing I had not considered (I have not purchased a Ukulele yet, looking for my first), was the fingerprints that will be left on the body due to it being made of carbon fiber. Does anyone have a comment / suggestion regarding that aspect of this otherwise seemingly great starter Ukulele?

[@GotAUkulele]

No, definitely NOT carbon fiber - and Enya are not the only brand to name them like that. Yes it picks up fingerprints, but so does any gloss ukulele. Come off with a cloth.

[@el7145]

I just bought this on sale at amazon , should be fun to play...on a side note, I also bought an Enya euc-mad blue concert (also on sale at amazon) and its really quite pretty...it would be great to see a review on this one.

[@GotAUkulele]

I'm pretty booked up for the rest of the year, and there are an awful lot of Enya review on the site (so i need to be careful not to overload it)... but... I will try to get hold of one when I can!

[@craftlover9702]

Someone from Enya must have paid attention to your review. They now offer them with 2 strap buttons, a strap and a capo. I just ordered one from US Amazon, they have 15% off coupon so with tax I just paid $53 and change. Thanks for the review!!

[@GotAUkulele]

Cool

[@ukeanflute]

It's nice to have you review the smaller one as well. It is very cute, I agree. I'm mainly a tenor player, but I love the concert Nova. I have never had the fingerprint problem on mine (also black).

[@GotAUkulele]

Thanks!

[@LilyMarsWrites]

Thanks, Baz! I'm really excited they're offering this in a soprano. I hope they add more colours; it would be odd if they didn't. I suspect the other colours are better with the fingerprint issue.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep - think other colours are coming. Thanks Lily!

[@suer1562]

More colours coming in the new year, apparently .....

[@GotAUkulele]

They'd be mad not to

[@alanwhitney3263]

Would want a nice blue one tbh

[@nacholulu]

This soprano was my first Enya, and I now have my second Enya and a third to be delivered soon (the latter two are mahogany). Enya is an incredible value. My Flight concert-neck travel quickly became unplayable for some reason (dead G string) and I didn't like the feel of the Flight textured-plastic fretboard, even with the metal frets.

[@lisacompton593]

Thanks Baz. I've got the concert version. One of your fellow reviewers said recently Enya hope to bring this out in other colours.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yes, I saw that - enjoy!

[@michaelduke3528]

I'm curious how you would compare this uke with the Flight travel soprano that you reviewed a while ago. If you had to choose, which one would you give the edge to? Thanks for all of your great reviews.

[@GotAUkulele]

Tough one - really tough. I think I'd grab the Flight for the slight saving - but honestly - both are cheap - happy to own both!

[@cazhowe737]

I love sopanos too! Thank you for extra review 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@GotAUkulele]

My pleasure 😊

[@richardsnow7299]

Very nice sounding thanks for another great review

[@GotAUkulele]

My pleasure!

[@malkalopez1641]

They must have listened to you about the strap! I just ordered this one and it does come with a strap. I hope it arrives soon.

[@GotAUkulele]

Excellent! - they DO listen! Nice company who are nice to deal with to (I give a lot of weight to that). They send my 11 year old daughter a Christmas card each year with a decoration in it. I am happy to report that as whilst I go on about Got A Ukulele not charging brands for reviews (which i don't) - it's nice when a brand says thank you in a non-commercial way.

[@stanleysokolow]

I notice that the saddle is compensated (with bevels) just like its bigger sister. The bevels make small adjustments of the string lengths so they intonate correctly. That is, they play on pitch at the frets up the neck toward the body. I tried a low-G string on my concert-size Nova U and found that it doesn't intonate correctly due to the bevel. So anyone who buys one of these Nova U ukes with the idea of changing to a low-G, don't bother unless you have a "tin ear" and don't care that the high pitched chords will be a bit out of tune. It's great the way it is, as a gCEA uke.

[@GotAUkulele]

They do that, yes. To be honest though - whether you have a straight topped saddle or a compensated saddle like this one, if you change the string gauge strongly (as you tend to do with some low g changes) you will need to adjust the nut / saddle irrespective of what sort of bridge saddle you have.

[@stanleysokolow]

@@GotAUkulele I replaced the g string on my Kala tenor traveler with an Aquila Red low G. That ukulele has a straight saddle without any compensation bevels. The nut slot had to be widened slightly because it's a thicker string, but I didn't adjust the saddle. I find that the G string at the 12th fret is only 5 cents flat, which is about the same amount I can sharpen the pitch by squeezing the string hard down onto the fretboard. Close enough for me. When I put that same kind of string on the Enya Nova U concert, the pitch at fret 12 was much farther off and not acceptable to me. So I put the original string back on. (By the way, Enya now warns customers not to use any string that has metal in or wound onto it, as the Aquila Reds do, since they cause excessive wearing down of the plastic fret ridges. I noticed slight fret wear myself and removed the Red before Enya noticed it.)

[@GotAUkulele]

@@stanleysokolow It depends entirely on how accurately the uke was set up before the change and the diffference in gauge change you are dealing with. I too have changed to low G's on some and not felt the 'need' to adjust, but equally done the same on others and definitely did. Ultimately - if you get dow to measuring with a strobe tuner (which is a bit overkill) ANY string gauge change needs an adjustment - most of the time though, we just live with it. Thinner the strings to start with, the more you notice the change - why electric guitars tend to have micro adjustable saddles!

[@stanleysokolow]

@@GotAUkulele Thanks for that info. The physics of strings seems simple until you get down to the details. When I replaced the high g with a low G on my Vorson solid body electric, I did have to adjust the saddle quite a lot.

[@wesleychater5565]

I received the concert yesturday and the saprono today i wasn't sure on which so orderd both. The saprono is so much better for me and it only cost £50 off Amazon UK absolute bargain thank you for the reviews.

[@GotAUkulele]

My pleasure!

[@spaztekwarrior]

Not bad at all. :) yeah shame about the strap buttons. I think it would be a great little ukulele to travel with or take to the beach... or to learn on. Cool :)

[@GotAUkulele]

Yeah - doesn't bother me too much - never use a strap on a soprano - but will be tricky for those that do. Great fun little uke though.

[@ismalit]

Very nice staff! )) Thanks for the review.

[@GotAUkulele]

My pleasure!

[@jazz-women7543]

Hello Baz - I'm a new subscriber but I've listened to many of your reviews. What I'd like to ask is what is the tune that you pick each time you do a review, and do you have a tutorial for the piece? It starts at 4:39 on this video. Thank you for all of your hard work!

[@GotAUkulele]

See link in video description!

[@nigeldavey1043]

By the look of it and according to your observations this is a soprano that even my gnarly old polar bear paws could handle. I like the concert and even managed to get the electronics to function eventually. Might even give one a try at that price. 👍

[@GotAUkulele]

Yeah - something nicer to hold with this one.

[@b-stainton123]

Has anyone had any fret issues? I wanted to get this uke but keep seeing review about it having poor lifespan of frets.

[@GotAUkulele]

Not personally

[@b-stainton123]

@@GotAUkulele thank you for the reply.

[@gizmomac1520]

Excellent review!

[@GotAUkulele]

Thank you kindly!

[@vitojezie6560]

Now, i've got mine !😊 Thanks !

[@GotAUkulele]

Enjoy it!!

[@clawhammer704]

Good sound on this end....good value

[@GotAUkulele]

Agreed!

[@janettetrach903]

Does it have a radius fret board

[@GotAUkulele]

A very very slight one.

[@addaiiablues]

Baz, you got an opinion on PUkanala and Smiger ukes? I looked for a review on those on your chanel but did not find any. If you have a word of advise i d appriciate. Thanks man, happy weekend!

[@GotAUkulele]

Sorry, never played a Smiger (though Matt at World of Ukes liked them I think). Last Pukanala I played was many years ago before I even made videos - so not sure I can help. Sorry!

[@nacholulu]

Enya: it's time for a BAZ signature series!

[@GotAUkulele]

I've had offers (not Enya) - but will never happen - would be impossible for me to impartially review - and I never want the brand tied in to one particular brand

[@SplicedSerpents]

Is it Sunday already??

[@GotAUkulele]

Ha ha! Playing catch up (double booked another review slot and had to squeeze this in)

[@richardsnow7299]

I really love this!

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep - great little ukes these!

[@richardsnow7299]

This one is next on my list. I've just watched again its lovely sounding

[@delphinekirkland1757]

Thanks!! Picked one of these up after watching this review and reading the review. Crazy! I really enjoy this beautiful instrument! I absolutely play it more than any instrument I've ever owned, (and I own dozens) except my voice. I play it every day! I feel okay about leaving it under the edge of the bed. Hubby leaves the room while we're watching a show....pick it up and strum. Throw it over my shoulder, head out to the garden with good intent...end up in the old metal glider-chair in the deep shade, next to the big moss covered rock....strumming, picking and singing. Get up in the morning, first cup of tea, on the front porch, wicker chair, cats, birds, insects buzzing... strumming real low on the little black Enya. Can't wait for the Acoustic Plus review! Won't order one until I see the review here!!!

[@GotAUkulele]

fun aren't they? Don't have an acoustic plus model coming though?

[@delphinekirkland1757]

@@GotAUkulele Nova U Pro the sworn-to-secrecy uke or is it still a secret? Know you're not a fan of the electronics on ukes but the new Acoustic Plus is very tempting. When I play with my band no worries on the PA...haha, it just gets set up. But I've been strumming and singing on my own, first time after decades of gigging, partially at the mercy of others. Now and can do those tunes i know and love that we haven't gotten to yet. Want to play in the park or somewhere like that when I visit kids all over the world as a way to meet people that want to play with me. They'll be like, Lord, just a uke, the girl needs a band. Then when I go to Stockholm, Portland, Austin and Guanajuato I can leave my band home...which I do anyway. $199 seems like a fun gamble! Need a singer, acoustic player amp eventually but....It's all about fun!!!

[@GotAUkulele]

@@delphinekirkland1757 Not a secret now - it's available for pre-order on the Enya website!

[@delphinekirkland1757]

@@GotAUkulele It's in my cart!

[@billylin5404]

I wonder if omitting the side soundhole would make it more difficult to change the strings on this one. Where should one feed the string through after tying the knot? Through those “flame shaped” slots where the front soundhole is supposed to be?

[@GotAUkulele]

Not at all - it's not a through bridge. It's a slot style - you just tie a knot in the string and snag it in the hole.

[@billylin5404]

@@GotAUkulele Oh I see! I always thought it was through the bridge for some reason, ha. Thanks!

Could you do a little piece on using fishing line for strings? Or if you have already done that, could you point me in the right direction? Pretty please :-)

[@GotAUkulele]

Already done! www.gotaukulele.com/2015/05/something-fishy-fishing-line-as-ukulele.html

@@GotAUkulele thanks so much. Cheers! 🤙🏼

[@0len1na33]

will you do a review for transacoustic enya?

[@GotAUkulele]

Probably not now - I have reviewed the two sizes, to review the same concert with a pickup would be too many!

[@puffinlittle]

Greetings, any word on the frets wearing down as mentioned in the concert review? thank you.

[@GotAUkulele]

I've not heard any more on that myself - that's not to say it's resolved, but not seen a flood of complaints online which i'd expect to see if not

[@puffinlittle]

@@GotAUkulele Greetings, only thing I could find was this and perhaps that was/is the problem. I'm quoting this from the Amazon add. "♫NOT compatible with wound strings or strings containing metallic compounds. US warranty and customer support." Thank you for the heads-up and the reply. pax, PL

[@GotAUkulele]

@@puffinlittle Oh yes, for sure - you don't want to use coil wound strings on this or indeed any plastic necked uke.

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

Do I get a little tiny gnome to wipe the thing off? If I’m gonna buy an outdoor uke I’ll just buy a cheap laminate wooden uke with a good setup.

[@GotAUkulele]

This is pretty cheap, and the setup is bang on!

[@colson8327]

What strings do you recommend for the Nova U ukes?

[@GotAUkulele]

Sorry - didn’t never recommend strings. - it’s pointless as we all hear and play differently. Grab a few distinct sets, experiment and trust your own ears. What my ears here means nothing

[@chuckvt5196]

Great review, Baz. I love my Nova U Concert!

[@GotAUkulele]

Thanks Chuck!

[@Shuborno]

It sounds really good in the video. Nova U might be the best first ukulele for anyone.

[@GotAUkulele]

Could be!

[@marj1585]

Nice shirt!

[@GotAUkulele]

Thanks!

[@GotAUkulele]

(should be a link to it below video!)

[@faethe000]

Why do I want this? I don't even like sopranos.

[@GotAUkulele]

I actually prefer this to the Nova concert!

[@faethe000]

@@GotAUkulele I ordered one. If it's no good, I'm blaming you. LOL I'm kidding. I just finished reading your thread on reddit about personal recommendations so I figured I'd tease you. At $60 you can't really go wrong. If I don't like it, there are plenty of local kids I could give it to who'd love it.

[@GotAUkulele]

@@faethe000 ha ha! I think they are a lot of fun. Play mine a lot!

[@ian1969uk]

How on earth would you restring that without the side soundhole?!

[@ian1969uk]

Or is it not a string through bridge?

[@GotAUkulele]

No it’s not. Works like a slot bridge. Just tie a knot and put in the hole

[@ian1969uk]

@@GotAUkulele ah right, assumed it was like a Romero or Snail :)

[@GotAUkulele]

Caught me out when I first saw it!

[@johnermactavish1162]

Christ that sounds so nice. I have a Kala I’m happy with but I want to give it to my nephew to learn and was looking for something. Well just different and this form factor jet black design and carbon plastic body fit that to a T.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep - nice idea for a gift for a new starter - pretty indestructible too!