It has been the biggest surprise that many people have found love with the Enya Concert Travel Ukulele a.k.a. the Nova U, a carbon fiber ukulele.
For one, where many travel ukulele are soprano, Enya released a travel ukulele available in numerous colors but also, extra swag, gig bag and a marketing campaign which has many of the top ukulele YouTubers showcasing it on their channel.
Now, as one who is learning to play ukulele, the idea of a travel concert ukulele is quite exciting.
So, let’s begin with talking about Enya, the first thing one may see is the logo and its similarities to the singer enya. The type-face is totally different and there is no relation to the singer.
Enya is based in China and while many ukulele’s from major brands are made in China, and known as Enya music, unlike other Chinese brands, this company is about quality, affordability and also making sure those who are wanting to learn the ukulele, you get treated with a lot of cool swag and a gig bag but most importantly, the company is known for listening to its customers and improving their product.
The company includes with the travel uke and gig bag, a strap, a capo and backup fluorocarbon strings. A tuner is not included.
And I know some people may look at the front and think this ukulele will be difficult to tune because of the Enya logo on the front. But this is not the case, because there is a sound hole, but it’s located on the side of the body.
The version I got was black is made of 30% carbon fiber & polycarbonate.
The finish is Satin but I will have to say, and it’s something I expected before I ordered this (that’s why I went back and forth of going black or white), but I love black too much and it’s a travel guitar, I expect to get fingerprints on this travel uke.
The size is 23″ concert, which is the next step up in size after a soprano and before a tenor. The strings are Enya Fluorocarbon.
I absolutely love the gold tuners on black. Oh, and it’s important to emphasize that these tuners kept their tune and probably had to adjust the tuners every half hour or so, as opposed to several minutes like some inexpensive ukes from China.
One thing you’ll notice with those playing black Enya Concert Travel Ukulele Nova U – 23’’ Carbon Fiber are the fingerprints. So, if you can’t stand to see fingerprints, black may not be for you.
And as I was playing the Enya Concert Travel Ukulele Nova U – 23’’ Carbon Fiber, I was impressed with it. Not just with the sound, how it retained its tuned sound, but also overall presentation from Enya and what it comes with.
It’s actually quite awesome and while the sound is different from a wooden ukulele, not by a whole lot. The Nova U sounds absolutely awesome!
In fact, you can see a few cool YouTubers performing with it:
It’s important to note that Enya also offers a pickup, a DOUBLE AcousticPlus which is about double the price for those who want an electric version of this travel concert ukulele.
Note: An Enya Concert Ukulele Nova U is under $90 US.
So, for the most part, this is an awesome travel uke! I absolutely love it!
But there would be a few things that would have made it perfect…
Colored Frets – The Nova U needs colored frets, not all black. You can feel it, but you can’t really see them unless you are in the light.
Fret Dots – For beginners, having fret dots on the side for beginners. Great to see Fret Markers on the Fret Board, but this would be popular for schools because the uke is durable, but if it had the fret dots, I can see these being purchased by music teachers for their classes.
Tuner – Enya offers a tuner for many of their products, but not the Nova U. In fact, I think the set would benefit with the tuner more than the capo itself.
But overall, this is an fantastic travel concert ukulele from Enya. If you are in the market for a travel ukulele or a uke to keep in the car or to play at home, definitely give the Enya Concert Ukulele Nova U 23’’ Carbon Fiber Travel Ukulele a try!
