With the popularity of carbon fiber ukulele, especially from a ukulele company that has popularized it, I wasn’t surprised if others follow suit.
And sure enough, we have the Rosen Carbon Fiber Concert Ukulele, which sells its concert ukulele for under $70! That’s $30 cheaper than its competitor.
Rosen is based in China and while many ukulele’s from major brands are made in China, Rosen is about 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.
The company includes with the travel uke and gig bag, a strap, a capo, two picks, polishing cloth and backup Rosen nylon strings, plus a tuner (which the competitor does not offer). I probably will switch out the strings, geared to my preference.
While the competitor says their carbon fiber uke is 30% carbon fiber & polycarbonate, Rosen doesn’t say what their is comprised of.
You get two sound holes on this carbon fiber uke, one in the center and another located on the side of the body.
There are no fret marks on the fretboard or on the side but it’s important to note that the competitor has it on the front. Rosen does include stickers.
And you can get this carbon fiber ukulele in a variety of colors. I chose a white concert (which is 23″ and taller than a soprano and shorter than a tenor). I like the headstock has that hole in the center.
One primary difference between the two is the scale length. Rosen is slightly shorter by .75 inches. The fretboard is much different in that it’s more standard (straight), while the competitor radiates from the nut and downward.
According to the company, the Rosen ukulele is capable of adapting to temperature of -4°F to 140°F, and humidity of 10% -90%, from the desert to Iceland, it won’t let you down. And is super lightweight with 1.2 lbs, and with 1.62 inches thickness, we refined the manufacturing detail of both the neck and fretboard, which are CNC machined with a comfortable curve.
Now, why do I love these carbon fiber ukulele? For one, they are great for travel, they can take a beating and if you are buying for kids, no need to worry if its banged on wall, dropped or if it falls off your wall hanger. It’s a sturdy uke!
I do recommend that if you buy for kids, maybe go for another color other than black as finger prints can be easily seen. Black looks cool but it shows fingerprints quite well, that’s why I went for white. As I do have carbon fiber ukulele in which fingerprints easily show.
So, with that being said, will this become my primary carbon fiber ukulele? Well, both produce a much different sound, but in someways, its a bit hard to remember as I have had the competitor for awhile and it’s the ukulele that gets a lot of play and has strings that I changed out. But there is a noticeable difference and not sure if the double soundhole for the Rosen makes things a bit different.
Overall, this is a really good travel concert ukulele from Rosen. Especially, if you are in the market for a travel ukulele or a uke to keep in the car or to play at home. There is no doubt that Enya, Flight and Luna have a strong footing in the market for durable, travel ukuleles but there is room for more.
And in this competitive market for ukulele, Rosen not only comes out swinging but also offering their carbon fiber concert ukulele for much cheaper and also a with much more extras, making the Rosen Carbon Fiber Concert 23″ Ukulele worth considering for those on a budget!
