When it comes to ukulele, we are starting to see China developing awesome ukuleles for an inexpensive pricepoint.
And while we would love to old koa, acacia, or some expensive wooden ukulele, many beginners purchasing ukulele under $300 are purchasing HPL or some type of laminated wood-based ukulele.
And a lot of third party companies contracted by major ukulele companies that are trying to target the budget-minded consumer are having their ukulele’s made in China.
While there are Chinese guitar makers that pride themselves in selling inexpensive guitars and ukuleles for those looking for something entry level.
Sinomusic Enterprise is one of the leading supplier in bowed instruments and stringed instruments in China and many of their violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, bass, ukulele and accessories are sold under sinomusic and aiersi.
The aiersi brand is old in over 75 countries and in the US, their products are sold in Amazon.
The product I am reviewing is the Aiersi Soprano Gecko Mahogany Ukelele with Bag and sells for under $34.
Aiersi ukuleles use Aquila Supernylgut nylon strings, which many ukuleles come with.
The body features a mahogany body with a rosewood fingerboard.
I like the use of geckos around the soundhole. I like the engraved gecko and Aiersi logo on the head.
For the most part, the ukulele looks very good.
And the body, the appearance, the nylon strings, the included bag are a plus, but at under $34, you are getting a cool looking ukulele. But with that being said, does it sound good?
Let me first preface that if you are going to buy a ukulele, buy yourself a tuner or download a phone app. This is important!
Now, because these are cheaper something has got to give. I’ve tested Aiersi ukuleles and its weakness is the fact that once you tune it, after five minutes, you’re going to have to tune it again. In fact, looking at the pegs, I had to see if they were moving back. Because there is something about the GCEA…primarily the A, that loses its position quickly.
I had to go back to tuning over and over and that’s an inconvenience.
But that is all part of purchasing an inexpensive ukulele. Something’s gotta give and in this case, while featuring wonderful aesthetics, the cheaper price means cheaper head pegs to hold your nylon strings. You are going to have to tune this ukulele more often than expected.
With that being said, for the cheap price, it makes a great plucking ukulele, for one to practice. It’s also useful for those who want to learn how to change their strings or pegs out. And it will no doubt have one familiar on tuning this ukulele.
It’s important to note that Aersi is not the only company that has to be tuned numerous times, cheaper ukuleles tend to need re-tuning, some more than others. For this ukulele, more often than I would have liked. And it’s not incremental, it’s like a lot. But have a tuning device attached to the head or an app nearby.
It’s important to note that the fret marks are on the fret board but no fretboard dot markers on the side of the neck. So, beginners who depend on that, it’s important to know that the side on the neck are not included.
Overall, it’s an attractive price for the Aiersi 21 Inch soprano Gecko Ukulele Mahogany Ukelele with Bag. For the price, it’s a good looking Aersi ukulele. But sound quality wise, it’s not bad. But the tough part is that the pegs are not the best in holding the nylon strings when set to tune. You’ll find yourself re-tuning almost every five minutes and that can be a real drag.
If Aiersi can find a way to make the head pegs hold the nylon strings much better to keep in tune for a longer moment in time, that would be awesome!
