Distressed finishes: getting out of hand?

[BigJackBrass]

Every now and then I browse the Southern Ukulele Store website to see what's new in their range of soprano. Today it was this laminate model from Flight, the "DUS330 Spruce/Zebrawood Soprano Ukulele - RELIC FINISH".

Here's their photo of the back of the instrument:



Is it just me or does it look as if this poor uke got into an argument with a belt sander? The front is OK, mostly looking grubby more than anything , and it has the disappointingly common guitar-style tuners, but the back looks absurd.

Sure, Flight is doing this for perfectly valid commercial reasons, not entirely distant from painting a ukulele pink or staining mahogany dark brown, yet there seems to be a level of clumsy artifice about these distressed finishes that seems silly. Most of the negative comments I've heard about Martin's Streetmaster tenor have been concerned with its seemingly random artificial wear patches. While some people like the fact that it sort of takes the pressure off and makes new scratches and dings less painful to see, others see it as a form of musician cosplay.

My "step up" UKE was an Ohana SK-38 which had what they called a reliced finish—a word I am apparently incapable of reading as other than re-liced—which was a slightly uneven dark stain. I quite liked it, but it was hardly necessary and it did make me conscious of a degree of fakery about the instrument. These heavily distressed finishes though… Ah, maybe I'm just whingeing for no reason. Do they make the difference to you when it comes to buying a particular instrument?

 

[Larry U]

That’s ridiculous. I’m not a fan of reliced/distressed look, be it musical instruments or furniture. If it comes by it honestly, through age and use, fine, but don’t take a sander to a uke or beat a cabinet with chains and try to convince me that it’s visually appealing.

 

[Pirate Jim]

I generally don't mind a distressed finished, with lice or not, in particular on a Fender Tele or Strat. The back of that Flight is just utterly bizarre, though. Why would wear and tear cause different wood grains to show through, in different directions? Unless the idea is that the wear has been so heavy as to actually wear through the laminate? Do they think their soprano players have such heavy stubble on their bellies that they're sanding through laminate? Not for me, that one.

Just had a look at the top. Doesn't look worn, looks grubby.

 

[anthonyg]

Don't over think it. It's just been a fashion trend in Guitars that earns them big bucks$$.
Why not give it a go in ukuleles?
I agree that its ridiculous though.

 

[Ukecaster]

The first aged or distressed ukes I remember were the Ohana 38 series, whose finishes were rather dull, looking aged. Nothing like this garish mess on laminate. Yuck.

 

[gustophersmob]

Nope, that's just awful.

I personally don't care for distressed finished, but to each their own. That, however, is a monstrosity.

 

[kkimura]

That uke finish is truly distressing.

 

[badhabits]

Looks like garbage...on a laminate?? Lol. Guess that's what the youtubers and tiktokers want tho.

 

[BigJackBrass]

I think @bazmaz would blow a gasket if he reviewed that…

 

[Patty]

Reminds me of “distressed” jeans, with the fake rips and tears that have been artificially frayed about the edges. An insult to genuinely aged and long-loved jeans, which have earned their wounds.

 

[ukudancer]

I think it looks fine. I can name a bunch of ukuleles that are less palatable to my tastes than that.

 

[UkeOkay]

Whatever SUS wants to sell is their business, literally — just as long as this monstrosity doesn’t show up on Alex’s Top 10 Ukuleles of 2023 YouTube video.

 

[Jerryc41]

Every now and then I browse the Southern Ukulele Store website to see what's new in their range of soprano. Today it was this laminate model from Flight, the "DUS330 Spruce/Zebrawood Soprano Ukulele - RELIC FINISH".

Here's their photo of the back of the instrument:

View attachment 149551

Is it just me or does it look as if this poor uke got into an argument with a belt sander? The front is OK, mostly looking grubby more than anything , and it has the disappointingly common guitar-style tuners, but the back looks absurd.

Sure, Flight is doing this for perfectly valid commercial reasons, not entirely distant from painting a ukulele pink or staining mahogany dark brown, yet there seems to be a level of clumsy artifice about these distressed finishes that seems silly. Most of the negative comments I've heard about Martin's Streetmaster tenor have been concerned with its seemingly random artificial wear patches. While some people like the fact that it sort of takes the pressure off and makes new scratches and dings less painful to see, others see it as a form of musician cosplay.

My "step up" UKE was an Ohana SK-38 which had what they called a reliced finish—a word I am apparently incapable of reading as other than re-liced—which was a slightly uneven dark stain. I quite liked it, but it was hardly necessary and it did make me conscious of a degree of fakery about the instrument. These heavily distressed finishes though… Ah, maybe I'm just whingeing for no reason. Do they make the difference to you when it comes to buying a particular instrument?

That is definitely an odd look. I suspect it will be a hard sale.

 

[Voran]

I rather like it, it's so extreme that it works.

 

[ploverwing]

It's a gimmick. It doesn't improve the sound or playability. If it makes someone buy it who otherwise wouldn't be interested in buying a ukulele, or someone who collects "different" or "fashionable" for the sake of it, sale made.

Yeah, I think it's unnecessary and personally think it's ridiculous, but then I'm all about the natural gorgeousness of wood (take, for example, a cocobolo tenor, an amazing black myrtle tenor, a pretty curly koa concert, the walnut on this spruce/walnut soprano - our Marketplace is such a drool-central stop for amazing looking ukes!). Mother nature does some glorious work, and luthiers that can capture that grain this gorgeously, that's what I'm after - especially with a great sounding, great playing instrument.

 

[rustydusty]

In the hot rod circles, there are builders who do fake “patina” to make their cars look like they were built decades ago. It never seems to look right because the wear patterns don’t seem to be in the right areas. This uke has the same issue, as I’ve never seen a stringed instrument wear that way…
I try to keep my instruments as pristine as I can!

 

[EDW]

That looks fake and ugly......if only there was a word for that,

In the name of science, I would like to research what a uke would look like with normal wear from heavy playing. If someone would send me a Ken Timms, I will be happy to distress it for you and return it when done.

 

[TimWilson]

I think @bazmaz would blow a gasket if he reviewed that…

He reviewed somebody else's faux distressed look fairly recently, and he was indeed not amused. What especially bothered him was that the random encounters with a sander didn't have anything to do with where the wear would actually occur, which would at least have made some kind of sense.

Faux patina of age, I'm all for, especially as my own aging lacks anything resembling a patina. But that "here a little, there a little" approach to faking wear and tear is, as @kkimura notes, distressing in itself.

 

[DJ Mango]

From SUS Description :
"The key thing though is that the aging extends to the neck and the uke feels 'lived in'. It's fun to look at and even more fun to play..."

I think the front looks good ; why couldn't they just carry that finish all over .

From Flight Music :
https://flightmusic.com/product/flight-dus330-relic/

Made of distressed laminate spruce and laminate zebrawood, the Flight DUS330 Relic is a very unique ukulele. Many players tell us that an instrument that looks like it’s been through a tornado, a fire, and gigged a few thousand times is the most beautiful thing they have ever seen. Is it the promise of a broken-in feel, maybe that every ding and scratch tells a tale, or the romantic memory of the instruments our idols played? The answer – is all of those. And while we can’t replicate the history of an instrument, we present you with the first ever “distressed” ukulele (we checked).. It has that “broken-in feel” and will remind you of some of the most memorable moments in history. A unique “distressed” look gives the Flight DUS330 Relic a cool vintage vibe. We wanted it to feel just like an old friend, with whom you’ve been through a lot.

 

[don_b]

Every now and then I browse the Southern Ukulele Store website to see what's new in their range of soprano. Today it was this laminate model from Flight, the "DUS330 Spruce/Zebrawood Soprano Ukulele - RELIC FINISH".

Here's their photo of the back of the instrument:

View attachment 149551

Is it just me or does it look as if this poor uke got into an argument with a belt sander? The front is OK, mostly looking grubby more than anything , and it has the disappointingly common guitar-style tuners, but the back looks absurd.

Sure, Flight is doing this for perfectly valid commercial reasons, not entirely distant from painting a ukulele pink or staining mahogany dark brown, yet there seems to be a level of clumsy artifice about these distressed finishes that seems silly. Most of the negative comments I've heard about Martin's Streetmaster tenor have been concerned with its seemingly random artificial wear patches. While some people like the fact that it sort of takes the pressure off and makes new scratches and dings less painful to see, others see it as a form of musician cosplay.

My "step up" UKE was an Ohana SK-38 which had what they called a reliced finish—a word I am apparently incapable of reading as other than re-liced—which was a slightly uneven dark stain. I quite liked it, but it was hardly necessary and it did make me conscious of a degree of fakery about the instrument. These heavily distressed finishes though… Ah, maybe I'm just whingeing for no reason. Do they make the difference to you when it comes to buying a particular instrument?

I’ll be honest my first reaction to that pic is it looks crappy and fake