Review of new Bruce Wei Custom

[Steve Rodgers]

I found Bruce Wei originally on Ebay, where I bought several of his ukuleles. Now, I see him on Etsy. There they appear to be finer instruments and not ones that get bid on. The one that I kept has seemed to sound better over time, and recently I started playing it more.

I found Bruce Wei originally on Ebay, where I bought several of his ukuleles. Now, I see him on Etsy. There they appear to be finer instruments and not ones that get bid on. The one that I kept has seemed to sound better over time, and recently I started playing it more.

If you’re interested I stated a group on FB, hoping to get people to join so we can discuss our likes, dislikes, concerns, experiences with our Bruce Wei instruments.

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[Steve Rodgers]

I found Bruce Wei originally on Ebay, where I bought several of his ukuleles. Now, I see him on Etsy. There they appear to be finer instruments and not ones that get bid on. The one that I kept has seemed to sound better over time, and recently I started playing it more.

A response from KohanMike on a different thread.
“There's a big difference between Bruce's custom made and the ready made old ones sold through his eBay store, in some cases those were made by other builders that Bruce allowed to sell from his store. He told me a few years ago that he stopped doing that because it gave him a bad reputation. I've had a number of his customs over the last eight years and all have been made very well.”

 

[KohanMike]

Update on that custom bass uke from Bruce after I saw that Rondo had their Hadean violin Hofner style on sale for $199. I realized that even with mods that I'll have done, it will be a lot less costly, like instead of about $1400, it will be about $600. So I went for it. Brought it over to Eric's Guitar, Van Nuys, CA (in Sound City) to do the mods, replacing the floating bridge with a fully adjustable fixed metal piezo bridge and an on/off slide switch for the battery, then will take it to Pat Wilkins to do the teal top paint. To make it look different from the Hadean violin sunburst I already have, I removed the pickguard and tailpiece, and will add a fake round sound hole. Will also use Kala/Galli flat wounds.

 

[bbkobabe]

Those BruceWeiArts ukuleles on eBay just keep going 'round and 'round, as Chuck Berry would say... they seem to put them on very short auction cycles so that they constantly appear on either the JUST POSTED or ENDING SOON lists...

The 8 or so currently posted have been on there all summer long... If you've ever wanted a ukulele with an inlay of a bikini girl holding a surfboard, this is your chance!

But here is why it pays to keep watching: Every so often they post something - with no reserve - that sells really cheap: There was a concert posted about 2 months ago that sold for under $200...still regretting missing that one... and I got my travel tenor for $340* last summer. They just seem to get tired of certain ukes and sell them cheap so they don't have to look at them anymore!

My BWA is really a bit magical, actually... See my review for details...

And here's a thought: Lot's of us don't do facebook... maybe we start a BWA appreciation thread right here on UU?

* Add about $100 for shipping and international customs charges... My $340 purchase price totaled $444 for me... buyer beware!

 

[KohanMike]

...And here's a thought: Lot's of us don't do facebook... maybe we start a BWA appreciation thread right here on UU?...

I actually stopped going to the Facebook group UBass Freaks because I just couldn't take the cumbersome Facebook interface anymore. A real forum like this or Talk Bass is so much better. Next; seems that these various threads about Bruce Wei suffice pretty well.

 

[rhiggie]

Here is the link to Steve's Bruce Wei Facebook page and a link to Bruce Wei's own Facebook page.
Steve's page

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Bruce's page

Bruce Wei

Bruce Wei is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Bruce Wei and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected.

www.facebook.com

Thanks for these links, I couldn't figure out how to "Follow" Bruce's Facebook page. Does he not allow that?

 

[Steve Rodgers]

Thanks for these links, I couldn't figure out how to "Follow" Bruce's Facebook page. Does he not allow that?

This is the first I’ve heard of a problem following Bruce’s FB. I friend requested, maybe that’s what you need to do. Sometimes the “following” setting is shut off and they don’t know it.

 

[bbkobabe]

I found Bruce Wei originally on Ebay, where I bought several of his ukuleles. Now, I see him on Etsy. There they appear to be finer instruments and not ones that get bid on. The one that I kept has seemed to sound better over time, and recently I started playing it more.

I also watch his auctions on eBay... Some of those fancy ones just keep getting re-posted over and over... those are probably the ones that end up on etsy...

Once in a while he posts something slow moving with no minimum bid on eBay and they can be really cheap... don't forget to add about $95 for shipping and customs charges.

My BWA thin body tenor developed in few cracks in the face... literally on the day I bought it! Opened the box after work, cracks in the face the next morning, 12 hours later.

Hmmmm... If I do buy another one, I will un-box it and then put it into a solid case with a humidifier for a few weeks and then take it out and slowly acclimate it.

By the way: I did email BWA about these cracks. They offered to fix it if I paid 2 way postage... I opted to keep it. It plays fine and the cracks stopped running right away and have stabilized since then. But it's a bit of a disappointment: I wasn't going to pay that much to ship what is just a $350 ukulele back and forth to Asia, and it's resale value isn't that high anyway... so it's a keeper now I suppose.

 

[Steve Rodgers]

I also watch his auctions on eBay... Some of those fancy ones just keep getting re-posted over and over... those are probably the ones that end up on etsy...

Once in a while he posts something slow moving with no minimum bid on eBay and they can be really cheap... don't forget to add about $95 for shipping and customs charges.

My BWA thin body tenor developed in few cracks in the face... literally on the day I bought it! Opened the box after work, cracks in the face the next morning, 12 hours later.

Hmmmm... If I do buy another one, I will un-box it and then put it into a solid case with a humidifier for a few weeks and then take it out and slowly acclimate it.

By the way: I did email BWA about these cracks. They offered to fix it if I paid 2 way postage... I opted to keep it. It plays fine and the cracks stopped running right away and have stabilized since then. But it's a bit of a disappointment: I wasn't going to pay that much to ship what is just a $350 ukulele back and forth to Asia, and it's resale value isn't that high anyway... so it's a keeper now I suppose.

I’ve got two custom Tenors, no problems and they just continue to sound better. I’m in the Seattle area so no real humidity issues, nearly always between 45-55. But if it drops below 45 I put a humidifier in the case.

 

[bbkobabe]

I’ve got two custom Tenors, no problems and they just continue to sound better. I’m in the Seattle area so no real humidity issues, nearly always between 45-55. But if it drops below 45 I put a humidifier in the case.

Good advice... I live on the west coast too, and it never gets super dry here... 60% right now... so never in my mind did I imagine leaving it out over night would lead to this cracking!

But it does say right on the paper that came with it to humidify... and I didn't. SO I guess it was my fault this happened by those standards. Overall I thought it was generous of them to offer to fix it, and that they displayed some real integrity by doing that.

But seriously? Twelve hours out of the box was all it took to have cracks open up? That seems odd to me still...

 

[Steve Rodgers]

Good advice... I live on the west coast too, and it never gets super dry here... 60% right now... so never in my mind did I imagine leaving it out over night would lead to this cracking!

But it does say right on the paper that came with it to humidify... and I didn't. SO I guess it was my fault this happened by those standards. Overall I thought it was generous of them to offer to fix it, and that they displayed some real integrity by doing that.

But seriously? Twelve hours out of the box was all it took to have cracks open up? That seems odd to me still...

I’d have to say that’s an issue. Was it one of his custom ones? I’ve heard there were issues with some older ones that he allowed to be sold under his name. I also understand he doesn’t allow that anymore because of those issues. What kind of wood cracked?

 

[Steve Rodgers]

I’d have to say that’s an issue. Was it one of his custom ones? I’ve heard there were issues with some older ones that he allowed to be sold under his name. I also understand he doesn’t allow that anymore because of those issues. What kind of wood cracked?

I’ve often wondered about the shipping. “Does it affect them in freezing temp at 5 miles up???”

 

[bbkobabe]

Good questions!

Was it one of his custom ones?

The one that cracked is an odd one. There are no identifying features. It's a thin body tenor with those Ovation style inlays. Blank head stock. The sound ports are crooked and look like they were cut as an afterthought. I've never seen another BWA like it for sale. The ones KohanMike has had built custom most resemble this uke. The top is a thick slab of mahogany, and that's where the cracks happened.

I’ve often wondered about the shipping. “Does it affect them in freezing temp at 5 miles up???”

I've wondered about this too... there must be some temperature control in these air freight shipments. No way a ukulele would survive in the 0% humidity and subfreezing temps found in the luggage hold of a standard passenger plane. My friend tried to bring some wooden items in his checked luggage... turned bowls and figurines... and they were trashed on arrival. Every bowl was broken! No way an instrument could survive that.

My newest Bruce Wei, the 8 string, continues to delight me. It's just wonderful. It does everything I can imagine, effortlessly. It has totally transformed my sound and improved my playing. I'm in love with it! It's 8 years old and I don't know if BWA was jobbing things out back then or not. But it's wonderful in (almost*) every way.

*cheap tuners

 

[Steve Rodgers]

Good questions!

The one that cracked is an odd one. There are no identifying features. It's a thin body tenor with those Ovation style inlays. Blank head stock. The sound ports are crooked and look like they were cut as an afterthought. I've never seen another BWA like it for sale. The ones KohanMike has had built custom most resemble this uke. The top is a thick slab of mahogany, and that's where the cracks happened.

I've wondered about this too... there must be some temperature control in these air freight shipments. No way a ukulele would survive in the 0% humidity and subfreezing temps found in the luggage hold of a standard passenger plane. My friend tried to bring some wooden items in his checked luggage... turned bowls and figurines... and they were trashed on arrival. Every bowl was broken! No way an instrument could survive that.

My newest Bruce Wei, the 8 string, continues to delight me. It's just wonderful. It does everything I can imagine, effortlessly. It has totally transformed my sound and improved my playing. I'm in love with it! It's 8 years old and I don't know if BWA was jobbing things out back then or not. But it's wonderful in (almost*) every way.

*cheap tunersView attachment 151669View attachment 151670

Beautiful!! I like it! Since mine were custom I was able to pick what I wanted. So the tuners are very nice. I’m thinking you must’ve gotten one of those off ones that had problems under his name unfortunately. That can kill a builder.
I have a FB Bruce Wei owners page; granted not many have joined yet, but of those that have joined and through the people they know overall the instruments appear good. I took mine down, along with my Cordoba, to have the set up lowered. The Luthier was really impressed by them, so hopefully I’ll continue to have good luck. He’s a very respected guitar builder, Thayer Guitars, so I think if he saw anything he would have pointed it out. Anyway, good luck with yours!

 

[bbkobabe]

Beautiful!! I like it! Since mine were custom I was able to pick what I wanted. So the tuners are very nice. I’m thinking you must’ve gotten one of those off ones that had problems under his name unfortunately. That can kill a builder.
I have a FB Bruce Wei owners page; granted not many have joined yet, but of those that have joined and through the people they know overall the instruments appear good. I took mine down, along with my Cordoba, to have the set up lowered. The Luthier was really impressed by them, so hopefully I’ll continue to have good luck. He’s a very respected guitar builder, Thayer Guitars, so I think if he saw anything he would have pointed it out. Anyway, good luck with yours!

I actually own three... any interest in a BWA scepter shaped sopranino with a Hawaii islands sound hole arrangement? Cheap!

 

[Steve Rodgers]

I actually own three... any interest in a BWA scepter shaped sopranino with a Hawaii islands sound hole arrangement? Cheap!

I’m saving for another custom, I have a design in mind. Thanks though.