I recently purchased the Sound Smith concert banjolele, and I'm super-impressed--such a big, banjo sound from such a small instrument! I've purchased multiple instruments from Shannon, and I've never been disappointed.

A great instrument with real character at a great price. Even with the import duties into the UK it was still hugely competitive to buying anything similar in the UK and the service was great. The finish is perfect and, just as with my Resonator and electric blues ukes from Shannon & her team, everyone who sees it comments on how great it looks. . . even those uke sceptics who think my habits odd or out of control. A brilliant little thing.

After owning the steel string guitalele for a month or two, I wanted to share my thoughts with anyone who is considering one. GO AHEAD AND GET IT! I've brought it with me to jams around my area and it serves as a bit of a show stopper. The spruce top and the tuning gives it a unique sound and the six strings translate to guitar fingering. The contruction is solid, the action is great, and it comes with strap buttons already installed. It's become a go-to tool as I figure out chording on new songs because it's so handy. The only down side has been finding a sturdy case, but I eventually found one for a baritone uke. Love my guitalele

I’m no ukulele player but I’ve played the guitar for going on 12 years now. A year or so ago I built a partscaster and during that time I got really interested in tone woods and pattens different exotic woods put out. I’ve also been training under a friend, whose a luthier, so I can hopefully one day follow in his footsteps. With that being said, I learned a lot about what looks and sounds good. I must say, sound smith did an extraordinary job on this instrument. The spalted maple used on the back and sides is so beautiful. The grain pattern is just exquisite. Also love the unique choice of the black walnut fretboard and bridge. Probably my favorite thing about this instrument that drew me to it and makes it unique in comparison to other ukuleles on the market that I’ve seen. Is it has an arched back on it. Super cool design and I also feel that it helps the Ukulele project more sound from itself. As I said before I’m no ukulele player, so I don’t have much experience with ukuleles. However, I can tell you from comparing it to my girlfriends Ukulele, this Uk sounds wayyyyy better, hands down. I was also super impressed with the case that comes with this thing. Like.. no expenses were spared, it’s top notch. The pictures, portray the case as like a typical gig bag, however this thing is pretty heavy duty for a gig bag. It has like a hard shell in side the lining of the case and also is lined with a beautiful blue velvet. Then lastly, I can’t end this review without giving the owner a round of applause for her customer service! This was my first time buying from sound smith, never met the owner prior. But she was really awesome to deal with, honestly I have NEVER witnessed such great customer service skills before. So, Thank you, sound smith for the awesome instrument!! And I hope I can find a reason to order from you again!

this is a beautiful instrument with even more beautiful sound. It has a wonderful warm tone and a long sustain. Can’t go wrong with this uke, and Shannon is wonderful to work with.

I just received the SoundSmith Chromatic Harmonica. With a light blow, produces a beautiful sound. I am totally blown away with the low price for such a wonderful harmonica.

I just received my second purchase from Sound Smith - a spalted maple tenor ukulele. I love it already. Now I just can't decide which of my ukuleles to play. Thank you for your wonderful product and great customer service.

All I can say is the Sound Smith “Poet” acoustic guitar, that I just received, shows simple elegance, high quality build and wonderful sound and it feels so good while playing...and it is beautiful to look at, too...

My M 26 Tenor uke arrived in 3 days and was beautiful right out of the box. It arrived in tune sounding and looking beautiful! It was much better than I thought it would be.

After eyeing up a few Sound Smith ukuleles, I jumped at purchasing a tenor sapele on sale while visiting my son in Bend. Literally twenty minutes later, I was picking it up at the Sound Smith home store where Shannon passed it out the door to me! Amazing, huh? It's a truly lovely instrument, and a wonderful value. Sweeter sound and tone than I could have hoped for. Thank you so much, Shannon! My son and his partner immediately put one on their Christmas lists. Look for another order during the holidays to get our family band started. Love the simple styling in a matte finish. Perfect. :)

After months of procrastination, I finally gave in and bought the banjolele I had my eye on. I am sorry I waited so long. Shannon was very easy to work with and shipping was fast. My banjolele just delivered today and after a short tuneup, Inwas playing and enjoying it. Great quality and workmanship, I am impressed with my instrument and can see many years of enjoyment in my future.

Very pleased with my purchase of the spruce top tenor resonator. It has pride of place amongst my collection. It was worth the hassle of getting it exported to England, although import taxes were a bit of a blow, and the inefficient British delivery company were a pain to deal with. Barry Maz's review was spot-on, as usual. Great sound and well set up. Loud but not too 'tinny'. Impressive case. No visual defects. I may be nit-picking, but I found the fret ends a little sharp (a fault I can rectify myself, quite easily) I would happily buy from this company again, I like the 'family run business' ethos. It's just a pity they don't have a shop over here!

I received my Resonator a few days ago and love it. Here are 5 reasons to consider Sound Smith. First, Shannon was quick to respond to any questions I had. Second, the uke is really nice-looking including the walnut fretboard and body. Third, the uke has a great resonator tone which (in my opinion) is much better than other similar resonators in this price range. Fourth, the price is excellent for the quality you are getting (including a great hardshell case). Finally, delivery was flawless as it came exactly when scheduled. Well done Sound Smith!

If a uke looks good it's gonna be easier to play good - is that the saying. I researched long and hard for the best looking and best sounding tenor uke with a resonator and all the reviews pointed to Sound Smith. Buying direct and from overseas wasn't something I normally do but there was no other way of buying this uke via one of the ugly corporates which kind of amplified why it looked like the right choice. Dealing with Shannon just confirmed a values match that promised a lot for the quality of the uke - she couldn't have been more accommodating, positive or reasonable as shipping to overseas isn't easy or cheap for a small company either. Even after getting stung by UK customs it was still more than worth it. Even with an inflated import bill the overall cost was competitive with the nearest equivalent you can buy online or in a UK shop (maybe eventually about £30-40 more but worth it). And the inflated tax bill was because it looks so good the Custom's people thought it must be worth far more than I was paying! You won't buy one of these regularly so you want it to sound and look great. Buying from a small company that takes care and pride in what it sells shows through. The reality is even better than the good reviews. The finish on the uke is great with no obvious rough frets or edges. I really like the lined edging - a jazzy style that suits the resonator uke but timeless. There's a lovely feel to the wood which you think will age well - not overly polished and authentic looking. The strap fits nicely and in brown looks like it was made to go with the uke - like a waistcoat and a suit. The hard case it comes with is a snug fit at the top but light and clearly strong - excellent for the tube trips to Ukulele Wednesday jams around London. Then the sound - really nice. Loud but not too loud to take to a jam. A bit like a banjo but less tinny - the richness of the wood somehow giving it a depth. The chords ring on from the resonator but there is no jarr...

Great above entry level ukulele. fine workmanship, beautiful colour and a treat to play.We have a few ukuleles kicking around and I have to say this is the most (honest ) one we have. The bridge is compensated for the maximum best intonation. Sound amazing, even in the higher frets. I wish some of the mainstream manufactures would try this. Some of us have ears!. Thanks Shannon and your support staff for setting up this beauty for us Tim C

beautifully crafted instrument, a real head turner that audibly stands out with a group of ukuleles. very unique sound, ( still getting used to it). comes with what looks like a violin case that won't compress if someone hits it. love it. you do have to adapt playing style a bit. tiny bit narrow on nut end. but the sound is worth it. now for the important part. Shannon and sound smith, bent over backwards to accommodate me. I was being given the run around by a large shopping ordering company.. Please check out their products, Im sure they have something that you would like. T Caston, from Canada. Many, many thanks

First off, WOW! What a beautiful instrument! That was my initial reaction when I first opened my box to reveal what is and will continue to be a very cherished instrument! Then I tuned it up and took the first strum and fell i n love with the sound. I must say, i am not a fan of the twang of a high g string, all of my other ukes, I have a low G installed on, but with the banjolele, it sounds perfect. Shannon was such an amazing person to deal with from my very first question to my last...and there were many!, to my final purchase of this sound making sensation! Such an awesome company to deal with and amazing people behind the lines to make this purchase a joy. I only wish I had know then, that they carry such beautiful straps for ukes! Now I must order one now, would much rather of had it all at once, but oh well. Now I am looking at the brass resonator uke to add to my collection. I wish they made a uke rack to hold many ukes! I may buy even more! LOL. Thank you Sound Smith for great customer care! I want to see if my local shop will become a dealer of your products.

SoundSmith: What great service your company gives! I have to say that this is one of the absolute best experiences ever. Quick response to questions, quick order processing, delivery updates. You did it all. My new SSU-RM resonator uke arrived in Chicago yesterday afternoon just before the worst of the polar vortex. I let it warm up before opening the box and then started to acquaint myself with my new instrument. Some comments: Set up: Great! Finish: Great! Construction: Great! Sound: Amazing! On the last point I have to say that I'm not a big fan of Aquila strings. I find them to be too stiff and give a correspondingly "harsh" sound. I took them off this morning and put on a set of Oasis low-G fluorocarbon strings and the instrument opened up immediately. I can only imagine what it will sound like after 6-12 months of playing. Strings are a very subjective thing depending on what sound you want to project. For me, I like the warmer tone of a good set of fluorocarbons. I'm sure Aquila struck a deal with your supplier (as they have with most makers!) but on your website you may want to offer alternatives with some description of the differences in tone. You might even want to offer a branded set through your store. On the instrument itself, I play in a Americana/roots/folk band. I'm a real ukulele enthusiast and like playing my uke as much as possible but frankly the smaller sound of a traditional uke often gets drowned out by the other instruments. I have been playing and old 1950 Martin and a 1930s Regal resonator tenor guitar tuned GCEA which cuts through the noise, but I'm looking forward to being able to play my new resonator ukulele especially on tunes that require a heavy "chop" that I can't get on my tenor guitar. I'm sure that the SSU-RM will sound amazing! All in all, I'm very satisfied. I'll write back in 6-12 months to let you know how it's opened up. Congratulations on a job well done!

I have just become the proud owner of a SoundSmith resonator uke. I’d seen it glowingly reviewed on a UK website and it seemed to stand apart from anything in its price range or somewhat higher, so l took the plunge and, for the first time, bought an instrument online. Shannon could not have been more helpful and cut me a sweet deal to mitigate the pain of shipping costs, customs duty and VAT. It arrived promptly, well packed, complete with rigid gigbag and some beginner aids. It is beautifully finished ( with side fret markers, which earlier models lacked apparently - duh) and sounds great, with that classic metallic resonator honk. Volume is fantastic. Oh, first thing out of the packaging was a cool baseball cap. Yay!