You probably saw it last year in the endless press spots of Grace VanDerWaal who 'apparently' is now a Fender player and for whom they are releasing a line of 'signature models'. The Venice goes to the other end of their new-ish range of ukuleles named after Californian beaches and is their entry level soprano. I couldn't have personally lived with it due to that lack of response, but it wasn't a wholly bad ukulele at all. Whilst the Montecito was somewhat on the quiet side, it was very well put together and had a pretty tone to be fair. Prior to reviewing that model, I had actually played quite a few Fender ukes and they had always completely underwhelmed me for being over built and very bland on tone. I have played similar guitars that were set up and ones that were not (just factory set up) and the difference is like night and day.That first Fender ukulele to feature was the top of their current line in the form of the Montecito Tenor, and it surprised me a little. Bottom lineвЂ¦I highly recommend this instrument, but I also recommend that you get a good set up. However, I am a musician and I have played various instruments ever since elementary school and I have a good ear. The Uke is my new instrument that I am learning now that IвЂ™m retired. With all that said, I have not compared this to any other Ukes except for a cheap one that a friend of mine had. If you want better protection, it would be wise to get a hard shell case. It is not so much for protection, but great to carry the Uke in. Also, the gig bag is very cool, with the Fender logo well displayed. The neck is nice, the frets seem to be just the right height and smooth, and it plays just fine. I LOVE the Telecaster shaped headstock and the machined tuners hold the tune very well. It comes with Aguila Nylgut strings that play well and give a bright sound. I canвЂ™t compare this to one that is dropped shipped from the factory or other store, but mine is set up just fantastic! The strings are the perfect height, the fit and finish superb, the laminated Koa wood has a gorgeous gloss finish and the abalone binding is beautiful as well. They have a great video showing just what they do to every instrument before it is shipped.

I bought mine on line from The Ukulele Site (Hawii Music Supply) and not only was it a good price, but they do their own set up! Now, these folks know UkesвЂ¦and they take about a half hour with each instrument, examining the instrument for any issues and fixing any problems. First, let me just say how important that a proper set up is. IвЂ™m a bit biased because I am a die hard Fender Freak! I have a Fender Strat Guitar, a Fender Mustang Bass, and a Fender Bantam Bassman AmpвЂ¦now this absolutely BEAUTIFUL Fender NoHea Koa Tenor Uke. ModelsДЇender HauвЂ™oli вЂ“ Tenor, laminated mahogany.ДЇender PaвЂ™ina вЂ“ Tenor, solid mahogany, electro-acoustic.

Train using a Fender ukulele for their smash hit song Hey, Soul Sister.

If youвЂ™re looking for a more reliable tenor ukulele in the same price range, take a look at Kala or Lanikai. They did only start making ukuleles in early 2009 so letвЂ™s be kind and say they are still working out a few kinks in the production process.Дespite the problems they have found there way into the hands of a number of professionals including Train and Billy Corgan.

A number of people who posted a comment on my Fender interview found problems with their ukes вЂ“ there seems to be a particular issue with the bridge. The word from the rest of the ukulele community is not so enthusiastic. Their biggest supporter (by some huge margin) is Ukulele Ray who seems to be continuously pimping them. So they caused something of a stir when they moved into ukuleles with the release of three ukuleles: PaвЂ™ina, Nohea and HauвЂ™oli. Fender are, of course, the biggest name in guitars.

Fender ukelele