2019 Blue Frog Soprano Ukulele

April 06, 2020

2019 Blue Frog Soprano Ukulele

Mr. Vic Jones is still building his Blue Frog ukes and they keep getting better and better. I had one in for sale a few years ago from the early 2010s and I liked it a lot, but this one is excellent. It has a very classic uke tone -- sparkly and sweet but with just enough of that "horse clop" rhythmic chop to it to make it compelling. It has some good volume, too, for its size.

This appears to be a solid spruce over solid walnut back/sides build, with a mahogany neck and ebony fretboard. It's bound on all edges in cherry. In proportions it's roughly-close to a Martin Style 0, has Martin-style bracing,and handles about like one, too, though the raised fretboard and modern fret-style give it more of a boutique feel. Tuners are geared Grovers and so tuning stability/ease-of-use is a non-issue. The bridge uses "string-through" mounting and I approve of that choice as it's the most stable and puts the least stress on the instrument's top and bridge area.

Repairs included: a very light setup and that's it.

Setup notes: it plays perfectly with 1/16" action at the 12th fret and a straight neck.

Scale length: 13 1/2"

Nut width: 1 3/8"

String spacing at nut: 1 1/8"

String spacing at bridge: 1 5/8"

Body length: 9 3/8"

Lower bout width: 6 1/2"

Waist width: 4 1/4"

Upper bout width: 5 1/8"

Side depth at endpin: 2 3/8"

Top wood: solid spruce