This is the UTM-C, a Baton Rouge concert ukulele, with a solid spruce top and solid flamed maple back and sides. They key things here are a) it’s made from solid wood, not laminate, and b) it’s less than the price many laminate models.

This one, the UTM-C, has a solid spruce top and solid flamed maple back and sides. It’s part of the rECOtimber range from Baton Rouge, an extensive series of soprano, concert and tenor ukes with different wood combinations. The name comes from the fact the timber used has been sourced in sustainable European forests, and then treated with heat to make it suitable for use in instrument making.

All of this large range (all of which get their own descriptions here - making me wonder why I didn’t follow the crowd and just copy and paste the specs from the manufacturer!), have a comfort edge, Aquila strings, geared tuners and a strap button fitted as standard. There’s an abalone soundhole decoration too, so while the price is at the budget end of the spectrum, the same is not true of the level of decoration and specification, which is also often only seen on more expensive ukes.

The tone is initially bright and punchy, with plenty of volume, but after than immediate sparkly punch, there’s a good amount of richness as the sound of your strum ebbs away. This uke, which has a standard 35mm nut, is fairly average in terms of sustain, but I think much of that is down to the strings. A switch to fluorocarbon definitely increases the lenght of time your notes ring out for. Still, at this price, with this specification, you can perhaps afford to experiment to get the perfect string combination for your ears, further down the line.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, there’s a selection of easy-to-add extras, like low G fitting and bags and cases.