There’s something rather striking about a black ukulele, particularly when you can still see the natural character of the wood beneath the finish. The 'Oli L1-SP-BMG-BK does this really well. The dark stain gives it a very smart, understated appearance, but the mango grain remains visible, adding texture and interest rather than leaving you with a plain black instrument (and guarding against those pesky fingerprints). The contrasting maple binding is a particularly nice touch, framing the body and giving the whole thing a really classy look.

These 'Oli ukuleles are made in Indonesia in a very well respected facility. The brand is the brainchild of Andrew Kitakis and his team at The Ukulele Site in Hawaii, and they've brought together a really impressive specification. You get a smooth C-shaped neck, a side soundport, a 37mm nut and a radiussed fretboard. There's also a shaped end to the fretboard, rope purfling and a maple soundhole rosette, all adding to the attention to detail.

The hardware is excellent too, with Gotoh UTP tuners, and the instrument comes supplied with a proper hard case. If you hear the air raid siren go off… just climb inside! The strings are fluorocarbon, with wound D and G strings alongside fluorocarbon B and E. These Uke Logic strings are excellent, giving you the warmth and richness you'd expect from the lower strings while retaining plenty of clarity and definition higher up.

And the sound? This is where the 'Oli really delivers. The all-solid mango body produces a wonderfully rich, warm voice, with plenty of depth and a lovely rounded quality to the bass notes. There's a natural sweetness to the sound, but it never becomes muddy or indistinct. Individual notes remain nicely defined, with a particularly pleasing balance across the strings and a good amount of sustain.

Mango has something of the character of koa, but with a little more warmth and a slightly softer, more relaxed quality. Strummed, this baritone has a lovely full-bodied sound, but it's equally rewarding when picked, where the notes ring out clearly and the instrument responds beautifully.

The L1-SP-BMG-BK is a seriously well-equipped baritone. It combines the warmth and character of solid mango with excellent hardware, thoughtful detailing and a finish that looks rather special. If you like your ukuleles a little more understated than the purple equivalent of this model, the black version is a very attractive alternative.

At the bottom of the page there are some added extras, which appear for every ukulele on the site - the majority of which you can ignore (hard case - you have one… gig bag, redundant… low G, it as low D and low G too), but you might want to add a strap button or two.