This is the Pono UL4-3, a steel string baritone ukulele with a slightly larger body and longer scale than a regular baritone uke (21.4 inch scale). Pono’s steel string baritone models have been around for a few years and I’m a big fan, with their larger bodies giving great richness and warmth, and the steel strings (tuned DGBE) giving a guitar-like zing and fantastic sustain.

The UL4-3 is the all solid mango model in this range, with sweet trebles and a complex, darker tone than the others in this series. It’s got great volume, rings out forever (OK, not forever, but for a long time!) and plays really nicely too. If there was one thing that I’d be tempted to add to my collection, it could well be one of these.

The UL4-3 has a lovely pattern to the mango, which really shines out under the gloss finish. It is really well made, with a truly excellent level of fit and finish, with Grover tuners and a slightly radiussed fretboard which makes it really lovely to play. Top drawer stuff this, from Pono.

For common accessories and customisations (like strap buttons)scroll down to the bottom of the page where you'll be able to add these common items to your basket. This Pono is supplied with a very good, fitted gig bag. At one point they were supplied with hard cases, but the price became too high, so Pono switched to well padded gig bags to prevent the price increasing any further.

There are two variants of this instrument on offer. Acoustic only (which is how they arrive with me) and with a Mi-Si pickup added (which is fitted here). I really think the Mi-Si is worth the extra to the point where I’ve added the Mi-Si at cost, with free fitting (so it works out £100 more). Simply as I think it’s a waste not to have it as with it, it’s an amazing beast!

Just for info, the strings on these are D’Addario light gauge (.052 to .012).