Ortega RU5-TE

Cautionary note for any reader of this review: although quite a few guitars have passed through my hands in recent years, this is both my first ukulele and my first experience of the Ortega company. Having said that, I did a fair amount of online research about recommendable budget ukes before ordering one, and based on what I read, the Ortega range certainly didn't disgrace itself.

Initial impressions are very good. I'd tried a soprano uke and found it too fiddly, so went with a tenor model. No regrets on that front: there's sufficient room to move for fingering to seem straightforward for anyone with any experience of playing guitar. Moreover, this uke is both attractively presented and pretty well made: the binding is tidy, the intonation remains reasonably good all the way up the neck and the tuners, though they look fairly basic, do the business perfectly well. The only minor reservation concerns some sharp fret ends, but this issue isn't serious enough to compromise playability, so I'll wait so see if a bit of fretboard conditioning when I change strings sorts it out before I consider taking a file to them.

The strings supplied with the uke are also of pleasing quality (Ortega-branded Aquila nylgut), though the thinnest ones go on stretching for about a week, however carefully you try to play them in to begin with!

Overall, then, very warmly recommended. As usual, the service from Thomann was exemplary.

I have owned a total of 3 ukuleles. My first was a Soprano from Jack and Danny, the second was the Fender Mino-Aka Concert size and finally I purchased this Tenor Ortega RU5.
Out of these 3 Ukulele's the Ortega is my personal favorite.
I prefer the Tenor size to the soprano and concert because it looks more like a serious instrument where as the soprano sort of looks like a toy.
The detail on this product is beautiful, from the laser engraved pattern on the face of the ukulele to the subtle edging all around the outside, it looks fantastic.
It also sounds great, when plucking the strings there's a little bit of a more harsh "pluck" but I think that's down to the bigger thicker strings and I quickly got used to this style.
The tenor is definitely a little trickier to play when it comes to solos/spread out chords as you have to reach a little further on the larger fret board so if you're a beginner maybe start of with the smaller sized soprano.

Over all this product looks and sounds great and I would recommend it.