A quick online search for a ukulele will offer up many results selling for around £20 (or $30) and all looking very like each other. Playability, tone and appearance of many of these instruments is often inconsistent or questionable.
We make Octopus Ukuleles to be enjoyed for a lifetime. This is due in no small part to a host of features rarely found in instruments in the Octopus’ price range.
Each ukulele comes fitted with Aquila Nylgut® strings as standard, the best in the world for intonation and tone. Aquila produces approximately 300,000 ukulele strings in their Italian factory every day – that’s enough to re-string 75,000 Octopus ukuleles!
Octopus Ukuleles (student models) come supplied with a branded carrying bag, in strong water-resistant nylon with zipper opening. A convenient way to keep your instrument safe when on the move.
Lined side walls
The side walls of the body are fully lined for stability, sound projection and high-quality appearance.
Tuning pegs
The tuning pegs are geared like a guitar meaning the strings are easier to tighten and will hold their pitch for longer.
Superior bridge
The classical guitar style bridge is accurately bonded directly to the body for excellent sound production and reliability.
Fretboard finish
Every edge and all the frets have been smoothed and finished to a standard higher than many more expensive instruments.
Why our ukuleles are better
Our instruments are designed and built to look good, feel nice to touch and play, and of course to sound great. Here are just a few reviews from some of the performers, teachers, and influencers who endorse Octopus ukuleles.
“First impressions - it comes with a really great gig bag that’s my first tick. It comes with good strings, the frets are nice and smooth, and it doesn’t feel cheap in any way - what’s not to love? I would be very happy to recommend this to any of my students.”
Al Start - ukulele performer and teacher
“Octopus ukuleles are insanely awesome, as soon as it’s out of the box it plays really well and sounds really good. One of the biggest things for me is that the frets are dressed beautifully, these ukuleles are really well built and have a great tone. I’m really happy to endorse Octopus Ukuleles.”
Todd Lorenc - ukulele performer and teacher
“Octopus ukuleles really go beyond what we’ve come to expect from a uke in this price range. The build quality and attention to detail are fantastic. If you’re on a budget or you want an educational uke for kids then you can’t really go wrong with an Octopus.”
Andy Eastwood - ukulele performer and teacher
The making of an Octopus
Scroll through the slideshow to see how state-of-the-art technology and advanced manufacturing techniques that are all employed in making our Octopus Ukuleles.
To make a fine ukulele you need a good design, a modern production line, top-grade raw materials and components. It is also crucial to have unbeatable quality control. Our rigorous QC testing procedures are second to none - it is our aim that every ukulele leaving our factory is of excellent quality.
2 of 9 A significant aspect of Octopus ukulele production is how much of the process we complete by machine. Our factory has invested heavily in researching and developing improved technologies, putting Octopus at the forefront of ukulele design and manufacture.
Cutting and shaping the wood is entirely computerised. A particularly good example is how we manufacturer the side board of our ukuleles.
Our hi-tech process allows us to create a strong and robust 2+1 layer ply side board. This added strength means that, unlike on some other ukes, there is not the need to brace the front and back of the instrument. This results in a big improvement in potential sound quality, as well as an aesthetically pleasing instrument.
Sanding and painting are also computerised processes, allowing for total consistency throughout the build.
Once painted, we dry the ukuleles in a dust-free environment - this guarantees a perfect finish on every instrument.
When the pain is dry, we use a laser cutter to remove the paint where the bridge is to be attached. The bridge is the glued 'wood to wood', creating a very strong bond. Using a laser cutter affords incredible precision to the task, so the area around the bridge is very neat and tidy.
The bridge is attached to the ukulele by an automatic gluing machine. The glue volume is always exactly the same on every instrument, and the positioning of the glue is also fixed
Before ukuleles are packing in their boxes they are pre-tuned and play tested.
This automated process ensures that strings are pre-stretched and wound onto the machine heads correctly. A new Octopus ukulele requires very little tuning when taken out of the box for the first time, setting it apart from the majority of instruments out there!
Every conceivable part of the job of manufacturing an Octopus ukulele has been carefully considered, so that the instrument that gets taken out of the box is as good as it can possibly be.
