Diamond Head DU-150 Soprano Ukulele Review

Beginning ukulele players looking for a fantastic price and a decent instrument will find the Diamond Head DU-150 Soprano Ukulele worth checking out. While affordability is a huge draw, this little uke has a surprisingly fine tone as well as a pleasing vintage look. The body and neck are crafted of resonant maple in an attractive high-gloss finish, while the bridge and fingerboard are made with contrasting dark-stained hardwood. Guitar-style geared tuners make a positive difference between this and many other soprano ukuleles in its price range. While the Diamond Head DU-150 Soprano Ukulele isn’t built to stand up to the demands of professional players, it’s a decent instrument for those who want to learn how to play the ukulele without making much of an investment. We read hundreds of reviews to inform your decision. Here are the highlights.

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Item Weight: 1 pounds

Dimensions: 21 x 7 x 2.2 inches

Rank: 8/10

Modal Number: DU-150

Best Suited For Kids

Pros

Reviewers are typically astonished by the Diamond Head DU-150 ukulele for its “real instrument” look and feel, since many ukes in its price range are made of plastic so they look and sound like toys. Retailing for an average of $25 -35 USD, it gets consistently high ratings from people who have purchased it for themselves or others.

• Bang for the buck: It’s fantastic for the price. While not as bright and vibrant sounding as a $200 Kala, it sounds like a real instrument, not a toy. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in learning how to play. It gets the job done without breaking the bank.
• Easy to play: Low action makes this uke very easy to play. The mechanical keys keep it in tune especially after you’ve given the nylon strings a few days to stretch out.
• Easy to learn: This ukulele is good for learning on and while it’s not a kids’ ukulele, it is small enough for children to play. It’s a good idea to strum and tune, strum and tune, and keep on repeating the process for a couple of days to break in the instrument so it will hold its tune and prevent the child from becoming frustrated and quitting. You’ll put a little bit of work into the process but it’s worth your effort.
• Comes wiht gig bag:You get a nice little gig bag with this ukulele, which is pretty surprising considering the cheap price.
• Suited for beginners: The Diamond Head DU-150 isn’t perfect, but it’s a decent beginner’s instrument for the price and it sound pretty good after about an hour of playing and tuning.
• Solid instrument: The ukulele seems fairly sturdy even though it is very light.
• Affordable: Since this uke is so cheap, it’s a great one to take along camping, to the beach, etc. Save your nice instrument and feel free to enjoy this one without worrying too much about damaging something more expensive.

Bottem Line :This is a fun, quick instrument. It’s an ideal “first ukulele” for learning fingering and practicing.

Cons

It’s not at all surprising that the Diamond Head-DU-150 gets some negative reviews. Many of these focus on the fact that this is a cheap uke – so we’ll leave these out as it’s clear that this is an inexpensive mass-produced instrument that’s not meant to wow audiences! Many other negative reviews focus in on the cheap nylon strings, which need to be stretched and tuned several times before the ukulele will hold a tune. You can address the issue either by tuning the instrument repeatedly or by having better strings installed and then tuning those repeatedly until they settle in. This is a well-known issue with almost all ukuleles and it’s something that seasoned players tend to take in stride. There are a few other negative points to be aware of.

• The Diamond Head DU-150 sounds a little dull with the cheap strings that are on it but swapping out for better strings like heavier nylon ones from Aquila makes a difference.
• Some purchasers complain that the finish isn’t exactly like that shown in photos online.
• More experienced players complain that the sound isn’t as nice as that of a more expensive ukulele, and often end up passing the uke on to a beginner or a child.
• Several reviewers noted that this is a very small ukulele. This is to be expected as it is a soprano ukulele. It’s difficult for someone with large hands to learn to play on a small instrument like this, so you may want to consider getting a different size such as tenor if you’re concerned about difficulty playing due to the ukulele’s dimensions.
• Some reviewers noticed that the strings were in the wrong order, and had to have the ukulele restrung. Again, this is something that can happen with cheap, mass-produced instruments – and it’s also something that is very simple to fix.

Final Thoughts

It’s true that the Diamond Head DU-150 Soprano Ukulele is not a professional-quality ukulele, but its’ a nice instrument for a beginner, particularly if that beginner is a child.
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It’s also an excellent choice for anyone who wants to enjoy the fun of taking a ukulele along on camping trips, to the beach, or on hiking or trekking adventures without worrying about the cost of repairs in case of damage. The sound is pleasant with a cheerful ring, and replacing the cheap stock strings with higher quality ones will make a positive difference in sound and the instrument’s ability to stay in tune without affecting cost too much. If you’re looking to get your feet wet without making much of an investment or you want a cheap uke for a child to play, then you’ll probably find that the Diamond Head DU-150 is well worth looking into.