Donner DUS-3 Spruce Soprano Ukulele 21"
Street Price:
Manufacturer:
Ukulele Guides
The Donner DUS-3 Spruce Soprano Ukulele features a spruce top. Spruce is known for its bright and jangly voice, a tendency which is well reflected in this ukulele.
The back and sides of the instrument are made from mahogany, which gives the uke a very balanced tone (not too thin, not too dark).
But what makes it easily standout are the graphic details on the fingerboard and around the soundhole.
An interesting component of the uke's design is that it actually has guitar-style tuners, which help to keep it in tune a bit better than the cheaper ukulele tuners outfitted on many cheap ukes. Though, while noticeable, the difference isn’t extreme.
For the price, it also comes outfitted with strap buttons, which works nicely with the included strap.
Other bundled accessories include a carrying case, picks, an extra set of strings and a clip-on tuner.
Key Features
- Top: Spruce
- Body: Mahogany
- Neck: Mahogany
- Fretboard: Rosewood
- Frets: 15
Pros
The Donner DUS-3 continues to get good ratings from users with different backgrounds, from young upstarts who receive it from their parents to musicians who bought the DUS-3 as a portable uke. Positive market sentiments revolve around the Donner DUS-3's build quality and playability. It is described often as great sounding, and many like the distinct design in its fingerboard. The quality of accessories also get a lot of thumbs up.
Cons
Some users describe it as being too small for an adult, but this complaint can be applied to all soprano ukuleles and isn't generally true - but if you have large fingers you may want to try a bigger concert sized uke. And as expected in this price range, there are a few who report tuning and intonation issues and they recommend replacing the default strings ASAP
Overall
The Donner DUS-3's specs are impressive for the price, and that translates well in real world use.
Although this was previously on our recommended list, there are now more highly rated options available which you can see in our guide to The Best Soprano Ukuleles.
About the Author
Alexander Briones
I've written about and researched music gear for many years, while also serving as a music director at my local church, in addition to teaching guitar, bass and mentoring young musicians.
