Enya Nova U 23" Concert Ukulele–Carbon Fiber Travel Ukulele–With Beginner Kit includes Online Lessons, Case, Strap, Capo and Strings (Red)

It has been the biggest surprise that many people have found love with the Enya Concert Travel Ukulele a.k.a. the Nova U, a carbon fiber ukulele.For one, where many travel ukulele are soprano, Enya released a travel ukulele available in numerous colors but also, extra swag, gig bag and a marketing campaign which has many of the top ukulele YouTubers showcasing it on their channel.Now, as one who is learning to play ukulele, the idea of a travel concert ukulele is quite exciting.So, let’s begin with talking about Enya, the first thing one may see is the logo and its similarities to the singer enya. The type-face is totally different and there is no relation to the singer.Enya is based in China and while many ukulele’s from major brands are made in China, and known as Enya music, unlike other Chinese brands, this company is about quality, affordability and also making sure those who are wanting to learn the ukulele, you get treated with a lot of cool swag and a gig bag but most importantly, the company is known for listening to its customers and improving their product.The company includes with the travel uke and gig bag, a strap, a capo and backup fluorocarbon strings. A tuner is not included.And I know some people may look at the front and think this ukulele will be difficult to tune because of the Enya logo on the front. But this is not the case, because there is a sound hole, but it’s located on the side of the body.The version I got was black is made of 30% carbon fiber & polycarbonate.The finish is Satin but I will have to say, and it’s something I expected before I ordered this (that’s why I went back and forth of going black or white), but I love black too much and it’s a travel guitar, I expect to get fingerprints on this travel uke.The size is 23″ concert, which is the next step up in size after a soprano and before a tenor. The strings are Enya Fluorocarbon.I absolutely love the gold tuners on black. Oh, and it’s important to emphasize that these tuners kept their tune and probably had to adjust the tuners every half hour or so, as opposed to several minutes like some inexpensive ukes from China.One thing you’ll notice with those playing black Enya Concert Travel Ukulele Nova U – 23’’ Carbon Fiber are the fingerprints. So, if you can’t stand to see fingerprints, black may not be for you.And as I was playing the Enya Concert Travel Ukulele Nova U – 23’’ Carbon Fiber, I was impressed with it. Not just with the sound, how it retained its tuned sound, but also overall presentation from Enya and what it comes with.It’s actually quite awesome and while the sound is different from a wooden ukulele, not by a whole lot. The Nova U sounds absolutely awesome!In fact, you can see a few cool YouTubers performing with it:It’s important to note that Enya also offers a pickup, a DOUBLE AcousticPlus which is about double the price for those who want an electric version of this travel concert ukulele.Note: An Enya Concert Ukulele Nova U is under $90 US.So, for the most part, this is an awesome travel uke! I absolutely love it!But there would be a few things that would have made it perfect…Colored Frets – The Nova U needs colored frets, not all black. You can feel it, but you can’t really see them unless you are in the light.Fret Dots – For beginners, having fret dots on the side for beginners. Great to see Fret Markers on the Fret Board, but this would be popular for schools because the uke is durable, but if it had the fret dots, I can see these being purchased by music teachers for their classes.Tuner – Enya offers a tuner for many of their products, but not the Nova U. In fact, I think the set would benefit with the tuner more than the capo itself.But overall, this is an fantastic travel concert ukulele from Enya. If you are in the market for a travel ukulele or a uke to keep in the car or to play at home, definitely give the Enya Concert Ukulele Nova U 23’’ Carbon Fiber Travel Ukulele a try!

I have been playing ukulele for about 4 years and guitar/bass for about 25 and have aqcuired a what I would consider a stable of instruments in that time span. Specifically speaking ukulele tho, I have two Martin sopranos that I love and an A/E Kala tenor, also great. A few months ago I wanted to fill the size void in my ukes with a concert scale. I had my eyes on a travel/thin line uke by a well known company and after finding one from a reputable dealer I purchased it. It arrived and it sounded just ok. Nothing spectacular. I was looking for new strings for it when I stumbled upon a YouTube review of the Enya Nova uke. I had seen it when it was announced at the NAMM Show but honestly I disregarded it since I wasn't in the market for a "plastic" uke (my son has 3 Waterman's) and I didn't care for the body shape. But, after going down the review rabbit hole, I figured I had nothing to lose considering the price and could return it since I was purchasing with Prime. I did consider the Acoustic Plus version but after just buying the travel uke I shouldn't push it. It arrived quickly and I was immediatly amazed. The first thing that struck me was the feel of the neck. The slight radius fretboard is where it's at. I had no idea how much easier it makes bar chords but I am a believer now. The action was perfect. Lower than anything I've played before but magically it doesn't flatten out or get muddy when you dig in. It chuks and clicks when played percussively with ease. The sound is very unique. I've heard it described as harp-like and I'd say that nails it. It sounds like no other ukulele and that's a good thing. The strings are low tension, which I thought I'd immediately switch to my favorite florocarbon, but I don't want to mess up it's current mojo so I'll be sticking with the stock strings. Thankfully a second set of strings were included. The feel of material of the uke is premium, in no way plastic feeling or sounding. The body contour feels great, smooth with no seams or gaps. I typically hate geared tuners, and will not accept them at all on a soprano, but these are as least obnoxious as they can be. Oh yeah, the case. Never saw one like it before but it's very nice. Nicer than most gig bags. I was also really impressed wih the quality of the strap. It's the perfect width and material. After spending a few days with my Nova U there was no going back to my new travel uke that cost three times more so I plan on finding a new home for it. If I lost this Nova uke or had to do it all over again, I'd get the Acoustic Plus version. I'm so impressed with Enya that I plan on stepping it up to their new Feather ukuele after I part with another guitar or two. If this is the quality and thought that is put into their low-end ukes I can only imagine what a dream their Feather is to play. If you're on the fence about this uke, don't be. It really is THAT good.

I love my concert uke from Enya. I don’t really have any negative things to say so far. Comes with a capo, extra E6S strings, a wonderfully padded case with two strap options, and the uke strap itself. For the money, the value can’t be beat. I also own a solid top mahogany tenor uke, as well as a laminated soprano and this Nova blows the laminate model out of the water obviously. I’m not sure if it can stack up against the tones of the tenor, but that’s a whole different ballgame. What I especially like is that it’s so portable and seemingly impervious to intense temperature swings or changes in humidity. Overall the build quality on everything is spot-on. Have I mentioned the case?!? It’s awesome. One of this quality usually costs almost the whole price of this starter set, WITHOUT a good uke to accompany it. So this is a great deal, with discounts and sales on them — even better. The fretboard is roomy on my concert model, frets are plastic but the playability is so smooth. Strings are decent quality from the factory but I may look into upgrades. Tuners are good quality, open-back gold finish, gears that they used look like they’ll stand the test of time at least for quite a while. Strap buttons are a nice gold finish as well. I like the sound hole on the side. When you’re playing the uke it helps to hear especially when you’re connecting chords further up the neck. A nice Enya logo on the headstock not too flashy. I recommend considering one of these for sure. I recommend against the soprano size if you’re a beginner adult, personally. If you have smaller hands, or are younger then it might work for you. I tried one before settling on the concert size and ultimately returned the other one. Can’t go wrong with an Enya product either way; just my opinion.