Enya Nova U Pro Black Polycarbonate Tenor Ukulele with accessories

The Enya Nova U ukulele is probably the most popular (and polarising) instrument of the last decade... It shouldn't sound good but it does, it shouldn't look good but to many of us it does. The big question on every Enya fans lips for the last 2 years is 'why haven't they made a tenor Nova-U?' Now, they have! 

The Nova U Pro is a thinline tenor ukulele with a body made of a unique polycarbonate and carbon fibre material. The finish is satin which is a nice surprise considering the synthetic materials and it is extremely lightweight in the hands.

The neck profile is similar to the brands we already know and love at this price but with a slight radius which aids many people playing barre chords. The polycarbonate bridge feels a bit strange for the first few minutes...

For me, as somebody that looks at ukuleles all day every day; I can't remember a time an instrument at this kind of price offered so much in the overall presentation. The tuner buttons match the body, the fret dots (start shaped) match the body, the bridge is the same material as the body and also colour matched and the hardware and matching strap buttons feel very good quality.

The cutaway is really well designed too which a bevel going into the back of the body - this allows real access to the upper frets!

How does it sound? Well actually, surprisingly good. The first time I heard one of the Concert Nova-U's at the NAMM show a year or two back it was a loud room and I thought they sounded overly bright but when I played one of these for the first time in the shop I heard some lovely colourful undertones and even some nice darker sustain on the bass.

Please do understand though that a polycarbonate ukulele at this price will always sound quite bright and the plastic nature of the fingerboard does reflect slightly in the tone.

The tenor model features a familiar wide 38mm nut width with 30mm string spacing at the nut. Perfect for someone wanting a portable throw around ukulele that feels comfortable in big hands. The ultra modern rolled off 'hot dog' frets are a great improvement on previous generations too. Strap, capo, spare strings and clamshell case included.

Even so, colour me impressed - these would make a great present or a quirky addition to a ukulele collection!