The amazingly popular (for a reason) moon bird series now has a baritone ukulele, the UB-200, to complete the set of sizes. It has been a long time coming, but boy is it worth the wait. I first asked about whether one of these could be made late in 2016, shortly after starting my own ukulele business and risking a substantial part of my small amount of capital (thanks for lending the money to me mum) on the first Moon Bird ukuleles in Europe. If they had been a let down? Ruin! Thankfully they were phenomenal, and since that time so many people have come to the same realisation as me… this series has a little bit of magic in it.

While I love the soprano, concert and tenor Moon Birds from aNueNue, as word of a prototype being developed early in 2023 surfaced, the danger was that the lengthy wait might be a let down. What if aNueNue’s first venture into the baritone world wasn’t as good as their other sizes. I need not have worried - there was no way aNueNue would risk the good name of their flagship model with a lacklustre baritone! This one is a stunner.

Having relived that trepidation of when I started my own business and opened the box, I could also revisit the happiness I felt at first strum when I realised the aNueNue UB-200 baritone was a winner too. Epic volume, long, smooth sustain and the same classic looks and proportions. I say ‘classic’, but when it came out it was new and modern. It speaks volumes about how good these ukes are and how popular they’ve been that you really could call this a classic design. In sixty years time, I can imagine people thinking of these like they think of vintage Martins now.

The UB200 is strung with aNueNue Blue Moon baritone strings, tuned DGBE. It is, like the others in the series, equipped with the brilliant Gotoh UPT tuners, with a bone saddle and a 38mm nut width.

The top is made from Swiss moon spruce. Which sounds a bit like they have made it up, but no - it is a thing. This sought after wood has a fantastically tight grain - with a tight grain helping transmit and transport vibrations well - helping the ukulele’s projection. It is harvested according to the lunar cycles - when the sap in the wood is least active, and then seasoned for a time in-situ. This process means the wood is drier and stiffer, and more able to transmit those vibrations. A bit like an advanced ‘opening up’ of the wood, before the ukulele is made. Now, is it true that this is done, it’s a fact. The extent to which it actually works? I don’t know. But I do know that the UB-200 sounds fantastic, so however it gets to be that way is fine with me!

Another factor is set up… when trying the first one, with a new model like this I am always a bit wary. With long established models I know instinctively how low the action will go, how to shape the nut grooves and what problem areas might crop up. The action is a little high from the factory (in common with the other sizes too), and while I know exactly what to do with those, this was a new one on me. Thankfully it behaved itself, and it’s possible for me to get these playing really nicely and slickly. And that’s what I’ll do going forward.

The aNueNue UB-200 has a fantastic, plush-lined wood shell hard case, with a blue finish. Very smart indeed. For other common extras, like a strap button or a strap, scroll to the bottom of the page for easy-to-add extras. Oh, and the strings… they have a wound D and an unwound G. If that freaks you out, you can add (free) a fitted ‘low’ G. Choose the Fremont option (which works fine on a baritone) and I’ll swap out that unwound G and replace it with a Fremont - maintaining the DGBE tuning but with two wound and two unwound fluorocarbon strings. I have to say though that the Blue Moon strings are great, so I’d give them a go!

For a video demo of the UB-200 aNueNue baritone ukulele, click additional info below.