In addition to the ongoing Martin inspired guitars, Sigma has now launched a range of all-solid mahogany ukuleles, in soprano, concert and tenor sizes and it’s those that we look at here. There is no mistaking the heritage of these instruments; everything about them is supposed to make you think Martin, see Martin, and expect Martin – but can they possibly live up to that billing?

Build quality

The soprano is a simply designed instrument; nicely figured mahogany on both top and back, cream binding, 17-fret neck, a Martin inspired crown headstock, and uniquely in this range, friction tuners. These, which some players believe are necessary on a soprano, where the short scale length leaves space at a premium around the nut, required some adjustment before they would hold tune without slipping, but are reasonable in use once sorted. It’s a nicely put together instrument for the price point; the nut and saddle are bone, not plastic, the assembly is excellent, and frankly, it looks nice, in a traditional sort of way. We were particularly impressed with the appearance of the wood on this instrument, and, like its sisters, it even comes with a free gig bag.

The concert, every bit as much of a Martin crib as its smaller sibling, is nevertheless distinguished from it in a couple of ways. The body shape isn’t just a blown up version of the soprano as most ukulele brands are; it’s notably longer, which somehow lends an even rounder aspect to the shoulders. The fretboard end mirrors the elaborate spearpoint of the soprano, but the friction tuners are replaced by geared tuners. The top wood once again shows some flaming and silking, but is notably plainer than that of the soprano, while the back is much plainer. Visually, this was perhaps our favourite of the three, despite how much more attractive the wood is on the soprano.

The tenor, while still entirely Martin inspired, is much less distinguished from other uke brands. The shape could be anyone’s, and is more modern, more O-style guitar inspired, where the smaller instruments have a very traditional look. This aside, it’s once again very similar, with only the broader bridge plate and 20-fret neck with a plain straight fretboard end distinguishing it from the concert model, detail-wise. The wood here is notably much plainer, and the top is two-piece rather than the one-piece tops of both the smaller ukes. The quality is, once again, excellent, and there is no doubting that at the £200 price point, these represent excellent value in terms both of materials and construction. Instruments aren’t bought for their spec though, or at least shouldn’t be, so let’s play them.

Sounds and playability

The soprano has a lot to live up to; it’s modelled on the Martin Style 2, for which you would have to part with over £1,000. And of course, it’s not the modern Martin that it really has to live up to, but the vintage unit from the first golden age of the ukulele – an instrument which, for traditional soprano strummers, comes with wings, a halo, and a terrifying price tag. Those who have purchased cut-price Stratocaster lookalikes from a shopping catalogue in their youth will know that imitation is not always a ticket to delight, but actually, the little Sigma does an impressive job of living up to its more illustrious forebears. A mahogany soprano in the grand tradition should be one thing above all else, and that’s punchy; when the Martin on which this was based was made, amplification wasn’t really a thing, so a uke needed to be able to make its presence felt if it was to be audible even solo, never mind in any ensemble setting. Mahogany guitar tops tend towards a warm, dark chocolatey tone that emphasises the mids and low notes, but of course, on a soprano, especially one tuned to D rather than C, (which we found the Sigma preferred, and would have been the tuning you’d most often find a soprano in back in the 30s) there are no low notes, and precious little you could even call mid. The result is that the wood takes the potentially shrieky edge off the sound coming from that tiny top, and leaves you with something loud but still palatable, which we’d describe as “punchy”. 

We didn’t have a 30s Style 2 on hand to compare to (boo), but the Sigma certainly pushes out that “listen to me” soprano tone in a convincing way. It’s noticeably brighter and more in your face than the other two, although the higher tuning undoubtedly contributes to that. The soprano doesn’t give a lot if you want to play subtle fingerstyle; it’s competent, but where it comes to life is doing what its predecessor would have done: banging through strummed chords. It’s not going to turn you into Roy Smeck overnight, but if you want to wear a three-piece suit and fedora and rehearse your split stroke, the little Sigma will make you feel right about those decisions – and look right with the fancy outfit, too.

The concert is a surprisingly different beast, for all its similar looks, but it’s not without its differentiations. Sopranos, concerts and tenors aren’t quite analogous to the violin, viola and cello of a string quartet because these days, they are all tuned to GCEA (although here we tuned the soprano to a more traditional ADF#B), and differ only in scale length and, generally, body size (though some hybrids such as long necked sopranos with a soprano size body but a concert scale neck exist). The Sigma concert has a considerably more muted tone than its strident little sister, but that’s not a bad thing; muted might sound negative, but we only mean to imply that it’s not a free breathing picker’s dream (look to the tenor to fill that role). In fact, tonally it lends itself more to the same sort of work as the soprano, chomping chords and keeping the beat, but it seems to deliver with a more subtle aplomb, rather than the in your face brightness of the soprano. The tone is actually rather sweet when played gently; it simply lacks the sustain or sense of space you might want for gently cascading arpeggios. Despite falling between two stools tonally, the concert really won our heart; there’s something very willing and welcoming about it. If you want it to push hard, it’s up for the challenge – but if you settle back, lighten up, and play something a bit gentler (Santo and Johnny’s ‘Sleepwalk’ in our case), it sweetens up, mellows back, and stays with you.

The tenor has a markedly different tone, and this is probably at least partly because, as well as that larger soundboard, it has 14 frets to the body, compared to the 12 of the other two. The tone here feels that bit less dense, more nuanced, and there is notably more sustain. This combines nicely with both the longer scale, and the easier top fret access provided by the 14th fret join to greatly encourage more complex playing. It’s a bit of a cliché in the uke world that tenors are best for fingerstyle, and this instrument does nothing to dispel that somewhat over-simplistic worldview. Don’t be fooled by the 20-fret neck though; there’s very little gold to be had up that high on any fretted instrument, and these ukes are no different. Sigma may just as well have left a couple off and made another spearpoint fingerboard end, which would have given the tenor some much needed visual hooks where otherwise, far more than the other two, it’s a bit “everyman”.

Conclusion

These are not vintage Martin ukuleles, but they are lovely little ukes, and great value for money at the £200 price point. All three are good players, well made, and very well appointed. Indeed, seeing all-solid ukes delivering well at a price that normally only gets you a solid top may well rattle the competition. Each has its strengths; the soprano is an out and out, in your face strummer, and the very traditional looks and lovely wood grain make it an appealing prospect, despite the slight annoyance of the friction pegs. The concert, still more of a dancer than a singer, has a lovely sweetness to it, the single-piece top is still nicely figured, and we found the overall looks to be our favourite. The tenor, a bit of a plain Jane in both design detail and wood compared to its siblings is nevertheless the one which shines brightest when sweetly picked; at this price, perhaps you could make an argument for owning all three. Nevertheless, if we were keeping one, it would be the concert. It’s cute without being stereotyped, and it stands out in a way that we rarely find concerts do. If you’re ready to move from budget models on to your first really decent instrument, you should give these Sigma ukuleles a try.

Sigma Soprano 2S

Manufacturer: Sigma

Model: Soprano SUM-2S

Body Size: Soprano

Top: Solid mahogany

Back and Sides: Solid mahogany

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Micarta

Frets: 17

Tuners: Friction tuners

Nut width: 36mm

Scale Length: 346mm

Gig Bag/Case Included: Gig bag