Vandora
Sample for Aria

This is one of a number of Ukulele samples the Huizhou Quanfeng Yule Products Co., Ltd. produced for Aria. Why Aria didn't go with them I don't know? How the samples got on to the open market I don't know? What I have seen though is after being turned down by Aria they all got a sound-hole label with the Vandora brand name, (one of Quanfeng's house brands), put in, and mine is the fanciest of the ones I have seen with the iridescent Aria and flower on the headstock and the equally iridescent perfeling around the body, (and everyone knows I like sparkly instruments). Maybe once it arrives I will know why Aria rejected it? And I hope its because of price or something and not quality.

It's here now and the Aria, no sorry the Vandora is amazingly light and tuneful. the wood and the inlay are both beautifully done and I'm very hard pressed to see why Aria rejected them? All I can come up with is a small blemish in the finish under the bridge, the tiniest, hard pressed to see it bit of varnish missing by the nut and maybe, maybe the A tuner is a millimeter or so closer to the edge of the headstock than the G tuner? Of course I haven't seen the rest of the batch so I don't know what, if any faults they had? Still I think mine is beautifully made and I'm very glad I invited it.

Maybe I have a bit better idea now of why it was rejected, it has been stored safely in its case but the bridge has come clean off!! Not due to any knock or mishandeling, just because it wasn't glued on strongly enough. If this happened to any of the batch Aria was assessing I can see that being a BIG no!