Home > Ukuleles & Strings > Octopus Academy soprano ukulele
Product Code: CM-UK205

Octopus Academy soprano ukulele

£20.83 exc VAT

£25.00 inc VAT

Age 6 - 18+

  • Instruments 1
  • Players 1
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  • The best education ukulele - beginner to intermediate
  • Build quality and finish that surpasses many more expensive ukes
  • Accurate, stable tuning
  • Fitted with quality Aquila Nylgut strings
  • Supplied with Octopus branded gig bag

Octopus Academy series

Octopus has been providing high quality beginner ukuleles for almost a decade, and the Academy series carries this tradition forward. This is a serious, high quality instrument, and just as good as many much more expensive models.

There’s a big difference between a serious, well made string instrument like this and an inferior one. A well made instrument is easy to tune and will hold its tuning;  its fret board is true, giving accurate tuning for each fret across all the strings; it has an open, resonant tone; it feels good to hold and it’s a pleasure to play. Having a high quality instrument is especially important for a beginner, as having a good one can make the difference between the beginning of a lifelong passion and a passing fad.

The Octopus Academy ukulele range is available in a range of colours and all are made to the same high quality.

Build quality

Octopus ukuleles are built to last. An improved production process and care and attention to all the details results in the highest quality sound and finish yet.  A classical guitar style bridge is accurately bonded to the body for excellent sound production; tuning pegs are geared like a guitar so they hold their pitch for longer. All side walls are fully lined for stability, sound projection and a high quality appearance. All the edges and every fret have been smoothed, to make the instrument a pleasure to hold and play. This is a build quality and a finish that surpasses many more expensive ukes.

Aquila Nylgut® strings

The quality of the strings is also very important – for tone, accurate tuning and for comfortable playing. Each ukulele comes fitted with Aquila Nylgut® strings as standard – produced exclusively in Italy and the best in the world for intonation and tone.

Free carry case

Each Academy use is supplied with a free gig bag, which acts as a carrying case, and will also protect the instrument from scratches, spills and splashes when not in use.

Size and range

This is the soprano (or standard) model and is the most widely used size of ukulele. It measures 21in (53cm) in length and has twelve frets and a total range between C4 and A5.

Here are links to other selections you may find useful:

  • Octopus Ukulele (UK205) Review by Al Start_vid-thumb-played
  • How an Octopus Ukulele is Made_vid-thumb
  • Octopus Ukulele (UK205) Review by Todd Lorenc_vid-thumb-played
  • Octopus Ukulele (UK205) Review by Andy Eastwood_vid-thumb-played
  • Unboxing Octopus UK-205_vid-thumb
  • Octopus Ukulele (UK205) Review by Sean Bromilow_vid-thumb-played

Product Information

What's included

  • Octopus Ukulele
  • Handy Gig Bag

How it's made

Here’s a video overview of how an Octopus ukulele is made.

Care & maintenance

It’s good practice to wipe down your ukulele with a slightly damp cloth after use (add a couple of drops of washing up liquid if there are greasy finger marks). Once it’s dry, pop it in the gig bag, as this will protect it from scratches and spills. Then store the gig bag somewhere safe, where it won’t get knocked about, or have other things stacked on top!

If you’re not likely to play for some time, slacken off the tuning slightly. This will reduce the strain on the instrument.

If you break a string, replace it with the same Aquila Nylgut type that it came with – this will ensure you have a set of strings that all sound the same.

Guarantee

The minimum warranty / manufacturers guarantee for products sold on this site us for a period of one year. Many products have a longer warranty period and this will be stated on the page where such products are advertised.

If the goods you receive are faulty please return them to us in their original condition within 30 days and we will either repair or replace them, or refund the cost of the goods. If the goods you receive are not what you ordered, please return them to us in their original condition within 14 days and we will either replace them with the goods you ordered, or refund the cost of the goods and carriage. 

Delivery

We work with a small number of specialist logistic companies to deliver your order quickly and economically. The delivery method varies, depending on your location and the size of the order, as follows:

UK Locations

Orders up to 5kg – Courier 2 to 3 working day delivery. This would typically include books, smaller instruments, percussion baskets and djembes up to 40cm.

Orders over 5kg – Courier, next working day delivery. Most orders are sent this way.

Large orders – Pallet service, 3 to 5 working day delivery. Used for large orders and those with more fragile contents.

Please note:

  1. Above timings are from dispatch date. Time from placing your order will usually be one or two days longer, depending on the order and destination.
  2. Delivery to offshore or Highland addresses may take longer and may cost more than to UK mainland addresses and we’ll quote and agree the costs with you in advance. Please note that in these cases it’s fine to go ahead and place your order, and there’s no obligation on your part until the delivery costs have been quoted and accepted by you.
  3. For some destinations, where a courier service isn’t available, we may send by Royal Mail instead.

International Locations

Orders weighing less than 1kg and not too bulky – Post Office Airmail. This would include books and smaller percussion instruments.

Orders weighing more than about 1kg and large orders – international courier or pallet service. We’ll obtain competitive quotes and agree these with you in advance.

Please note that it’s fine to go ahead and place your international order prior to confirming shipping costs, and that there’s no obligation on your part until the delivery costs have been quoted and accepted by you. Payment for international orders, including shipping costs, is required before dispatch of the goods.

Returns

Please let us know straight away if anything arrives damaged or otherwise in a substandard condition and we’ll be happy to replace it, refund the cost or provide you with an alternative product to your satisfaction. Speed is of the essence here as most courier companies will only accept responsibility for damage in transit if the damage is reported within 24 hours of delivery.

 In the event of damage, please take photographs, including any damage to the packaging, and email these to us ASAP.

Similarly, if an instrument  develops a fault within 12 months of purchase in the course of normal use (though excluding fair wear and tear), please let us know, and we’ll replace it or refund the cost. It’s also very helpful for us to see photos of the issue as this gives us solid information for changing the design, the production method or the packing materials.

But please do contact us before returning any damaged or substandard items. Once we’ve approved their return, please send to:  Drums for Schools Limited, 21 Shaftesbury Avenue, Burton Joyce NG14 5GL 

We really appreciate your feedback in the case of faults (or if you think an instrument could be improved in any way) and we take all such feedback very seriously indeed.

Thanks for the quick and easy checkout and delivery of the drums. Look forward to ordering more next year.

Sarah Martin
Yellow Dot Nursery

All was fine and the drums are fab!

Kath Borer
Little Star

I am very happy with the instruments.
When budget allows, I will look to add to my collection!

Tristessa Åberg
International School of the Stockholm Region
I was highly delighted with the order from the first point of contact to delivery. I will certainly be in touch again in the future to purchase again!
Andrea Morri
The American School in England

Everything arrived safe & well. It’s all in prefect order and has been very positively received.
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank you for being so accommodating in order to ensure delivery in good time for my wedding day.

Claire & Chris Walley