Just knowing this was soprano ukulele with a moulded ABS plastic back, and a 3D top was enough to get our attention. The price seemed reasonable, and the uke different enough to suggest that even if it just sounded ok, it was worth getting in just for the novelty value. However, when this Alic soprano arrived and we tuned it up, what did we find but a really impressive sounding ukulele.

These ukes had been showcased at the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain, and quite a few people had tried them out. As a consequence, we had an order for one even before we'd got our stock. When the Alic soprano ukulele arrived, it went to our workshop to be set up and the technician who checked it brought it back exclaiming 'that is the nicest, sweetest sounding soprano I've ever played for under £100'. High praise! And surely he wasn't too far off the mark as the sound from this ukulele is full, rounded but with a lovely gentle, but pronounced higher register. If the 3D scene on the front wasn't enough, the sound will certainly have you thinking of hula dancers frolicking in the waves. In reality, this uke has a plastic moulded back and a 3D laminate holographic top, so it is hardly Hawaiian, but goodness me it sounds lovely!

Like the magic flea and fluke ukes from the USA, the Alic soprano has a moulded ABS plastic fingerboard. This seems very dense and hardwearing, and from our tests, seems equal to the more expensive American fingerboards on the aforementioned flea and fluke. As a consequence of the level frets and compensated saddle, the set up is good too with a very playable action and good intonation for such an inexpensive uke.

The strings are Aquila, but with the deep, moulded back, they aren't too harsh and bright and give a lovely, sweet finish to the gentle, rolling tones of this little cracker. The open geared tuners won't win any awards, but they are fine - nothing to worry about in this area, they seem fine. And added to that, there's a padded gig bag too, again, nothing special but it is included in the price so that seems a good deal!

Are there any criticisms? Well... one. It is too cheap! On the one hand, it is perfectly nice to have a uke and a gig bag that is decent for this sort of money. But in some ways it would sound more convincing if we were saying this was a £90 uke that sounded this good, not one for this price. Still, as criticisms go, that is one we can all probably live with.