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  #1  
Old 09-24-2017, 02:09 PM
Tanque Verde Tanque Verde is offline
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Default Wanted: Advice on Ukes

Hello All,

My wife and I bought our six-year-old daughter a soprano ukulele for her birthday along with lessons from a local instructor. I am a novice self-taught guitar player and I've been thinking it might be fun/helpful for me to learn ukulele along with her. I've been looking at tenor ukes as my understanding is that they can be tuned the same as a soprano, so she and I can use the same chord shapes, some of which I should recognize from guitar.

We live in a rural area so I won't have a good opportunity to play the uke before I purchase it. But based on reviews, I've narrowed down the purchase to a few possibilities in the $250-400 range. These include:

Cordoba 30T
Ohana TK series
Pono MT

Another possibility would be Mainland ukuleles, as I might be able to visit the finishing shop in Indiana.

At this price point I feel like I can't go too right or too wrong. But I'd welcome thoughts on these brands: glowing reviews, horror stories, whatever you've got.

Many thanks.
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  #2  
Old 09-24-2017, 03:26 PM
Mark L Mark L is offline
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Keep you eyes open for an excellent cordoba uke used at Guitar Center. I've bought 2 cordoba tenor ukes there, in like new condition.

Of course, there are other brands of all sorts that appear.

30 day return policy is a big help too. Make sure you get an "in hand" description over the phone.

Used GC can be a really good thing. Good luck.
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Old 09-24-2017, 06:51 PM
Bob in Alberta Bob in Alberta is offline
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I have two Ponos and one Mainland and in my humble opinion you couldn’t go wrong with either make.
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Old 09-24-2017, 08:38 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tanque Verde View Post
...I am a novice self-taught guitar player and I've been thinking it might be fun/helpful for me to learn ukulele...I've been looking at tenor ukes as my understanding is that they can be tuned the same as a soprano, so she and I can use the same chord shapes, some of which I should recognize from guitar...I've narrowed down the purchase to a few possibilities in the $250-400 range. These include:

Ohana TK series...

I'd welcome thoughts on these brands: glowing reviews, horror stories, whatever you've got.
Bought this one as an anniversary present for my wife a couple months ago:

https://www.elderly.com/instruments/...or-ukulele.htm

Here's a demo video:



While koa/acacia/mahogany are traditional - and, truth be told, I was ready to pull the trigger on the top-of-the-line all-solid koa TK-350G until someone snapped it up - I was extremely impressed by the brighter, more modern (and IMO more versatile) tone of this spruce/maple uke. Coming to the instrument as primarily a guitar player she tends to take a guitar-oriented approach, and the broader dynamic range coupled with the longer scale length allows for not only the fingerstyle that's sweeping the uke world, but also non-traditional techniques (in uke terms) such as flatpicking and electric-style string-bending lead work. In addition, like any good maple-bodied guitar this puppy has loads of natural projection, not necessarily in terms of overwhelming volume (although that's also there in spades) but the "cutting power" associated with a fine archtop guitar, i.e., the ability to project sound well out in front of the player (not always obvious to the player, BTW) and be clearly heard in a dense instrumental mix...

In terms of construction QC, somebody at Ohana has clearly done his homework: exceptionally lightweight - which translates to lightning-quick response - tight clean construction/finish both inside and out, no dead spots anywhere on the neck (not exactly commonplace in a sub-$400 uke), first-class fretwork, ready-to-play right out of the box (although Elderly includes setup, I suspect they didn't need to do much if anything to this particular instrument - and it arrived in perfect tune), and let's face it, you don't see maple ukes every day (FWIW I saw a video of an $850 LoPrinzi all-maple tenor, and the Ohana compared very favorably - a bit more brightness and "ring" from the LoPrinzi's maple top, but whether or not that's a good thing is a matter of personal taste). Although we're relatively new to the uke thing, I'm guessing there's a good reason Ohana is somewhat of a "semi-boutique," limited-distribution marque among factory-made instruments; if that's how they maintain such a high standard of tonal/structural quality, I say more power to them - they've made two fans here, and if they ever get around to producing some more (haven't seen them in a while) there's an Ohana TK-35G-10 tiple in my own future...
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Old 09-25-2017, 02:06 PM
Mezcalero63 Mezcalero63 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob in Alberta View Post
I have two Ponos and one Mainland and in my humble opinion you couldn’t go wrong with either make.
i would second this opinion! I prefer the Pono, but both offer great value relative to cost.
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Old 09-25-2017, 02:44 PM
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Kupuna50 Kupuna50 is online now
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As a native Hawaiian, I strongly suggest the Pono.
The build is superior and the TONE is significantly better.
I would ALWAYS stick with a Hawaiian brand versus others.
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Old 09-25-2017, 04:20 PM
Neal Neal is offline
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Pono is made in Indonesia...not a bad thing, J Kitakis has a factory he has his hands in, so they get made right. But it ain’t Hawaiian anymore than a Ohana or Mexican made Martin.
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Old 09-25-2017, 04:54 PM
joeguam joeguam is offline
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I'd check out www.theukulelesite.com before you decide to buy anywhere. They perform a full setup on all their ukes before shipping, check it out:



Nope, I'm not affiliated with them at all. I've just played ukulele for about 20 years and really like their expertise and dedication to the instrument. Good luck, I'm sure you'll love playing the uke no matter which brand you get!
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Old 09-25-2017, 09:24 PM
Tanque Verde Tanque Verde is offline
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Thanks, everyone, for this really great feedback. I went to a local music shop today and tried some budget models on for size. I came away so much more comfortable on a baritone. I'm leaning that direction with intent to capo five when I need to work with my daughter. Leaning Pono as well, for reputation and the plain natural matte finish. The mainland binding and ornamentation look a little busy to me. These are silly criteria, I know, but it's what I can do at a distance. Thanks again.
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Old 09-25-2017, 09:34 PM
joeguam joeguam is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tanque Verde View Post
Leaning Pono as well, for reputation and the plain natural matte finish.

If you're leaning towards Pono, then definitely consider ordering from theukulelesite.com because it's pretty much the brothers - John & Andrew Kitakis - that own/run Pono Guitars & Hawaii Music Supply (theukulelesite.com).
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Old 09-25-2017, 09:56 PM
Tanque Verde Tanque Verde is offline
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Great tip, thanks.
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  #12  
Old 09-26-2017, 09:23 AM
lespaul_79 lespaul_79 is offline
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For under 200, Mainland is great.
Any ukes at guitar center will sound thin and lack a satisfying tone.
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Old 09-26-2017, 09:59 AM
Brent Hahn Brent Hahn is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lespaul_79 View Post
Any ukes at guitar center will sound thin and lack a satisfying tone.
My kids got me a Cordoba tenor with a cutaway and a piezo pickup from GC. It was right around $200., and is neither thin nor unsatisfying. To me, anyway, but what do I know? I'll post a clip later and you can decide for yourself.

Late add: here's the clip.

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  #14  
Old 09-26-2017, 01:11 PM
Guitartanzon Guitartanzon is offline
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I have had and owned and played all these ukes at one time or another, from 100 bucks to $2000 bucks

eddie finn
kala
lanakai
breedlove
ohana
kamaka
pono
luna
martin
Fluke and flea
Cordoba
Mainland
Riptide
Loprinzi
Cocobolo uke
Kaniela
Koaloha


the only ones I would personally recommend BASED on what I have personally had my fingers on are:

Loprinzi, PONO, Cordoba, Ohana, Mainland, Cocobolo ukes and ANY of the big three Hawaiian K brands
( although I did keep my riptide cause its unusual offset sound holes)
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Last edited by Guitartanzon; 09-26-2017 at 01:17 PM.
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  #15  
Old 09-26-2017, 04:23 PM
GmanJeff GmanJeff is offline
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I suggest a Martin. I have a C1K (concert-size), which I find to be a nice compromise in tone and size between the soprano and tenor options. Made of solid wood, it is plain in appearance but plays well, has fine tone, and will potentially hold value better than some alternative brands. You'll have to shop around or perhaps consider used to stay within your price range, but you're arguably less likely to feel the need to upgrade quickly. Martin also offers less expensive laminate ukes, but I have not tired them.

The impression I have is that many beginner uke players start out with relatively inexpensive instruments because so many brands and sizes are available for relatively little money, but frequently upgrade in fairly short order if they decide to stick with it. I decided to buy a mid-range instrument to begin with, figuring it could be sold as easily as a cheap one if I didn't keep playing, and would not leave me quickly wanting a better uke if I stuck with it.
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