#1
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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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Now Playing: -----Composite Acoustics Cargo Raw -----Journey OF420 -----Alvarez MF75S -----Guild F20SB |
#2
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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. |
#3
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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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#4
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Quote:
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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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#5
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i would second this opinion! I prefer the Pono, but both offer great value relative to cost.
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#6
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uke
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. |
#7
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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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#8
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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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AGF rules say I must tell you that I'm a KoAloha Ukulele sponsored artist. |
#9
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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.
__________________
Now Playing: -----Composite Acoustics Cargo Raw -----Journey OF420 -----Alvarez MF75S -----Guild F20SB |
#10
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Quote:
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).
__________________
AGF rules say I must tell you that I'm a KoAloha Ukulele sponsored artist. |
#11
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Great tip, thanks.
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Now Playing: -----Composite Acoustics Cargo Raw -----Journey OF420 -----Alvarez MF75S -----Guild F20SB |
#12
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For under 200, Mainland is great.
Any ukes at guitar center will sound thin and lack a satisfying tone. |
#13
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Quote:
Late add: here's the clip. Last edited by Brent Hahn; 09-26-2017 at 11:30 AM. |
#14
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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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Maritin OOO-15sm 12 fret Martin Shawn Mendes ooojr Martin IZ tribute Tenor Ukulele Martin Custom Shop OO big leaf maple/alpine spruce Last edited by Guitartanzon; 09-26-2017 at 01:17 PM. |
#15
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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. |