Mainland Ukes mahogany tenor

I'm looking very seriously at a Mainland Ukes mahogany tenor. I'm hoping to purchase one in the next day or two. Actually, I'm hoping for tomorrow if I can make that work.

I listened to several youtube videos and the uke sounds nice. Reviews I've found are good. Still, I thought I'd ask in case anyone owns or has owned one and has some thoughts about it.

Thoughts about the instrument?

Mainland is currently having a sale on cosmetic seconds, i.e., 'blem' models, see here:

hoosierhiver said:

We are expecting a bunch of new stock this month and are trying to free up some room. We have some great deals on cosmetic 2nds. They are discounted 20%. These typically have very minor cosmetic issues not noticeable unless they are closely examined, such as slight imperfections with the finish. No problems with the playability. If interested send me an email (mike at mainlandukes dot com)and let me know what model you are interested in.

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http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?122028-Mainland-cosmetic-2nds

I have two different Mainlands now, (tenor mahogany slothead, and longneck concert mahogany (effectively tenor scale) pineapple) and posted my thoughts about them in this^ thread.

[edit] I have also included videos in my posts that can show you some sound samples. These videos were made for the weekly 'Seasons Of the Ukulele' Challenge here on UU that runs every week with a different theme.

I have had a great time this summer with my Mainland Mahogany Tenor. It has a wonderful rich tone and I could not be happier with it. I have Martin strings on it and it is tuned High G. It is the first gloss finish uke that I have had and I was a bit worried that humid weather would make the neck sticky, but that has not happened.

Thanks. Sounds like pretty much what I expected to hear. I'm ready to buy so will call Mike on Monday (I'm assuming they're not open on Sunday).

Tery

I have 1 concert uke (solid cedar top) with the standard concert neck. I love its sound but my big old hands have a tough time above the 6th fret.

ERGO --- I contacted Mike re a 2nd for the all-solid-mahogany long-neck (pineapple) concert uke. I fervently hope he has one!

Mainland mahogany was the 1st tenor I owned. It was well built and setup, and played easily. Back then they were strung for shipment with Aquilas. I changed those out pretty fast for some fluorocarbons............really improved the sound.

Be sure you check the bridge placement for INTONATION! I recently got a concert and a tenor from them, and both had the bridges off by almost 1/4 of an inch, in other words, both played seriously out of tune, FLAT! NOT GOOD, even for entry level ukes they should play in tune! When I complained they told me to go elsewhere, they offered to take them back but didn't want to deal with me anymore, because I complained! I guess it means they find it too much trouble to check them out thoroughly.

thinnestman said:

Be sure you check the bridge placement for INTONATION! I recently got a concert and a tenor from them, and both had the bridges off by almost 1/4 of an inch, in other words, both played seriously out of tune, FLAT! NOT GOOD, even for entry level ukes they should play in tune! When I complained they told me to go elsewhere, they offered to take them back but didn't want to deal with me anymore, because I complained! I guess it means they find it too much trouble to check them out thoroughly.

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Wow, sounds like the complete opposite of my experience. The intonation on my Mainland ukes is second only to my Fluke and Flea ukes....

Not saying it did not happen to you, but this is the first time I am hearing of such behavior from Mike of Mainland Ukes...are you sure you spoke with the correct folks? Mike is here on UU as hoosierhiver, maybe you should send him a PM and see if you can get the issue resolved.

I would agree with Booli...not saying this didn't happen, but very contrary to my own experiences with Mike, who is one of the "good guys" out here (and there are a bunch)!

We do tend to protect our own here on UU, and if your first post is an attack on one of the major players in the ukulele world (particularly in the continental US), we're going to be skeptical. An offer to take back the ukuleles seems fair. If they have suggested that you go elsewhere, it likely means that you are a person that they don't think that they can make you happy--and they are probably right.

There are so many other options for you...perhaps the Ohanas or a KoAloha Opio?

This will likely be taken the wrong way, but as the saying goes, you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar--and it is the holiday season where, regardless of belief, the wish for peace on earth and goodwill to all is (generally) a universal plea. Plus--ukulele is supposed to be a source of happiness.

Send back the ukes; go with another brand. Life is too short.

Choirguy said:

I would agree with Booli...not saying this didn't happen, but very contrary to my own experiences with Mike, who is one of the "good guys" out here (and there are a bunch)!....

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Yes, in fact from the 'Cosmetic Seconds sale' back in August, in my post #2 to this thread above, I actually purchased an all-solid mahogany concert classic uke. Mike and I exchanged over a dozen emails both prior to and after my order.

Sometimes he replied as quick as 10 mins later but never more than 24 hrs later, and I was quite pleased with this response time, as well as Mike's attention to detail and care, both in his messages, as well as with the final setup of the uke as delivered to me.

I had asked him to make sure that the intonation was as good as possible, because I am simply mental about intonation and to please check that the fret ends were smooth.

Both were obviously addressed because the instrument I received was wonderful to play, smooth fret ends, very very good intonation and 'sounds like a dream of hot chocolate'.

The reason it was a cosmetic blem was because the satin finish had some rough spots on the top near where the sides of the fingerboard extends towards the sound hole, but I really dont even care about that since it's going to get rubbed away from my playing any way until they put me in a pine box six feet under (this uke is a keeper).

You cannot SEE the roughness, you have to run your fingertip across it, and it is quite minor, but because of it, this instrument was offered at a nice discount to me.

The action was perfect for me at 2.75mm at the 12th fret and intonation at the nut is no more than 1-cent sharp which is acceptable to me, I start to cringe at about the 3-cents sharp point in first position chords and scales. Yes, my hearing perception has become more acute over the past 3 yrs and as I mentioned I am quite mental about intonation and tuning.

I am very happy with this 'cosmetic seconds' uke. I love it. Mike's level of support before and after the sale was wonderful, and I am happy every time I pick up this uke to play and have personally recommended many folks to contact him to get ukes, with full confidence that they will be happy.

So to thinnestman - if you are unhappy with Mainland, perhaps you have not approached the situation in a way that is going to get you satisfaction?

Might you please try again, with kindness, and speak with Mike from Mainland to see if your issue can be resolved?

There are many stories here on UU of his kindness and compassion for others, and your details here are a surprise to me, and of course I do not know all the facts, and I am one of the folks who have had good experiences with Mainland Ukuleles.

Might I suggest that instead of giving up and being angry and dissatisfied, that you please kindly try again to find a resolution with Mike from Mainland Ukuleles.

You truly have nothing to lose and everything to gain at this point, so what's the down-side?

Might it be worth your time to take a moment and carefully consider your next steps?

Feel free to PM me at any time.

Booli said:

... I do not know all the facts, and feel it is not necessary to air dirty laundry in public, so rather than a rant here on UU, or raining on the parade of folks who have had good experiences with Mainland Ukuleles, might I suggest that instead of giving up and being angry and dissatisfied, that you please kindly try again to find a resolution with Mike from Mainland Ukuleles.
<...>
The only issue I can warn you about is that if you persist with your claims, without at the very least another attempt at resolution, you will likely incur the wrath of the Hive Mind here on UU, which is not something I would wish upon anyone who might want to become a participating member of this community.

Might it be worth your time to take a moment and carefully consider your next steps?

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I disagree with this.

Edit for explanation now that I have a couple of internets:

People should not be discouraged from posting about a negative experience. That's not "airing dirty laundry" or "raining on the parade" of others who have had a good experience. It has no bearing on those other experiences at all. A "hive mind" is not a good thing. Veiled threats are unhelpful.

I certainly don't want to read only good reviews regardless of product quality. It's hard enough to sort the wheat from the chaff already in internet land when so many people erroneously see themselves as experts. I'd rather see a full range of views and judge each on its merits.

[original text that was here removed by me because it was off-topic]

Like I said if member thinnestman has issues with Mainland, then one should persist and take it up with Mainland instead of crying about it in someone else's thread. Maybe start a new thread?

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He had issues with the Mainland instruments he bought, which seem perfectly reasonable to share in a thread where the OP specifically asked for thoughts from people who had bought one:

I thought I'd ask in case anyone owns or has owned one and has some thoughts about it.

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It's only common courtesy, which sadly, some folks lack the genes to comprehend.

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Anyway, as you said, thread jacking is poor form, so I'll leave.

Dan,

I don't know if you'll check back--but I would just highlight four things:

1) The complaint is a first post, which is significant. That person has apparently been a member on the site for a long time (longer than me), but has never said, "Hello." They clearly know how to post!

2) There was never a post by that same person about the problem before tonight. I would have asked a question at an earlier time, such as, "I have these ukuleles, and it seems the bridge is off by a 1/4 inch. Anyone else have this? What can I do?"

3) Details were lacking in the complaint. When I reach the point that I feel others need to know about a problem, I make sure that they know the details. I would discuss purchase date, specific models, how many times I talked to the company, and I would add pictures. My goal would be to make others aware before a purchase. And by all means:

4) Emotions were running high in the complaint. That is something I try to avoid when I talk to others about a bad experience. You can quickly lose credibility if you flood facts with emotions or replace facts with emotions.

No one has said this didn't happen, or that the posts shouldn't be made: Booli and I both think the reported incident seems out of character for the brand, and I personally think that if a company offers to take back their item, that is a fair offer. As I said before, there are a ton of choices out there.