Searching for a new tenor -- all solid, acoustic/electric, cutaway

chris_

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Hi all,

I've been using a Cordoba 20TM-CE ukulele for a couple years now, but unfortunately it recently broke in a car accident. So now I'm on the hunt for a new tenor ukulele. I should probably mention that I'm in Canada.

I think I could justify an upgrade over the 20TM-CE (solid top only). I play my uke busking at the farmers' market (no amplification allowed), and occasionally at jams/open stages.

For busking, the loudness/projection of the instrument is really important. For jams/gigs with other folks (and maybe eventually recording), it will be important that the electronics are good. The cutaway is important for me so that I can easily access the high C chord. Good intonation will be a must. It would be nice to have it balanced well in terms of neck/body weight, since I often play standing up.

Also, I'll definitely been stringing a low G on it. I'll be using Worth clear strings. I play all kinds of styles of music. Mostly strumming, some picking too though. I'll want something durable enough that I'm not worried about bringing it out camping for campfires jams in the summer too.

A few options I've come across that are around my budget (up to about $600 CAD):

Cordoba 30T-CE -- $500 CAD - all solid mahogany, L.R. Baggs Five.O pick-up

Cordoba 22T-CE -- $350 CAD - solid spruce top, indian rosewood (not solid?) back and sides, Cordoba 2Band electronics

Mainland Classic Mahogany Tenor Cut-away -- $560 CAD - all solid mahogany, mi-si acoustic trio pick-up

Mainland Classic Mahogany Tenor Cut-away with Slotted Headstock -- $580 CAD - all solid mahogany, mi-si acoustic trio pick-up

Kala KA-SMHTE-C -- $470 CAD - all solid mahogany, Kala Shadow EQ JW 1 electronics

KALA KA-ATP-CTG-CE -- $530 CAD - solid cedar top, acacia (not solid?) back and sides, UK-300-TR electronics


Should I be looking at other intermediate brands too (e.g. Pono, Ohana, Mele...)?

I'm a bit overwhelmed and would appreciate any insights, advice, reviews, etc. that you could share. Thanks in advance!
 
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I have that Kala and I think it's excellent.
 
I am a huge Pono fan. The two Kalas you have listed are also good. But if you liked the Cordoba you had, the sound and playability, I think stepping up to the 30T-CE is a good way to go. I have really liked the sound samples I have heard and the LR Baggs 5.0 pick up is a good as they get. I have them in one baritone and three tenors, they are the most natural sounding under saddle pick up going. If you are busking with an amp they will be great.

One issue is the 30 has a 1.5" nut width and your 20 has 1-3/8", that can be a big deal breaker for some people.
 
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I have that Kala and I think it's excellent.

Thanks for the input! I've seen lots of good reviews for that cedar top one from Kala.

Have you ever had the chance to compare it to a Mainland tenor? I've seen lots of praise for them too.

I wish someone stocked these near me. I'd sure love to compare them in person.
 
I am a huge Pono fan. The two Kalas you have listed are also good. But if you liked the Cordoba you had, the sound and playability, I think stepping up to the 30T-CE is a good way to go. I have really liked the sound samples I have heard and the LR Baggs 5.0 pick up is a good as they get. I have them in one baritone and three tenors, they are the most natural sounding under saddle pick up going. If you are busking with an amp they will be great.

One issue is the 30 has a 1.5" nut width and your 20 has 1-3/8", that can be a big deal breaker for some people.

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm definitely intrigued by the Cordoba 30T-CE. It seems like it's available for a really good price compared to what I've seen in other stores for the same model. I wish there were more reviews of it online. The Mainland and cedar-top Kala ukes have so much praise here on UU that it's hard to know whether the 30T-CE would actually be a step up from them or not.

I've never tried a 1.5" nut width. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll keep it in mind.
 
I would recommend a KoAloha Opio Tenor...you won't match the volume on anything--other than a "full" KoAloha. You can get various pickups installed by the dealer...check with The Ukulele Site, Mim, and Uke Republic.

Needed to add...not a cutaway...but it meets your other ideas.
 
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Thanks for the input! I've seen lots of good reviews for that cedar top one from Kala. Have you ever had the chance to compare it to a Mainland tenor? I've seen lots of praise for them too.

I've actually compared mine to a couple of the $1000+ K brands and I think the Kala comes really close for 1/3 the price.
 
I have the " Kala KA-SMHTE-C -- $470 CAD - all solid mahogany, Kala Shadow EQ JW 1 electronics" and am impressed with it's tone and lightness. The pickup works fine. I especially like it with mellow linear strings, wound 3 and 4. I call it my "surrogate blues guitar." It required no setup work and I've seen some awful good sales on it from time to time online. Love the tortoise binding as well.
 
I would recommend a KoAloha Opio Tenor...you won't match the volume on anything--other than a "full" KoAloha. You can get various pickups installed by the dealer...check with The Ukulele Site, Mim, and Uke Republic.Needed to add...not a cutaway...but it meets your other ideas.

Oh man, these look beautiful! What a sound. It looks like you wouldn't need a cutaway really, since the joint is way up at the 15th fret or so. This honestly is so tempting, but I imagine it'd add up to well over $1000 CAD after the pickup installation and customs/duty to Canada. I could get both the Cordoba mahogany and the Kala cedar top for that price (which when I think about it is also tempting...)

Hopefully I'll see these for sale in Canada someday. I'll definitely keep them in mind if I can justify a future upgrade!
 
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Chris, I'm in Edmonton too- well, St Albert. Last time I was at Innovations in St Albert I'm pretty sure they had a Kala KA-ATP-CTG-CE- checking it out in person might make the decision easier.
I know our "pickings" here are pretty slim LOL.

Thanks for the heads up. Maybe it sold by now. I gave them a ring and they had a different concert cutaway Kala. They deal Cordoba, but don't carry any 30 series ukes, unfortunately.
 
I've actually compared mine to a couple of the $1000+ K brands and I think the Kala comes really close for 1/3 the price.

Wow. That's some high praise. I wish I could try one. I looked into all the Canadian sellers I could find, and it would have to be a special order. Which means they either wouldn't allow returns or would charge a hefty non-refundable deposit and/or restock fee. Since it'd be coming from a "chain" music shop, I'd really like the option of a "no-strings attached" return in case it turns out to be a subpar unit, or is dried out from bad warehouse storage or something... IDK, I'm probably overthinking it, haha.
 
I have the " Kala KA-SMHTE-C -- $470 CAD - all solid mahogany, Kala Shadow EQ JW 1 electronics" and am impressed with it's tone and lightness. The pickup works fine. I especially like it with mellow linear strings, wound 3 and 4. I call it my "surrogate blues guitar." It required no setup work and I've seen some awful good sales on it from time to time online. Love the tortoise binding as well.

Good to know. Yeah, I bet. I've never tried them, but i can see how looser wound strings would give a good bluesy sound. Hard to pass up the Cordoba all solid mahogany for the same price though since it includes a nice case...
 
I just placed the order for the Cordoba 30T-CE. I couldn't resist it at that price (about $500 CAD/380 USD). It is from Amazon though, so I'm a bit worried that it might end up having a defect or being dried out from improper storage. But their return policy is good, so if there's anything wrong with it I have 30 days to return it.

If it ends up being a good unit though, and I'm happy with it, there's an acoustic music shop a couple blocks from me that will do set-up for it for a good price (around $60 CAD or so). Sounds like they do a pretty thorough job: neck adjustment, action adjustments, measuring/setting intonation.

My last Cordoba tenor (20TM-CE) was my first (and only) uke that wasn't a Mahalo toy. It served me well for a couple years. Learned a lot of songs. I spent many, many hours strumming that thing, so I hope this upgrade works out.

I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for sales on the Kala KA-ATP-CTG-CE cedar top too though. I don't know how long it will be before it goes from "special order" to "not available" status. If the setup at the local shop here works out well, then I might sell try to sell some of my old guitar gear and buy one of these too!

I'll keep this thread updated with how it works out with the Cordoba if there's any interest.
 
I just placed the order for the Cordoba 30T-CE. I couldn't resist it at that price (about $500 CAD/380 USD). It is from Amazon though, so I'm a bit worried that it might end up having a defect or being dried out from improper storage. But their return policy is good, so if there's anything wrong with it I have 30 days to return it.

If it ends up being a good unit though, and I'm happy with it, there's an acoustic music shop a couple blocks from me that will do set-up for it for a good price (around $60 CAD or so). Sounds like they do a pretty thorough job: neck adjustment, action adjustments, measuring/setting intonation.

My last Cordoba tenor (20TM-CE) was my first (and only) uke that wasn't a Mahalo toy. It served me well for a couple years. Learned a lot of songs. I spent many, many hours strumming that thing, so I hope this upgrade works out.

I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for sales on the Kala KA-ATP-CTG-CE cedar top too though. I don't know how long it will be before it goes from "special order" to "not available" status. If the setup at the local shop here works out well, then I might sell try to sell some of my old guitar gear and buy one of these too!

I'll keep this thread updated with how it works out with the Cordoba if there's any interest.

Congratulations, that is a smoking good deal. You liked your 20 so you should love this one and the LR Baggs pick up is fantastic.
 
Hi Chris,

I have a Martin tenor. Would you be interested in seeing some pics? It's in mint condition, the sound is spot on! Sustain is amazing! It is currently my daily go to but I've had three wrist reconstructive surgeries and I am just having too much trouble with my reach. Need to go smaller.
 
Hi Chris,

I have a Martin tenor. Would you be interested in seeing some pics? It's in mint condition, the sound is spot on! Sustain is amazing! It is currently my daily go to but I've had three wrist reconstructive surgeries and I am just having too much trouble with my reach. Need to go smaller.

Hi. I'm sorry to hear about your wrist. I'd definitely be interested in hearing more about it. What type the wood? Does it have a pickup installed? What would be the ballpark price? Are you in Canada? We could discuss more by PM if you'd prefer.
 
Congratulations, that is a smoking good deal. You liked your 20 so you should love this one and the LR Baggs pick up is fantastic.

I bet it will be beautiful. Yet at the same time, I've started having some second-thoughts about going for an all solid ukulele. Would it be durable and resilient enough for things like camping, or even just for surviving in a place that's so dry (heated 8 months of the year)? Not to mention surviving with two kids under five years old in the house, haha.

I've read that mahogany is supposedly quite forgiving though, as far as solid wood goes. I was never worried about my Cordoba 20. I took that thing everywhere with me. Never even humidified it and never had any issues. But it was just a solid top.

Would it be safer to go with the solid top cedar / laminate acacia side and back Kala in terms of durability?

Or maybe even a fluke tenor? Or would that be too much of a compromise in sound projection/quality?
 
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