A Uke for My Brother...

bikemech

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Messages
405
Reaction score
1
I'd like to get a ukulele for my brother. He is 51 and has played guitar for a number of years. I'd like to keep the cost under $100 but I could spend more. I don't want to buy a him a toy. I want it to be an instrument to be taken seriously. And for the these reasons have ruled out a Dolphin. Though they may play well, they look too much like a toy or a child's instrument.

Currently in consideration (all sopranos): Kala KA-s, Gretsch 9100, Outdoor Uke. If I were to spend more I would consider the Kala Travel uke or the Flea; I'm not sure I want to spend that much though.

Opinions?
 
I bought my girlfriend a Kala KA-SLNG which isn't bad at all. I think it makes a great first uke.
 
Check out Caramel on Amazon/E-Bay. For less that $100 you can get a darn good Uke and he'll like the sound.
 
Go to uke Republic and peruse the link for Under $200 you'll find a lot of nice choices for your budget. Although you may have to pay for a small ship charge.
 
Kala KA-SEM, which is the Exotic Mahogany soprano, $96.99. First off they look great, really atractive looking, looks like twice the price. I have played the soprano, concert and tenor sizes in this model and they all sounded much, much better than the price tag indicates. I have been suprised and impressed.
 
Thanks for the responses thus far. I am leaning toward something in the $100 range so the Kala ukes are currently the front runners here.

The U.S. made Outdoor Ukulele is tempting but my only experience playing the uke, at the company store in Bend, Oregon, did not leave a favorable impression. The strings were brand new that day and were virtually unplayable. In addition to that, the building in which they are located is fairly large and open with no small room for instrument evaluations. That big space made the uke seem small and quiet. (That's not a knock against the Outdoor Uke. I think any uke would sound small under the same circumstances.) But that was my experience, so it was difficult to come away with any sort of conclusion in my evaluation. Oh well.

I would still like to hear the opinions of others who own or have owned the above-mentioned Kalas or similar.
 
The Kala KA-SLNG is absolutely lovely. As an upgrade to my Makala Dolphin, it has glossy looks, richer sounds and nicer frets. Not to say bad words about my Dolphin, but the KA-SLNG is definitely a superior. Also, I got it from the Mim's Ebay store, so it has lower action and smoother fretboard too.

Now my Dolphin just sadly sits in the corner of my room because I can not put the SLNG down... Good for me, bad for my Dolphin :(
 
As a former guitar player I'd suggest a Flea or Martin SO ( about 200 on ebay) . Some ukes have a narrow nut and for me were difficult to play.
The Martin and the Flea have a nut just a bit wider than most Asian ukes and that makes all the difference for me.
I have a nice Ohana that doesnt get played often because of the narrow nut , just a little too squished for me at the first two frets.
 
Last edited:
Caramel's have been getting very good reviews lately. One of my students got for $thirty something and it sounds better than many brand names that cost twice to 3 times as much. Soprano's seem to be in short supply right now, but here's a few. Any setup work needed likely to be minor/minimal of any.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...+ukulele.TRS1&_nkw=caramel+ukulele&_sacat=619
I will second this opinion, I also play guitar so the tenor size of ukulele is more comfortable because of the 17 inch scale. My Caramel zebra wood laminate Tenor 102A makes me happy having a guitar playing beginning years ago.
 
I will second this opinion, I also play guitar so the tenor size of ukulele is more comfortable because of the 17 inch scale. My Caramel zebra wood laminate Tenor 102A makes me happy having a guitar playing beginning years ago.

+1 on the Caramel endorsements here. I also have a 102A Tenor I love. For way less than 100 bucks they are very playable instruments. I did have to file down the frets on mine, they were very sharp, and you may want to change the factory strings, but after that, it's gravy. The intonation isn't perfect on mine, but it's pretty close.

I also have a Kala KA-PWS. I like it, good little uke. The only thing I don't like about it is the headstock is heavy, I think due to the nice metal geared tuners on it. Seems like some people don't notice the heavy headstock on some Kala's, and others do, I notice it on mine.
 
There is a lot of praise for Caramel here. I will give it some thought.

Thank you all.
 
https://allstringsnylon.com/nylon-string-instruments
From my experience most guitar players prefer a bigger instrument than a soprano. I would suggest a concert size so that it actually looks and feels and sounds like a ukulele. Something different than a guitar but familiar enough.

Cordoba make some really nice ukuleles. They look good they sound good and they play well.I got a Cordoba cm15 for a friend when looking to get her a present. Yes they sell them at Guitar Center and all these other outlets. but I chose all strings nylon company because they're independent just a husband and wife team. If you look at the website you see that Chuck is a Luthier. He chose all of his stock and sets up every instrument. For $99 you got a great instrument that is setup and shipped. This setup is what made me choose company to purchase from. You don't want to get an instrument that has flaws. Without a set up invariably they'll be something that needs to be adjusted. And you can talk to them on the phone to discuss the different features of the instruments. They won't try to upsell you either.
 
The Caramels probably aren't a bad deal. But I like Islanders, I've had 2, a MC-4 and still have an AC-4. I think they're better made than Kalas, I've also had 2 ka-slng's and haven't been real impressed with them. An Islander is a little more, but worth it...

http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/product/islander-as-4-acacia-soprano-ukulele-w-padded-uke-bag

Another bonus on the Islander is that they have a wider fingerboard, which I found easier to play on when I was just getting started.
 
Thanks for the responses thus far. I am leaning toward something in the $100 range so the Kala ukes are currently the front runners here.

The U.S. made Outdoor Ukulele is tempting but my only experience playing the uke, at the company store in Bend, Oregon, did not leave a favorable impression. The strings were brand new that day and were virtually unplayable. In addition to that, the building in which they are located is fairly large and open with no small room for instrument evaluations. That big space made the uke seem small and quiet. (That's not a knock against the Outdoor Uke. I think any uke would sound small under the same circumstances.) But that was my experience, so it was difficult to come away with any sort of conclusion in my evaluation. Oh well.

I would still like to hear the opinions of others who own or have owned the above-mentioned Kalas or similar.
I'm wondering if this was the original version of the Outdoor Ukulele with the friction pegs, or the newer version with geared tuners. The newer version was a huge improvement in my opinion, in everyway. I very much disliked the original version. I sent it back to them for a refund. The new version is a really great instrument, in my opinion.
I sold mine to a fellow UU member, but only because I was moving onto something else at the time. I may very well get another someday. I would prefer a concert though.
 
I'm wondering if this was the original version of the Outdoor Ukulele with the friction pegs, or the newer version with geared tuners. The newer version was a huge improvement in my opinion, in everyway. I very much disliked the original version. I sent it back to them for a refund. The new version is a really great instrument, in my opinion.

I'm not sure when the new instrument was introduced but it was likely the new version as I tested the uke last year. Again, it was not the best environment for testing an instrument and I wouldn't state a definitive conclusion as to the sound or playability of the Outdoor Ukulele.

I'll be shopping this weekend.
 
Decision made. Flea soprano ordered!!

He will be receiving it next Tuesday. Thank you for all the replies. In the end I went for a known quantity as this is the third Flea I've ordered in the last month. Is that Flea Acquisition Syndrome? American made and not much affected by the very low humidity Bend is known for.

David
 
Top Bottom