Need help before buying a new uke

Hello everybody,

I would like to buy a new ukulele and need your advices.
I have 2 ukuleles : a flea soprano that I take often with me and an Ohana PKC 70G https://ohana-music.com/product/ohana-ukuleles-pkc-70g-pineapple-shaped-solid-spruce-solid-mahogany-concert/

I love the Ohana so much. The sound is incredible !
The only thing I dislike is the ergonomy. The pineapple shape is beautiful but, for me, it is not very confortable to play.

So now, I would like to buy a new uke with a classic shape but cutaway for fingerpicking and the electronic option would be a plus since I like to play with other instruments.

I live in a small village in France and I don't have any specialized store where I could try ukes. I will order without trying.

I am looking for :
- Concert size but open to Tenor size
- Cutaway shape
- Electronic acoustic would be great.
- Straps buttons included because I am afraid to do it myself

I play and sing. Mostly strumming but I am practicing fingerpicking style more and more. I play other instruments and hope to create something, recording myself. That it why the EC can be great.

The budget, difficult question. I was thinking about 250€ - 300€ (almost the same in USD). But i don't know if I can get something as good as my ohana for that price. So, I can wait a bit to be able to buy the good one !
I need to know what uke would suit me and get my budget.

I found those ukes and would like to know what you think about it:

Ohana Ukuleles CK-35CE : https://ohana-music.com/product/ck-35ce-all-solid-mahogany-with-cut-away-eq-concert/

Kala KA-SMHCE-C : https://kalabrand.com/collections/all-solid-mahogany-ukulele/products/ka-smhce-c

ANUENUE Lani III CE : http://www.anuenue-uke.com/en/products/one/9/32

The Riptide Boulder Creek (EUC-5NS) has no cutaway version in concert size and no strap buttons but I have to say that I like it.

I also fell in love with a Pono acacia but it is way above my budget if I want CE, cutaway, etc...

The "problem" with a small and affordable instrument like the uke ( affordable compared to a piano for exemple), is that you want to buy a lot (in my case ;-)).
So I am trying to find one that could have enough options to be polyvalent. I will buy others, for sure, but not in a year or two.

This post is pretty long since I am trying to be specific.
Don't hesitate to give me your advices on the ukes and if you have good feedbacks on other ukes, I would love to read about them .

Thank you in advance for your help,
Marjorie

I feel that the problem with less expensive ukuleles is that if they have electronics, the electronics are also on the cheap-ish side. It depends on your expectations to the sound you get from the pick-up, but since you mentioned that you play piano and harp, you have probably a good ear for tone. Personally, I'd probably buy the uke and the pickup separately so that you have more control over the quality of the uke and the quality of the pickup system. The problem with that, though, is that it will exceed your budget. The Mi-Si trio is around €200 if you buy it from Matt at World of Ukuleles in the UK, including installation and setup, but looking at http://worldofukes.co.uk/concert-ukuleles/ , he doesn't currently have concerts with cutaways in the lower price range. If the cutaway isn't a hard requirement, I'd look at this one: http://worldofukes.co.uk/concert-ukuleles/world-of-ukes-pioneer-1c-concert-ukulele -- he wrote to me that he'll get six more of them in around May. But with the pickup that would put you at €500, which is probably too much, but I think this is a really good deal for a uke like this. (I'm still thinking about getting one of the six he'll get.)

I feel it's important to buy from a place that includes setups, so our choices in Europe are very limited, unfortunately. The other European store that ships to continental Europe and that includes setups, is the Southern Ukulele Store. I have bought an instrument from them as well (from Matt of World of Ukuleles also, both experiences were positive). They have the Ohana that you have listed, here, and they'll fit a strap button for you also.

I really like aNueNue because my experience with their Moon Bird concert and its quality has been so wonderful. Great instrument. But I'm not sure the one you listed has a solid top, and I would definitely go for a uke with a solid top, unless you buy a Kiwaya/Famous FC-*, but those are around €700 after importing them to Europe, without electronics. The Ohana has a solid top, so that'd be my choice of the ones you listed, and I'd buy it from SUS to ensure a proper setup. (But personally, I'd get the WoU Pioneer with a Mi-si pickup!)

Of those that you are looking at - my personal choice would be the Ohana.

(I prefer the cable to exit from the lower bout rather than the end/base where the strap button goes.)

I like the tonal sound of my Ohana solid mahogany ukes - though I have fitted them with (Living Water) flourocarbon low G strings.

Are there any sound samples of the Ohana Ukuleles CK-35CE for comparison?

Listening to the ANUENUE Lani III CE and Kala KA-SMHCE-C, I'm partial to the Kala (see my signature for bias confirmation ), because it sounds more mellow to my ears, but that's a personal preference.

WifeOnFourStrings said:

Are there any sound samples of the Ohana Ukuleles CK-35CE for comparison?

Click to expand...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzzKmGG25J4

Here is a demo of the Ohana : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzzKmGG25J4&t=261s

I'd also like a mellow sound for this one.

I don't have the occasion to try a lot of ukes and it's always difficult because even with the same instrument, the sound will differ. And my everyday uke is an Ohana so I don't have a lot to compare to.

Thank you Mivo, the PIONEER has a really great look !!!! But for 500€, it's going to be too much for me. The sound, I can't really tell with the video on the website. I didn't know this brand but I am going to check the website.
I heard great things about the southern Ukulele store !

WifeOnFourStrings, what do you think about your Kala, is it confortable to play ? (ps: love the outdoor uke btw )

WifeOnFourStrings said:

Listening to the ANUENUE Lani III CE and Kala KA-SMHCE-C, I'm partial to the Kala (see my signature for bias confirmation ), because it sounds more mellow to my ears, but that's a personal preference.

Click to expand...

Listening to the two videos, I strongly favor the aNueNue. So airy, playful and light, really liking it. Actually surprised at how good it sounds for a laminated top. Unusually happy sound for a tenor (were you able to find a demo of the concert version?). You're right, it comes down to personal preference. So tricky to recommend ukes for others!

The Kala sounded decent to me also, and I like the Ohana's sound sample too.

A friend just bought one of the new Ohana TK-79 tenors from Mim's. I am so impressed by that little instrument and the quality of Mim's setup. I have very high quality instruments but that Ohana has a neck I'd trade for on most of mine.

I'm blown away by the quality of the build and sound from it.

Marjorie1967 said:

Here is a demo of the Ohana : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzzKmGG25J4&t=261s

/

WifeOnFourStrings, what do you think about your Kala, is it confortable to play ? (ps: love the outdoor uke btw )

Click to expand...

The audio quality on that video wasn't the greatest but, wow, the Ohana sounds very pretty.

I find the Kala very comfortable, but I think it's really important to keep in mind that I'm a baby-beginner and the only other Uke I've played is a Kala Ukadelic. It didn't take much to make me happy.

When I started shopping for a uke, my only requirements were a nice sound, a cutout and built in electronics for under $400. The Kala Solid Mahogany Concert Cutway met all of those needs beautifully, though I think an important note is that I purchased mine from theUkuleleSite.com/Hawaiʻi Music Supply. I'm sure their setup process played a role in my happiness with the Kala "straight out of the box."

Thank you everybody

It seems pretty difficult to find a decent Uke in concert size with cutaway around 300€.

Beside the Ohana, Kala and Anuenue I don't see one.

I checked on the cordoba uke but I am not so sure about the sound...

I am going to see if I can find other videos and if I can find and ANUENUE with all solid wood with this specifications and the price range.

If you know other brands and models of ukes that could fit, don't hesitate to tell me .

I really understand why a lot of people end up with ten or more ukes... :-D

Maybe take a look at Baton Rouge.
http://www.gotaukulele.com/2014/09/baton-rouge-v2c-sun-concert-ukulele.html

(I have 2x Baton Rouge electro acoustic concerts with cutaways, a solid spruce, & a laminate mahogany.)

If you buy the pickup separately and have the vendor install it, there is a larger selection of ukes. There are cheaper options than the Mi-si that I had mentioned, so €200 for the uke and €100 for a pickup might be a feasible approach.

Thank you uke1950 and Mivo !

I have looked at the baton rouge ukulele. The sound is pretty nice . The only thing I don't like is the sun. The look is important for every instrument and i don't really like the BR look with the sun. Thank you for the info, these ukes have a lot of options

Mivo, I am considering your idea. I can even buy a ukulele and add the pickup later when I have more budget for it.

I am trying to extend my list of potential ukuleles to be able to choose the right one .

Thank you guys for your help !

Marjorie1967 said:

Mivo, I am considering your idea. I can even buy a ukulele and add the pickup later when I have more budget for it.

Click to expand...

That's what I did with my Moon Bird concert. I wasn't sure if I wanted a pickup, and then I wasn't sure if I should spend another €200 right then before I even knew I liked the instrument or if I even needed a pickup, so bought it without. A lot of local music stores have a repair person who can fit pickups for a fee (or for free if you buy the pickup from them).

Mivo said:

That's what I did with my Moon Bird concert. I wasn't sure if I wanted a pickup, and then I wasn't sure if I should spend another €200 right then before I even knew I liked the instrument or if I even needed a pickup, so bought it without. A lot of local music stores have a repair person who can fit pickups for a fee (or for free if you buy the pickup from them).

Click to expand...

I am already looking at the pono concert size. No cutaway since it's more expensive. I am waiting a few more weeks before buying one. I want to be sure since it will be my top ukulele . For the pickups, it is more " problematic " since i don't have any shop near me, even 2 hours away but I will see.

I know this is not a cutaway, but it is a great deal and has electronics. I don't know what the shipping will be as they will probably need a CITES certificate, but I would guess it would be around your high amount.
All solid with electronics tenor, $299 on sale, regular $499:
https://www.elderly.com/instruments...-ctg-e-comfort-edge-tenor-ukulele-with-eq.htm

Shipping ukes from the US to Europe typically adds $100 or more for shipping and insurance, and about 22-25% of the total value (which annoyingly includes the shipping and insurance costs) for import taxes and VAT. Add to that the currently unfavorable exchange rate (from the European perspective) and importing ukes from the US is often a bit prohibitive. That used to be different, especially when you could send items as gifts and it made a difference (now we lay import taxes and VAT even for actual gifts if the value exceeds about $50). Plus returns or warranty covered repairs are a nightmare. Personally, the only time I'd import a uke is if it's something I really want and can't find in Europe (say a custom built instrument) or the exchange rate is very favorable (as was the case when I bought the Barron River from Australia).