Need suggestions on a solid mahogony ukulele

Mr_Christopher · May 1, 2017

My daughter plays the soprano and also baritone ukuleles. She wants a new soprano for her birthday, the one she has is super cheap. I know guitars but I don't know ukuleles.

We played a used Martin at Sam Ash the other day, holy cow it sounded sweet and put out a lot of sound but it's $850 which is out of our price range. I'm assuming much of the tone has to do with it being solid mahogany, so I'm wondering what other solid mahogany ukuleles we should consider. I'd like to stay under $300 if possible and things like quality tuners are important as well.

I could read online reviews on Amazon or Sam Ash and what not, but I thought I would ask in a ukulele forum instead.

Cheers!

Chris

kkimura · May 1, 2017

Mainland makes a real nice solid mahogany uke. Eastman solid mahogany ukes look a little nicer, comes with a hard case and sound just as good (my opinion, others may vary).

Patrick Madsen · May 1, 2017

Favillia can't be beat. They were once know as a "poor man's" Martin but many Professional musicians preferred them over Martins.

Croaky Keith · May 1, 2017

Ohana & Kala do solid mahogany at fair prices, (I have two Ohana solid mahogany ukes).

However, also take a listen to some cedar topped ukes, they tend to have great sound, (I have a Kala cedar top baritone

)

Pukulele Pete · May 1, 2017

You can't go wrong with a new Martin S1 , I'll bet you can find one for under $300.

RichM · May 1, 2017

kkimura said:
Mainland makes a real nice solid mahogany uke. Eastman solid mahogany ukes look a little nicer, come with a hard case and sound just as good (my opinion, others may vary).

I agree completely; Mainland and Eastman are the two brands I would look at for that price point. As much as I like Mainland, I'm really impressed with how well Eastman does a mahogany uke. They are Martin-styled ukes that are much nicer IMHO than the comparably priced current Martin ukes.

Rakelele · May 1, 2017

Have a look at Pono. They are made of all solid Woods and offer a tremendous value. They seem to be out of Mahogany Sopranos right now, but from what I'm told, a new shipment is about to come in:

http://www.theukulelesite.com/shop-by/brand/pono.html?dir=desc&order=position

kkimura · May 1, 2017

RichM said:
I agree completely; Mainland and Eastman are the two brands I would look at for that price point. As much as I like Mainland, I'm really impressed with how well Eastman does a mahogany uke. They are Martin-styled ukes that are much nicer IMHO than the comparably priced current Martin ukes.

Someone once told me an Eastman EUC3 Concert is a copy of a Collings UC1 which is a copy of a Martin S1.

SailingUke · May 1, 2017

Ukecaster has an Ohana 35 solid mahogany for sale, these are great ukes.

PhilUSAFRet · May 1, 2017

Some nice one's here. http://www.ebay.com/sch/Musical-Ins...=16224&rt=nc&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo=150&_udhi=300

Don't underrate the Ohana SK-35 solid mahogany. About mid-point in your budget, has to be a value leader. Mim's and Uke republic sell them with great setups as well.

Personally, I'd prefer the Pono: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...ono+soprano.TRS0&_nkw=pono+soprano&_sacat=619

UkeStuff · May 1, 2017

Pukulele Pete said:
You can't go wrong with a new Martin S1 , I'll bet you can find one for under $300.

I don't think so...$419 new, $349 used.

UkeStuff · May 1, 2017

RichM said:
I agree completely; Mainland and Eastman are the two brands I would look at for that price point. As much as I like Mainland, I'm really impressed with how well Eastman does a mahogany uke. They are Martin-styled ukes that are much nicer IMHO than the comparably priced current Martin ukes.

Where are you finding the Eastman ukuleles? I see them on eBay starting at $299 plus shipping (EU3S).

RichM · May 1, 2017

Choirguy said:
Where are you finding the Eastman ukuleles? I see them on eBay starting at $299 plus shipping (EU3S).

I got mine from Bernunzio, they were carrying quite a few for a while. Elderly also carries Eastman.

Mr_Christopher · May 2, 2017

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'm researching them all. And learning a thing or two in the process

sculptor · May 4, 2017

I'd say the Pono MS at $303 would be a good bet! I own the tenor version which I like a lot. HMS has one in stock!

-- Gary

KohanMike · May 4, 2017

I liked my Gretsch G9121 A.C.E. with solid top, about $210. I ultimately traded it in for a Kala cedar top, about $250-$370 depending on configuration. Sounds great, as Uke1950 says.

PhilUSAFRet · May 8, 2017

For $239, try beating the Mainland rosewood bodied, cedar topped soprano, either from Mainland or MIM'S

PTOEguy · May 9, 2017

check out the Kiwaya KS-1. Kiwaya's are often considered as close as you can get to a brand new vintage Martin uke. HMS has one for sale under $300. It isn't solid wood, but my understanding is that a good laminate can outperform a lousy solid wood uke, and you don't have to worry as much about humidity.

Here's a review of the KS-5, which I think is the same thing as the KS-1 in Koa http://www.gotaukulele.com/2012/12/kiwaya-ks-5-soprano-ukulele-review.html

Sharpshin · May 10, 2017

Ohana Soprano...SK-35, SK-38 etc.
They are lovely! All solid mahogany.
Mim is a very large Ohana dealer and you can get one there, all set up. Definitely in your price range.
Eastman is probably also great, not enough personal experience to say.
I have a one and it may or may not be (BFF) for sale after my Style 1 Centennial arrives.

robinboyd · May 18, 2017

Mele does solid mahogany sopranos for under $300. I have a Mele and I love it.

http://meleukulele.com/product-category/mele-ukuleles/

Need suggestions on a solid mahogony ukulele

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