Best all solid concert ukes?

TheKlmslim

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Ive been looking all over the internet for the best concert all solid concert uke and its so hard to choose, im looking at the Pono AC right now, pono has been getting a lot of good talk here on the forum but ive also heard thay their tenor ukes are spot on but as you go smaller the quality goes down, is that true? Also ive been looking at Ohana, pono and mainland ukes, but which one do you think provides the best all solid concert ukes? I was hoping for an all acacia or all mahogany uke, trying to steer away from cedar tops ( because of my own personal preference) anyways if you have any suggestions please feel free to let me know! I really appreciate the help😊
(Feel free to suggest any all solid concert uke, not justd from the 3 brands i listed above)
 
Yes to smaller Pono sizes being lackluster. And they have the fat neck.

Best concert: Kiwaya.
 
When I was in Hawaii, I decided to get an all-solid concert uke in the $300 to $500 price range. Having read reviews, I thought I was probably going to get a Pono. Once I tried out a bunch of ukes, I decided that I liked the Koaloha Opio better than the Pono, and Mele ukuleles even better still. I ended up getting a Mele mango concert. I totally agree with you about cedar tops. You might like the all mahogany Mele or the mahogany body with koa top. I would have got the mahogany koa combo, but I wanted something that looked and sounded quite different to the acacia tenor I already owned.
 
Whilst I like my Kala cedar topped bari, I also have 2 solid mahogany Ohana, both tenor scale, a concert body & a soprano body, they have a good sound/tone to them. :)
 
What do you have against cedar? I find that they seem to open up the sound a bit and have them on my high end ukes?
 
I love the concert size and have played/owned a bunch of them. You didn't mention a budget. One of the best concert ukes I have played is a KoAloha. Those are around $1000 new. I agree with Coolkayaker that the Kiwaya is a great choice as well. LoPrinzi make excellent ukuleles and their model A mahogany concert is $550.
 
Knowing your budget is critical. Best concert.........maybe a Kinnard series 3 at $2600.00 or an I'iwi at $3000.00.......you get the point.

There is actually no "best sounding" because sound preference is very personal. You stated liking acacia, Koaloha Opio is very highly regarded in the $500.00 range. Ohana make a good open sounding mahogany concert in the $300.00 range.
 
The reality is that there are at least 50 ukuleles in this category, not including custom ukuleles. To get a recommendation, a lot of other questions remain: what kind of solid wood (or combination), price point, Hawaiian made or not, etc.

Then, of course, there is the super concert, with a tenor neck. The number of choices for those, however, is somewhat smaller.
 
I have a Mainland. I'm not saying it is better than any of the others you are looking at, but it is a very nice ukulele. I like the way Mike is always there when you have a question or need something. I mean, he doesn't just sell Mainlands, he is Mainland. That is probably the biggest selling point for me.
 
I would agree that Kiwaya is worth a look.

Kiwaya makes terrific instruments. If I were in the market right now they would definitely be on my list.
 
What do you have against cedar? I find that they seem to open up the sound a bit and have them on my high end ukes?

It actually has nothing to do with the sound, i actually rather enjoy the beautiful sound cedar topped ukuleles produce, what really steers me away is how, in my opinion, they begin to look more like miniature acoustic guitars and less like a traditional ukulele. Which may be a bit more of a shallow reason on my part, but I really just have fallen in love with the beautiful striping of acacia wood or the mahogany on the entire instrument. But in all fairness I have heard some cedar topped ukuleles that really just sound fantastic compared to other tonewoods used, even some lower end cedar topped that blow the socks off of higher end ukes.
 
The reality is that there are at least 50 ukuleles in this category, not including custom ukuleles. To get a recommendation, a lot of other questions remain: what kind of solid wood (or combination), price point, Hawaiian made or not, etc.

Then, of course, there is the super concert, with a tenor neck. The number of choices for those, however, is somewhat smaller.

I apologize, i mean my price range is between 300 and 600 dollars, im looking for a solid wood (preferably acacia or mahogany), Hawaiian made isn't super important for this purchase, i just want it to sound great and fall in my price range. So im looking for more of a mid level than a high end break the bank uke. As far as neck size i was thinking more traditional concert, but i would be open to a super concert. Sorry for not being more specific before i wrote this all last night when i was really tired😅
 
I had a Pono AC and sold it. I'm inclined to agree with the opinion that smaller Ponos lack something, based on personal experience.

With your budget you could consider the LoPrinzi model A.
 
Don't overlook the Eastman Concert. It's all solid mahogany, beautiful silking and nitro finish. Top notch build quality and tone.
 
I was just looking through The Ukulele Site. In your price range, I have a preference for KoAloha products, owning an Opio Tenor myself. They have a Concert Long Neck Opio for $510. They also are clearing out this instrument for $250: http://www.theukulelesite.com/shop-by/size/concert/kala-spruce-ovangkol-concert-asov-c.html.

I would also suggest Mainland Ukuleles, as well as suggest an e-mail to Mim at Mim's Ukes or Mike at Uke Republic, who deal with many, many models and makes (The Ukulele Site removed a lot of product this past year, intentionally). They could easily make additional suggestions for you based on your preferences. If you are buying new, one of these dealers is encouraged as they all include set-up--which may still be needed on a $300-$600 (or even a $1,000) ukulele.

Let us know what you end up buying!
 
I apologize, i mean my price range is between 300 and 600 dollars, im looking for a solid wood (preferably acacia or mahogany), Hawaiian made isn't super important for this purchase, i just want it to sound great and fall in my price range. So im looking for more of a mid level than a high end break the bank uke. As far as neck size i was thinking more traditional concert, but i would be open to a super concert. Sorry for not being more specific before i wrote this all last night when i was really tired��

If it were me and that was my budget, I would contact LoPrinzi (or Uke Republic) for a Model A Mahogany ukulele and never look back! They are a luthier built uke that plays MUCH better than ukes costing 2-3 times as much! http://www.augustinoloprinzi.com/model-a.html
 
I have a KoAloha concert I'm ready to sell. Best non-custom I've ever played. A little more than $600, but PM me if interested.
 
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For the money, if you appreciate the slightly unusual, I don't think you can beat a Cocobolo Ukulele....
 
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