'Review' of lightning deal 'mugig' soprano -£18.99

Bored on a train tonight so thought I'd write a little something.

A few days ago I was wooed by a really low price ukulele on Amazon. I do enjoy taking a risk on bargain ukes and have previously bought an APC that I love (though it needed tlc), a bugsgear plastic uke (which is fun - for a cheap uke), an Ash(i)ton(e) mahogany solid top which was ... not good at all!, a chord primero solid spruce top which was SO loud I had to return it - but wasn't bad (for the 22 pounds I paid), and a 'kahua' bubinga that was so heavy I think it was lead laminate.

This time I exercised my bargain focused has on a mugig soprano on a lightning deal for £18.99 and .... I love it! It has a spruce laminate top (called a spruce 'panel') in the description, sapele laminate back and sides and white plastic binding with black and white effect (one piece), chromed plastic tuners, and maybe a bone or nubone nut (I'm no expert but it's not plastic!).

I was really impressed by its looks when I got it, by no means flawless but binding I guess hides a multitude of sins, and other flaws were minor.

Strumming a little I found the intonation way off on the g and c string, but a little nut filing and a lot of saddle filing , and it's a couple of cents off at most down the fretboard, the strings are Aquila copies and probably not the best. However, now playing is fun and sounds quite lovely. A little plinky perhaps but I'm really happy I took a punt.

I'm sure a few months down the road I'll get bored and try again on the bargain trail. But this was a happy one.

I'm sure I got quite lucky but this looks so much better than most other sub £50 ukes, sounds nice, and even comes with a decent thinnish foam bag.

Anyone else attracted by bargain basement new shiny things should keep an eye out for the next price drop!

All of my six ukuleles are bargain basement buys.
I bought a zebrawood electro acoustic Rubin soprano for £18 off eBay, an Ammoon 24" for £25, a pre owned Spongebob Pineapple for about £8, a Mahalo soprano pre owned for £3 and I was given a dreadful Ashton soprano free. My latest purchase is a Joe Brown Laka Concert pre owned, but never played for £71. Of these, the one I play most is the Rubin. It's not perfect, but it sounds like a ukulele, not a warm sound, but bright and jangly. I leave it in my Land Rover all the time, and it hardy needs tuning. The Joe Brown is a lovely instrument, very mellow and warm, but doesn't really work well played in a group environment. It's more of a solo instrument. The Ashton is terrible and stays in a cupboard. The Spongebob is very playable and quite a cool instrument in a weird way. The Mahalo is ok to pick up any time and strum, but not fantastic. The Ammoon is quite a nice ukulele, similar sound to the Joe Brown, but a bit more jangly. It's a real bargain if you fancy trying a concert out.

Flibble said:

Bored on a train tonight so thought I'd write a little something....

Click to expand...

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and write such a detailed review. I looked on Prime Day, and after a few hours, yes HOURS!!!! did not find anything to tempt me, ukulele-related or otherwise.

However I am glad that you found something, and that it makes you happy.

Carry on, brother! :music: