I am considering another Tenor more for taking with me get togethers & short trips. I prefer the overall look of friction tuners & thinking cedar top but???
Curious why so many Mainland Ukes show up for sale.
Any others to look at around $350 or so?
thanks in advance!
I just read through this thread, moved on, and that middle line (bolded) stuck in my head, and I had to come back. I have only been into this ukulele "thing" since 2016. In the past year and a half, a bunch of Chinese ukulele companies have started making high quality ukuleles--some even out of solid wood. These ukuleles come at shocking price points (see the Aklot AKC23, for example) and offer incredible value to the buyer.
I also absorb ukulele information as it has become a passion, and there was a great interview with Mike Upton at Kala on the Ukulele Review Podcast (by the Ukulele Site). Andrew and Mike talked about how the first Kala ukuleles (16 years ago) were okay--but how much things have improved in the past years. My guess is that the Chinese manufacturers buy competing products and study them, visit other shops, and perhaps even hire away talent. Ultimately, the increasing expectations and feedback from American companies (including the Hawaiian K Brands with economy brands) has led to an increase in quality in all of the Chinese ukuleles--and ukuleles from other places as well.
Back to the original topic, Mainland ukuleles are high quality imports made from solid wood--but they are sold at a price that is 1/3 of the Hawaiian K brands for equivalent sizes. There was a time, before these higher quality import ukuleles started becoming available that Mainland represented an incredible bargain. They were a ukulele that was the perfect "next" ukulele (for a beginner) or a ukulele that could be your only ukulele that you would be happy with for years.
That last part is still true...Mainland ukuleles are an incredible bargain and they are quality instruments--but the new Chinese ukuleles make them seem more expensive than they actually are!
Put another way--I use Notion for music notation on my iPad--it works great. It is a fantastic app. It costs $16, plus there are In-App Purchases totaling about $35 for all of the features. It is an incredible bargain for a music notation app at (roughly) $50 for everything. Compared to desktop applications (not MuseScore, which is free), $50 is NOTHING for a notation application, as Finale, Sibelius, and Dorico are $600 programs without any additional sounds or features.
Most people would hesitate about a $50 app, because they are used to $1-$5 apps (if not free apps).
With Mainland, you also get what you pay for--and more. Mainland Mike is incredibly supportive of the ukulele community, hosts a festival (which I hope to attend), and has donated a number of instruments for festivals and causes--including some for schools, including mine. He will also help you out with a ukulele that fits your needs--from installing pickups to changing tuners to finding a quality "factory second" to save you some money. He also sells ukulele parts that are used by players and other builders. And he's a really nice guy. We're blessed with a few of those people in the industry (Mike, Mim, Andrew, Mike at Uke Republic, etc.). That's probably not surprising...who would want to buy a ukulele from a jerk?
A Cedar concert Mainland is on my "to buy list," but i want to travel to his shop to get it. I want to pick it out in person.
I don't think there was anything wrong with your question--but the shift in the marketplace has to be accounted for at a time when Mainland still represents incredible value.
As for the number on the marketplace, well, there are a few Mainlands out there. And people grow and develop desires--it makes total sense to want to own a Hawaiian made Koa ukulele if you are a ukulele player; some people just don't want 25 ukuleles in their home.
I want the 25, by the way. it is fun to bring different ukuleles to school each day!
So, as people decide to move on from instruments, either as they move up in the price range or move on from the instrument--they will sell them. Incidentally, we're not seeing cheap ukuleles listed on the forums, so that also tells you something--people believe that Mainland instruments are of a particular quality that they will sell them on the UU forums instead of Craigslist, rummage sales, or donating them to Goodwill.
