Kmise soprano, direct from China

John Colter

It ain't what you've got, it's what you do with it
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I've seen some positive comments about Kmise ukes, so when I saw a nice looking soprano on the AliExpress site, my finger hovered over the button - then it compulsively pressed! For my US $29.99 (inc p&p) I have received a really decent little uke.

It claims the body is mahogany, but I doubt that very much. It has all the hallmarks of HPL made to look like mahogany, and at that price, I wouldn't expect anything else. The body is bound top and bottom, and the sides of the fretboard are also bound - no scratchy fret ends! The purfling around the sound hole is faux abalone, tastefully applied i.e. not too broad and showy.

The Kmise logo on the headstock looks restrained, the end of the headstock has a nice "twin peaks" shape, and the tuners are small, neat open geared type. I'm not a fan of the heavier, encased geared tuners. The fit and finish is good, but not exceptional - well in keeping with the price.

The body is wider than most sopranos, and a little shorter. The effect is like a tiny jumbo guitar. My only quibble with the appearance is the overly large bridge design.

The action at the nut needed to be lowered quite a bit, but once I'd done that, and the strings started to settle, it proved smooth to play, and the sound is very pleasing. Loud enough, not too bright, and quite well balanced. The height of the saddle did not need to be adjusted.

The front has deformed slightly under string tension, but not to an alaming degree.

For the money, this is a surprisingly good instrument. I'd go so far as to say that if it was all I could afford to own, I would be well satisfied with it. It would be excellent for keeping in the car, except that I already have a very similar uke that performs those duties.

I need a second car.:rolleyes:
 
Glad you found something that you like...

Got a link to the item you purchased for those that will follow your path?

also - photos please, or it's just a tall fish story :)
 
This is a link to the site:-https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20171005050544&SearchText=Kmise+ukulele+soprano+21%22+mahogany

I can't be sure what kind of laminated stuff this uke is made from. The material sure looks exactly like that on another uke I've got, with a similar pedigree, and at the same price point, and which I feel sure is HPL rather than laminated sheets of wood. Not long ago, I broke up one of these very inexpensive Chinese ukes, to use the neck on a project, and it seemed to me to be just like the material they use for kitchen counter tops. Very strong and difficult to break; contained long, coarse fibres (possibly wood) buried in some type of plastic or synthetic stuff.

I'm not knocking it. It gives a good result and is VERY strong. It must be! It was shipped in one of those ubiquitous tapered cardboard boxes, with no extra wrapping - just parcel tape to hold the lid on. Inside was a thin plasic bag containing the uke, and a small wad of bubble wrap. The bubble wrap was not wrapped around anything, just sitting there. The cardboard box looked very beaten up, but the uke was undamaged, I was amazed!

ps. The link doesnt seem to have worked. If you are interested, google AliExpress and search for 'Kmise ukulele soprano 21" mahogany'. That should get it.
 
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Thanks for the suggestion, Dean, but I'm a total dummy when it comes to IT. I'll try to post a photo, but I've tried in the past and failed.
 
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Kmise soprano, direct from Chuna

Here goes - my attempt to post a photo. Wish me luck!05-10-2017 two ukes bought directly from China..jpg

Hey! It seems to have worked. The uke with the pale front I have had for about eighteen months. It lives in the car, and is still like new.

John Colter.
 
Cheers, Dean! It wasn't the first time I've posted a photo, but the board seems to have gone through a period when it would not accept my photos. Now back to how it used to work - good! Or maybe it's just me being incompetent.

$35-? I wouldn't pay that much! $29.99 was what it cost me.
 
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