First Ukulele Advice

vliz

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Hi everyone,

I'm quite new to the board. I was given a cheap ukulele as a Christmas gift and fell in love with ukulele. I've been playing guitar for more than 10 years and felt the need to upgrade from my cheapie. I would like to ask some advice?

My budget is around $200-ish. I've looked around and decided that I want to get a Concert length. Currently, I'm interested in either Kala Concert Travel, Islander AC-4, or Fluke/Flea from either HMS or UkeRepublic and wanted to hear your opinion on this. Thank you! :)
 
Hello and welcome to the forum!
Concert is a nice size.
Any of your choices would probably suit just fine.
I'm a huge Fluke fan, here is some light reading;
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?93637-The-Magic-Fluke-Company-Appreciation-thread
Edited to add; $200 won't buy a new Magic Fluke, but you may find a decent deal occasionally on the Market Place Thread.

I admire the Islander and its on my short list, for sure. Its got a very wide nut, 1 1/2", so great for large hands.
Same for Most Kala's, of which we own 5 of various sizes and flavors.
 
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In my experience, the one true upgrade is to an all solid wood instrument, so personally, I'd try to save up some more in order to get in the range of Pono or KoAloha Opio. I know these are a lot more expensive than what you want to spend right now, but it will save you money in the long run, as you won't have the need to upgrade any further.
 
Welcome aboard. :)

I always recommend a concert scale to beginners, but I see you play guitar, so you will know what is going to suit you best.
For your budget, I would be recommending Kala or Ohana, I have personal experience of these makes, (& also Baton Rouge).
As you already play a stringed instrument, what Rakelele says has some merit to it too.
 
Hello and welcome to the forums! I just wanted to add that you can get into all solid wood territory with the Mainland ukulele in the $200-ish price mark. Though I've never played them, I read they are quite nice and respected here on the forums.
 
Hello and welcome to the forums! I just wanted to add that you can get into all solid wood territory with the Mainland ukulele in the $200-ish price mark. Though I've never played them, I read they are quite nice and respected here on the forums.

This is excellent advice. An all solid mahogany concert is $229 and an all solid cedar top rosewood back and sides is $279. Coming from guitar you will understand the value in an all solid instrument
 
Your post indicates that you have done some research, as you mentioned some well-regarded instruments.

Question: How many guitars do you have?

If you have several guitars, you won't be content with just one (nice) 'ukulele. Pick any of these as your "next" 'ukulele, and purchase any/all of the others later.

If you have only one guitar and are content with it--then you may be content with one 'ukulele at a time. You can purchase one, play it for a while, sell it, purchase another, play it for a while... repeat.
 
The Fluke (or a Flea) is great for a first decent use because if (when) you move on to something more expensive you have a durable travel/camping use that always plays in tune and is relatively humidity proof.

I’ve found that one of the best ways to hit a $200 price point on Magic Fluke instruments is to call and see what they have for seconds.

The third uke I bought was a flea second (the first two were a kala and an islander). The flea still plays perfectly, the kala is long gone (neck profile way off) and the islander has minor buzz due to neck profile changes. I really like the islander - it has a wide neck that is super comfortable and a great sound, but the flea sounds great as well and has a perfect set up and intonation.
 
There are three Mainlands in our house; a concert, tenor and baritone. I vote Mainland.
 
Thank you so much for the advices :)

I will check Mainland's ukulele and Kala's all solid concert or save up a little more for something nicer.
Also, keep checking the marketplace here.
Unfortunately, I'm only allowed 1 ukulele because I already have a cheapie ukulele, a guitar, and a violin at home.
While doing my research, Risa Stick catches my eye too, maybe later on if I can save up some more and splurge for an electric one to practice at night.
 
Welcome to the UU forums!

Your post title is misleading—you’re looking for your second ukulele. That makes a big difference, in my opinion. If we are talking about a first ukulele, recommendations change a little.

There are some great options here...lots of success with Kala, Ohana, Magic Fluke, Mainland, and even KoAloha Opio ukuleles. I’m partial to the KoAloha sound and own 3 of their products...and will likely buy one of the new KoAlanas (that look quite nice from NAMM) when they are released later this year. I will say that Kala and Mainland have been a big supporter of ukuleles in schools, and actually both have donated ukuleles to my school. Of the mainlands, I find myself partial to the Cedar models...and there was one for sale very recently very affordably from California...see if you can find that thread!

I’m going to throw some other options out for you.

A) Outdoor Ukulele. Want another ukulele that can go anywhere and is affordably priced? Sopranos $100, Tenors $150.

B) Ohana Martin 3 Replicas. I think they are the Ohana 39 Models...with a new Tenor arriving in stores this week. It is a classic look of all mahogany. There is also a new 390 soprano made of all Koa. These are a little more than your budget...but might be very much worth the purchase.

C) They have used questionable marketing on Amazon, and the “Dove” is a bit strange, but I received an Aklot Concert to test last year (now gifted away) and bought a couple to give away to choir students for a fundraiser this year. They have a solid top but sound pretty good to my ear (I preferred them with fluorocarbon strings), and come with all of the things you need...at $60 for a concert. One Aklot has lived in our choir room the entire winter (the student takes it home on the weekends) and it has survived very well in the dry climate (I was frightened that the solid top would split). So...look at the Aklot Concert and Tenor models. Then save up for a major jump.

D) Bonanza. Pete Mai in Minnesota has been focusing more on his cabinetry business as of late but I am sure he can be talked into building some more ukuleles in his spare time. He can make them out of HPL laminate, solid American woods, or a mixture, custom-built, for not much more than your budget. Check them out.
 
In my opinion, I'd go with either a concert Fluke or a concert Flea. I own 2 concert Fleas, they're tuned differently (that's why 2). I could spend a lot of money on a uke, but after using a Flea for a year.... I can't imagine that I'd be any happier with an expensive instrument, so I bought my second one. Magic Fluke instruments get the job done!

There's a second hand concert Fluke here for sale ($175), which I've been trying to not let myself buy. My advice would be to consider buying it. If you end up not liking it, you could resell it and probably get all of your money back here on this forum.

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?131644-FSOT-Concert-Fluke-Ukulele-w-TKL-Gig-Bag
 
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I have an Ohana SK 50 G Soprano. It holds its ground against my other $1000+ Sopranos. I know Mim carries the Concert version of it (CK 50 G). All solid. Cedar top and rosewood body. Costs about $250. You may want to take a look. I think ukerepublic may carry that too.
 
Thank you!
I will check those ukuleles.
Getting it from HMS or UkeRepublic gives me a peace of mind because I know it will be setup well (according to everyone's praises for those 2 shops).
 
While Ive never bought directly from Mim's the used uke I bought that was originally sold and setup by her was spot on.
 
I strongly recommend the Fluke and Flea. I've had two Flukes. They're very durable, hold their tuning well, and have a nice big sound. The worst problem I've had is having to repaint the fret marker dots on the plastic fretboard of one, because I played it so much that I wore the paint off.
 
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