Soprano shopping

RafterGirl

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UAS is flaring up. I’ve been window shopping lately for a solid wood soprano. Wider nut size & satin finish. Under $500. I like my Islander AS-4 laminate soprano a lot and I am certain I don’t need anything else, but you know how it goes with UAS. I know Islander makes a solid mahogany soprano. Tell me about Mele ukuleles. They have mahogany and mango sopranos that would fit my wish list & budget. Good ukes? Do they come well set up? Thanks.
 
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Mim carries Ohana. I got an Ohana soprano from her last fall. The one that I got was quite a bit less than $500, but she has more expensive ones if you want to spend more money on one.
 
I have Ohana solid mahogany long neck sopranos, but they have the 'standard' string spacing.
I really like the tone of them, & they can be quite loud. :)
 
You seem to appreciate the quality of a handcrafted beauty by a luthier. I suggest contacting Vic Jones of Blue Frog ukulele. His handle on the Forum is Diogenes Blue http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/member.php?116345-Diogenes-Blue

Vic hasn't been active on the forum lately. I know he had a prior account here years ago. My Blue Frog ukulele is my favorite. It's gorgeous, it plays well, and it has a harp-like tone with the right strings ( worth clear). I play it everyday when I wake up. Vic is a master Craftsman with a great eye for design, He's also funny, and honest. He's not a salesperson. I don't think his website has been updated with his current contact. I have his email if you private message me I could send it to you. I'm suggesting Blue Frog because I think we are kindred spirits in the tone department. I have a Loprinzi, a Koaloha, and I'm jealous of your Gary Gill :) I have also flirted with getting a Mele. I heard from Vic recently and I know he's still making ukuleles. He likes to make Sopranos. He puts his soul into it. I feel it everytime I play my Blue Frog.
 
Lots of great Ohana choices, but I have test driven one and didn’t care for it. It felt cramped compared to my Islander.

A used Kanile’a would be sweet, but I kind of want a different wood than koa. I have a KoAloha concert that I love a lot and I see they are now making mahogany and mango ukuleles. HMS has both of those in long neck soprano. While out of my budget, one of those is a regular soprano would be be very tempting.

I’ve not heard of Blue Frog and would love to learn more about them. Someone in another thread mentioned Pohaku as having a wider nut. There’s a couple sopranos on that website that looking stunning but almost double my budget.

A guy sitting next to me a a ukulele jam on Saturday was playing a 6 string Mele. That’s why I looked at their website. I’ll have to talk to him.
 
Hi RafterGirl. Last year I decided to buy a uke when I went to Hawaii and settled on a Mele. They are well set up and sound fantastic. One thing to be a little bit wary of is the finish is a little bit messy. Not nearly as neat and tidy as a Pono, for instance, but I liked the feel and sound of them better. Another thing to look out for is the strings. They are strung with the equivalent of Hilo nylon strings, and I found it sounded much better after restringing it. I'm honestly not sure about the size of the nut. You'd have to ask them about that.

Let me know if you want pictures of the "messy" finish and I'll take some of mine. It wasn't enough for me to decide not to buy it, but it was enough to make me think twice.
 
@RafterGirl

Hmm I see two words you mentioned mahogany & soprano, and in all seriousness I would hold out, save a few more pennies and buy a Ken Timms Soprano;

https://www.ebay.com/usr/squarepeg_3000

It might take time, but you could always email and pm Ken...
 
Hi RafterGirl. Last year I decided to buy a uke when I went to Hawaii and settled on a Mele. They are well set up and sound fantastic. One thing to be a little bit wary of is the finish is a little bit messy. Not nearly as neat and tidy as a Pono, for instance, but I liked the feel and sound of them better. Another thing to look out for is the strings. They are strung with the equivalent of Hilo nylon strings, and I found it sounded much better after restringing it. I'm honestly not sure about the size of the nut. You'd have to ask them about that.

Let me know if you want pictures of the "messy" finish and I'll take some of mine. It wasn't enough for me to decide not to buy it, but it was enough to make me think twice.
Pics of the finish would be appreciated. On the Mele website their ukuleles have a cool look, but good sound and good set-up are most important. According to their website the nut is 1 7/16. How would you describe the neck size & shape.
 
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As some might say your mileage might vary and that's true for Mele, the quality at times just isn't there. So for the money, better spent looking at the bigger names.

Most of them I have seen don't hold up well over time...
 
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Speaking of going beyond your budget, I once played a Pohaku koa soprano owned by UU user Caspet, and I think it is my favourite uke that I have ever played.
 
I have 8 sopranos hanging on my wall including a vintage Martin and a Koaloha.

For the money the Ohana SK-38 gets my vote.

You can find a review on my blog. Great uke and weighs almost nothing.
 
Along with Rubykey, I'm going to suggest something different. Why not look around for a builder in your area? You may well get a hand built uke that you love and have a personal connection with, for the same price as any of the other options, and you could be helping someone in your community establish their business and put food on the table. That's my next step, and I think it's more exciting than just picking an Ohana off the rack--though that's got its own appeal.
 
Along with Rubykey, I'm going to suggest something different. Why not look around for a builder in your area? You may well get a hand built uke that you love and have a personal connection with, for the same price as any of the other options, and you could be helping someone in your community establish their business and put food on the table. That's my next step, and I think it's more exciting than just picking an Ohana off the rack--though that's got its own appeal.
Sadly, there are no ukulele builders in my area. The closest would be the west coast.....California, Washington, Oregon. I don't know if I could get a luthier built soprano for my $500 or less budget??? I could continue saving, and also keep looking for a used soprano. There's a Kanilea in the market place right now that seems like a good fit. Waiting for more details on it's age, and to see what my budget will allow.
 
Sadly, there are no ukulele builders in my area. The closest would be the west coast.....California, Washington, Oregon. I don't know if I could get a luthier built soprano for my $500 or less budget??? I could continue saving, and also keep looking for a used soprano. There's a Kanilea in the market place right now that seems like a good fit. Waiting for more details on it's age, and to see what my budget will allow.

Someone help me on this, but the last time I saw a Timms Uke, I thought it was only like $580-$600 in price?

If you just can't cough up another $100, then check out BlackBear...

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...-Soprano-Russian-Olive-Wood-Uke-by-Black-Bear

Not sure if this is still available, but BlackBear has a lot of respect around here for his sopranos...
 
Someone help me on this, but the last time I saw a Timms Uke, I thought it was only like $580-$600 in price?

If you just can't cough up another $100, then check out BlackBear...

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...-Soprano-Russian-Olive-Wood-Uke-by-Black-Bear

Not sure if this is still available, but BlackBear has a lot of respect around here for his sopranos...
I haven't seen a Ken Timms for sale lately. I believe they have a wider nut, so that would be a contender. Black Bear ukuleles look great, but they have a narrower 1 3/8 nut. I'm looking for 1 7/16 - 1 1/2.
 
Sadly, there are no ukulele builders in my area. The closest would be the west coast.....California, Washington, Oregon. I don't know if I could get a luthier built soprano for my $500 or less budget??? I could continue saving, and also keep looking for a used soprano. There's a Kanilea in the market place right now that seems like a good fit. Waiting for more details on it's age, and to see what my budget will allow.

Oh well, that kanilea does look great. Black Bear is an option in your price range. Have fun looking!
 
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