Need suggestions on a good mid-range low G uke

NoyBoy98

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Hey guys!

The UAS bug has bitten me again, and this time I'm looking for a good mid-range ($200-$350ish) uke dedicated to low G tuning. I'd like to stay all solid wood and in a tenor size, but if there's a must-buy laminate uke, then I'll consider it as well. Ones that I have in mind are:

Kala SMHT
Ohana TK35
Tiny Tenor (laminate version)
Mainland Tenor (whatever tone wood sounds good low G)

Playability is the biggest factor here. I want something that just melts in your hands coz it's so easy to play (I like to play finger style). After that, tone and loudness. Looks aren't much of a concern for me at this point, just want it to play and sound good.

Thanks in advance guys!
 
With a good setup I think all those would sound good with low G. The tiny tenor is a solid spruce top so conventional wisdom says it should have a brighter tone than the mahoganies. The Mainland cedar has a rep for being on the brighter side as well.

Here's a real world sample (not mine - just googled it) of the Ohana:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTXUuUJVKh0

your opinion of that tone should help guide your selection.
 
Add the Kala ATP-CTG and possibly the tenor Fluke to your short list.
 
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Have heard some good suggestions here. I'd add the following to your list:

Ohana tk-38 (own one, which I bought from Mim, thinking of selling if you're interested)
Cordoba 24T (I played it in a Guitar Center and tuned it down to see how it sounded, I'm thinking of buying it)
 
I'm going to be talking out of both sides of my mouth. I am guilty of the tone wood thing: I have a spruce top kamaka for high G and a custom Tin Guitar plane wood (similar to mahogany in density) ukulele for low G. However, I don't think you should focus on that. Tone wood is a nuance thing. I think you should get the best ukulele you can get for your budget, and then put the low G strings on it. I would suggest getting a solid wood ukulele, whether that is a mahogany ukulele or a mango ukulele from Mainland. The key is to get a good ukulele. Get a good foundation, regardless of what the actual woods are, and then the strings will be icing on the cake.
 
Get a good foundation, regardless of what the actual woods are, and then the strings will be icing on the cake.

I think a lot of us (probably the OP, and definitely me) are concerned that some are not built in a way that accomodates the low G as well as possible. As in, sometimes the low G booms and rattles the top, or is overly louder than the other strings.

So I guess, based on that, I've made the presumption that overall quality is separate from being constructed for a low G. I am sincerely curious to hear if you think that's not the case - that overall quality is really the thing, rather than being built particularly for low G.
 
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I'd suggest waiting for any all solid Tiny Tenor. It's really made much more nicely than the solid top one. Plus, you'll be done, and not looking for an all solid in a month or two, wondering what you may have missed.
 
Pono tenors are great in hogh or low G. Versatile, well-built, great sounding instruments.
 
I think a lot of us (probably the OP, and definitely me) are concerned that some are not built in a way that accomodates the low G as well as possible. As in, sometimes the low G booms and rattles the top, or is overly louder than the other strings.

So I guess, based on that, I've made the presumption that overall quality is separate from being constructed for a low G. I am sincerely curious to hear if you think that's not the case - that overall quality is really the thing, rather than being built particularly for low G.

I am actually a low G aficionado and I have never experienced the concerns you list. Perhaps that is due to my playing choices: always tenor ukuleles and always brown Worth strings. Or maybe I've just been lucky. I have experienced booming and buzzing with my baritone bass string. I use all unwound strings and regardless of manufacturer that D string rattles and requires some palm muting. However, as I said, I never have had that problem with my low G ukuleles.
 
I've had a similar experience re: the baritone bass string. I love that Worth make an unwound baritone bass string but it requires muting. I eventually started only using re-entrant dGBE tuning due to wanting to use only unwound strings without dealing with buzzing. Eventually I realized that I like that tuning better anyway.
 
for my baritone I always use South Coast strings (light medium linear). I seem to prefer them to Worth or Living Water--in the baritone. With my Low G tenor, nothing but Worth has ever been around those tuning pegs.
 
Thanks for all the help guys. At this point, the tone wood doesn’t concern me as much as the idea of just getting an uke that’s well suited for low G tuning. Even though the TT has laminate, the uke itself comes stock with low G which makes me believe it was made for it.

I would love to have a fully solid TT, but it’s a little out of my price range. So far the TK35 is in the lead with the TT just behind.
 
Just be aware that the G string slot in a slot bridge can be too narrow to accommodate low G. I have a low G on my KPK (within your price range) and it sounds good, but I had to do a little bit of modification to the bridge with a bit of sandpaper to make that happen. It looks like the TK-35 has a tie-bar bridge, which is good for your purposes.
 
So I guess, based on that, I've made the presumption that overall quality is separate from being constructed for a low G. I am sincerely curious to hear if you think that's not the case - that overall quality is really the thing, rather than being built particularly for low G.


So besides the Tiny Tenor coming from the maker strung with low G, which other ukes in the $200 to $500 range come that way by design?
 
So I guess, based on that, I've made the presumption that overall quality is separate from being constructed for a low G. I am sincerely curious to hear if you think that's not the case - that overall quality is really the thing, rather than being built particularly for low G.


So besides the Tiny Tenor coming from the maker strung with low G, which other ukes in the $200 to $500 range come that way by design?

For me, I’ve accepted that in my budget, I’m not gonna get something “high quality” but instead, something decent and acceptable. So with that said, I prefer to have whatever it is that gives me the best tone and play ability in low G.

As far as I know, the TT is the only one designed around low G.
 
Ukes are not "designed around low G" (with some rare exceptions like kasha-bracing, but that's not what we're talking about here). Use of a low G is a setup issue. If you use an unwound low G string which is way thicker than an unwound high G string, some adjustments to the nut and possibly the saddle may be needed. If you're ordering from somewhere that does a setup anyway (HMS, Mim, Mainland, Uke Republic, Elderly, etc.), they will setup for your preferred string for no extra charge.

Your other option is to use a wound low G which is usually about the same thickness as an unwound high G and so an extra adjustment is usually not necessary.

You really should consider the TK35 in the marketplace. It's already low G and a great price. (No affiliation with the seller, it just looks like you two are a match.)
 
Ukes are not "designed around low G" (with some rare exceptions like kasha-bracing, but that's not what we're talking about here). Use of a low G is a setup issue. If you use an unwound low G string which is way thicker than an unwound high G string, some adjustments to the nut and possibly the saddle may be needed. If you're ordering from somewhere that does a setup anyway (HMS, Mim, Mainland, Uke Republic, Elderly, etc.), they will setup for your preferred string for no extra charge.

Your other option is to use a wound low G which is usually about the same thickness as an unwound high G and so an extra adjustment is usually not necessary.

You really should consider the TK35 in the marketplace. It's already low G and a great price. (No affiliation with the seller, it just looks like you two are a match.)

You wouldn’t say the TT is designed around low G given that it comes from the factory that way?

I’m considering the one in the marketplace, but it has some cosmetic flaws that I haven’t decided whether or not it would bug me.
 
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