Need some advice on some Ukes.

BecomeLegend

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This may be a stupid question, but what's the best Concert Ukulele to buy UNDER $100? I've researched like a mad man, but have no idea on which one to pull the trigger. This is my first time buying a Ukulele, but I kind of have a general idea of what to look for. The ones i've narrowed it down to are as follows; Cordoba 15CM, Ohana CK10-S, Kala KA-C (not under $100 but close enough), and Oscar Schmidt OU-2 (don't know much about this one). If there better ones other then the ones I mentioned, please let me know.

So, under $100, which out of those (or possibly others) would you choose as far as quality and sound goes? Also what site should I order it off of? It would be cheaper off amazon because I get free shipping, but I know they don't do any set up work. HMS is a good website, but it's costly for shipping being that they ship from Hawaii. Which websites are trusted here that offer a set up, but don't charge much for shipping?

UU seems like a great community, and i'm glad I found it! Thanks in advance!
 
Personally I'm not fond of the Cordoba's mainly because their tuner feel really, really cheap. My $20 Kohala has better stock tuners than the Cordoba. I'm actually going to order one of the Ohana's for my niece and I'll be getting it from Mim because she does setups on all her ukes regardless of price.

For the Ohana's, do you know the difference between the Ohana CK-10 and CK-10S? Also yeah I was checking out MIM, it seems like a great site.
 
I think kala's aren't bad entry ukuleles like for the cheap stuff they aren't awful. Os im not a huge fan of, what I would suggest is play them to see what you like. If you don't have that option get it from a reputable place. Amazon can be a bit annoying cause of the set up and a set up makes a night and day difference. HMS is AMAZING and so nice id rather pay a lil extra get a great instrument and support someone smaller than amazon. Ive never tried Ohana but i have heard good things. There is also the Ka-s if you are tight for money.

Another idea if 100 is your budget look used, cause some stuff that is really nice comes up for cheaper than new esp on kijiji or craigs cause lots of ppl learn ukulele and then give up. Ive seen lots of the kala's for like 40-60 bucks depending on the seller. For example i got my pono,if i bought it prob would have cost me with shipping and everything 600 for 220. Something to consider, as well this forum's market place is good some higher end stuff but also some lower end stuff too.

hope this helps
 
BecomeLegend, what part of the country are you in? Mim's Ukes in Virginia and Uke Republic in Georgia both sell Kalas and do setups.

Hard to go wrong with Kala at almost any price point.

And If I'm not mistaken, HMS only charges $20 to ship.
 
Personally, I think the Cordoba will blow the rest of the ones you listed out of the water. I wouldn't not buy a uke that sounds better than it's completion because I wasn't crazy about the tuners. A set of Grovers aren't expensive and easy to install if it bothers you. This sucker gets better reviews than those other three and can hold it's own with much more expensive ukes tone wise. I've only heard one, and it lived up to the hype. It's unreal how good this thing sounds for $99.

http://www.theukulelesite.com/cordoba-15cm-mahogany-concert.html

Great setup too
 
BecomeLegend, what part of the country are you in? Mim's Ukes in Virginia and Uke Republic in Georgia both sell Kalas and do setups.

Hard to go wrong with Kala at almost any price point.

And If I'm not mistaken, HMS only charges $20 to ship.

I live on the west coast. Yeah Mim's and Uke Republic seem like the ideal place, but don't know if they have what i'm looking for. I would love to order off of HMS but I can literally only spend $105 as i'm on a budget. Thank you for your suggestions!
 
Personally, I think the Cordoba will blow the rest of the ones you listed out of the water. I wouldn't not buy a uke that sounds better than it's completion because I wasn't crazy about the tuners. A set of Grovers aren't expensive and easy to install if it bothers you. This sucker gets better reviews than those other three and can hold it's own with much more expensive ukes tone wise. I've only heard one, and it lived up to the hype. It's unreal how good this thing sounds for $99.

http://www.theukulelesite.com/cordoba-15cm-mahogany-concert.html

Great setup too

Yeah I keep hearing this as well. The Cordoba 15CM is my front runner. Do you have any experience with Lanikai LU-21C's by any chance? That's around the same price range and i'm wondering if it's a good uke or not.
 
I think kala's aren't bad entry ukuleles like for the cheap stuff they aren't awful. Os im not a huge fan of, what I would suggest is play them to see what you like. If you don't have that option get it from a reputable place. Amazon can be a bit annoying cause of the set up and a set up makes a night and day difference. HMS is AMAZING and so nice id rather pay a lil extra get a great instrument and support someone smaller than amazon. Ive never tried Ohana but i have heard good things. There is also the Ka-s if you are tight for money.

Another idea if 100 is your budget look used, cause some stuff that is really nice comes up for cheaper than new esp on kijiji or craigs cause lots of ppl learn ukulele and then give up. Ive seen lots of the kala's for like 40-60 bucks depending on the seller. For example i got my pono,if i bought it prob would have cost me with shipping and everything 600 for 220. Something to consider, as well this forum's market place is good some higher end stuff but also some lower end stuff too.

hope this helps

I haven't heard much about OS so i'm not sure if i'll look into that one anymore. My friend has a Kala KA-S but it's way to small for my liking. Like I said in another response, I would love to order off of HMS because they seem great, but sadly i'm on a budget (can literally only spend $105) and that $20 shipping is what put the nail in the coffin. Thanks for the response!
 
have you tried a concert? Cause I find they arent THAT much bigger. Maybe looking into tenor, and if your max budget is 105 look online at the used market cause you never know what is up and people can always move a little on the price.

I haven't heard much about OS so i'm not sure if i'll look into that one anymore. My friend has a Kala KA-S but it's way to small for my liking. Like I said in another response, I would love to order off of HMS because they seem great, but sadly i'm on a budget (can literally only spend $105) and that $20 shipping is what put the nail in the coffin. Thanks for the response!
 
OP, you keep saying "I can literally only spend $105" and if $20 shipping kills it for you, may I suggest you keep your eye open on your local craigslist? Sometimes you can find some really good deals. You get the chance to "try before you buy" and there's no shipping cost.

If you get active in a local uke group, you'll meet people with UAS, and sometimes they are selling off to fund newer acquisitions.

The Marketplace here is also a good place to buy used. I've bought five ukes here and every one has been a smooth transaction. :)
 
For my two cents...I have the Cordoba UP-100...I think the whole package is like $100 on Amazon. I got it for free for being at my job for elevety-hojillion years. I like it. It sounds pretty good...it's not UHHHHMAZING...but it's pretty great. And it's a nice size too...I have girl hands...and um *ahem* girl issues...and I like playing it.
 
If you don't care about thicker neck, the sound of Gretsch G9110 is hard to beat. I saw one on eBay for $89 shipped.
 
Here are some standouts for under $100, which I have collected in a text file while searching for my first uke (listened to hundreds of uke videos):


kala ka - ~$70 - very bright, but a little simple
amina a-100 ~$65 - has good resonation, bright, vintage sound, a little empty
luna honu ~$84 - good resonation, projection, same old simple sound but good example of it
lanikai lu-21c ~$70 - recommened by ukulele teacher, sounds pretty decent, but a little short on sustain, solid contender

also
james hill (famous canadian ukulele player) wrote:
For beginners, I recommend the Empire Music "Classic" ukuleles - they're inexpensive (around $50) but not "cheap" if you know what I mean. The Classics are very playable and have a nice, warm sound.

If you want solid wood, two japanese brands make solid wood for $100:
Ibanez makes a solid sapele, and Aria makes a solid mahogany. The Ibanez is a little overbuilt, with a somewhat simple but smooth guitar sound, while the Aria has a very clear and clean sound, which isn't very multidimensional, but I seriously considered buying one when I was trying to get a uke for $100 or less. It's less traditional sounding than the first ukes I mentioned, if that matters.

At this price range, I would try to find multiple recordings of each uke you are considering. Strings make a difference, as does playing style, and people often use bad/cheap mics, so it can be hard to tell what sounds better.
 
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