Advice for a relative newbie?

First of all, hello! I have heard nothing but good things about this site and was hoping for a little advice regarding the purchase of a second ukulele. I have been casually playing since about July last year just to learn the basics on a Navy Mahalo U30G soprano (it was bought for me as a little fun gift after I expressed interest in learning to play the Ukulele.) and I understand the this ukulele is of a poorer make compared other brands. Nevertheless, I've been happy with it so far and I've stuck with it, so now I have looked at the idea about what I'd like for an 'upgrade' of sorts :The Kala Ka-CGE electro acoustic concert ukulele (Mahogany gloss model)

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KACGE/

I was wondering if anyone here has had experience with this particular uke and whether or not I should even consider other brands etc,.
I am unsure if the pre-installed pickup in this is worth it and am questioning if it is better to pay to have a pick up installed in the non-electric version, even if I just play for fun in my spare time as opposed to investing in higher end gear for serious playing. I am stepping up my game a little in terms of how much time I am committing to playing as I find it to be brilliant little instrument to play, but have a budget of

I was also thinking about getting a little honeytone amp as well for it,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Danelectro-Honeytone-Mini-Amplifier-Black/dp/B0027M30Z6

but have seen a similarly little amount of reviews online that might give me a guide.

I am looking to get concert for a change in scale and if possible, a solid top one. I have heard that kala are a good quality brand and would appreciate any comments on how reliable their ukuleles tend to be.
Any advice on this possibility or even recommendations of other ukes within this price range would be greatly appreciated as well and I look forward to getting really involved into playing with the help of the site!

My first uke was a Kala KA-SC, a concert with a solid spruce top. It was, and is, an excellent uke, and I still have it today.

I think a step up for you is a good idea, since it seems you like playing enough to continue. You won't go wrong with a Kala, or any of several other brands in that price range; Mainland, Ohana, and Lanikai come to mind.

I'd advise you to buy from a reputable dealer that does decent set-ups. A set-up can make or break a uke's sound and playability. I know that Mike at Mainland, and Mim at Mim's ukes both do excellent work.

Good luck with your upgrade....

All I can add to mailman is this

The pickups in those Kalas are cheap cheap cheap. Never really liked any of their onboard stuff. When you consider a half decent passive pickup may cost you $60- $100, for the price of the uke in question you are either getting a cheap pickup, a cheap uke or both.

Personally think it is better to get as much basic uke as you can for your budget, then consider the pickup as an extra down the line. Many people make the mistake of looking at (say) a $200 acoustic uke and a $200 electro acoustic and thinking they are equals. They are not.

Hi there, don't be put off by those sneering at Mahalos, many a uker started out on one, and many are pretty decent inexpensive ukes if you are lucky, or were set up to be decent. Are you in the UK? I ask as you sent a link to amazon.co.uk. While you can buy from most places these days, it makes sense to look more locally at the upgrade level. While the Kala's are pretty nice, some more so than others, i would recommend taking a look at the all-wood Aria concert, which at under £100, has to be the best buy at that level ever. I would recommend going to Omega Music for one, as they do a set up and are also offering it with Savarez strings as standard - it looks and sounds wonderful, and Omega are really nice to deal with and include free next day shipping on most ukes.

As for the amps, well Omega do their own version of a Uke amp which isn't the cheapest at about £80ish, but is really nice for the price. Plus you can get an Orange Micro Crush - teeny little micro amp, sounds great, tiny footprint. I think its better than the danelectro, but not a lot in it really. Personal preference in the end! Lots of people on here like Pignose micro amps - they are really pricey for what they are but have the retro and brag factor ! Kala pickups....well, my KA-TE sounds ok for my own in-house playing although the factory fitted passive pickup on my Pono and the Risa concert electric pickup are definitely better in terms of performance.

FWIW I rate the Aria concert way above my much pricier Eddy Finn bubinga concert and Lanikai LU22BC - I do love all three of my concert ukes, but to my ear the Aria has the edge, despite being inexpensive!

Yes, I in live all the way in Scotland and I have been browsing the music stores around here for ideas. I've heard Lanakai and Pono are great, but sometimes expensive in comparison to others. What drew me to the Kala was their reputation for a good ukulele quality at an equally good price (plus it immediately caught my eye in the window of a shop and it looked great!) Though the Aria looks beautiful, would installing pickups at some stage alter the sound. (I wouldn't want to butcher it )

Would there be any significant issues that make a difference between buying online and buying in-person?

AUkuleleOfBlue said:

Would there be any significant issues that make a difference between buying online and buying in-person?

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Basically, you can get as much advice as it's possible to get but it's always nice to be able to hold and play an instrument before you buy it. Might be you don't like the size, feel, or even sound of it but there's something else in the shop that does take your fancy.

I'm in a similar position to you and I'm gonna visit a store for this very reason. It's gonna be my main uke for quite a while so I need to make sure I'm happy with it.

At the end of the day it's up to the buyer, and most online retailers I've seen that sell ukes do their own set-up prior to shipping so whatever you do end up with should play well.

Have a look at this I know its not electric,but it is a good second uke. I bought one and found it brilliant for me.
//www.gotaukulele.com/2013/09/moselele-bambookulele-concert-ukulele.html Read the review, uk based.
Cheers, Graham

bazmaz said:

All I can add to mailman is this

The pickups in those Kalas are cheap cheap cheap. Never really liked any of their onboard stuff. When you consider a half decent passive pickup may cost you $60- $100, for the price of the uke in question you are either getting a cheap pickup, a cheap uke or both.

Personally think it is better to get as much basic uke as you can for your budget, then consider the pickup as an extra down the line. Many people make the mistake of looking at (say) a $200 acoustic uke and a $200 electro acoustic and thinking they are equals. They are not.

Click to expand...

In your experience, would a Shadow brand passive pickup be a bad sign? The model without the electronics isn't that much less in price and this particular one is also boasting a built in chromatic tuner but in this case I am unsure if this is another bad sign with regards to the price as well.

get from a reputable dealer some online places are crap. Kala is nice, but i dunno they dont feel amazing and if your looking for a solid ukulele some kalas aren't. i love the feel of my pono and they are solid im not sure if that is in your price range but ive got the cheapest one and LOVE it. HMs can install a pickup if you want.

as for the pickup idea, as others have said maybe buy a quality instrument then install a pickup later. if you are just playing around the house etc do you need it amplified? you could always mike it at a concert (lots of pure-ests prefer that). There was a forum on pickup vs non a few weeks ago and many were split.

As for the honeytone though cute and cool looking does not have the greatest sound. My friend once described it as sounding like you are playing through a cheese grater. look into pignose for their mini amp if you want a mini amp.

so to sum up, maybe use the money you were thinking of buying the pickup and amp and put it towards something a lil nicer (you can get the cool looking kala's like those spalted ones or something of a touch more prestige). Then if you are craving to be amplified you can add a nice pickup for 100 down the road.

If you are absolutely set on the Kala route then do yourself a favour and go for a solid wood, not laminate, option. They will be a lot more expensive than the sub-£100 Aria all wood concert though. If a decent luthier installs a pickup for you later, there will be no discernible difference to the sound. If you have no skills or experience in this regard, then practicing cutting holes in your pride and joy is not the way to go.

If there is a local emporium with some ukes, why not take a look and resolve not to buy anything on first visit. Then you can do more research and decide if it has to be Kala or not.

Ponos are a LOT more expensive generally than most Kalas and the Aria Concert - they are hundreds of pounds and more in some cases. Also currently only stocked by SUS in Bournemouth (bit far from you). That is soon to change I understand, as Omega are becoming Pono stockists from April, so might be worth having a chat with them about their options and get some advice- they are pretty helpful and also check all the setups before ukes leave them, even the cheaper ones.

I was underwhelmed by the service from SUS, on the other hand.......not even close to Omega or for that matter Amazon! Trouble with Amazon of course, is that there is mostly no setup for the ukes, unless they come from a supplier who offers setups.

As others have said, buy a nice uke first and then think about adding a pickup later- you can always courier the uke to a decent luthier in the future to add a really good pickup at some stage, like a Schertler or something similar, and same goes for an amp.

AUkuleleOfBlue said:

In your experience, would a Shadow brand passive pickup be a bad sign? The model without the electronics isn't that much less in price and this particular one is also boasting a built in chromatic tuner but in this case I am unsure if this is another bad sign with regards to the price as well.

Click to expand...

Just wanted to add - I have a Kala KA-TE which is a nice tenor, the pickup is active and has the built in tuner. Its ok. Its not spectacular, but it sounds nice enough through my micro amps and the ukulele-modified amp I got from Omega. I loved it until I acquired my Pono cutaway PTES electro acoustic, now it tends to go unplayed for ages at a time...........

My one Kala experience wasn't great, but that was more about the total lack of setup than the uke itself. Kala's do tend to have a narrower fretboard (some like it, some loathe it).

If you're buying online, a very consistent choice would be the Flea or Fluke from Magic Fluke (I'm not sure what their pricing is in your neck of the woods). A flea was my second uke purchase and I still play it on a regular basis. The setup is consistently good (I've bought 5 instruments from them), the tone and projection are excellent and they're quite durable. The downsides are non-traditional looks, the edge of the uke where you're right forearm rests can dig in a little and the plastic fretboard doesn't agree with everyone.