Advice on deciding what concert ukulele to buy?

[ahgnuyen]

Hi guys! I am a beginner and currently have a Lanikai LU-21 soprano and am very pleased with it, but I want to move up to a better, higher quality ukulele. Sort of mid-range. I've decided to go with a concert model, but I can't decide which ukulele to go with. I've narrowed my search down to the Oscar Schmidt OU5 and the Lanikai LU-22 CFM limited edition (seen on Amazon) and the Cordoba 15CM. The Lanikai Koa concert pack was one of my choices, but I saw some complaints about the laminate wood. Can anybody help me decide between these choices or offer suggestions? Thanks so much!

 

[SailingUke]

My personal choice is NOT an Oscar Schmidt. They are very well built, but heavy and overbuilt. This cuts down on the volume and sustain, but they are pretty.
Kala & Lanikai seem to be very consistent and a good value. You might look at the aNueNue, I am very impressed with the looks and playability.
Ohana ukes also look and play well as do the Mainlands which have a huge following here on UU.

 

[savagehenry]

If you are happy with your Lanikai, get another one. My recommendation would be to save up some more and buy a nice solid wood instrument like Ohana or Mainland.

 

[ahgnuyen]

My personal choice is NOT an Oscar Schmidt. They are very well built, but heavy and overbuilt. This cuts down on the volume and sustain, but they are pretty.
Kala & Lanikai seem to be very consistent and a good value. You might look at the aNueNue, I am very impressed with the looks and playability.
Ohana ukes also look and play well as do the Mainlands which have a huge following here on UU.

Oh, okay. I'll make sure to check out the aNueNue and Ohanas and Mainlands. Thank you!

 

[ahgnuyen]

If you are happy with your Lanikai, get another one. My recommendation would be to save up some more and buy a nice solid wood instrument like Ohana or Mainland.

Ah, that's what I was thinking. I'll check those out. Thanks!

 

[roxhum]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record... Ohana or Mainland

 

[PhilUSAFRet]

There's an Ohana CK25 all solid mahogany concert uke with geared tuners on Elderly for $189....at least you can use this as a benchmark for how much you can get in the "mid" price range. Uke Republic Carries them, as do others. Not a hard uke to find.

 

[ahgnuyen]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record... Ohana or Mainland

Good advice nonetheless. Thank you!

 

[ahgnuyen]

There's an Ohana CK25 all solid mahogany concert uke with geared tuners on Elderly for $189....at least you can use this as a benchmark for how much you can get in the "mid" price range. Uke Republic Carries them, as do others. Not a hard uke to find.

I checked it out, and it looks awesome! And I've seen nothing but good reviews. Thank you!!

 

[mm stan]

check these out...http://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/category.sc?categoryId=3 hope it helps...MM Stan

 

[ahgnuyen]

check these out...http://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/category.sc?categoryId=3 hope it helps...MM Stan

Thank you! It did help. I like the classic mahogany...

 

[pdxuke]

+1on the Ohana CK25. I've owned it and it's a remarkable uke for the price. I only sold because I have a Kamaka concert and play mostly sopranos.

 

[Aggie80]

I was in the same place you were. My first concert was a used Fluke, which I travel with, often cross country. When I wanted something more traditional looking, I had narrowed it down to the Pono, the Ohana and the Kala. When the clerk laid out about six different instruments on the counter, the Ohana took my breathe away! I still smile when I look at it! I have a standard Kala that I like, and I'm still looking at a couple of Pono's.

 

[ahgnuyen]

I was in the same place you were. My first concert was a used Fluke, which I travel with, often cross country. When I wanted something more traditional looking, I had narrowed it down to the Pono, the Ohana and the Kala. When the clerk laid out about six different instruments on the counter, the Ohana took my breathe away! I still smile when I look at it! I have a standard Kala that I like, and I'm still looking at a couple of Pono's.

Ah, thank you! My only problem is I can't actually see them in person or try them out - there's not one music store with ukuleles around where I live.

 

[PhilUSAFRet]

If you haven't gotten your concert yet, check out solid sapele mahogany stained concert made by Ko'Aloha

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-Koalana-Co...?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b316e429loa for $200

Listen...Amazing!

http://ukulelehunt.com/buy-ukulele/brands/koalana-ukulele/

 

[phil hague]

I stretched the budget a bit and went for Kanile,a concert uke, solid Koa. It is very plain looking but real quality. Plays easlily, set up perfectly, and sounds beautiful. Cant fault it, the best uke I have bought so far.