I am looking for a good concert sized ukulele and a local shop has the Martin. Other than that, my town is pretty much all Kala - and very few concert sized.
I know I can get a number of alternatives on-line, but shipping / duty/ exchange kills (I am in Canada) - but is the Martin worth the price?
I hear you on the CDN exchange rate, 20% on the dollar to start plus all the other stuff means paying 40% more . If you have played the Martin and you like the sound and it is in your price range then buy it. I have played the new Martin sopranos and concerts and they both sound nice to me. People here can get all picky and stuff about it being made in Mexico etc. etc but at the end of the day if you like it then that is all that really matters. It is a "Martin", it is not going to be junk
On a related note, there is a book I hate that I've never read, and a poorly acted film that I've never seen
There is a definate trend in the forums to dislike the Mexican made Martins because people simply want to. Full disclosure - I own the soprano and it is lightly consructed, perfectly finished, loud, and has a nice tone. I've own many of the Asian imports and IMO these Martins are in a different league.
Many of us here on UU when faced with a decision tend to opt to error on the side of buying. (and that is why the marketplace section is always full of our recent purchases)
My advice is if you are not sure... wait until you are. If you are not sure if something is worth the extra money I don't see the point in spending it.
Local shops tend to add a premium on things like this so when/if you do decide to buy I would compare prices first.
The Martin C1K can be excellent and if you get a good one not overpriced. If you like the one at your local shop and it is the price you would have to pay in any event, then it isn't overpriced.
Just order a new one from Long and McQuade online and you won't pay duty. You'll have wait for awhile but you will save money. If it's not in their online catalogue, phone them up and they can order it since they are a Martin dealer. I know cause I've ordered quite a few Martins in the past from them.
Brian1 offers wise council. All Martin dealers are MAP Dealers. CF Martin will not allow them to advertise lower than list price. CF MArtin has no control over the price a dealer negotiates for a sale. Find the lowest price on the internet you can find and take it to your local dealer. I bet he/she will match that price. This goes for many MFRs not just Martin
Local shops will also fight for your business. I stopped by a music store today to see if they had any ukes in stock and explained that I was looking at tenor sizes, and I was very interested in playing a Martin. The shop owner told me that if I did decide to get one, although they don't regularly stock it, they would beat any price I could find and order it up for me.
i am going to switch to living water fluorocarbon strings tomorrow ...
the koa is lovely, and it intonates nearly perfectly up the neck. beautiful clear tone.
the shop (rufus guitars in vancouver bc) had two - i spent half an hour trying both...when i paid the sales guy said "which one did you pick.... oh yeah...thats my favourite.. the nicest uke ive ever played..."
Great choice, I love my C1K and don't think Living Waters are much different from the Martin strings, IMHO. I've had Worth CM's on my C1K and went back to Martins.
I recently tried Living Waters on my C1K. They're my second favourite strings for this ukulele. I like the original Martin strings a little more, but this is just personal preference.
I have Worth strings on my other ukuleles, but I didn't like them on this. I'm not sure, why.
The Living Water strings are definitely worth a try!
This is an amazing instrument. The tone is literally bell-like. I strummed it when I brought it home and my wife came into the living room and just sat and listened...just beautiful.
and the scent of the Koa is intoxicating....woody, spicy
Its super playable, and the intonation up the neck is spot on.
I must admit that this it the most I have ever spent on an instrument. My acoustic guitar and electric guitars - even my amps were less! funny that the smallest instrument i own is the most expensive.
By the way - anybody in the Washington State or western Canada area - tickets for the 2015 Vancouver Uke Festival went on sale yesterday. March 7 and 8.
