NUD: Keealoha Plastic Concert Uke

I should really stop visiting this music shop in Melbourne. I end up buying an ukulele nearly every time I walk in, on pure impulse.

I've been thinking of getting an all-plastic ukulele for beach play and to leave in the car at all times. There was a big road trip with friends last weekend, and I opted not to take any ukuleles because of the really hot weather and harsh environments it could be exposed to.

When we arrived at the destination, I immediately regretted not having an ukulele to play and sing with.

I've been looking online.. the Blackbird Carbon Fibre ukulele is way out of my price-range for a beater plastic ukulele.... The "Outdoor Ukulele" looks pretty sleek, but I'm not a fan of friction tuners. The next best bet was the Bugsgear Aqualele, and I was contemplating on ordering one.. (although it would be somewhat pricey including shipping).

But then I walked into the music store for a browse, and I saw a bunch of these cheap Keealoha plastic ukes hanging on the wall. They were EXACTLY what I was looking for, and saved me a ton of money!

They sound great, the setup is decent and they're super durable!
It's the poor man's plastic uke!

All plastic, except for the metal in the tuning heads. They sound quite vibrant and warm, although not quite as deep or punchy sounding as most wooden ukuleles. The frets are plastic just like Flea/Fluke's default frets. What I also liked about this particular plastic uke is that it also had a regular bridge and saddle, not that un-adjustable molded type that some plastic ukes come with.

I played all of them and did notice there was variation in setup and tone between them. I picked the one with the best playing action, warmest tone and smoothest tuning heads.

Swapped out the Aquila high-G string for Aquila unwound red low-G because I prefer low-G (and I figured that metal wound strings would not be good for the plastic frets). Sounds fantastic in either tuning.

Another thing I love about it is that it is a Concert size, not Soprano size like the "Outdoor Uke" or the Aqualele. This one's going to live in a gigbag on the backseat of my car! How great to have an ukulele at all times.

At the store:



Installed with Aquila red low-G:

Congratulations on the new uke ! I've been eying these myself with all the talk of plastic ukes going around.

I have not heard anything about the durability of this model in the heat, and because you are in summer down there (Melbourne Australia?) It will be nice if we know how well these hold up in the car. I think these are also know as the Korla (spelling) brand in the UK but these have printed tops.

Keealoha appears to be a somewhat cheap-ukulele brand similar to Makala and Mahalo.
You can tell they are cheaply made, but I have found that they are quite playable and great bang for the buck. I also have their laminate mahogany baritone which was cheap but plays very well.

cool and fun looking. Congrats on the find. Enjoy!

Have been thinking of one of these myself for this summer at the beach. It is available on Amazon here in the states. Happy strumming!

Thanks for letting me know it can be found on Amazon for USA residents.
http://www.amazon.com/Kealoha-Conce...id=1422544273&sr=8-1&keywords=kealoha+ukulele

This is good, because I was telling a friend living in USA about this uke and he really wants one.

It's always good to have a uke in the car.

Odd coincidence: I'm halfway around the world from you and have exactly that same shelving system in my home. My son's up in Wee waa, NSW. If you see him say hi. (Yeah, I know it's a day's drive away, just kidding.)

Was it from Ikea? LOL

I hope the bridge on the ukes delivered from Amazon have been oriented the right way. They show backwards

Oh, thanks a lot, I mean, THANKS A LOT for telling us they are available on Amazon! Sheesh, now I've got to find some more cash.