One year down.

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One year ago yesterday, my Makala KA-MK-C ukulele showed up on my back porch from Austin Bazaar. To start off, I violated two of the most important rules of buying a beginner ukulele, I did not buy the most expensive ukulele I could afford, and I did not get it set up. I think I have already addressed both those enough in my review thread, and nothing has changed. So, after a year, I am very, very, happy with my Makala. I have never thought that I would be better off with something else. I have never felt like I didn’t want to play it. And it has served me well on my journey, all fifty two weeks of it.

If someone asked me to say what I would have done different, I would have to say nothing. I have not found a single thing that I do not like about my Makala and I feel like my progress has been good. Simple as that. I could go on and on, but I will spare everyone. I have tried out any number of ukuleles in the last year, from cheap ukes, to really expensive, and a few in between, and I have not found one that I like better than the one that I have. OK, I’ll admit that I’ve seen and played some prettier ukuleles. But I have yet to find one that I think plays better or most importantly, one that plays easier. I think that is a huge point, as people are often led to believe otherwise, cheap ukes are said to be harder to play. I'm not convinced that is true quiet yet.

With that in mind, I promised myself when I bought the Makala that I would play it for a year before buying another. I kept that promise. I’ll say right now, that it is with trepidation that I am going to buy another now that I’ve spent my year with the Makala. I’ve grown close to her, and I feel some loyalty to her for carrying me so far in the past year. But for one thing, I want a ukulele with a Mi-Si pickup. I thought long and hard about just having a pickup installed on the Makala, but in the end, I decided that installing a Mi-Si on a $65 uke is not where I want to go with it. But the most important thing is that the Makala is all I know. I mean, I’ve tried out a lot of ukes in the last year, but I haven’t lived with a lot of ukes in the last year. So I am upgrading some might say. I'm buying that more expensive uke. I'm not buying it because I’m convinced that it will be better, but I’m curious. I want to know the truth. So we will see. I’m looking forward to the discovery, and my continued journey through the world of ukulele. But regardless, the Makala will always be my best friend.
 
Congrats on the one year anniversary of playing ukulele! My first Uke was a Makala, too. I upgraded last month and I still play my Makala, some. It will always be special to me. But I sure do love my Mainland!! I love the larger size and the sound of it. I can tell a major difference between my Makala and a solid wood uke.

Is there any particular uke that has caught your eye, yet?
 
Happy Anniversary!

I hope you keep enjoying your journey.
 
Congrats on the one year anniversary of playing ukulele! My first Uke was a Makala, too. I upgraded last month and I still play my Makala, some. It will always be special to me. But I sure do love my Mainland!! I love the larger size and the sound of it. I can tell a major difference between my Makala and a solid wood uke.

Is there any particular uke that has caught your eye, yet?
Ha ha, very good, that is great. Yes, I decided some time ago that I'll be getting a, you guessed it, Mainland Mahogany Concert with a Mi-Si pickup. But I'm still down in PR, and I'll wait until I get back up to Iowa for the summer before I order it.
 
Congrats on your one year anniversary. The uke journey if different for all of us so your path is the right one for you! We all just like to give our opinions since it's a forum. :p
 
Happy Anniversary! Sounds like a great year. I think it is great that you can look back without any regrets and now you can look forward to some new adventures. I bet getting that Mainland will be a wonderful thing.
 
Ha ha, very good, that is great. Yes, I decided some time ago that I'll be getting a, you guessed it, Mainland Mahogany Concert with a Mi-Si pickup. But I'm still down in PR, and I'll wait until I get back up to Iowa for the summer before I order it.

The mahogany concert is what I got! I love it!! I didn't get a pickup.
 
If there was a like button I would jump all over it :D Glad you are still happy with your first love but are open minded enough to try something different. Congratulations on 1 year of merry music making
 
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