Recstar24
Well-known member
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oqlq095ly0eybmf/mainland%20cedar%20tenor.mp3?dl=0
The first uke I ever bought was a Mainland Red Cedar Concert, back in October. It was a lovely instrument, and for some reason, I sold it, probably because I figured there must be better stuff out there for the money I had to burn. However, I've always felt connected to Mainland because Mike was awesome and supplied my music classroom with Mainland concert ukes for the kids to use during our ukulele unit, as well as soprano mainlands for students to be able to check out through our library for extra practice. Everything you've heard and read about Mike, Mainland, and customer service is true, and my students and I are so grateful to have such a quality instrument to play in class.
Since then, I've dove into customs, and currently own a Mya Moe Tenor Myrtle and a Les Stansell flamenca blanca tenor. Both are of the highest quality wood and craftsmanship, and are near-perfect instruments in all aspects of instrument design in my opinion. I was looking for something a little less extravagant to bring to my weekly uke clubs, and at first was considering a laminate, but figured what the heck, its not that much more to get a quality solid wood instrument, and I get to support my man at Mainland, so I went with a Red Cedar Tenor through Uke Republic (who also have been awesome to my school ukulele program).
Mainland at this point is well-known and well-regarded, so I guess the purpose of this thread is just to convey how surprised and amazed I am at the overall quality of instrument Mike can offer our community for $200-$300. Below are some observations as compared to my $2000 customs:
Areas that I feel the Mainland is not that far off, if not outright at the same level, as my customs - Gloss finish, intonation, set-up, playability, and volume/projection: The gloss finish on this thing is excellent - it is thin, not overly glossy, and there are no weird smudges or overly thick areas. The intonation is spot on as I go higher up the neck, and if the Mya Moe is a perfect 10/10 in intonation, and my stansell is a 9/10, I would give the Mainland an 8.5-9/10. The set-up is just as good with an action that is not too low, and definitely not too high, with smooth fret ends, very nicely cut nut slots, and the bridge and saddle work looks great. Its volume and projection is on par with my customs and maybe just slightly under my stansell, being a flamenca design with POC back and sides that truly is a high standard. The playability is excellent, with a very nice neck profile that is fast, and since the setup is so good, it really plays like butter, on par with my customs.
Areas where the Mainland clearly comes short of my customs - overall balance of weight, tone quality, sustain, wood bookmatching, and some finer points of aesthetics and craftsmanship: Whereas the Mya Moe and Stansell are super light and perfectly balanced, the Cedar is bottom heavy and somewhat off-balanced compared to my customs. Weight is not a deal breaker for me as I feel I play with good sitting posture and the uke is secure without a strap. While the Mainland can match my customs for volume and projection, it does not have the complexity of tone or as much sustain that my customs have. I do feel my Mya Moe represents an almost gold standard for tone that I haven't heard too often elsewhere, a warmth and roundness of tone but with complex overtones that gives it sparkle and shimmer on top, with sustain that rings forever, and this may be the area where the money really starts to pay some dividends. I'm curious to see how my new Mainland cedar will develop over the next few months. Lastly, the bookmatching on the Mainland is nowhere near as tight as it is on my customs, which are essentially perfect - the Mainland, as pretty as the wood is and the rope purfling, has the occasional minor inconsistency that you really have to look at to see, whereas with the Mya Moe and Stansell binding, rosette, and purfling lines are perfect and there is not an out of place line, mark, or figure at all.
For $300, it is ridiculous how nice an instrument this is. When I was just starting to play, I don't think I truly appreciated what a great value and high quality instrument Mike at Mainland offers, but now with some experience playing some really nice instruments and owning some, this red cedar tenor truly can hold its own. I strung her up immediately with Southcoast re-entrant mediums and will let her settle in a bit before providing a sound sample.
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