Yeah i found another place with Strunals in stock- meantone, and they have the student concert 1/4 size with solid cedar top for $166.
https://meantone.com/Shop/SolidTopGuitars.shtml
I ordered it, and the gigbag, it came to less than $200. I let you guys know how they sound. Also anyone own a Requinto? those are the 1/2 size nylon guitars tuned up a 4th to ADGcea and i think there a bit bigger than a baritone. I found a cool acoustic electric cutaway for $225 with a solid top, seems like a pretty good deal.
Update: Got my strunal 1/4 size classical guitar in the mail today. If anyones looking for a guitalele IMO this is not much more for a solid cedar top instrument. I am comparing it mostly to my Lanikai O-8e 8 string solid spruce top tenor uke.
They are pretty similar in scale length, holding it nut to bridge the strunal is about 5-10 mm longer, which just means a bit more tension in the same strings and tuning. the body is a bit larger than than the lanikai, and while I don't own a baritone uke I imagine it to be a pretty similar body size, if maybe a bit smaller.
The guy who sold it to me said that it was tuned like a regular guitar, not ADGCEA so at first I thought maybe it came with a set of 1/4 size nylon guitar strings. But when tuning this up after getting it I stopped very briefly on E for the low string, plucked, felt the tension and the horrible buzzing hum of a wound nylon dropped way to low and quickly tuned up to G, then A. Great sucess. Plus you can tell by the wind job on the tuners that these are full size classical strings, which luckily come into guitalele/requinto tuning on this scale length (ADGCEA) which is what I was looking for. I may get 1/4 scale strings for EADGBE tuning, but if so that would be after I get a 4 string tenor. (8 string is great for chords, but doesnt cut it for solo stuff, so this little guy is great)
Like my Lanikai 0-8e, its a solid top tenor scale with laminate back and sides, slotted headstock and classical tuners. The Lanikai is Ovankal laminate back and sides with solid spruce top, the Strunal Mahogany laminate back and sides with solid cedar top. As you would imagine from the woods, and the larger construction of the 1/4 size classical, the Lanikai has a bright loud high reentrant tone, and the cedar has a mellow warm middle end tone, which when played with the lanikai seems rich and almost deep. They are comperable in looks but I must admit that I dislike a couple things on the strunal. The fretboard woodgrain is just wierd, as if it was milled at a wierd angle or left ruffed a bit so the saw marks show, and the bridge also. The tuner pegs at the top are cheap plastic looking so the tuners may be the first to go. All in all though, I'm pretty satisfied. The top 2 strings are clear nylon, the bottom 4 wound, but I may just swap out the top 3 for unwound aquila tenor CEA strings.
The gigbag that came with it looks cool, padded backpack style, will fit any tenor uke, which is a plus because I was using my Guitar Hero Guitar case up till recently, which has only one wussy pad in the middle (its made for 2 GH guitar controllers, but fits 1 ukulele) but unfortunately a strap clip on the backpack shoulder strap broke already. Good thing it has a lifetime warranty. And I have a different strap anyway I'll probably just use.
All in all I would say that is exactly the value and build quality that you would expect out of a ukulele in this price range, perhaps a little better, with a wide classical style fretboard and 2 "bass" guitar strings. As a guitar player turned Uke player, this guy is a must have for all my half-ukulele, half guitar songs that I couldnt figure out which instrument to play it on. The nylon strings allow me to bring my ukulele strokes into play and still have that full guitar chord sound of a classical, with the higher tuning syle of Uke. A set of 1/4 scale strings quickly converts this guy into probably one of the best travel guitars you could get for the money, Idk how "portable" some of those full scale small bodied travel guitars are, or how they sound but this intrument has a nice mellow tone, suprisingly deep.
. Not going back 'till next year at the earliest.
