Makala or Mahalo Soprano Ukulele

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FreeMee

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I have never played before but have always wanted to... so ive decided to go with it and just buy one.

Which is a better sound? I dont want to spend alot to start with.. until i get better anyway.

I am based in London, UK. The cheapest here seems to be about £25, and thats for the models listed in the title, does that seem about right?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Free
 
I'm totally happy with my Mahalo pineapple soprano the past ten years. :)

PS. Welcome to UU
 
Hey thanks for the quick replys.

Seems that Mahalo is my better option then.

From my research it seems that a Saprano is the best one for a begginer... is that right?
 
I have a Makala MK-SD, the dolphin bridge Makala. It sounds good (with Aquillas) and stays in tune. The paint is starting to chip a little in two places where I've accidentally banged it on a chair but that's hardly the uke's fault. I've been wanting to sand it down and stain it to give it a more traditional look anyway.

I was in a similar predicament when I was looking for a good budget uke. I ended up going for the Makala because MGM carries them and he makes sure all his ukes are playable out of the box. Over all I think they're both capable ukes if you buy from a vendor that sets them up properly and change the strings.

Edit: Also, Makala is Kala's low-end brand, e.g. squire/fender. Kind of funny considering Kala is already a low/mid-range brand as it is.
 
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Oh no! I'm going to ruin the consensus. :p

Makala all the way! I have two Makala sopranos and they're great. I have one in mid-pimp with the paint all stripped off, and the other is a test uke for various DIY pick-ups etc.

The stripped one is strung low G. It's not as loud or sweet as my solid mahogany uke, but it's a £25 quid cheapie, fer heaven's sake. For the money - brilliant, if you can stand the colours.

I don't own an equivalent Mahalo, but a couple of bandmates do and my Makalas are significantly louder. I also prefer the tie-bar bridge of the Makala to the knot-and-slot type on the Mahalos I've seen.

£25 is right for a Makala. Mahalos should come in a hair lower.

Makala rules! :D


Edit: Hooray, someone else spoiled the consensus before me! LOL

Edit again: My most recent Makala was £25. I was gutted - the first one (from the same shop about 6 months ago) was only £19! Still worth the £25 though!
 
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Wow what a way to confuse a girl aye!!! lol

Hmmmm what to do!!

Well im going travelling round the world in August and want something i can beat about a bit and not to be too worried because it doesnt cost too much.

Are they cheap in Asia? would this be a better place to get one? Also a good book that can teach me some traditional and modern songs? or maybe the cords online so i can teach myself, as, lets face it, i will have alot of time to practice!
 
You can get some really cheap instruments in asia, but it's hit or miss as to where you'd find it. I got a beautifully inlaid monochord for about 60 in Vietnam. If you go there, I know a guy on another forum who possibly could help with getting an instrument. He's more into guitars, but he's currently living there and knows some luthiers.
 
Yes i am going to Vietnam.. 60 what? bucks? or dong?

Sounds like it could be an idea.. im travelling to all areas of Nam so should be able to get hold of him at some point. Are the quality of Ukulele better over there for the money than say in the UK?

Thanks everyone for help!
 
FreeMee said:
Yes i am going to Vietnam.. 60 what? bucks? or dong?

Sounds like it could be an idea.. im travelling to all areas of Nam so should be able to get hold of him at some point. Are the quality of Ukulele better over there for the money than say in the UK?

Thanks everyone for help!
Click to expand...

Several years ago I was in Vietnam. In Asia including Vietnam, you will often find that shops that sell similar products are on the same street. Have a rickshaw driver take you to that street (tell him you want a guitar)and spend some hours asking around. That's what I did and ended up with a Tahitian and a Tangi pineapple for $20 each.
 
60 USD. Can't buy anything for 60 dong. The smallest denomination is 500dong, and sometimes when they don't have that to give you for change, they give you a piece of candy. My instrument was the most expensive one, and was originally was something like 1.7 Million dong and after haggling got it down to about 1 million.

Labor is cheap there, so anything hand made will definitely cost less. If you're going to get a cheap uke in the uk, they're all made in asia anyway. Much cheaper to get from the source. If you spent say 50 bucks worth in Vietnam, you'd probably get something in the 200-300 range in the West. Just be aware, if you have a million dong instrument, it's attractive there. A million dong is a lot of money for some people, considering a taxi driver makes 100K a day for working 24 hours. I'm thinking that next time I visit there, I'll have a ukulele custom made for me.
 
Kala, all the way

I must admit that I know very little about the Mahalo, but I do know a little something about Kala Brand 'Ukuleles, which produces the Makala and growing number of other, higher-end 'ukuleles. Kala produces very good 'ukuleles at a very reasonable price. And Kala is a generous supporter of the growing number of 'ukulele festivals and other related events being held world-wide, which is of huge benefit to all of us. All other things being equal, I'd go with the Makala any day of the week; it would be an opportunity to show your appreciation to Kala for the good work they are doing and you'd get a great 'ukulele, to boot.

Elaine
:cheers:Wine Country 'Ukulele Festival
:music:Kani Ka Pila
 
Tuppence worth from a newbie (greetings!): I have just recently bought a green Mahalo Soprano from a local shop for £19 and, for the money, I am quite impressed with it, although - as mentioned elsewhere - it really did need the nut string slots filed to lower the action. It has geared machine heads (not great quality) and - for what it's worth - a compensated saddle. I've only had it a couple of weeks but I think I've already had my money's worth out of it.

buddhu, I'm interested to know how you stripped the paint from your Makala - did you sand it or use a chemical stripper?
 
Greeno said:
buddhu, I'm interested to know how you stripped the paint from your Makala - did you sand it or use a chemical stripper?
Click to expand...

I'd like to know as well. Today I'm planning on sanding the paint off, applying some sort of clear coat (would this stuff work? I figure if it sounds decent painted a thin coating of polyurethane wouldn't sound too bad), reshaping that god awful dolphin bridge into a rounded rectangle and a few other little mods to spruce it up a bit and make it look a little less like a toy.
 
Nooooo! Don't kill the dolphin! I like those bridges - they give those little cheap ukes some character.

As for stripping the paint... Aaaargh! I used paint stripper and sandpaper and files and knives... and it took days. This paint is TOUGH.

If the paint on my car was this tough I'd be delighted.

Trying to get a pic but my webcam is screwed.
 
Ah ha. Sorted.

3409359125_99aca80ac7.jpg
 
Mahalo

I have a mahalo myself ( a red one if you wanna be precise) I have absoluteley no probelms with mine. Sure the sounds isn't too good. But it's good enough to learn on. For £20 it's brilliant tbh. The only thing to worry about is the tuning state it's in when it first arrives. May I reccomend you get it from duke of uke. Call up though if it hasn't arried within a week. they may have overlooked the order so keep all the details.

Welcome to UU
:shaka:

Jacob
 
With respect to the last poster, and to Duke of Uke, my own experience of their prices and their website would lead me to shop around first. I would consider buying from them, but I would look around first, and I would also check with them to see if the prices their website quotes for postage are negotiable...

That said, they seem like nice people and they respond to emails.
 
...or, as your in London anyway, pop into the Duke of Uke shop and try a couple out.

I'm hoping to travel down there from High Wycombe to have a look at a Risa stick uke for travelling with.

btw I have the Makala pineapple soprano and am very pleased with it.
 
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