Shopping for concert...

I used to play mostly sopranos. Getting back into ukes recently a friend gave me a no-name baritone and I thought for a time the bari uke would be my main instrument. But I have been thinking on it and I believe I will probably go for a concert sized uke, and very likely string it for low G.

Briefly, I am not a beginner. I'm not a great player either, but I have played stringed instruments for almost 40 years.

There is a chance that whatever uke I buy will end up being exposed to significant and sudden changes in temp, humidity and altitude.

For that reason, I am specifically looking for something inexpensive and laminate. I realize I will sacrifice some tone, volume, sustain, etc., but I need something that can stand up to weather shifts and which isn't too precious or valuable.

I have even considered some of the plastic ukes on the market today (and I have some experience with Fleas and Flukes) but I know I wouldn't ultimately be happy with that.

Right now, these are the contenders and I'd love to hear any thoughts:

Cordoba 15CM
Kala KA-CG
Ohana CK-22
Oscar Schmidt OU2 or OU3

(I have owned the Oscar Schmidt OU2 and OU 3 before and liked them fine...lower in volume but sturdy as heck and intonated well...)

Thanks for any suggestions.

PS-- Need to keep it +/- $150 if possible...

Hmm, the Ohana is solid top: http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/produc...ruce-top-mhgy-b-s-concert-ukulele-player-pack

Maybe the 10s? http://www.ebay.com/itm/MIM-Ohana-C...6a838ee&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=172161196114

Hands down: for the money, IMHO the Koa Pili Koko concert can't be beat (I have Mahogany with rosewood bridge and nut). My wife has a KA-FMCG, which is a loud little strummer, but I personally don't care for the tight(er) string spacing on the Kalas. The KPKs that Jason ships have a low action and worth clear strings that give clarity to the ample sound. Hard to fault. Never tried the Ohana, but heard good things.

I purchased an Ohana 10s (the ukulele Jim mentions above) from Mim as a gift for my sister and she really likes it. I like playing it before I passed it on. I purchased an OU5 last Christmas for my friend's little girl and it is an okay ukulele, but to me it was just not as nice as the Ohana. I have not played the Kala or Cordoba models mentioned. Good luck with your decision.

The blackbird Clara will meet your specifications for durablilty, but alas, not price. On the other hand, the sound is amazing

http://stores.ebay.com/Mims-Ukes/Concert-/_i.html?_fsub=1993947014

Ohana CK 20S have a solid mahogany top and is a great player

Super value IMHO

I have both Kalas and Ohanas. I had some problems with the Ohana concert, but now that they are all ironed out, I really love it. Kalas are pretty darn hard to beat, but they're common as heck. I had a Cordoba as my 2nd uke, but I never fell in love with it.

check out Islanders, you won't give up much in sound and nothing in playablility.

I have a Kala KA-CEME (& KA-SLNG) & a Baton Rouge Hotrod that I have just bought, all are laminates, & I like them all.

Edit: They came with Aquila high G strings, but are now fitted with Living Water low G flourocarbon strings.

For $100 bucks, you'll have a hard time beating this Cordoba for an all laminate uke.: http://www.theukulelesite.com/cordoba-15cm-mahogany-concert.html

If you and/or a friend can do some setup work, you can get one $69 on ebay.

If you can go a bit more, the KoAlana from KoAloha set up by HMS would be a good choice
http://www.theukulelesite.com/shop-by/brand/koaloha/koalana-concert-kca-0010.html

Another two to consider are the Luna mahogany laminates from HMS - they did an amazing set up on my Luna solid spruce top concert and I would buy another Luna from them without hesitation.
http://www.theukulelesite.com/shop-by/size/concert/luna-mo-o-concert.html

I have a Luna 'Peace" concert, and I really like it a lot. It's my "go-to" Uke for strumming songs. I paid $140ish for it. ld:

I really appreciate all the input. I played my baritone quite a while last night (it's my only playable uke at the mo'--I do have an old no-name soprano but it needs some work to make it a player again) and now am back to deciding on which size I will go with. I do like the range of the baritone, but...

I feel concert will win out. For one thing, I need something that takes up less space. For another, I'm not sure the baritone is "ukulelelike" enough for me.

Please allow me to delineate further on my likes/dislikes and concerns.

1. Must have geared tuners. I can do the work needed to swap tuners out, but would prefer not to have to mess with it.

2. I prefer wider string spacing (coming from a guitar/bass background, though I have played a lot of uke, makes this easier on me.)

3. Sort of a question--would you not think a laminate body and soundboard would be less likely to suffer from extremes of weather? I can't speak to this very specifically because our plans have yet to be set but it may be that before too many more moons we will be more or less full time travelers with an eye to heading South to Mexico and into South America indefinitely.

3.1 I am of the opinion that laminate construction WOULD be more stable under these circumstances. And, of course, generally such ukes would be less expensive.

There really are some great suggestions here. I know the Oscar Schmidt OU2 ($50-60) and OU3 ($100 or so) are decent players and are heavily constructed (counter-intuitive when one is seeking a fine instrument, but perhaps just the ticket for one that will be ridden hard on the road, yes?) but the ones I had before were just rather lifeless as far as sound goes. In fact, the cheaper one sounded better and more open, probably because it lacked the 1/2" thick gloss finish.

Some of the ukes mentioned thus far are either out of my price range or I am having a bit of trouble finding them available to purchase stateside.

I still have much to consider, but I would love it if this discussion continued.

I must say, outside of the Oscar Schmidts, I am leaning heavily towards this one:

PhilUSAFRet said:

For $100 bucks, you'll have a hard time beating this Cordoba for an all laminate uke.: http://www.theukulelesite.com/cordoba-15cm-mahogany-concert.html

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I realize that in The Big Scheme Of Things, a ukulele purchase is no major concern, particularly if one is specifically looking for a relatively cheap workhorse, but it is important to me because my wife and I must have a way of making music, yet we need something very durable and inexpensive enough to be easily replaceable and not a great loss if damaged or stolen.

If we do indeed get to take to the road at some point, this ukulele will likely be our only instrument, at least while we are traveling.

Apologies for rambling so much. I am a talker. I will look more closely at the ukes already mentioned here as well.

Thanks, and I wish you All a wonderful day. Keep 'em coming!

I'll make this as difficult as possible for you. I have 2 (yes, that's TWO) Oscar Schmidt OU2 ukuleles. I bought one on a whim because I had a performance instrument in the shop, and one on the way. I needed a concert.
A year or so later, I shopped for several months for another concert (for winter use low G). Having nearly every budget brand available in Chicago, I tried them all (couldn't find a Mainland). I ended up getting the second Oscar OU2. Great and cheap.

This was my all time favorite uke for taking around but alas, I ran over it ): Though it has been put back together it now sounds like a beginner's uke so it's on loan. I'd get another if I had the cash. Fast neck and sounds super with Living Water low G strings. Course every manufactured uke has subtle differences and maybe this was a "lucky" find for intonation and play-ability. Doesn't hurt that she's very pretty!

http://www.altomusic.com/ibanez-uew10gm-exotic-wood-quilted-maple-concert-ukulele

Here's a tutorial I made using her.

bonesigh said:

This was my all time favorite uke for taking around but alas, I ran over it ):

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Gah, that's terrible! well, I lost all my instruments (along with 98% of everything else my family owned) in a flood back towards the end of 2010, so I can sympathize a bit. Man, I had some instruments that were worth a lot, both in sentimental and 'actual' value. Among them, a 1933 Gibson tenor banjo (that belonged to my grandfather) and a 50s-era martin baritone uke (that belonged to my uncle.)

I should say though, that while I find a lot of instruments that I wouldn't necessarily care to own personally very beautiful (like this Ibanez uke of yours), often they just aren't for me so much.

Personally, I don't care for cutaways and highly figured woods. I am kind of a plain jane sort of guy for the most part. Not very traditional in most aspects of my life, but I guess I sort of am traditional with regards to the instruments I like.

If I saw someone playing that Ibanez, I'd think "Man, what a gorgeous uke!" but it just wouldn't be the thing for me really.

THIS JUST IN: Man, I am such a mess. Now I am going back and forth again between the idea of a concert (smaller, more portable and more "uke-like") and a baritone (more range, more variety--you can capo one and have gcea tuning.)

I just don't know...can't decide between the concert or baritone. I don't care much for tenors...I'd just as soon go with the next size down or up...and while I love sopranos, I think my fingers and hands would benefit from the longer neck/fret spacing of a concert.

Just not sure which direction I'm gonna go in yet. Again, it's a trough decision because this will be my ONE uke purchase and sole instrument for the foreseeable future.

Griffis said:

3.1 I am of the opinion that laminate construction WOULD be more stable under these circumstances. And, of course, generally such ukes would be less expensive.

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But would you be happy with it? You might as well get a plastic ukulele, which probably won't sound worse than an inexpensive laminate ukuleles. There are good laminates, but they are not in the price range you mentioned (the laminate series by Kiwaya for example). I exaggerate a bit here, but I haven't heard an inexpensive, all laminate uke (without a solid top at least) that I felt sounded good. I'd at least get one with a solid top, even if the sides and back are laminated.

The Clara would probably be the best of all worlds, for your scenario, but it's expensive, though perhaps now that their tenor size model is out, some Claras may hit the used market.

Griffis,
See you're over here also, makes sense!
Don't rule out the laminates, there are good laminate ukes around. Laminate ukes get bad press from the cheap chinese ukes that are overbuilt.
If you are offered a choice of the same uke, play them all, and pick the best. If you can't do that ask Mim, (That name again!) to either play them to you over the phone, or select the best for you. HMS in Hawaii I believe will do the same.
Mim and HMS are members of this forum, as is Mike of Mainland ukes. (Iirc hoosierhiver)
Enjoy the chase and your final selection!
H

Another rec'd for an Islander if you're looking for a laminate with wider string spacing. My first concert was an Islander MC-4 purchased from HMS. Has flatish neck, a nice low action, and plenty of volume. Hard to fault for $120. I gave it to my son when I upgraded to a KPK hog concert, but am always stealing it out of his room to noodle around on.

+1 for Islanders. I have the tenor version of this one. Sounds great and is virtually bullet-proof!

http://www.southernukulelestore.co....slander-RWSPC-Concert-Ukulele-Spruce-Rosewood