curly mango wood

ukeandfish · May 13, 2009

hey guys, im soon going to upgrade to my first nice ukulele, i have a makala mk-s right now. i am considering the kala curly mango series, i love how they look. does anyone know how they sound? does anyone have any videos to show how they sound?

Phatzo · May 13, 2009

I know some of mango are laminated, so make sure it says solid mango, there are some clips on youtube, I like there sound.

1014 · May 13, 2009

i believe the kala mangos are laminates.

ukeandfish · May 13, 2009

is that good or bad? like i dont know much about it. i have a price limit probably around 200-300 or so dollars, its for my birthday present. the best music shop closest to me only carries kala uke. anyone suggest anything

Lori · May 13, 2009

I like mine

I have a Kala Tenor Mango and I'm really happy with it. It was my first uke, and it has a nice full tone to it. I don't know much about the other ukes, so my experience comes from a nylon string guitar/ 5 string banjo background. I have since bought a second uke, a soprano with spruce top. It has a brighter high end than the Mango tenor. I think that is a combination of size and wood.

After I had my Kala Mango a few weeks, I went to the music store ready to upgrade to a $500- $600 tenor uke (maybe in Koa). But after playing what they had in the store (some of the main Hawaiian brands too), I felt happy to stay with what I have.

I believe MGM has a Youtube video on this uke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzkGzveOeXU
–Lori

ukeandfish · May 13, 2009

what size should i get. i defineetly know i am hooked for life and i want a uke that i can get as good as possible on. should i get a tenor or a concert. what does aldrine play? i think i was kinda leaning more towards a concert

1014 · May 13, 2009

if you can sit in the store and just strum to your hearts content, just strum until you know what feels comfortable.

nothing wrong with laminates. just consider lower scale than solids, but it's the musician right? i bet that aldrine dude can play circles around me on a makala...

ukeandfish · May 13, 2009

the only thing is the store only has like a couple in the store, they have to order it if its something else from kala

Lori · May 13, 2009

ukeandfish said:
what size should i get. i defineetly know i am hooked for life and i want a uke that i can get as good as possible on. should i get a tenor or a concert. what does aldrine play? i think i was kinda leaning more towards a concert

I have 2 Kalas, one is a tenor and the other is a soprano with a concert neck. In my opinion, based on just those 2 ukes, the tenor is a little more forgiving on finger placement (fewer buzzes and intonation problems). On the concert neck, I find that I can sometimes bend a note when I didn't mean to, enough to make it go a little out of tune. I am sure I will improve my touch and technique with practice. The concert neck gives you a better reach the fretboard, and that can help you out for some songs.

Lori

ichadwick · May 13, 2009

ukeandfish said:
is that good or bad? like i dont know much about it. i have a price limit probably around 200-300 or so dollars, its for my birthday present. the best music shop closest to me only carries kala uke. anyone suggest anything

Laminates may look good, but don't offer the same richness and range of tone and harmonics of a solid wood top. A solid wood mango - like the Pono - is better sounding, but a LOT more expensive.

Consider a solid wood top like cedar, spruce or mahogany instead. Kala has some at around that price range, so do Mainland, Lanikai and Ohana, among others. If you don't need or want a pickup, give serious thought to a Mainland.

Gaby · May 14, 2009

The ply mango is very pretty but doesn't have a very good projection. This is not so much an issue on a bigger uke like a tenor or baritone (I actually think the Kala mango bari is one of the nicer ones around), but on a concert or soprano it is (to most people). The best mango uke I have played, IMO, is the Pono mango pineapple uke.

If you can't afford that one, indeed consider a solid top. If you like exotic woods, have a look at the Ohana with solid cedar top and willow back and sides - amazing value, great tone and looks.

curly mango wood

ukeandfish

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Phatzo

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1014

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ukeandfish

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Lori

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ukeandfish

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