yookyoolayleeh
Well-known member
Hi all,
I bought a horrible little Ashton uke (£20) a little while ago and I'm hooked. I'd like to upgrade to something that I can really learn on and I have about £50 to spend. I could really use some advice - particularly from UK-based players.
My budget is quite limited and I don't want to push it above £60. If I stick with uking for a while I may save up for a nicer uke (a Brueko perhaps - £120ish inc. shipping, or a Flea, or maybe a Tenor of some kind), so don't want this initial purchase to creep up too much. Besides, I'll need to think about new strings and a tuner soon anyway.
So far I've read some good things about the Makala Concert MK-C, which I can have in my hands for about £50, and I've also read good things about the Lanikai Concert LU-21C, but that's over budget at around £65. There's also a Kala Mahogany Concert Ukulele for £54 at Newcastle Music (link), but I don't know anything about that one yet.
I'd be really grateful for some feedback, especially if you have compared any of the above ukes yourself.
Thanks a lot!
====================
Bonus questions:
- I keep reading about how wonderful MGM's set-ups are, even for entry-level ukes. At this point I just can't justify having a uke shipped from the other side of the planet though. Have any of you had a nice set-up (strings, action, frets etc) from a UK seller? If so, please tell me about it.
- I live in a shared house and I really don't want to inflict my beginning pluckings on my housemates any more than I have to. Do you have any ideas for a very quiet but still usable uke? Would putting a car-wash sponge inside one do anything?
- What are the most reliable uke stores in the UK (and Europe)? So far I've come across Purple Turtle Music, Southern Ukulele Store, Newcastle Music, Juste Cordes, Exquisite, and ukulele.de. I've also read a little about Duke of Uke, but their prices are a bit London for my pocket.
I bought a horrible little Ashton uke (£20) a little while ago and I'm hooked. I'd like to upgrade to something that I can really learn on and I have about £50 to spend. I could really use some advice - particularly from UK-based players.
My budget is quite limited and I don't want to push it above £60. If I stick with uking for a while I may save up for a nicer uke (a Brueko perhaps - £120ish inc. shipping, or a Flea, or maybe a Tenor of some kind), so don't want this initial purchase to creep up too much. Besides, I'll need to think about new strings and a tuner soon anyway.
So far I've read some good things about the Makala Concert MK-C, which I can have in my hands for about £50, and I've also read good things about the Lanikai Concert LU-21C, but that's over budget at around £65. There's also a Kala Mahogany Concert Ukulele for £54 at Newcastle Music (link), but I don't know anything about that one yet.
I'd be really grateful for some feedback, especially if you have compared any of the above ukes yourself.
Thanks a lot!
====================
Bonus questions:
- I keep reading about how wonderful MGM's set-ups are, even for entry-level ukes. At this point I just can't justify having a uke shipped from the other side of the planet though. Have any of you had a nice set-up (strings, action, frets etc) from a UK seller? If so, please tell me about it.
- I live in a shared house and I really don't want to inflict my beginning pluckings on my housemates any more than I have to. Do you have any ideas for a very quiet but still usable uke? Would putting a car-wash sponge inside one do anything?
- What are the most reliable uke stores in the UK (and Europe)? So far I've come across Purple Turtle Music, Southern Ukulele Store, Newcastle Music, Juste Cordes, Exquisite, and ukulele.de. I've also read a little about Duke of Uke, but their prices are a bit London for my pocket.