Best Value Tenor ukes help needed

jonnyfriendly

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Need some advice on tenor ukes - best models/makes etc. looking for something around $400. Ive been recommended Pono with spruce? top and laminated Kiwaya.
Please share your thoughts

thanks

j
 
Welcome, Jonny. :)

You'll hear many different suggestions, no doubt!

If I were currently shopping for a tenor, the first one I'd be looking at would be the Kala solid acacia tenor.

Here's thejumpingflea's review.
 
thanks Bud - ive read a lot about this uke
do you know how this would compare sound wise to a mahogony tenor such as say the pono with spruce top. As a guitarist i like the mellow sound mahogony gives
 
the acacia prolly will be louder and brighter than mahogany, it'll soud more like a koa uke with that "barking" sound, if u haven't checked out the jumping fleas revriew on utube, check it sold me
 
the acacia prolly will be louder and brighter than mahogany, it'll soud more like a koa uke with that "barking" sound, if u haven't checked out the jumping fleas revriew on utube, check it sold me


An uke with a bark...I like that description! :)
 
thanks for the bark comment
does anyone have experience of the pono mahogany tenor with spruce top ?
 
If you haven't seen them, there are reviews of the Pono PTS and PTS-E on pages 3 and 4 here in the reviews section. RonVa and GCOW 55 do a great job reviewing theirs. Ron's with low G and GCOW55's with high G.
 
i hear that pono are about to introduce a new line in November - has any one any information on these ?
 
Best tenor uke? for $400? Go for a mainland tenor. Personally, I've only had experience with a soprano, but it's awesomely loud *as loud as a KoAloha... two month old strings :D* Consider that a soprano is THAT loud, and you've got quite the canon in a tenor I would believe. RevWill has one. Kicker; it's only 300; for the money, it's a great ukulele.
 
If you looking for a good built cheap ukulele try check out tangi ukulele he makes cheaper stuff and there not all that bad, for the price good to learn with.
 
Best tenor uke? for $400? Go for a mainland tenor. Personally, I've only had experience with a soprano, but it's awesomely loud *as loud as a KoAloha... two month old strings :D* Consider that a soprano is THAT loud, and you've got quite the canon in a tenor I would believe. RevWill has one. Kicker; it's only 300; for the money, it's a great ukulele.


You are correct. I love my Mainland tenor (mine's the Red Cedar, but I wouldn't hesitate to go for Mahogany either). It is loud, crisp, clear and beautiful.
 
Tenor woods

You are correct. I love my Mainland tenor (mine's the Red Cedar, but I wouldn't hesitate to go for Mahogany either). It is loud, crisp, clear and beautiful.

I've been considering getting the Mainland tenor and I am wondering what the difference is between the Mahog and the Cedar?

Also, I want it with a pickup; anybody have any experience with the pickups that Mainland puts in their ukes?

Thanks.
 
Fender Pai'ina Tenor Ukulele

If you're looking for a relatively cheap tenor mahogany uke to perform with, I've been pretty pleased with my Fender Pai'ina Tenor Mahogany Uke, which has built in passive electronics.

It's not the finest uke out there for that price, and the finish is actually quite rough, but with a little steel wool and polish, you can make it look and feel decent, and the sound is surprisingly decent as well.

Good luck with your search! :)
 
mainland, mainland, mainland....thats all i have to say...

but i'll be long winded...I have both a Mahogany tenor and concert from them, they are unbelievable for the price. At the world ukulele congress i played them in comparison to dozens of ukes more expensive...pono, koaloha, kamaka to name a few...as far as sound goes i honestly prefered the mainland, I too love mellow sounding instruments, and my mainland tenor sounds like a big fuzzy ukulele blanket. Its very loud, i have no problem playing it outside to large groups of people. Their customer service is perfect, as mike, a UU member, is a top rate guy. So go with the mainland FOR certain
 
basically it all comes down to cost, if you want a low cost playable first uke, which is actually still a decent instrument then you can't go far wrong with the Lanikai LT21 tenor, it's a bit over a hundred bucks and it sounds great. bang for your buck this can't be beaten until you get up over 400 dollars.
 
thanks for all the comments so far - the Mainland does look good for the price
Just one thing puzzles me about the Mainland tenor. Why is it so cheap compared to similar sounding or sometimes lesser sounding ukes.
Does anyone know where they are made ? etc.
I know that cheap does not always mean lesser quality, but just interested.
 
thanks for all the comments so far - the Mainland does look good for the price
Just one thing puzzles me about the Mainland tenor. Why is it so cheap compared to similar sounding or sometimes lesser sounding ukes.
Does anyone know where they are made ? etc.
I know that cheap does not always mean lesser quality, but just interested.

Some of that has to do with my peculiar nature. I'm kind of an atypical American. I've steered clear of debt my whole life. I drive an old truck, not some fancy pants car I can't afford. Paid off my shack and land a few years back after years of working towards that goal. I also feel pretty comfortable living a little 3rd worldsy and only upgraded from my outhouse after getting married. We are a small company located in a low rent area. My wife is also fairly thrifty. So, combining all these elements, has given us a bit of an advantage and we are able to operate at a lower cost than alot of other companies. My goal isn't getting rich, it's more about having a good life and feeling good about what we offer. Pretty weird, huh....
 
Check my ukulele review page. I list several in that price category worth looking at.

Mainland and Kala top the list for me.

Ian​
 
Nice to hear Hoosier - really value small, quality outfits. Uke does sound good just hope there may be a distributer here in the Uk so i can try one out. If not I may well be contacting you - though the pound is rather low at the moment.
Hope the business continues to go well.
 
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