Mainland vs. Mele Sopranos?

lespaul_79

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OK... I keep hearing I should look into Mele ukuleles. I've read a bunch of chat threads and all the info is starting to blend together and I didnt see anything that compares Mele to Mainlands. Both get impressive reviews

Soooo can any one give me some thoughts on Mele vs Mainland sopranos in the $200 range? Which has better tone? Volume? Quality? Bang 4 da buck?


Yes, I'm kinda carrying on from this thread. Hope I'm not breaking the rules. Just semi obsessed.
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?p=217019#post217019

Thanks!!!!
 
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if its a mele mahogony then there georgous sounding and very loud the koa ones have a little more softer sound but very very nice sounding, but hearing so much about mainland and listening to alot of vids on youtube mainland keeps up well, deach and haolejohn speak very very highly of there meles, if it was me i would go the mele there really really nice looking and sound is exceptional.... Its your budget though, i think the meles are a bit more expensive but worth the penny
 
I will say that I have owned three mele tenors and one concert. 6 string and concert were both solid mahaghany. I have a solid koa and I did have a solid koa top solid mahaghany back and sides. Next to KoAloha the Mele is my favorite. I have played many mainland sopranos and I absolutely love them. I keep wanting to buy one but then I think I can have another Mele. while in Hawai'i this summer I went to visit Mele while I visited Maui and spent 5 hours jamming and talking story. Cheryl at Mele taught me my first three chords and I at times feel like I have to buy from them. I will one day buy a Mele and a mainland soprano. I think one will be a pineapple and one will be a regular that way I won't have 2 same style ukes. I will say that the mahaghany ukes mele makes are excellent. I liked the mahaghany sound better than the koa sound. The koa top mahaghany back and sides uke was pretty neat sounding as well. regardless of what you choose you can not go wrong. I thought about getting the mele soprano and then visiting ukerepublic and doing a comparison with a mainland soprano.
 
I own and love both, comparable quality, different voices but they both can SING! I don't think there's a wrong choice here. Both have GREAT reputations for customer service too. ;)
 
I've owned a Mele mahogany soprano for just over a year. Mainland has not really reached the UK yet, but I might well buy one when they become more easily available (importing is a pain).

A few points about the Mele to help you decide:

1. The fingerboard is wide, and the neck very narrow from front to back. Friends who've played it either love this or find it difficult.

2. It was loud when I bought it, and after 9 months became really loud. What they say about solid woods opening up really was true in my case. Strings make a difference of course - the HiLos it comes with give a very good sound, and the Aquila concerts it's currently wearing are very brash. Not tried flourocarbon. Unless, like me, you want to play noisy 20s/30s jazz, stick with the HiLos. With those you can get sweet or loud.

3. It's pretty in a completely unassuming way. No-one will say "Wow!" when they see it, but all agree it's nice to look upon.

4. The satin finish is very thin - mine has strum marks right through the finish (though to be fair, I'm about as heavy-handed as it gets).

5. Intonation is good all the way up the neck. Action is medium high, but could clearly be lowered by sanding the saddle.

6. Really light construction, which is probably why it's loud. Nicely built.

When I bought it I was comparing Ponos and Ohanas at the same price, and the Mele seemed noticeably better to me in terms of sound quality and playability.

Hope this helps.
 
My experience with the Mele is similar to Prochris:

- wide fretboard with very thin neck shape.
- thin finish. the top was easily guaged
- very light construction

My experience with the Mainland Honey Bee is opposite:

- smaller width fretboard and rounder neck shape much like a vintage Martin
- satin finish but seems more durable
- tough to tell on construction and weight since the Honeybee has a built in pickup which makes it heavier.
 
On my meles the mahaghany ukes did have a lighter or thinner finish than the finish on my koa ones. I actually like this feature b/c it gives the uke a more natural look and it gives it character. The finish on my pono is too much in my opinion. I want to view wood not reflections.
 
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