Time for an Upgrade and I am really stuck between a couple. Help me!!!

UkuleleGator

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So I told myself if I studied and got through the LSAT this past Saturday that I would upgrade my ukulele. So I made it and now I have to choose which Uke to go with. My current is a Kala Mahogany laminate concert ukulele. (75$)

To help out with the decision making process I narrowed it down that I like certain aspects in my Ukulele:

1. Pick-up - prefer it be active.
2. Gloss
3. Slotted headstock.
4. I like a mellow sounding ukulele so preferably mahogany. (What other woods are nice and melow like mahogany?)
5. cut-out as long as it is stylish. Sometimes that can be really tacky.
6. 400$ is my maximum and if I can spend less and get most of these that would be great!
7. I think I want solid wood but is it truly that different for me to spend a couple hundred more on my Ukulele? My current kala laminate is fantastic I just wonder what changes solid wood will make.
8. Must be Tenor.

I realize that that is a very specific ukulele setup but I can live without a couple of the aspects. If it has most of them and looks like a decent instrument I would settle.

So far I have found two Ukuleles that are pretty decent.

The one I really really like is the Kala KA TEME. It is the Flame Laminate Mahogany with an active pickup and It is a beautiful instrument and seems to sound good but there is little information about this ukulele out there. If anybody has any info on it let me know what you think. ($239)

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Flame-mahogany-Kala-Tenor-Ukulele-w-P-U-KA-TEME_W0QQitemZ330363122330QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4ceb2d329a&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262

Next is the Kala ka ascme. It is a cutout with active pickup and solid Mahogany. Can be found here. I like it but seems to be kinda bland to me. Nothing really jumps out about it. I read the review here and it got great reviews so that did help but I just do not have the right feeling about it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/KALA-ALL-SOLID-MAHOGANY-CUTAWAY-TENOR-UKULELE-ka-asmtec_W0QQitemZ250504904526QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a53417f4e&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262



If you guys know of any Tenor Ukuleles that might fit most of those specifications I listed or anything about the two ukes I mentioned please let me know.

I should also ask. If I purcahse a ukulele that does not have a pickup is it realistic to have an active added later on or does that really damage the integrity of the ukulele? Also can a satin ukulele be refinished in gloss?

Thank you in advance.
 
Probably can't get much closer to your description than with the kala mahogany cutaway, looks like a great uke and the tortoise shell binding looks awesome imo, the only other i can think of would be a bushman cutaway, not sure if it has electronics though
 
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Call MGM and tell him these things. He will make a recommendation and you won't be sorry.
 
ooooh LSAT, how do you think you did? Lawyers don't play the uke :D haha, jk.
 
I had the perfect uke for you but it is gone now. The flamed mahaghany is pretty but in the long run the solid wood will sound better. Check this out
http://www.meleukulele.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=2&cat=Mahogany+Ukuleles if you get Mele to add a pick-up it is a little more expensive but you can buy a cheap pick-up (like kala uses) and take it to a music store and get them to install it. You'll come out just a little over your budget but hey, your about to be a lawyer right?

UkeGator you in florida? www.ukerepublic.com is in Georgia. Check him out as well. MGM is great but so is mike at ur. Must be that name mike because mike at mainland and specialmike are great as well. makes me want to name my kid mike.
 
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If mellow is a big drawing card for you, then take a look at the Kala Koa with cedar top, cut-away body style, and a pickup. That would give you something that just gets sweeter with age and the pickup will give you a performance edge when you want to jam or start gigging.
 
Call MGM and tell him these things. He will make a recommendation and you won't be sorry.

I agree with sukie. Email MGM, tell him what you are looking for, and he will probably be able to fill your request!
 
I saw that cedar top it really caught my eye as well. What is with cedar top and spruce top? I see those two quite a bit. It is laminate koa on the sides and back but hard wood on top. Cedar a mellow wood? ( Actually now that you mention it I think this instrument takes the lead.)

I was looking at mangoes as well but i had little information on them. Seem to be somewhere in between solid mahogany and Solid Koa for price range. What kind of tone do hey put out?
 
Cedar is a responsive wood. If you play it mellow it will be mellow, if you get aggressive it will be aggressive. This is my experience, YMMV.
 
Also, strings make a huge difference in how mellow a uke sounds. Pure nylon sounds very different from fluorocarbon, and both sound different from Nylgut. Most mellow of all is a uke with no strings at all.
 
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