First Uke choice..

argyll

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First of many questions:rolleyes:, I have been looking for a budget starter Uke and after a lot of searching I am close to purchasing either a Makala Model: MK-S or a Kala MK-PN Makala Pineapple and probably replacing the strings with Aquilas, has anyone had any experience of these models, good or bad ?
Due to my location I am stuck with online ordering so any advice would be greatfully recieved as I can`t "try before I buy" :D
cheers
Rob
 
I love my Makala tenor, and my grandkids both have Makala Dolphins. They are great playing beginner ukes at a great price. I haven't tried the Pineapple but have played a soprano at a local shop and it's a well made good sounding uke for the money. I'd definetly recommend the Aquila strings, and if you can getting it from MGM he puts them on all the Makalas he sells and sets up the ukes perfectly. I really think The Makala's are very hard to beat in their price range.
 
A very good choice for a beginner Uke - but you dont say what your budget is - if you are able to spend more, there may be other options
 
I agree that Makalas are a total bargain. Real ukes for the price of a toy. They're basic but they do the job.

That said, I would definitely recommend dropping the extra few beans for a real Kala. Same company, but next level up from Makala which is their budget entry level brand.

I have Kala and Makala ukes. Whichever you get you should be pretty safe as long as you're not expecting Kamaka quality at Kala prices! :D
 
if money is very tight, and you can go a touch higher, I remain impressed with my Lanikai LU21
 
Thanks very much for all your replys very helpfull indeed:), I think I may go for the Makala MK-S as the price is right and if I dont get on with the uke:eek: it wont be a huge loss monetary wise.
I was going to spend £40-£60 but even with the Aquila strings the Makala is still under £30 ! thats why I thought it may not be that great, but if anyone has a better buy in my price range I am all ears, the best price I can find at the moment for the Lanikai LU21 (mail order) is around £80-90 :(
thank you all again:cheers:
Rob
 
hmm - re the Lanikai - check ebay - I got mine for £49
 
Hi there-
my first uke (and only) uke is a Makala concert -and I've been very happy with it. It's pretty solidly put together, and I haven't had any problems with strings buzzing on frets, or it going out of tune, or whatever other problems you might expect with a budget model such as a Makala. It may not be the prettiest uke around, but looks aren't everything (and at the price that these go for - Makalas look just as good as anything else in their price range,)

I suspect that a lot of the reason I'm happy with it is that I got mine from Musicguymic on ebay and it was set up properly by them before sending it out. If you can't buy from him on ebay, just try to buy from someone that has a good reputation (check UU for other people's experiences with other online sellers). I think that the important thing when buying a lower-cost uke is that you don't get it from a seller that just sends them out without giving them a once-over to check and make sure that they're playable! Nothing worse than just trying to start to learn a new instrument on one that's not set up properly.

I too was worried that I wouldn't stick with it, and didn't want to spend a ton of money on something that I might not get into - so I think it's a good idea to get a uke that's not a toy (and will only frustrate your learning) - but also don't spend so much money that you feel guilty about not playing it enough if you really aren't that into it. That said - it's been 6 months for me and when I have some cash saved up, I'll be spending as much as I reasonably can to get my second uke.
 
The Makala MK-S is a very good starter uke for a very low price. Throw in some Aquilas, and it will serve you well. When (not if!) you decide to get a better uke, you can still use the Makala as your "go anywhere" uke, or lend it to friends/kids without worry.

John Colter.
 
Thanks very much for your replys, after a lot of searching on the web and gleaning info from other Uke sites plus your own comments I have now ordered the Makala MK-S with Aquila strings plus a padded bag and a tuner for good measure.
I have not decided what the best teach yourself aid would be but there seems to be a lot of help here and on youtube etc to get me started:D
many thanks
Rob
 
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