Stagg ukes: good or bad?

My first ukulele was a Stagg Concert. I still play it today as my work ukulele. I can't really compare it to a Mahalo, but I would guess it is nicer. I know my Stagg has a Solid top and think the Mahalos are Laminates. If you have any specific questions let us know.
 
I presume you are buying a soprano. I have a Stagg US80SE, which is all solid Mahogany with a very decent pickup. It has a beautiful tone and is better made than a lot of similarly priced ukes (less than £100). I would rate it above the similarly priced Ohana SK20, but below the SK35, which to be honest sets the benchmark and costs around £130.
 
I agree with richie23, I have a Ohana SK-35G, its the higher model of the soprano range, I knocked it down to £100 new from a shop and it sounds beautiful and the craftsmanship and design are stunning. I'm struggled to justify buying new uke's as it sounds so nice, and I've not played anything similar thats topped it, I'd give it a go before you make up your mind!

Heres the specs from ohana website...
http://www.ohana-music.com/soprano.html


• All solid mahogany
• Rosewood fretboard, bridge
• Rosewood binding
• Gotoh friction tuners
• Bone nut & saddle
• Aquila strings
• Gloss finish

... If you want to hear it in action its what I've used on all my youtube music and I'm sure theres plenty of other reviews on youtube also
 
Stagg Ukes

I have a Stagg US 80-S soprano. Solid wood. Very good if you replace the strings that come with it for Aquilas. I would say almost as good as the Ohana 35 but a bit less pricey.
 
Staggs are good - IF you get a good one.

I used to have a UC80 SE concert, and my wife has a US80 soprano.

My wife's soprano is one of the good ones. My concert was not. It had a nice tone, but it also had a misaligned bridge which screwed the intonation right up. Most of the other Staggs I have played (4 or 5 now) have had problems of one kind or another, most commonly crooked bridges.

If they have quality control, it's not very obvious.

If I was buying now I would go for Mainland or Ohana if you want that particular mass produced pattern. Those two brands have solid reputations for quality and they look after their customers.

If I didn't specifically want that profile I'd definitely go for a Kala.

YMMV.

[/:2cents:]
 
Cheers buddhuu, I was thinking about getting my wife a stagg violin to get her back into it (want to dance the nights away with jigs and reels.... and beer :drool:). Think I'll steer clear. The problem I have is I get a bit snobby about instruments, I don't like beginner instruments as they can sound terrible and put you off for life, but then the budget needs to be listened too.

Oh and as for the quality control thing... I work as a quality auditor, we just get ignored.... not all but a lot of the bigger faceless companies will risk upsetting a few customers if it comes down to costs or cancelling orders, its the balance of the evil corporate industries.... (there is no smiley with devil horns so you will have to imagine one here)
 
I guess the trick is to 'try before you buy' if you opt for a Stagg uke. I was lucky, mine is very good, both intonation and tone, and my only complaint is that its very 'bottom heavy' as the pickup unit is rather weighty on such a tiny bodied soprano. I bought it because I wanted a soprano with a pickup, and I got it fairly cheap.

For much less than your £80 budget, what about a Lanikai LU21, which will cost much less than £50, sounds great, and is a superb laminate uke. Its a step up from your Mahalo, and you could use the rest of the cash for a decent case and some new strings. I have one of these, and take it everywhere with me. (including cycle touring around southern spain last summer).
 
Cheers buddhuu, I was thinking about getting my wife a stagg violin to get her back into it (want to dance the nights away with jigs and reels.... and beer :drool:). Think I'll steer clear. The problem I have is I get a bit snobby about instruments, I don't like beginner instruments as they can sound terrible and put you off for life, but then the budget needs to be listened too.[...]

You could do worse than check out a Romanian Gliga fiddle. After quite a bit of research I bought a Gliga from Elida Trading. I've been very happy with it.

Another possibility worth considering is a used antique fiddle from Martin Swan. Check out his ebay listings. He has 100% positive feedback and frequently lists good old French and German fiddles with low reserve prices.

No financial interest in either. I'm a satisfied Gliga/Elida customer, and I have been impressed with the stuff Mr Swan lists on ebay and his feedback. Never bought from him, but it's only a matter of time!
 
[...]For much less than your £80 budget, what about a Lanikai LU21, which will cost much less than £50, sounds great, and is a superb laminate uke. Its a step up from your Mahalo, and you could use the rest of the cash for a decent case and some new strings. I have one of these, and take it everywhere with me. (including cycle touring around southern spain last summer).

I had a go on a Lanikai LU21 just a couple of weeks ago. Seemed pretty good to me, and personally I would suggest that it might be a safer bet than an unseen Stagg. I'm pretty sure I've seen the guy in Paolo Nutini's band playing a Lanikai on the "Pencil Full of Lead" video. That's got to be a good sign. :)
 
You could do worse than check out a Romanian Gliga fiddle. After quite a bit of research I bought a Gliga from Elida Trading. I've been very happy with it.

Another possibility worth considering is a used antique fiddle from Martin Swan. Check out his ebay listings. He has 100% positive feedback and frequently lists good old French and German fiddles with low reserve prices.

No financial interest in either. I'm a satisfied Gliga/Elida customer, and I have been impressed with the stuff Mr Swan lists on ebay and his feedback. Never bought from him, but it's only a matter of time!

Cheers I'll definately be checking that out
 
i have a stagg electric telecaster ukulele. it work great and sound great and is very well made i would highly recomend it.
 
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