Which one should I buy? Makala MK-C or MK-S

Baldrick

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Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a Uke tomorrow and, after having a look on varioius websites and having a good read of posts in this section, I am lookign at one of these two Ukes. The question is, which one do I buy?

I don't want to spend too much as I'm new to Ukes ( and I've spent a fortune over the last few weeks! ) so ideally I am looking at a maximum of £40.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated
 
I prefer the MK-C because it is a concert ukulele, which means it is a little bit bigger than the soprano.

Sopranos don't really suit me because the fret board seems to be small for me. AND there are less frets most of the times on soprano ukuleles. Certain songs I play will move up to high frets and my soprano doesn't have those frets. The concert does though. :D

BUT it is all personal preference. Have you actually played or seen the ukulele yourself? If so, which one suited you better?

You may want to look at the Lanikai LU-21c. It is almost like the one you are looking at.

Good Luck and Happy Strumming!
 
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I have only seen these online and so have not touched either of them. I like the idea of the Concert as it is a bit bigger and might last me longer as I learn.

Is the MK - C good quality? I have read good things about the LU-21c, but it is almost twice the price of the MK-C.
 
Makalas are entry-level, beginner ukes - but they are GOOD entry-level, beginner ukes. A real bargain. :)

They won't equal the sound or playability of a uke costing many times more, but for their prices they are real instruments which can be set up to play very well, and which can sound surprisingly good with the aid of a set of Aquila strings.

The decision between MK-C or MK-S is simply one of size. A concert uke has an extra couple of inches scale length over a soprano. I know a couple of people who find sopranos a little cramped, but I don't know anyone who finds concert size a problem. Others may have different takes on it.

If there is a guitar shop near you, chances are that it may have a couple of cheap sopranos. Pop in and ask if they have any ukes. Have a quick try of any soprano uke - a Mahalo, a Stagg... it doesn't matter. It's the size you want to check out. If soprano seems ok then go for the MK-S, if you think you could be more comfortable with the extra couple of inches of a concert then go for the MK-C.
 
Thanks BuddhUU,

There is a shop nearby selling both of these ukes so I will get a chance to try them both out before I buy. With a bit of luck the MK-S will be okay and that will leave me some spare cash to get the Aquila strings!
 
Whichever way you go you're going to have fun, mate. :)

Let us know how you get on.
 
I went into the shop this morning and tried the MK-S and it was fine so I bought it :D

Got the Aquila strings too. It took me ages to tune it as I kept thinking I was putting too much tension on the strings, but got there in the end.

I just need to learn how to play the thing now :eek:
 
I went into the shop this morning and tried the MK-S and it was fine so I bought it :D

Got the Aquila strings too. It took me ages to tune it as I kept thinking I was putting too much tension on the strings, but got there in the end.

I just need to learn how to play the thing now :eek:

i had a similar experience. I bought a cheap uke online for my first and then took it to my dad over christmas who did some sanding on the bridge and nut saddle etc to get the action down etc. then he got it all tuned up and playing nice and then handed it to me and told me to try it and I realized I had no idea how to play anything.
 
Congratulations Baldrick.

One thing, mate: don't be concerned if your uke keeps going out of tune for the first week or so. Uke strings take quite a while to stretch, settle and work out any slack from the tuners. But it will settle, just keep strumming and retuning. A bit of a chore, but worth it.

Enjoy your uke. :)
 
I guessed about needing to retune constantly, i've had to do it about 10 times tonight already!

I am loving it tho, played a few tunes so far and learned some chords too.

Need to stop playing for tonight and give my fingers a rest until the morning :D
 
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