Hi there, i'm new to the forums and to the ukulele. I'm having a blast with my beginner uke and will probably be looking to upgrade once I get a little more comfortable. at this point, i'll probably still want to stay under $100 and i'm looking at soprano ukes. I have read a lot of threads and MGM keeps getting mentioned. I checked out his store on ebay and noticed that his products ran the full range of prices. are MGM's products good enough that i really can't go wrong with whatever I get from him (especially since anything will be better than my $30 amazon.com special) or do i still need to steer away from certain things. thanks!
MusicGuyMic
- Thread starter robo
- Start date
KC8AFW
Well-known member
Pretty much MGM doesn't sell junk. Even the Makala Dolphin bridge ukes are great players. Of course...the more you spend, the nicer uke you'll get. Big plus is he sets everything up so you won't have to worry about things like high action.
pdxuke
Well-known member
Mgm
Great guy, great inventory. Look at the Makala/Kala line in your price range. Good ukes. Everybody here already knows how much I love my Dolphins.
Call Mike at MGM on the phone--he'll give it to you straight.:music:
Great guy, great inventory. Look at the Makala/Kala line in your price range. Good ukes. Everybody here already knows how much I love my Dolphins.
Call Mike at MGM on the phone--he'll give it to you straight.:music:
guitharsis
Well-known member
Got a Kala Kiwi soprano from MGM to give as a Christmas gift. Nice little uke; great service and set up!
Uncle-Taco
Well-known member
If you can find a better guy than MGM, you let us know!
He's super.
He's super.
one more thing, does he do this with ALL the ukes he sells? I noticed some mentioned it and some didn't, even within the same price range.
pdxuke
Well-known member
When in doubt, ask him. If he doesn't, I think it is because he's confident they come from the factory properly. But ask.
lonsilog
Well-known member
I just made my first purchase with MGM... a Kelii solid koa tenor! I've been on the fence for so long with this, I called up MGM and chit-chatted for a while, and then he played the uke for me. I basically made up my mind then and bought it! I am looking forward to receiving this baby, since it will be a nice upgrade from my Kala KA-S. MGM is a great guy, and this WILL NOT be my last purchase from him... now I just have to get a second job to support this new addiction (can you say "UAS"???)
When I was ready to upgrade I called MGM. I told him what I what type of music I liked playing, what kind of sound I was looking for, what size, what kind of wood I was thinking about and most importantly my price range. I asked him for a recommendation. He told me what he thought would be good for me and he was dead right! You really can't go wrong with MGM. If you have a hankering for a Mainland, also give hoosierhiver a call. You can't go wrong with his stuff either. Both have OUTSTANDING customer service.
molokinirum
Well-known member
MGM is the man!!! I got a Makala MK-C Concert from him as a Christmas present. Boy did he do a GREAT job
setting her up!! I love it, the action is perfect, he put on aquila strings, a case and tuner. Great guy, great service
you will be happy.
setting her up!! I love it, the action is perfect, he put on aquila strings, a case and tuner. Great guy, great service
you will be happy.
Womby28
Member
After doing hours (and hours) of online research for a soprano ukulele I wholeheartedly went with MGM. I even called him up before I made my final decision. Told him exactly what my thoughts were (price, sound, aesthetics, quality) and what ukes I had narrowed it down to. He gave me very honest feedback and recommendation. He didn't make my decision for me but suggested sincerely what I should consider to be the happiest with my choice.
I went to local stores and MGM is always cheaper. He doesn't sell junk ukes. Plus the service is simply great. I read that if there are any issues he himself will take care of you rather than sending you straight to the manufacturer.
This guy is THE guy. Everyone would tell you that. Anything you get from him in your price range is going to be well worth the money. Plus he sets them ALL up, puts good strings on, and usually there is something included as in a tuner/book/gigbag/case.
Good luck!!
I went to local stores and MGM is always cheaper. He doesn't sell junk ukes. Plus the service is simply great. I read that if there are any issues he himself will take care of you rather than sending you straight to the manufacturer.
This guy is THE guy. Everyone would tell you that. Anything you get from him in your price range is going to be well worth the money. Plus he sets them ALL up, puts good strings on, and usually there is something included as in a tuner/book/gigbag/case.
Good luck!!
haolejohn
Well-known member
I've only bought from MGM once and it was a good experience. I just found a local dealer that takes care of me as well or better than MGM (b/c we have become friends, not implying MGM isn't good). Sounds like you already made your mind up. what is stopping you from ordering?
Lanark
Well-known member
I think this needs to be emphasized. You're buying a musical instrument and you will get the quality you pay for and it seems that way too many people try to lowball themselves when it comes to "upgrading" their ukes. What ends up happening is that they end up spending the same amount of money buying a succession of cheaper quickly outgrown instruments that they would have spent just going ahead and getting a decent one.
If you can afford it, splurge a little. By even just doubling your $100 limit you put yourself into a much much nicer range of instruments that will play better, sound nicer and take longer to outgrow.
pdxuke
Well-known member
No Worries
Robo:
The wonderful thing about this uke hobby is that there are many paths to happiness!ld:
For example, you could assemble a stable of very nice quality laminate ukes of different sizes and be absolutely happy with them.
You could buy solid wood instruments from China, and also be very happy with them.
You could buy only Hawaiian made Koa instruments, and..you guessed it, be happy with them.
You could buy vintage instruments, including plastics, and love em to death.
Or you can mix and match.
It's whatever floats your boat.
In my case, I started with a $35 Dolphin. I'll never out grow it. I now have some solid wood instruments from Ohana. I love them. I may someday have a Hawaiian made instrument. Or not. But I'm learning, I don't stress over my buying decisions, and I'm enjoying myself.
SO:
You can trust MGM. If you want to stick with a uke for $100, do it. Enjoy it!
Good playing!:music:
Robo:
The wonderful thing about this uke hobby is that there are many paths to happiness!
ld:For example, you could assemble a stable of very nice quality laminate ukes of different sizes and be absolutely happy with them.
You could buy solid wood instruments from China, and also be very happy with them.
You could buy only Hawaiian made Koa instruments, and..you guessed it, be happy with them.
You could buy vintage instruments, including plastics, and love em to death.
Or you can mix and match.
It's whatever floats your boat.
In my case, I started with a $35 Dolphin. I'll never out grow it. I now have some solid wood instruments from Ohana. I love them. I may someday have a Hawaiian made instrument. Or not. But I'm learning, I don't stress over my buying decisions, and I'm enjoying myself.
SO:
You can trust MGM. If you want to stick with a uke for $100, do it. Enjoy it!
Good playing!:music:
Blrfl
Well-known member
+1. I think the improvement is pretty much logarithmic: Instruments get better quickly as you add money at the low end, but after a certain point, the rate of improvement tapers off. Here's a theoretical plot of it with the "Uke Goodness" number being completely arbitrary:
(Sorry, the forum software seems to have mangled that down into a small, blurry JPEG.)
--Mark
Lanark
Well-known member
Definitely. This is something that does come up occasionally. I mean, at a certain point your extra dollars are getting you mostly bling and prestige and something built for you, but a good production "K" uke is really at a sweet spot on that curve. Though there are plenty of nice bang for the buck instruments in the range under them.
redwingz30
Member
I am thinking about getting that one and once i get the chance to get it from him it was sold when he emailed me back with fast answers about questions I had and he pretty much got me sold on this one. This one is and amazing deal and with what you said he give great care to his customers and potential buyers and people interested in a ukulele that don't know much about them. In fact I might be ordering this one from him today. If your going to buy online MGM is the person to get it from, from my experience on Uke Underground he is where a lot of people like to get their ukuleles it seems. He is nice and just I know why hes a top rated seller now
haolejohn
Well-known member
my first uke was a cheap $45 OU2 by oscar schmidt. Once I upgraded without really playing the cheap one I went with Mele. I have tried kalas, ponos, mitchells, 1 ohana and none of them sounded as good as the Mele. Then I got a KoAloha and I want another Mele but then I think, I could save double that amount and get another KoAloha. Uke buying is fun. Regardless of what you get but sometimes the progression of lesser expensive ukes can be frustrating, yet rewarding.
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