Deciding on my first Ukulele

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I've spent the past week looking up Ukulele's and info on them, and I've decided that I want a concert.
I've narrowed it down to three from 10+.

I'd like to know what you think about each Ukulele, which of the three I should choose, or if you think I should go with a different one. I've made my decision mainly on looks and specs, as I can't try any of them out in person. All are listed with their MSRP.

Cordoba 25CK ($350)
Oscar Schmidt OU250BELL ($390)
Oscar Schmidt OU280SWK ($900)

Kala KA-KC ($340)
Kala KA-ASAC-C ($370)
Lanikai CK-C ($370)
Lanikai NK-C ($450)
Lanikai SM-C ($490)
Ohana CK-350G ($730)
KoAloha Pikake ($740)
Kamaka HF-2 ($820)
Honu CT-KXXX ($850)

EDIT:
Alright, I'm stuck between the Cordoba 25CK and Oscar Schmidt Bell.
help me decide!!!!

EDIT 2:
I've decided that the OS Bell sounds too metallic/fake. (Sounds similar to a banjo)
 
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I reccomend CK-C. I've played one or two of the others but I find that the curly koa is just fantastic. I'm getting mine for about $229.00 aha.
 
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You have a large price range there.
Have you looked at the UU store. The videos on these look pretty good, and they have geared tuners.
http://ukeunderground.bigcartel.com/product/kamoa-mahogany-concert

Also, check out Mainland Ukes
http://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/ca...A1136AD685ACB003A69.qscstrfrnt04?categoryId=3
Good prices, choice of woods and finishes (glossy or matte), and choice of tuner type and color. Great sound for the money!

From your list I would lean toward Kala, Ohana, and KoAloha, especially if you can't play them in person before buying.

Isn't uke shopping fun!!

–Lori
 
If you would consider a $900 uke as a top three contender, I would highly HIGHLY recommend bumping up the KoAloha and the Kamaka. From your list, my top four would be (in the order provided):

1. KoAloha
2. Kamaka
3. Ohana
4. Honu

This is based on how they sound, look, and the customer service from the company.

Don't get me wrong... Kala, Lanikai, and Oscar Schmidt seem to produce fine instruments by their own standards as well as the standards others look for. Being a complete newbie in this culture, I am slowly learning what qualities I look for in a ukulele, based on what I have seen, heard, experienced, and discussed with others.

This is just my opinion. My other opinion (highly substantiated by many suffering from UAS) is no matter which one you get, you will still be looking at the other ones you didn't buy and slowly feed your addiction... it happened to me :)
 
Thanks for the info. Been looking at the mainlands for a while, I think I might get a mahogany as a second uke.

As for those four brands you listed lonsilog they don't really drop much from their MSRP, and from what I've seen I don't like the finish too much on them. For the price you would think that you would get a nice glossy/smooth one, instead of one where you can see the divots in the wood. (I guess they use this as a selling point for the higher end models) It just surprises me that less expensive brands can look so much nicer.. They sound nice though.

I've dropped my price cap to $300, and still looking for an all solid wood concert uke. I figure I should start out small and work my way up in this adventure.
Bushman and Mainland seem to have really nice ones.
 
Welpp, finally decided on a Lanikai Spalted Mango Concert as my first ukulele. At $240, and being the nicest looking one I've seen, I had to buy it.
Pictures and description ►Here◄. (Says they are Grover tuners, but Lanikai site says Gotoh tuners)

Regarding it being a factory second.
There is a finish flaw above the binding on the back near the bottom of the lower bout and a couple very small dents on the side. The imperfections are barely noticeable and blend into the grain unless you look for them very closely. Lanikai factory seconds indicate that they play as expected, but have slight cosmetic imperfections. The overall playability and sounds quality are excellent. No buzzing or warping based upon my hands-on test. I did not notice any intonation issues. Thanks!

- njmusicplace
 
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