A Hard Decision... Need advice

Bassukuguy

Bassukuguy

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hey guys just joined here and guess what i have a little money rattling around in my pocket.

first thing is first, im going to be buying a ukulele, and its going to be from MGM because he seems to be the coolest guy around these boards and everyone seems to like him. now, i have fiddled around on different ones in local music stores (mostly sopranos) and im making the decision that i need something bigger. i have two choices a Tenor, or a Concert.

now here is the rub. MGM has two that seem really great but im not sure where to go here.

first this is a Kala Concert with the awesome set up job that MGM does
http://cgi.ebay.com/KALA-BRAND-KA-C-Mahogany-Concert-Ukulele-Case-Setup_W0QQitemZ230250813897QQihZ013QQcategoryZ16224QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and here is a Makala Tenor Uke with the same deal as the other
http://cgi.ebay.com/MAKALA-TENOR-UKULELE-STARTER-PACK-W-CASE-AND-CHORDBOOK_W0QQitemZ250244356290QQihZ015QQcategoryZ16224QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

now here is where i need help they are just about the same price and i just need to know if i should go for the better brand, Kala, or the bigger uke Makala.

i understand that the two brands are like the difference between Fender and Squire, but on this matter im clueless...

keep on playing
(V)@
 
Bassukuguy said:
hey guys just joined here and guess what i have a little money rattling around in my pocket.

first thing is first, im going to be buying a ukulele, and its going to be from MGM because he seems to be the coolest guy around these boards and everyone seems to like him. now, i have fiddled around on different ones in local music stores (mostly sopranos) and im making the decision that i need something bigger. i have two choices a Tenor, or a Concert.

now here is the rub. MGM has two that seem really great but im not sure where to go here.

first this is a Kala Concert with the awesome set up job that MGM does
http://cgi.ebay.com/KALA-BRAND-KA-C-Mahogany-Concert-Ukulele-Case-Setup_W0QQitemZ230250813897QQihZ013QQcategoryZ16224QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and here is a Makala Tenor Uke with the same deal as the other
http://cgi.ebay.com/MAKALA-TENOR-UKULELE-STARTER-PACK-W-CASE-AND-CHORDBOOK_W0QQitemZ250244356290QQihZ015QQcategoryZ16224QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

now here is where i need help they are just about the same price and i just need to know if i should go for the better brand, Kala, or the bigger uke Makala.

i understand that the two brands are like the difference between Fender and Squire, but on this matter im clueless...

keep on playing
(V)@
Click to expand...


Well the first question is do you already have a Tenor or Concert? If so, which do you enjoy playing more? Based on that I'd make the decision.

MGM is the BEST online dealer I have ever dealt with (I have boughten my Kamaka and EleUke from him) and I know that you are getting a great deal from either.

Personally, if it were me I'd go with the Kala. It is a more reliable brand (IMHO) and I like the concert sound the most. Put on some Aquila Nygluts and it will simply sing.

Hope that helps! :nana:
 
if you are used to playing a Bass.... I would say just based on size the tenor will be more up your alley... But based on brands I would buy the concert... But my question is is this your first uke?
 
First off, welcome to the forum!!

Makala is a budget-minded series made by Kala. Both have laminate soundboards and will likely last quite some time. Being the budget series, your Makala tenor option will be a little simpler in design than the Kala concert. I am also going to assume this is you first uke, and wether or not you're aware of it yet, probably not your last.

So given these choices, and your situation, I'd say go with the Kala Concert. The concert size will give you a basis that you can use to decide if your NEXT uke should be the same size, larger or smaller. You will probably take this one everywhere, and subject it to a reasonable beating as time goes on, so the higher quality of the Kala will pay off. I also feel that next time around, you'll be after a solid uke as opposed to a laminate. Now you're talking about considerably more money, and you'll have much more personal uke-experience telling you what features are most important to you.

Have fun!
 
Last edited:
thanks guys. as you might have guessed yes this is my first uke. my problem is that alot of the music stores around me, southern Illinois, stock only soprano type ukes. i have never played a tenor or a concert. im thinking that i will go with the Kala for playability, quality, and name brand sake.

oh and i am well aware of the compulsion to buy more and more instruments, i'm 21 and i have a room full of guitars, basses, a violin, and many other random instruments.

thanks guys i have seen many threads about newbs asking which one is better, but i was really at a loss on this.

i will probably be buying this sometime tomorrow so thanks guys

happy playing

(V)@
 
The Makala actually has done the job for me. The sound is awesome. The Aquilas with low g is really deep and has that rich tone. The fretboards are kind of wide so those 'easy' chords might be more difficult but I really like it.
 
ahh damn... im litterally sitting here infront of my computer and i keep switching between the two ebay sites....

damn my poor decision making skills... is there anyone who has played both, i know its not me playing them but its nice just to have some kind of review...

damn...

(V)@
 
I would say go for the Makala tenor LOL

isn't the most popular ukulele played the tenor sized?? but don't buy it just because it has 2 more frets or whatever, but the makala looks nice.
 
good point, i mean, yer gonna collect a stack anyways (obviously, you've got priors), and you need one strung standard and one strung Low-G, yer gonna save a little on shipping two. good luck :p
 
hah, i wish i could drop around 300 bucks without blinking... i only have about 150 at the moment.

i dont know i will probably just dance around the two pages for the rest of the night and decide tomorrow...

the thing that gets me is that 5 buck price difference...

(V)@
 
IMO i would get a concert because i already own a tenor ukulele..

both ukuleles look fine so looks wouldn't bother me.
I would just be concerned about what they look like, you should go for a tenor, because i was going to get a soprano and your first ukulele you'll want to keep for some time until you get good and buy a $500 one or whatever.. And tenors just sounds really nice..

Guting convinced me to buy a tenor with out ever saying anything haha!
 
it doesn't matter at this point, you'll buy the concert now, and the tenor later, or vice versa. It's pretty much a win/win -- the only way to lose is not to jump at all.

oh, by the way, MGM could be packing your order NOW. You could wait one more day to decide, or wait one less day for it to arrive. no pressure. :p
 
I think the concert is a better buy. Why? I bought the Makala package about 2 months ago for $99. I'm not sure what caused the increase in price. To be fair, I do not know what the concert's price was 2 months ago.

I gave up the tenor because it sounded too close to a guitar when compared to a soprano ukulele. If you like the higher plinkier sound, go with a concert. Since you're a bass player, the deeper voice of the tenor may not bother you.

Hope this confuses you more.:D
 
okay deach, now that he's all hung up on which uke to buy . . . .

would you like to start the 'which strings/tuning" dilema, or shall I ??

:nana:
 
NotoriousMOK said:
okay deach, now that he's all hung up on which uke to buy . . . .

would you like to start the 'which strings/tuning" dilema, or shall I ??

:nana:
Click to expand...

lol, He would have been better off flipping a coin than asking us. :D We're just adding to confusion and ultimately, he's going to end up buying 3 or 4 in the next week (nothing I'm guilty of - riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight).
 
hah, i know what strings im going to use i have heard many different types but i like Aquila strings, and tuning wise i plan on getting the low g and getting a second set with a high g so i can get both and see what i like better when i wear the strings out...


and yes i am confused but im sure i will make a snap decision at some point in the near future.

thanks again

(V)@
 
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