Baritone brands???

When you're a newbie who you buy from is as important as what you buy. Call this number (757) 777-7873 and talk to Michael. That would be forumite MGM also known as MusicGuyMic. He has a store in Hawaii and will treat you fairly and give you some good buying advice. Just tell him what you're looking for and take it from there. You'll get a good uke for what you want to spend that's properly set up and ready to play. I've bought two KoAlohas from him and a whole bunch of strings. Superb service always.

Jude

I really love my lanikai LU-21BE, it's not solid wood, but it sounds dreamy. They aren't that expensive, and but it did need a setup, which added a little to the price. However, it sounds great on its own and plugged in.

Really happy with it, with D'Addario strings.

My recommendation is the Kala KA-BE from musicguymic ebay store.
Expertly set up, great sounding uke and acoustic-electric like you wanted for a sweet low price!

If he doesn't have one listed, try messaging or emailing him.
http://stores.ebay.com/Musicguymics-Room

I have 3 pono Baris and they are very solid baris...... The best laminate bari I had was a Lanikai Curly Koa Baritone very nice and light with super sound and projection....

Another good choice in your price range is the Ohana BK-35G. We set them up with Aquilas and they sing.

Hello PoisonDart........just a couple of hours ago, I purchased the Lanikai LU 21B which I guess is the same one you've got. I bought it from Amazon.com for $179.00. Hope I didn't pay too much for it. For an adult man, I have pretty small fingers and hope that I can manage to reach some of those longer chord progressions. I"ll find out pretty soon, when I receive the uke. The reason I went for this uke is that I've already got a pretty decent amplifier and mic. What I don't understand from your post is you mention "Setting up" your uke. JUst what is that? And, should I replace the strings with new ones?... okay, good talking to you...
notalent31.............