Staggs are made after the Ohana/Mainland etc pattern. They are Chinese and may (or may not) actually be made in the same facility as those two brands. The better models are solid wood, often quite light and resonant. They can be a real bargain.
On the other hand, their quality control is very inconsistent. They are a high-volume, bulk box-shifting brand. The extra money paid for an Ohana or Mainland uke is reflected in better finish, hardware, quality control and customer support.
My wife and I have had a couple of Staggs. My mahogany concert had a misplaced bridge which threw the intonation out of whack. Only a significant modification made it playable. My wife's mahogany soprano is fine. I actually nick that for my day-to-day playing and really like it. In fact, I may take it to the pub session tonight.
Stagg = Russian roulette. You may get lucky, or you may get a bullet.
My first good uke was a concert mahogany Stagg UC80s (all solid) and I thought it was pretty good. I did replace the nut and saddle pieces with bone, since I didn't think it was set up right and I wanted bone instead of plastic anyway. Otherwise I think it sounded pretty sweet. But I must say my Ohana and my Mainland - although very similar in appearance - seems a bit better. They might be higher end models though, but I think those factories have better quality control. If the price/availability is about the same I would look at those brands instead.
My first uke was/is a Stagg Cedar top Concert. It is a decent uke for the money but you could definatly find a nicer one for a few more $$$.
I had mine for almost 3 years now and it is now the uke I let mu 14 month old play with when I get a different uke out to play. I upgraded my nut and saddle to bone as well as replacing the tuners, mine kept slipping. My bridge was also 'peeling off' slowly and my dad acctually pulled it off messing around with it last weekend. He is going to try and reset it but I am not really expecting an improvement.
