Cheapie alert for Johnson Pineapple on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-UK-14...cal-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1290182645&sr=1-6
Four left. Price in cart is $32.47. Wish I could justify getting one or that I had someone I needed to get an entry level uke. I dig the angled ending to the fretboard.

I'm looking to purchase my very first ukulele after thinking about it for weeks and embarking on a bit of research lurking here and elsewhere. This price fits well within my limited-but-not-too-limited budget, but I haven't really encountered a whole lot of information about it in the form of reviews or recommendations unlike some of the other ukes I'm considering (Lanikai LU-21, Makala KA-S, among others.) I'm also not sure about what, if anything, a pineapple tends to offer compared to a more guitar-like shaped uke. If it's mostly aesthetics, I do really like the look of this model. I just don't want to be blinded by pretty to the point I'm rejecting important sound considerations.

Years of choir from middle school through college gave me an OK music theory background, but I've never played an instrument before. My uncle is a guitar lover excited about the prospect of me taking up ukulele, but he makes himself a cautionary tale: he got a low-quality guitar as a teenager and was so frustrated by it that he barely played for 35 years. (He has since fully recovered from his apathy and his band of friends played their first concert a few weeks after he turned 50. )

Can anybody offer me any other insight on this particular uke? How does it compare to other entry-level models in a similar price range?

@ Lola...total threadjack here but...can't speak to the build quality of a Johnson. although I have read elsewhere that the Recording King and Johnson resonators (which are likely the same) are best left as a pass. Seems at the low level, you are looking at Laminate (not necessarily a bad thing) and made in China (sometimes a bad thing).
I can tell you my first of the 10 Ukuleles was a Makala Soprano I bought for my wife when she suddenly wanted to learn to play something (I have five Kala products- all of them great aside from one slightly off center soundhole, still a great Uke). It is not the greatest Uke in the world...but it cost me a lot of money when I wanted to steal it from her and put it in my classroom (somehow handing my Martin to a ten year old seemed silly). Throw a set of Aquila's on it and it will sing- amazing for the money. Not aesthetically pleasing at all.
The Makala Dolphin is another great outing for short cash from these folks- I LOVE the one I get to play while teaching my seven year old buddy...not only for the sound it makes, but the fact that it is sunburst pink and has a dolphin on it. Uke ought to be whimsical sometimes and these di that, but they also are nice players with a little set-up and ...a pattern will emerge here, Aquila strings.
Have not played a Lanakai, but I am sure they are fine as well- rule of thumb on a laminate- Aquila strings (had to throw that in one more time).

OK- and I think I am the last person in the world to own a Mainland Uke, but the people here really know what they are talking about and everyone unanimously loves Mainland...and HoosierHiver has the finest Youtube channel one could ever hope for. He has some little starters now, and they too look like toys, but I would have to believe they are set-up correctly and sound great for what they are or he would not put his name on them. I do not of course know this first hand, but with my ear firmly pressed to the underground, that is the buzz (pun intended)- might look at them as well.

All that taken in mind- pineapples rule. My first will be a Mainland Cedar (when I have money again)

Thanks for the guidance, TCK! After a little bit more looking, I think I'm leaning toward a Lanikai LU-21p (pineapple), which is still within my price range at $60-70. It's a laminate, but with geared tuners (which look like a big help for neophytes like me) and they come standard with Aquila strings. You're not the first person who's told me they're a must. In addition, I know there's at least one store locally that carries them, so I'll be able to handle it before I make a purchase.

Apologies to Sambient for the continued thread-jack!

I have a Johnson acoustic guitar, and it's...meh. The fretboard feels like painted plastic, and the action is absurdly high, but it looks pretty hanging on my wall.

The folks over at the Big Road Blues forum seem to have a good opinion of Johnson resonator guitars, "for the money". I've got a Johnson resonator and it's fine, but I bought it really cheap in a Musician's Friend closeout.

I love my Johnson resonator. Well, I was until the National strings broke, and now I'm on a search for strings that are similar, because they don't make them now. I could never ever afford a National reso, so it was a fine cheap alternative. That said, I had to take it to a luthier, because a part (can't think of the name, the dish? resonator?) was installed backwards. Still worth the savings after the $50 repair.