New Uke day - Mainland Concert

Tack

Tack

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Woot! after watching my new Uke disappear from the USPS tracking site and reappear and disappear It has finally turned up!
It's a Classic Mainland gloss Mahogany concert. Added the sealed geared Chrome tuners+MOP buttons as well as the Mi-Si Acoustic trio active Pickup.

First Pictures below - As soon as I figure out how I will try to post a sound sample.

After the pics, my initial thoughts.

The box . Solid well sealed cardboard with FRAGILE written all over it.
Included 3 copies of the invoice!:confused:


Inside :- Mike will - Sensibly - only send Ukes internationally with a case - There are a few rolls of paper around the case to stop it rattling around - as well as an envelope containing the Tuner and Mi-Si 'charger' and a poster for mainland 'Ukulele.

5536297450_6705c550a2_m.jpg




More after the break!
 
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Now the fun starts - Please note that the Tweed pattern on the case really doesn't photograph that well....



Once opened - the Uke fits PERFECTLY in the case. Mike has added an invitation to UWC as well. The case actually locks and the keys are in the compartment under the neck.
 
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Now for the "money shots" :D

The Photos actually don't really do it justice - Many people have said that the rope purfling looks better in person and I have to agree - the "white" ares of it are a subtle bone cream colour - not too blingy at all!


P3180135 by Tim McK, on Flickr

That is not a defect in the purfling - just a reflection..


P3180139 by Tim McK, on Flickr
Sealed Chrome tuners with "Mother of pearl" look buttons.




P3180136 by Tim McK, on Flickr
 
Beautiful uke! I hope you enjoy it!
 
OK - so how is it:

Appearance is all I could ask. The gloss is beautifully finished with no apparent defects.
I changed to the chrome tuners when I decided to add the Mi-Si so they matched the socket (Thanks Tookta!)
The Fret markings are standard - 3, 5, 7, 10, 12
The frets themselves lie nice and evenly. No protrusion to slice my fingers.

Sound:-
Well after 10 days travel it was almost in tune! Just needed a slight tweak to the C string!
The Aquilas seem ok - although I gather that Flurocarbons may be better for this Uke - will try them another time!
There is GOOD sustain, pure tone and no buzzes at all.
The intonation seems fine although the strings are still stretching out so makes it a trifle difficult to be 100% sure - every time I play it they stretch a bit and become flat.

As yet haven't tried the Mi-Si but looking forward to giving it a go.

Service - Mike was great and didn't complain when I wanted to add the mi-si at the last minute. His good lady advised me to think about changing the tuners - which I did and I don't regret. The package turned up safe and sound - what more can I ask?

Sorry no sound sample - still entering the 21st century - I'll get back to you on that.

Executive summary ..... Purrrty.... Shiny......Sounds gooood:drool:
 
Congrats! I got a Mainland concert through Eagle Music. My husband got all excited because they double boxed it in a banjo box. He was all "Oh is it a banjo??" No. :D

My expectations weren't so high. Maybe it was the price combined with the hype, and a feeling of too good to be true. But then I played. Yup. A keeper! Action and intonation are spot on with mine, and probably yours too. If I could nit pick I'd say the neck is a bit too heavy. Eh, whatever. It's not overly so, it's a great uke, no need to overthink it. :)
 
Drool... She's a beaut'!

I cannot wait for next Xmas when I will be ordering my own Mainland Uke. Ahh you lucky b... :)
 
Congrats on the new mainland. I love the tone of my red cedar tenor. Got to play and hear a mango concert last weekend. They're all good
 
Congrats! I've got the tenor mango with MiSi and love it. You'll need an amp with good eq controls or an outboard eq of some sort to tweak the low end out some or it will be a little thumpy - that's true with most USTs, though, especially if the preamp is not specifically designed for ukes or violins.

I found that my mango tenor lost a little acoustic volume when I took the Aquilas off and put fluorocarbon strings on it but it way more than made up for that in improvement of tone (more subtle nuances that didn't show up with the Aquillas).

Enjoy!

John
 
Beautiful uke and case-Congrats!
 
Hi all - thanks for all the kind words.....developing a case of new Uke sore fingers as expected :D
Very happy :cool:
 
Congrats, that is one nice Uke! Happy new Uke day!
 
Congratulations! I love both of my Mainlands. I've only used the Mi-Si a couple of times, but it seems to work really well. I agree with OldePhart about needing an out-board EQ of some sort, but I haven't yet invested in one.
 
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