Good, Cheap Intermediate Ukulele?

I've been playing guitar for about 3 years, but about 6 months ago I started playing a Lanikai LU-11 and I'm thinking of purchasing a new ukulele somewhere in the $100-200 range. I want to buy a concert sized ukulele because on the soprano my fingers don't quite fit together tightly enough to play an open E chord (so I use the inconvenient "first fret on the G string" variant), making it hard to play chord progressions that involve that chord. However, a Tenor might be too large because I need to fit the ukulele into my backpack (because oftentimes good song ideas come to me while I'm walking home from school). I'm considering a Flea or a Mitchell MU100, because I've heard great things about both, but if anyone has other suggestions I'd be glad to hear them. Thanks in advance!

I have a Mitchell MU-70-- it's a concert with a different laminate top, but essentially the same. (It's actually the one on the right in my icon.) For that price range, I'd advise against it. Something about how the Mitchell is constructed gives it a less-than-optimal sound. I've heard some people say it's built more like a guitar than a uke, but I don't know enough about luthiery to say if that's really what the problem is.

For that price range, I'd be looking at a Fluke/Flea, or maybe the Kala Sprucetop Concert (Kala SC)-- which give you a solid top, good sound, good construction...

Anyway, my two cents.

Which do you reccomend, Tad, a Flea or a Fluke? The Flea is slightly cheaper, tho I don't know if there's a sound difference caused by the different shapes or if the Fluke is somehow higher quality.

I was gonna tell you to consider the Kala KA-C, but Tad mentioned the KA-SC which I think is a great option here, especially if you might go Low-G at some point -- lots of sound out of that little guy -- $160 delivered from MGM, can't go wrong there.

I am planning to pick up a budget concert soon, and this will likely be the direction I go as well.

Have fun

I agree with Tad. Get a Flea. You want to carry it around in your backpack, and those Fleas are very durable.

Here's another vote for the Flea. I haven't played many ukes but it sounds great, and you can definitely tote it guilt-free wherever you choose to go.

Have fun!

I missed the part about shoving it in a backpack -- this changes things up a little. Out of the case, the Kala would get all jacked up being carried this way. With a Flea/Fluke, you could probably attach the included gig bag to your backpack, or if you put it directly in the pack, the plastic body would probably survive, but I'd lean more towards keeping it in the gig bag.

Between the Flea/Fluke, I'd say Flea here in a concert scale. The Fluke is quite a bit thicker than the Flea and if space is a concern, The Flea is slimmer. The standard plastic fretboard would be fine, and would keep the price in your range. With the upgraded rosewood fretboard, you're going to be in the high 200's.

make sure you get the flea concert, the fretboard is slightly larger but the body is the same size...at least from what i understand about fleas/flukes.

I have a Kala KA-S that I carried in my backpac for 6 weeks till I got my Concert Flea. Can't tell any difference from putting it my backpac the KA-S that is, for what I paid for it (69.00 KA-S, 169.00 for the Flea) I almost feel worse stuffing the Flea in there.
As a matter of fact one of my KA-S's is in my backpac now, I took it to the dog park today (changed the strings on the Flea last night and didn't want to deal with it going out of tune).

I do like playin the flea out in the sun though, as a fat man with out a shirt on with the plastic body I don't have to worry about the sweat hurting the satin finish on my Kala!!!

ichadwick is selling a concert fluke, see this thread for more info.

Thanks for all the helpful advice! Now I'm probably going to end up buying a Flea. All I have to do is decide which color I like the most (who am I kidding, I'm going to get natural yellow. I'd get red if it wasn't the same color as my guitar.)