Mahalo Tenor

rook

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I've been sifting through a few posts here which don't speak too highly of the Mahalo line of ukes. I have two. I bought a painted red soprano as the first uke I'd owned in 30 years. I just wanted to make sure I was really in to this instrument (the uke) and I gotta say I was really sold, hence my presence here.

From there I moved up to the Lanakai Concert. Awesome...kept me way interested.

Then I made an impulse buy of a Mahlalo tenor....not quite the same inspiring experience as the previous two ukes. Not liking the action on the Mahalo tenor, I brought it into my local music shop and had them lower the action on it. It also had a wound c string which I never liked the sound of but it did throw a new vibe into my enjoyment of ukes in general.

A couple of nights ago I was jamming on it and the wound C string broke. Having my Lanny to fall back on I wasn't devastated.

Today I brought it in to the same local music shop and found out that although they carried ukes, they didn't carry strings. I immediately ordered D'addario strings as this was the only set of strings they were willing to order. No problem.

My question to the great UU community is...will these strings save me from what I consider to be a potentially shitty investment via the Mahalo Tenor OR can my purchase have redemption when these new strings are on it?

If not those what about the Worth's or Aquila's I've read so much about?

Sorry for the long-winded post but I have been drinking and playing the uke.
 
I made a Mahalo Tenor into something special! I removed the bracing immediately
ABOVE the soundhole,and thinned the brace immediately BELOW the soundhole to
around a quarter of its original size! I re-strung with Aquilas but used a re-entrant
set for LOW G stinging:
For G (low) use C string:For C use E string:For E use (High)G string and leave the
A string in the correct spot.Made a world of difference,that ukulele sang! I have
since sold it on,and the new owner raves about it,possibly more than I did!
 
Thanks for the reply, luthien. I actually had to look up what you were talking about there and found that that's a little beyond my abilities. Great to know that there is hope for the Mahalo tho.

I finally got my Maholo tenor restrung with D'addario's (wound C) and it sounds quite a bit better. However it goes out of tune a lot...is this due to the strings settling in or should I invest in tuning machines? I think I read somewhere that new strings could take weeks to adjust...I was hoping this process would take less time.
 
I play a Mahalo Tenor with Aquilas :) I think it sounds good, anyway :p Give the strings time to settle in, also make sure the tuners aren't too lax or tight, you might want to adjust them with a screwdriver.
 
I play a Mahalo Tenor with Aquilas :) I think it sounds good, anyway :p Give the strings time to settle in, also make sure the tuners aren't too lax or tight, you might want to adjust them with a screwdriver.

Good to hear, what model do you play? Mine is a 221-t which I'm sure is the the basic model. Yeah, I'm trying to be patient...the uke is going out of tune when it's just sitting around so I'm hoping this is part of the strings adjusting. Not sure what you mean by adjust with a screwdriver, perhaps that's for friction tuners?
 
You say it's 'beyond your abilities' to do what I described? What's
hard about laying a chisel flat on the top of your uke (on top of a
chamois leather to protect the top!) and gently tapping it with
your other hand,so that the sharp end 'nibbles' away the bracing
inside? Take your time,go gently,you will not go amiss!
Best way to 'bed in' new strings is often discussed on the board!
Don't have more than around three wraps around the tuner peg
(they will stretch and slip on there and take forever to settle)
As you fit the strings stretch them by hand and then re-tune.
The last set I fitted I had them stay in tune in around three
hours or so_Oh yes.and play HARD and for as LONG as you can
when they are new,they soon settle in!
 
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You say it's 'beyond your abilities' to do what I described? What's
hard about laying a chisel flat on the top of your uke (on top of a
chamois leather to protect the top!) and gently tapping it with
your other hand,so that the sharp end 'nibbles' away the bracing
inside? Take your time,go gently,you will not go amiss!
Best way to 'bed in' new strings is often discussed on the board!
Don't have more than around three wraps around the tuner peg
(they will stretch and slip on there and take forever to settle)
As you fit the strings stretch them by hand and then re-tune.
The last set I fitted I had them stay in tune in around three
hours or so_Oh yes.and play HARD and for as LONG as you can
when they are new,they soon settle in!

No offense, luth, but I still don't catch the simplicity...however, I got the new D'addario strings on the Mahalo and it made a world of difference.
The wound C was no longer 'jangly' and in about two week's time the strings settled in. Getting the action lowered a tad was a great decision as it turns out. Playability is spot on....But don't have volume, but I compensate by playing louder!
 
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