Mele Mahogany Tenor vs. Kala Acacia Tenor vs. Other?

happa95

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Hey all, I'm not sure if this is the right sub-forum but here it goes:

I'm currently in the process of buying my first ukulele. At first, I was dead set on getting a mainland tenor, but I just can't seem to get past the rope bindings. It may seem silly, but I've found that with some of my other instruments, I tend to pick up the ones that I find most attractive first. ;) Anyways, I looked around this forum, and the Kala Acacia Tenor seemed to be very popular. However, those are $350... $100 more than the mainland. Keep in mind that I'd want to be bringing this ukulele around with me to school, to the park, to the beach, etc so it can't be TOO nice, if you know what I mean. But then I thought, "hey, if I'm going to spend that much, should I just spend $70 more and get a mahogany tenor from Mele?" By the way, I'm a big fan of the "mellow" sound so that might be a factor, too. So, there you have it: my current predicament. I'd love any thoughts/suggestions/opinions that you guys can provide.
 
Mainland Mahogany Tenor Slotted Headstock

without our signature "rope purfling" Our "Simply beautiful" edition.

There used to be a photo of it on the website, but it's gone for now. You could call Mike and ask him if it still looks like the Concert version. Problem is it's still not available.
1297437520665-1496970397.jpeg


This one is available: Islander Ukulele by Kanile'a MST-4 Tenor Solid Mahogany

Islander-MST-4_355.jpg
 
Mele is a nice uke!
 
Can't go wrong with any of them.
 
Grr I don't know how to make the decision. :confused:
Mele or mainland. They are the only two imports I.will ever buy again, unless an insanely good deal comes along. I currently own both Mele and mainland ukes. I prefer my Mele because of the hand made factor and the fact that Cheryl taught me my first chords, but mainlands have that hoosierhiver.mojo.
 
I'm still really indecisive..... the Mele on ebay is $380, and both the Kala acacia and the mainland tenor are out of stock. The biggest problem is that I want to have a ukulele that I'd feel comfortable bringing around with me, not sure if I'd feel that way with the Mele.
 
I'm still really indecisive..... the Mele on ebay is $380, and both the Kala acacia and the mainland tenor are out of stock. The biggest problem is that I want to have a ukulele that I'd feel comfortable bringing around with me, not sure if I'd feel that way with the Mele.

http://www.ukerepublic.com

Try your luck here. To help you with your biggest problem : if you're serious about playing the ukulele, you shouldn't feel uncomortable carrying it around. If you still feel this way then you can probably get the cheapest of your options and then get a cheaper uke around $50-$70 to bring around with you.
 
...if you're serious about playing the ukulele, you shouldn't feel uncomortable carrying it around. If you still feel this way then you can probably get the cheapest of your options and then get a cheaper uke around $50-$70 to bring around with you.
+1 This is exactly what I'm doing. But there are really very few places I can think of where I would not be comfortable bringing my more costly uke. They're not really that fragile and I don't do anything too "extreme" like rock climbing or snow camping.
 
I personally don't own one, but if you are worried about damaging a solid wood uke, maybe you should look into the Flea or Fluke. Plastic body, they can take a beating, yet sound pretty decent, made in the USA, and are in your stated price range.
 
I won't bring my solid wood ukes on the truck with me. The air in here is just too dry. But I look at this a much different way. Get them all. Baby your favorites, bang the ones you don't like around as your knock about ukes. Loan, sell or give away the ones you aren't happy with. But try them all.
 
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