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MissAbbyNormal

MissAbbyNormal

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FedEx delivered my Uke today!

It's a cheap one, but it looks nice. I can't wait to finish the house work so I can start learning to play!

It's a Santini, anyone know anything about the brand? It's got a lovely cherry looking finish.

If I get any good I've promised myself a better one.:rock:
 
http://www.tikiking.com/uke_db/Santinidb.html

Modern. Most likely Made in China. Advertisements boast that Santini instruments are "Hand built by a master luthier" however, the instruments have a decidedly mass produced look. The Santini name appears conga drums, Mandolins, violins, electric violins, Guitars and musical instrument cases. The same company that seems to be the sole distributor of these santini instruments also sells horns under the name of "selman" (strikingly similar to the high end brand name "Selmer") as well as violins under the name "Santini" They are also the distributors of Morelli instruments.
Click to expand...

http://ukulelehunt.com/tag/santini/

Six Reasons I Wouldn’t Buy a Santini/Morelli Ukulele

1) “Hand Built by a Master Luthier” - really?
3) What the hell happened at the bottom of the fretboard? That’s the picture they use to advertise it? This is the work of a ‘Master Luthier’?
3) I could only find them for sale via one distributor.
4) This looks very photoshopped to me.
5) ‘Teacher Approved’ Thank God for that.
6) They don’t seem to have any ideas of their own.
Click to expand...
 
http://ukulelehunt.com/buyaukulele/brand/morelli

Morelli ukuleles and Santini Ukuleles are made by the same people. They're sold very cheap (around $35) and have a very similar shape to other ukueles such as the Fluke, the Roy Smeck Vita uke and the J Chalmers Doane triangular uke.

I haven't played a Morelli or know anyone who has. There seems to be only one seller of them on eBay and their listings make me very suspicious:

- They claim the instrument is, "Hand Made by a Master Luthier" but it looks decidedly mass produced. In one of the close up photos, you can see a very slapdash job around the bottom of the fretboard. That is not the work of a 'master luthier' (if it was, they'd burn it before it had a chance to ruin their reputation).

- The picture of their distribution center looks like it has been manipulated to add their name to the sign.

- Their preferred form of payment is money order (also preferred by Nigerian email scam artists).

I've never played one, so I could be wrong in my judgment. But there's no way I'd buy a Morelli ukulele. If you are shopping for a ukulele in this price range, I'd suggest a more reputable brand such as Makala.
Click to expand...
 
There's this thread over in EZFolk as well.

As far as I can tell, they're cheap, and the ad is suspicious, but noone seems to have played one.

Tell us what you think-- and post a vid so we can hear it!
 
tad said:
There's this thread over in EZFolk as well.

As far as I can tell, they're cheap, and the ad is suspicious, but noone seems to have played one.

Tell us what you think-- and post a vid so we can hear it!
Click to expand...

Well, I haven't had time to even tune it yet, hopefully I'll get to it later tonight.

So far I've noticed that the tuning pegs aren't very responsive, which has me worried. The fretboard feels like a really fine grit sandpaper, and there is some white crap on the fretboard that doesn't seem to come off, you can see it in the photos. http://picasaweb.google.com/MissAbbyNormal/NewUkulele#

Later tonight I'll attempt to tune it up and get some video. It's my first ukulele, so I don't have anything to compare it to.
 
played both santini and morelli ukuleles they even have one that sort of looks like the ohana vita. Sound was absolutely terrible, Looked like a company in china wanted to make ukes that look like the popular ones but had no idea of ukulele construction for sound.
 
MissAbby,
Congrats on your first uke! Seems like the reviews aren't too positive on the Santini, but hopefully it won't damper your interest in the uke. When you are ready to upgrade, check out the posts on the forum, many have sought advice here for their first uke. BTW, the Kamoa that UU sells looks pretty good for about $100.
 
dito, play with what you have til you know you really like it and will feel good at throwing more money into it. Try changing strings too to bring out a different sound. They are only $7-12 shipped. and might holf off UAS til you can upgrade.
 
I think it looks pretty cool. Too bad about the sloppy finish, perhaps you can get some sound out of it with a decent pair of strings and enjoy it nonetheless. Another good thing is, you don't have to be too worried about taking it outdoors and playing around with it.

A general music store here (Tokyo) has a paddle-shaped uke for sale as well, not too expensive but the finish looks to be a bit better than yours. I wonder how many Chinese factories there are that make ukuleles... and what would they be called there?

edit: the internet is your friend: 夏威夷的四弦琴, a "Hawaiian four-stringed instrument".
 
Last edited:
Hello, Miss Abby. Welcome to the forums. If you like your uke, and you have fun playing it, then all is well.
 
seeso said:
If you like your uke, and you have fun playing it, then all is well.
Click to expand...

Ah, Narciso! Not only a fab player and singer, but a wise man as well.

Miss Abby, learn your chords and strumming and stuff and enjoy! There are other ukes in your future but you'll always have a soft spot in your heart for your first, no matter what the "quality" of it.

I still have the first uke I ever owned. It's a POS -- and I payed way too much for it -- but here I am, still playing.
 
Thanks everyone.

I wasn't expecting much from a $30 ebay special, but I think it's good enough to learn on. When/if I get good I'll reward myself with a better one. I had a wrist injury a few years back that required surgery, so I'm not sure I'll ever be very good. But it just looked to fun not to try!

Didn't get around to making a video last night, some friends showed up and we got drunk and played pinball til the wee hours. There is still someone asleep on the floor under the pinball machines! :)

But before all that I tuned it up, sounded awful! But then my roommate came home, saw it and mentioned he happened to have a set of strings (he doesn't play ukulele, only ukulele banjo). So we put the new stings on, and it sounds a million times better!

I'm not unhappy with it. It's nice looking, and good enough to learn on. I'll try to get to making a video once everyone wakes up.
 
I want to come over and get drunk and play pinball with you.
 
Hey Abby -- welcome aboard! Have fun playin your new uke and learning with the rest of us -- when the time comes to upgrade and UAS fully kicks in, you'll have a better idea what to look for in your next uke.

above all, have fun!
 
Congrats on your first 'uke. I know how you feel. I just got my very first uke in June. If you want to get better at playing, I would suggest that you take lessons because that is what I am doing to get better.
 
congrats on your first uke!! Ha Ha this sounds like my first uke that I got at a store called Elderlies in Michigan, it was a $30 piece of junk, but boy was it fun to play. I hope you enjoy the uke, I think you'll find this forum to be very friendly with great level headed people that are always willing to help and give advice. :)
 
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