Thanks again for the info. I actually bought a $79.00 Kala, but it came USPS with the neck broke off. I glued it back on and as a newbie I got some tuning practice in right off the bat. I have been using it for a couple of weeks but I think I might have do overs on my first uke. Not sure if I want to go with a solid wood (or wood top) or laminate though, whatever I pick I'm going to make sure it comes in a hard case rather then a gig bag.