Please help me pick my next ukulele ($200-$300)

(I had started a thread like this earlier but I've done even more research and focused my desires a bit more so I wanted to start over)

So thanks to a winning fantasy football season and the eventual sale of my Eleuke, i'm going to have a budget of $200-$300 for a new Tenor ukulele (including a good case and shipping)

My daily uke is a Kala KA-C Concert Mahogany. I really enjoy it but I want something a bit nicer and preferably a Tenor with built in pickups (I have an amp). The Kala will become my "knock around uke" for traveling and such with the new uke kept in a humidified hardcase and home and played in safer settings.

I had pretty much decided on the RipTide Mahogany Tenor EUT-5NS with built in PreAmp. I love the look and I think the top sound hole would be great since one of my "complaints" about the kale is that when I play in a group I have a hard time hearing my own instrument.

But the more I read on UU and the more I lustfully surf the Hawaii Music Supply website the more I wonder if I'd be better off getting non-amp'ed (maybe even a solid body) uke of nicer quality.

I've had Mainland ukes recommended in the other thread.

Basically, I'm torn. I really have the budget for an instrument and want to make my hard earned money count. I'm not expecting a night and day sound difference from the Kala to whatever I buy but I want to make a smart choice. It's also possible I'm overthinking this and should just get the RipTide.

I wish I had the option of going to a music shop and trying out a bunch of ukes but that simply doesn't exist up here in Vermont. The place we hold our local Uke Club only carries Lanakai's and the other nearest music store is lucky to have 2 ukuleles in stock. I want to buy from a quality shop that does setup, good strings, etc.

So…. thoughts? Suggestions? I'll have money in hand at the end of the month but I'm completely torn.

I have it from a very good source that the Kala smht or the islander islander mst4 are the best on the market for that price range, nevertheless, it's all personal taste.

Leodhas said:

I have it from a very good source that the Kala smht or the islander islander mst4 are the best on the market for that price range, nevertheless, it's all personal taste.

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That Islander is beautiful. http://www.theukulelesite.com/ukulelemarket/islander-all-solid-mahogany-tenor-mst-4

You can take it from a couple of different angles. You could first decide whether to go amped or non-amped. How much time do you anticipated playing plugged in? With your budget, you're looking at a laminate uke with amp. If you decide you want a solid wood uke, then I think the amp option is pretty much out unless you can find a great deal on a used uke.

Edit: If you decide to go with the Islander MST-4 solid mahogany tenor, I suspect it will be a night & day difference from your Kala KA-C laminate concert.

I actually won't be playing amped much at all, I think that part of me is driven by the fact that I have an amp I no longer have a use for with the Eleuke sale.

Sporin said:

I actually won't be playing amped much at all, I think that part of me is driven by the fact that I have an amp I no longer have a use for with the Eleuke sale.

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Ah! Well, in that case, definitely the Islander. HMS is out of stock probably until the 2012 versions arrive. It might be available here for ~$250 shipped. Order this case while it's still on sale for $30.

I agree with what's been said, Mainland or solid Kala or Islander.

I had the chance to play my first Islander this week. I was very impressed with it -- loud, very playable, and good intonation up the neck.

Been reading a bunch of "Tenor or Concert" threads and I think I might go with a Concert size instead. I don't play up the neck very much and since my hands are used to my concert Kala I'll have less issues going back and forth between the 2 (I think). I know I have trouble playing my son's Soprano because my fingers don't naturally hit the right spots on the frets since they are used to a different size.

Concert saves me some money on an all wood uke as well. For instance, on the Islander that is coming so highly recommended, the $30 savings helps pay for a good case.

Lots to think about, keep the input and suggestions coming, it is all GREATLY appreciated.

If it were me it would be between the Islander and Pono solid mahogany ukes, maybe the Kala solid mahogany if I was trying to save a few bucks. I don't think you'd go wrong with any of these bought through HMS.
I was in the same situation with the same budget about 6 months ago. I ended up getting a great deal on a Big Island solid mahogany tenor uke (from Mim's Ukes) and I love it, however the model I have has been discontinued and seems hard or impossible to find.

I've encountered 3 stores in your area that have an OK collection of ukes to try out.

-Eastgate Music (North Balwyn)
-Whitehorse Music (Mont Albert)
-MelMusic (Ormond)

kissing said:

I've encountered 3 stores in your area that have an OK collection of ukes to try out.

-Eastgate Music (North Balwyn)
-Whitehorse Music (Mont Albert)
-MelMusic (Ormond)

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I'm in Vermont USA.

A wrench. Check out the Kamoa solid maple E3 Concert and Grand concert.

http://kamoaukulelecompany.com/ukuleles.php?id=323

Also, I got my Pono MCD-E with a Ko'olau hard case used for $285 as an example of what you can find.

Sporin said:

I'm in Vermont USA.

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I failed hard LOL

I bought this solid mahogany Concert uke from Mim. It has a preamp and I don't think you could go wrong with it. I love mine. I think it's in your budget.
http://www.kalaukulele.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=KA-SMH-CE-C

Mainlands are back in stock. A few concerts to choose from: http://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/category.sc?categoryId=3

Surprisingly few reviews on UU on the Kamoa, but the price is certainly attractive. So is the warranty if you can count on them to honor it. I think Aldrine did a video review of the laminate Kamoa ukes recently and commented that the 2012 versions were significantly better than their first gen ukes. You might want to ask which version the retailer is selling.

Spruce/maple will produce a brighter sound compared to mahogany.
http://macnichol.com/product/kamoa-e3-series-concert

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?58605-Kamoa-E3-Line&highlight=kamoa

So at the moment the 2 leading contenders are...

1. Islander by Kanile’a – MSC-4 with hardcase. http://www.theukulelesite.com/islander-solid-concert-msc-4.html

2. Islander by Kanile’a – MT-4 Mahogany Tenor Ukulele with hardcase and Pickups installed. http://www.theukulelesite.com/islander-by-kanile-a-mt-4-mahogany-tenor-ukulele-250.html

I change my mind between the 2 hourly. Going with the laminate saves me a bunch of money, gets me the Tenor size and plugins that I started out wanting.

Going with the solid wood version gets me a nicer uke, but I compromise on size and no pickups due to price.

I'm trying to decide if the difference between the 2 will even be worth it to my relatively newbie skills/ears. I'm basically just a strummer and singer. I've only just started doing any picking and I find it very frustrating.

I also have humidity/temperature concerns. Those both swing wildly here in Vermont. A Lam uke would be much less susceptible to those conditions.

Would a really good quality Lam uke like that really be a noticeable compromise for a guy like me who just wants to jam with friends and maybe start a terrible ukulele band?

My recommendation is that you chuck the Kala on the heap and focus on the Islander. I had the luck of comparing the Islander MT-4 (the lam) against a solid wood Kala, and the Islander blew it away. No comparison at all. So if you're thinking of maybe saving a few bucks, that would be the way to go.

Of course, there are a lot of other ukes out there at your price. Others brought up the Pono and Mainland (I've not tried either, but their rep is solid), but you could also consider the KPK. I finally strummed one and was really pleasantly surprised! Very nice uke and very affordable, too.

With all the really great mid-range instruments around (Sailor, Mainland, Pono, KPK, Kelii, Islander, aNueNue, Big Island, etc) I have a hard time understanding why there are so many who just refuse to look past Kala.

I was just in a store yesterday playing around with the Islander MT-4 - which sounds soooo good btw... The store owner told me that he doesn't even order the solid wood Islanders anymore because the difference in sound between the laminate and solid doesn't justify the price bump. He wasn't saying anything against the solid wood - just that the lam sounds so good that there's not a big difference between the two.
Hope that helps.

I want to throw a stick in the wicket.
Tenor Fluke