Is this a good deal? Oscar Schmidt mango..

I love the look of spalted mango, and I want to upgrade my current Lanakai LU-11 cheapo.....Ive seen this uke retail on other sites for around 200.....I originally wanted a Lanakai similar to this but they dont make a soprano version....opinions on the seller as well if anyone is familiar with them..

Opinions appreciated, thanks!

http://www.instrumentalley.com/Oscar-Schmidt-OU17-Spalted-Mango-Soprano-Ukulele-p/ou17.htm

I love the spalted woods too. The tricky part is that there is a wide variety of grain patterns and colors in spalted mango. So, you are kind of in the dark if you are buying online, as to what the one you get will actually look like, unless they post a photo of the actual uke they are selling. Some eBay sellers go to the trouble of posting photos of the uke they are selling. I would choose one only if I could see it and play it first. You might find it at a local music store or see if they have it at Best Buy.

Mango wood tends to have a mellow sound. I don't have any experience with Oscar Schmidt, but they are a well known company.

–Lori

I love Oscar Schmidt OU2 but Not the OU5...it is muted....and so is Mango....I'd try them out first....just to make sure...

I had a Lanikai spalted mango; it needs so much bracing that it completely kills the sound. If you do get one, make sure if has a pickup so you can amplify it.

It does look absolutely gorgeous though.

byjimini said:

I had a Lanikai spalted mango; it needs so much bracing that it completely kills the sound. If you do get one, make sure if has a pickup so you can amplify it.

It does look absolutely gorgeous though.

Click to expand...

ah.....thats what Im afraid of.........maybe mango isnt the best choice......sucks that there isnt more availability for ukuleles to try before you buy.....

Like you, I couldn't find one to try either, so just bought one off eBay. The sound just wasn't to my liking, it just didn't 'ring' at all. Luckily I didn't lose too much money on it when I sold it on a few months later.

If money was no object then I'd definitely buy another one, if only for the look, and play it through an amp.