My Mainland

mangorockfish

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2008 Mainland Concert Gloss Mahogany from UkeRepublic that I've had about three-and-a-half years and just now trying to post pics.100_0330.jpg100_0329.jpg100_0330.jpg100_0329.jpg100_0330.jpg100_0329.jpg
 
Well, forgive me for all the same pics, I'm not a good computer person. At least I got them, and I do mean THEM on here.
 
Just playing my Mainland Red Cedar Pineapple now... love our Mainlands!
 
One of the first ukes I purchased was a Mainland concert that my friend fell in love with so I sold it to her. She is still playing it. I continued to buy and sell ukes over the last three years and I gotta agree Mainlands Rock and they are the best bang for the buck. I now have played quiet a few and each and every one of them have been awesome.
 
My first proper uke was a Mainland. Bought (and traded on) many others since but can't see me getting rid of the Mainland.
 
My Mainland Red Cedar Tenor is a keeper, it was my first serious uke, and i love it
 
I love the sound and playability of my concert mango, and a actually prefer it over my Kamaka!
 
Heh, heh. If you look through threads from a couple of years ago you'll see where I hesitantly ordered my first Mainland, quite skeptical of all the "evangelism" around here (I already had a KoAloha, BTW). I think I posted something like, "you guys better not be pulling my leg."

Well, since then I've purchased three tenors, a concert, a baritone, and two sopranos. I've purchased some of them from Mike directly and some used. One of the tenors I couldn't connect with (the rosewood & red cedar). There was nothing wrong with it but it sounded a little "guitarish" to me no matter how I strung it; I think I'm just not a cedar uke kinda guy. I gave this one to my oldest daughter's husband and he loves it.

All of them have been very good to superb. The intonation at the first fret has always been within a gnat's whisker of perfect - though I'm a perfectionist so on a couple of the ukes I've taken a stroke or two with a nut file not to correct intonation so much as to lower the nut-end action even more for the Bb chord. Action up the neck has been good on all of them, especially those I ordered directly from Mike because he knows I like the action a little lower than most people do. Intonation up the neck has been good to very good - though this is somewhat string dependent no matter what uke you buy and some strings will give better results than others. Part of the "fun" of being a tone snob is finding the perfect strings :)

The two sopranos (one mango, one mahogany) I really have to crow about at the risk of sounding like a giddy fan boi. The mango was absolutely amazing right out of the box and improved noticeably and quickly as I played it (this isn't always the case, most of my ukes, even the solids including the other Mainlands, haven't shown a lot of tendency to noticeably open up much). The mahogany, when I picked it up during UWC, was good, intonation was fine, volume was decent but it was just an okay uke. Not something to complain about by any means, but not something to make me giddy like the mango. Then, I got it home and started playing it and it OPENED UP. I've only had one other instrument that changed so stunningly over the first few weeks or months and that was a Seagull cedar top guitar. The mango and the mahogany have about the same amount of play time on them now, and identical strings (fluorocarbon fishing leaders in the same gages as a Worth "CH" set), and the mahogany is louder and more commanding than the mango - yeah, the mango that had me tripping over my tongue from the moment I opened the box.

With the heavy strings both of these ukes are within whispering distance of my KoAloha longneck (with medium strings, it didn't like heavy strings at all) even given its longer vibrating length and slightly larger body. More imporantly, they actually have better, more chimey, pinched harmonics and clearer ringing notes far up the fretboard! Are these two Mainlands "the pick of their litter" - maybe, I have know way of knowing - but even before they opened up they were all the ukulele most players would ever "need." (Want can be a 'whole nudder thing for some.:) )
 
I love the sound and playability of my concert mango, and a actually prefer it over my Kamaka!

I'm glad to hear someone else admit that. I rarely pick up my KoAloha longneck (or anything else) since I got the mango and mahogany Mainland sopranos. I thought maybe it was just the "newness" of discovering that I can play on a soprano scale after all but it's been about two months now...I don't think I can entirely blame it on novelty any more... :)

John
 
I must admit I love my concert mango too. It seems to me mango isn't as popular as mahogany or some other woods, I wonder why. The sound is really sweet (but loud) and has gotten noticeably better during the year I've owned mine. It also seems humidity has a lot to do with this. If I don't keep mine around 40 to 50 %, it starts to sound more dull but I might be just imagining this as a relative beginner. My Mainland mango is my fancy ukulele, I baby it the most. Right now I've been able to keep it out of the case since this summer has been very humid.
 
I have had my Moore Bettah for about 2 months. My Mainland hasn't been out of the case and I had been thinking about selling it maybe. Saw this post today and pulled the Mainland out and played it. It's a keeper. For sure for the money they are hard to beat.
 
When I called Mike @ UR, I was wanting a tenor, but he was out so he played a more expensive Pono tenor and then the pictured concert. To me, it blew the Pono away. I have a Mainland Mahogany now also and a Koa Big Island tenor, but my concert is and probably always will be my favorite. It also has a MiSi pick-up that Mainland Mike installed. I'm waiting for UR Mike to send me some different kinds of strings to try on it. Can't wait. Thanks Mike for selling me this uke.
 
Count me in as another who loves Mainland. I have a cedar pineapple and a slothead mahogany concert. The pineapple is probably my most played uke.
 
You are so welcome and thanks so much to you and all who keep me going.
When I called Mike @ UR, I was wanting a tenor, but he was out so he played a more expensive Pono tenor and then the pictured concert. To me, it blew the Pono away. I have a Mainland Mahogany now also and a Koa Big Island tenor, but my concert is and probably always will be my favorite. It also has a MiSi pick-up that Mainland Mike installed. I'm waiting for UR Mike to send me some different kinds of strings to try on it. Can't wait. Thanks Mike for selling me this uke.
 
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