Carlo Robelli Soprano uke

Ok to start off, many of you know Carlo Robelli is a "house brand" name for Sam Ash music. I am new to playing ukulele, so first and foremost price was a factor. I have played many different ukes in many different music shops, just trying to get a "feel" and idea of different sounding ukes. Well i seen this Carlo Robelli uke at Sam Ash, looked beautiful sound was lacking (needed better strings). Went home did my research, apparently they used Sapale wood for this uke. This wood is not true mahogany wood, it is a wood found in Eastern and Western Africa. It is an Exotic wood, and very desirable. It ranked as almost tough as Oak wood. It is weather resistant and is very resistant to insects, very durable. After reading all this i decided to pull the trigger and i bought this uke. I also included Aquila strings. Let me say, all honesty this uke sounds amazing. Very warm sounding. It has enclosed gear tuners and what seems to be a very solid well made bridge. It just dislike the fact they used cheap strings on it, that alone will probably complicate their sales. Bottom line, this uke is a solid player, change the strings and u won't have no complaints, heck, Taylor, Martin, and Ibanez are using this wood in some of their higher end line instruments. Btw out the door price was 59.99

Thanks for your input. I am sure lots of noobs out there will appreciate your review because they are hoping to get a playable instrument in this price range. The Aquila strings were probably a good idea. You may also want to research how to determine how well it has been set up. Many of us have used our "beginner" ukes to learn how to change tuners, or install a bone nut and saddle, etc. As you go on, and UAS kicks in, you will refine your research techniques so that you can make "smart buys" on more expensive instruments.....where it stops, nobody knows!!! LOL Good luck