Mainland Red Cedar Soprano...will I be disappointed compared to my Favilla?

sbpark

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I recently got back into playing the ukulele after finding a really nice Favilla U3 soprano and absolutely love it. For a 70 year old instrument it is absolutely flawless in it's set up and plays like butter! Aside from the obvious and expected wear and tear on an instrument that age, it is great (especially since I paid under $200 for it, and had my repair guy look at it and after he played it he handed it back to be and said it needs nothing done to it. actually it was hard to get him to give it back he loved playing it so much!)

I'm looking for a second soprano (I used to really like concerts, but as of late I am in a soprano phase and have been playing more old-timey, ragtime, waltzes, etc. I love the way the Favilla sounds, being all solid mahogany, very pleasing, round and a tad mellow, but not tiny or small sounding. Very bell-like, pretty much the same as you would expect an old Martin to sound like. I am looking for something with just a tad more punch, but noting obnoxious and shrill. I have owned an Ohana CK-35g in the past and regret parting with that uke (after my repair guy did a very minor set up on it, it intonated perfectly all the way up the neck) and a Koaloha Concert, which was absolutely gorgeous and very loud, but I just seem to prefer the sound of mahogany over koa.

So what are your thoughts on the Mainland Red Cedar soprano? It's all solid wood, cedar top, rosewood sides and back. I'd get another mahogany soprano, but would like to mix it up a bit since I already have a nice mahogany soprano, but don't like the sound of koa, and still want to maintain somewhat of an old-timey sound. I am hoping the Red Cedar falls somewhere in between mellow and pleasing sound of mahogany and koa?

Thoughts and suggestions always welcomed and appreciated. Thanks!
 
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I think the Mainland red cedar soprano is the best sounding uke in its price range, and it competes very well with more expensive ukes. It is a big brash sound that I think is different from both mahogany and koa. The soft cedar topwood allows for a lot of resonance, which gives a very rich sound with a lot of overtones. Comine that with a very hard rosewood back, which allows that resonant sound to really project forward. The result is loud, rich tone that really stands out in the crowd. I'm a big fan of spruce and cedar tops; not everybody is. But I have to say, I love my red cedar Mainland!
 
Hmmmm, if it is 'brash' as you mention, it may not be what I am looking for then. It's a shame there aren't any available locally that I could try in person.
 
I don't know where you are in the Bay Area, but the last time I was at Sylvan Music in Santa Cruz, they had a wide array of Mainlands, as did Ukulele Source in San Jose. Good luck!
 
I play a lot of "old-timey" music and love my Mainland red cedar soprano. It suffered a little accident just a few months after I bought it, and then I was so sick over it I didn't get it fixed right away. It came back from the luthier last Saturday week and fell in love all over again. :love: I just recorded myself messing around with it the other night, if that helps. It's so hard to make determinations with mediocre recordings compressed further by YouTube, but that sort of illustrates the bark it has. The luthier re-strung it for me with the Aquilas that were in its case, but I'm probably going to switch it to Worth clear mediums.
 
I play a lot of "old-timey" music and love my Mainland red cedar soprano. It suffered a little accident just a few months after I bought it, and then I was so sick over it I didn't get it fixed right away. It came back from the luthier last Saturday week and fell in love all over again. :love: I just recorded myself messing around with it the other night, if that helps. It's so hard to make determinations with mediocre recordings compressed further by YouTube, but that sort of illustrates the bark it has. The luthier re-strung it for me with the Aquilas that were in its case, but I'm probably going to switch it to Worth clear mediums.

Nice videos! Whatever Lola wants.... Lola gets...
 
I can't speak for the Mainland having never played one (they are on the list though). You might like a Bruko No. 6. It is mahogany but it has a great old time, slightly plinky sound about it. They are very reasonable, with shipping from Germany and an exchange fee on my card it was less than $190 from Thomann. It is also very striking to look at. Bruko also does custom work for a very fair price if you'd like another wood.
 
I play a lot of "old-timey" music and love my Mainland red cedar soprano. It suffered a little accident just a few months after I bought it, and then I was so sick over it I didn't get it fixed right away. It came back from the luthier last Saturday week and fell in love all over again. :love: I just recorded myself messing around with it the other night, if that helps. It's so hard to make determinations with mediocre recordings compressed further by YouTube, but that sort of illustrates the bark it has. The luthier re-strung it for me with the Aquilas that were in its case, but I'm probably going to switch it to Worth clear mediums.

You have a great voice Lola !
 
Cedar and rosewood are a great combination. The Favilla has a nice warm, mahogany sound - so if you want something different, you should get the Mainland.

Check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKw93kNso6M

If you explore his Youtube channel, he plays both the Mainland and an Ohana all mahogany ukulele, you can compare the sounds.
 
I can't speak for the Mainland having never played one (they are on the list though). You might like a Bruko No. 6. It is mahogany but it has a great old time, slightly plinky sound about it. They are very reasonable, with shipping from Germany and an exchange fee on my card it was less than $190 from Thomann. It is also very striking to look at. Bruko also does custom work for a very fair price if you'd like another wood.

Funny you should mention the Bruko, because I was about to pull the trigger on one, then just happened to come across a Favilla U3 on Craigslist for a really great price instead (I scored it for less than what a new Bruko costs, believe it or not!) I would think the Bruko would be sort of the same vein as the Favilla, and want something a little different, which is why I am considering the Mainland cedar soprano. I still like the Brukos. Nice looking instruments that seem to get high praises.
 
I've watched that review several times in the past! Very thorough review for sure.
 
I play a lot of "old-timey" music and love my Mainland red cedar soprano. It suffered a little accident just a few months after I bought it, and then I was so sick over it I didn't get it fixed right away. It came back from the luthier last Saturday week and fell in love all over again. :love: I just recorded myself messing around with it the other night, if that helps. It's so hard to make determinations with mediocre recordings compressed further by YouTube, but that sort of illustrates the bark it has. The luthier re-strung it for me with the Aquilas that were in its case, but I'm probably going to switch it to Worth clear mediums.

I think that every demo I have heard for the red cedar soprano has Aquillas, and these strings make my skin crawl! I really detest Aquillas, and have never been able to make them work on any ukulele. On my old Ohana CK-35 they were horrible, and found that Worth browns worked the best. My Favilla had new Aquillas ion it, and although they made the uke very loud, I replaced them with Worth clears and they seem to suit the Favila much better.

Aquillas just sound to harsh to my ear, and I feel like the tone and balance between strings is always uneven. The way I have described them before is they almost seem to me like someone took four different strings from four different manufacturers/sets and put them together. They do not sound uniform to me at all. My gut is telling me that a set of Worth browns would be really nice on that cedar soprano. It would still retain that 'bark' that the uke seems to have with the cedar and rosewood combination but still give it a nice, 'old-timey plunk' that i sort of like. My Favilla is mellow and sweet, so it would be nice to have something with a tad more bark and plunk, but not brash or harsh.
 
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I had one and didn't think it was a good match for the kind of music you want to play on it.
Mine came directly from Mainland and I found the setup lacking.
IMO you'll keep playing your Favilla, and the Mainland will be a wall-hanger.
Did you consider doing something completely different and get a banjo uke? The Firefly sounds great playing the kind of music you like, while being different enough not to compete/overlap with your existing uke.
 
I had one and didn't think it was a good match for the kind of music you want to play on it.
Mine came directly from Mainland and I found the setup lacking.
IMO you'll keep playing your Favilla, and the Mainland will be a wall-hanger.
Did you consider doing something completely different and get a banjo uke? The Firefly sounds great playing the kind of music you like, while being different enough not to compete/overlap with your existing uke.

Actually, I am a banjo player as well, and recent watched a George Formby documentary and tossed around the idea of picking up a banjo uke as well! The firefly seems like a nice choice, but think it is a bit overpriced for what it actually is (I would go with the hardwood fretboard over the molded plastic). It does sound pretty decent though, I have to admit.
 
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I was very pleased with my Mainland red cedar soprano. I think brash it too harsh but it does stand out. I find it's tone to be banjo uke- like, but it is sweet and not abrasive and to my untutored ukulele ears it sounded exactly what my brain was telling me a uke should sound like. I guess that's the diference of hearing a certain G Formby during my formative years rather than a Hawaiian maestro.

When I bought it I got a koa soprano at the same time and found they were both lovely for different things
 
Scott, now would be a great time to pick up a vintage Martin, I've only been playing for less than 2 years but prices have dropped precipitously during that period and 0M models are going for less than $500. After all, this is the king of ukuleles. I've got some video up on my youtube channel of both a 40's Favilla and various vintage Martins. Sounds like you've got the bug again <g>. g2
 
My gut is telling me that a set of Worth browns would be really nice on that cedar soprano. It would still retain that 'bark' that the uke seems to have with the cedar and rosewood combination but still give it a nice, 'old-timey plunk' that i sort of like. My Favilla is mellow and sweet, so it would be nice to have something with a tad more bark and plunk, but not brash or harsh.

Sound is so subjective but, I had a Mainland Red Cedar Soprano and it arrived with Fremont Blacklines on it. I loved the sound, but always looking for something better, I put Worth Browns on it. They sounded good, but to my ear, much more subdued with less ring than the Fremonts.

I see a Mainland Concert Neck Red Cedar Soprano in my near future and I've already got a set of brand new Fremonts waiting for it!
 
Scott, now would be a great time to pick up a vintage Martin, I've only been playing for less than 2 years but prices have dropped precipitously during that period and 0M models are going for less than $500. After all, this is the king of ukuleles. I've got some video up on my youtube channel of both a 40's Favilla and various vintage Martins. Sounds like you've got the bug again <g>. g2

I am trying to be (somewhat) responsible here and pick up another uke that is modestly priced, and you are not helping the situation. You are an enabler, sir!
 
I am trying to be (somewhat) responsible here and pick up another uke that is modestly priced, and you are not helping the situation. You are an enabler, sir!

Well the truth is the truth <g>. But honestly, although I can see you buying a second uke to drag around, I am baffled by the tendency of some uke owners to buy lots of low to mid-range ukes rather than saving their money up and buying a great uke (e.g., two mainlands = 1 carefully stalked vintage Martin 0 purchase on ebay). Okay, I'm being very judgmental here I know, but quality sound is what most of us are after. A great uke won't make you a great player, but it will make your poor playing sound better <g>, at least in my case it does.
 
I too prefer mahogany ukes. If you are judging Koa by the KoAloha only you may find Koa mellower than the KoAloha's. I love my Kamaka Koa uke, and it is much mellower than the KoAloha I had. I think the Mainland red cedar will fit your need perfectly for something different. It is brighter and punchier (not brash, but punchy) but on the mellower side of what is considered bright. I bought my Mainland red cedar as a place holder while I waited for another uke I had ordered and now I can't part with it. The only high end uke I have is the Kamaka, if that is considered high end, and it is my best uke but the Mainland gives it a run for it's money. If you had a Ohana and liked that uke I know you will also like the Mainland, they are of equal quality and, again, the Mainland red cedar is bright and punchy without being too bright.
 
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