student ukulele advice

haolejohn

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Wassup UU? The elementry school that I teach at has finally given me permission to start a ukulele club. We meet for the first time in January and I have already had parents asking me what kind of uke should they get for their child. The options at our two music stores are either hilo or some other $20 ukulele. No parent is going to go out and buy their 10 year old a kamaka so I am looking for quality sstudent ukes that kinda stay in tune. I want to stay under $50 b/c our community isn't the richest and I want as many students as possible to join. Preliminary membership was 43 but since the little ones gotta provide their own ukes less is best. I mainly want player advice on decent starter ukes like makalas and lanikais or any others.

Thanks in advance.
 
Can't you strike a deal with Kala to order the ukes in bulk? With beginner lessons, and kids, you don't need Kamakas to have fun. You should be able to negotiate a good price for a basic Makala or Kala uke.
You can get a Kala KA-15S for 50 bucks.
 
There's gotta be a way to get a package deal on some Kalas. The colorful Makalas with the dolphin bridges are kid-friendly and quite playable, but cost less than some toy ukes in the Waikiki souvenir shops. ;) Heck, they even have geared tuners! The KA-15S is another great value and will serve beginners well. For sub-$100 ukes, Kala's the best place to look. If parents don't mind spending a little more, those Kamoas in the UU shop are sweet!

I'd only steer people towards a Hilo as a last resort. I've heard some positive things about them, but the one I played with at Guitar Center wouldn't stay in tune, had poor intonation, and action so high I could stick my fist between the fretboard and the string. :eek:

On a side note, every time I see your username I get the urge to change mine. ;)
 
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There's gotta be a way to get a package deal on some Kalas. The colorful Makalas with the dolphin bridges are kid-friendly and quite playable, but cost less than some toy ukes in the Waikiki souvenir shops. ;) Heck, they even have geared tuners! The KA-15S is another great value and will serve beginners well. For sub-$100 ukes, Kala's the best place to look. If parents don't mind spending a little more, those Kamoas in the UU shop are sweet!

I'd only steer people towards a Hilo as a last resort. I've heard some positive things about them, but the one I played with at Guitar Center wouldn't stay in tune, had poor intonation, and action so high I could stick my fist between the fretboard and the string. :eek:

On a side note, every time I see your username I get the urge to change mine. ;)






I would deffinetly go with the Makala. Good sounding uke that stays in tune. Put some Aquila strings on it and you are good to go! And I do agree with the dolphin bridge thing. very kid friendly. And they come in all different colors.


Try the musicguymic store on Ebay. his username here on UU is MGM. He has the best deals and is a nice guy to work with. Also he usually has 3 or 4 Makalas in stock, and I am sure he could work something out with you too.

Let us know how it goes!
 
Thanks GUys, I was in no way looking for Kamakas I only used kamaka as a nameing source. I sent out letters to about 10 ukulele manufactuers and never got a response from them. I have contacted a few dealers. The main thing I am looking for is advice on student ukes that will stay in tune and sound decent. I wanted the advice from players and not dealers. Personal reasons on that issue. I think I will try to contact Kala. Anyone know where they are located?
 
Call Roy Goode at (760)729-2183 at Giacoletti Music. They carry more ukuleles in stock, than guitars! Roy has shipped many ukes both nationally and internationally and will make a nice deal with you. He's the most knowledgeable ukulele sales manager I've met and I've dealt with a lot of them. Ric Douglas

http://www.carlsbadmusic.com/v2/ukuleles.htm

That's Roy on the right, standing next to Jim Beloff:

beloff.jpg
 
Wassup UU? The elementry school that I teach at has finally given me permission to start a ukulele club. We meet for the first time in January and I have already had parents asking me what kind of uke should they get for their child. The options at our two music stores are either hilo or some other $20 ukulele. No parent is going to go out and buy their 10 year old a kamaka so I am looking for quality sstudent ukes that kinda stay in tune. I want to stay under $50 b/c our community isn't the richest and I want as many students as possible to join. Preliminary membership was 43 but since the little ones gotta provide their own ukes less is best. I mainly want player advice on decent starter ukes like makalas and lanikais or any others.

Thanks in advance.

Hey my first uke was a Lanikai LU-21 model, mine was a concert which is over $50 but I checked and the soprano version is $49.00 (Lanikai LU-21 Standard) which is under your budget and is probably best for little kids starting out.

The Lanikais are well built, sound good and most importantly stay in tune. As the others said you should be able to get a good deal, or at least a decent discount for your students if you use a certain company as your supplier.

Good luck!
 
i like the makalas, my first uke was a makala. I enjoyed it a lot.
 
I knew I could depend on you guys. THis is one of the situations that it stinks living on the mainland. So what I'm hearing from you guys is the makala, kala, and the lanikai student models are decent. I figured that if I give more options it'll be better. My whole experience with the uke has been kamakas and meles which I think will be a little too expensive. Ok who am I kidding a lot expensive.
 
remember though, that makala is a branch off of kala, so if you call kala you could probubly set up something(if you want a makala) with them.
 
I discovered a kala dealer in the town next to me. He is the first ukulele dealer in Georgia. I found him at fleamarketmusic and then craigslist. We are in the process of working something out as we speak. I may become a kala man since that will be my only close option. I showed some of my students two boys and two girls the dolphin makala and they were drooling. I was surprised that the boys were drooling.
 
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