so i've decided on hula ukes (mele's budget line)

iamesperambient · May 23, 2014

the look of mele but more affordable works for me...only problem i can not decide if i wanna do my first ever tenor or upgrade from my cheap rogue baritone to this mele, which just looks wonderful. Im more of a baritone uke player, but never owned a tenor and i would not mind adding one to the collection help me decide!

Yukon Cornelius · May 23, 2014

I'm a huge Mele fan. Some say I'm the unofficial Mele spokesman here on the forums. However I've never played their budget line. Hopefully it will be satisfactory.

Ukejenny · May 23, 2014

Just looked at the Hula solid mahogany tenor and it looks very nice! I really enjoy the tenor scale, though I am more of a concert person.

JonThysell · May 23, 2014

I you get the bari, then you can let me know what you think of it, then I can decide if I want one.

I think I want a 6 or 8 string bari, and those Mele prices don't look half bad.

Alternatively you could get a 19" bari, then you can try either G or C tuning and have either a more portable bari or a more powerful tenor.

peaceweaver3 · May 23, 2014

Experiments are never wasted. I.e. I'd get the tenor.

iamesperambient · May 23, 2014

JonThysell said:
I you get the bari, then you can let me know what you think of it, then I can decide if I want one.

I think I want a 6 or 8 string bari, and those Mele prices don't look half bad.

Alternatively you could get a 19" bari, then you can try either G or C tuning and have either a more portable bari or a more powerful tenor.

i cant afford the 19" scale one only the hula ukes line which is affordable the actual mele main line i can't afford. I'm still leaning toward baritone only because i mostly play baritone, im curious about tenor but i know at the end of the day i'd prob end up playing my baritones over it, but im just not sure i may want to add a tenor to my collection.

chasapple · Jun 4, 2014

If you decide to go with a Hula Uke, just keep your expectations low.
I live on Maui, very close to the Mele Uke store.
About 1.5 years ago I decided to purchase a starter uke for my daughter, and chose a concert Hula model.

I was very new to the uke at that time, but after taking it home for a few days, even I could hear the obvious intonation problems up and down the neck.

So I exchanged it for a replacement unit, but the replacement was no better.
To my ears, it's barely playable past the 3rd fret.
This does not bother my daughter who is just learning a few chords, but it sure bothers me!

I just checked it again this weekend, when my brother in law was visiting, since I have become more advanced in my own uke playing since originally purchasing this instrument--maybe my novice ears were not adjusted to the tone of a uke after 20+ years of playing very high end acoustic guitar.

But the intonation is still quite bad.
Side by side comparison with my Pono MT or my new Mya Moe tenor
makes it even more obvious.

For my money, I'd stick with something from HMS's list of top selling ukes under $200, since they will do a professional setup for you:

http://www.theukulelesite.com/best_selling_ukulele_under200

Mele's higher end line of instruments I'm sure is of excellent quality, but I've never played those ukes.

good luck,
Charles

bborzell · Jun 4, 2014

My wife wanted a Mele built-in espresso machine. I balked at the price. Probably should have looked at the Hula line.

iamesperambient · Jun 4, 2014

chasapple said:
If you decide to go with a Hula Uke, just keep your expectations low.
I live on Maui, very close to the Mele Uke store.
About 1.5 years ago I decided to purchase a starter uke for my daughter, and chose a concert Hula model.

I was very new to the uke at that time, but after taking it home for a few days, even I could hear the obvious intonation problems up and down the neck.

So I exchanged it for a replacement unit, but the replacement was no better.
To my ears, it's barely playable past the 3rd fret.
This does not bother my daughter who is just learning a few chords, but it sure bothers me!

I just checked it again this weekend, when my brother in law was visiting, since I have become more advanced in my own uke playing since originally purchasing this instrument--maybe my novice ears were not adjusted to the tone of a uke after 20+ years of playing very high end acoustic guitar.

But the intonation is still quite bad.
Side by side comparison with my Pono MT or my new Mya Moe tenor
makes it even more obvious.

For my money, I'd stick with something from HMS's list of top selling ukes under $200, since they will do a professional setup for you:

http://www.theukulelesite.com/best_selling_ukulele_under200

Mele's higher end line of instruments I'm sure is of excellent quality, but I've never played those ukes.

good luck,
Charles

thanks for the tip. I have a rogue baritone
that i paid under 40 bucks for and honestly the intonation
and sound quality is great, the way it looks however leaves much to be desired.

I figured i'd get a uke with in my price range that sounds decent for the money
but looks a bit more pleasing it figured this would fit the bill.

I'm a pretty poor person who has only played low end ukes (due to lack of funds)
I've oned one martin and that was the lowest end martin soprano and to me it was
the most amazing sounding instrument i have played (others may call it crap) i think
its all based on opinions, and preference.

I think at the end of the day i'll order or buy something locally because i either won't have to pay
to have it shipped or if i order from a local online store it won't cost too too much.
Will see as of now i have no funds to spend on ukes, but as i save up i'll be researching
and see what i come up with.

Ukejenny · Jun 4, 2014

chasapple said:
If you decide to go with a Hula Uke, just keep your expectations low.
I live on Maui, very close to the Mele Uke store.
About 1.5 years ago I decided to purchase a starter uke for my daughter, and chose a concert Hula model.

I was very new to the uke at that time, but after taking it home for a few days, even I could hear the obvious intonation problems up and down the neck.

So I exchanged it for a replacement unit, but the replacement was no better.
To my ears, it's barely playable past the 3rd fret.
This does not bother my daughter who is just learning a few chords, but it sure bothers me!

I just checked it again this weekend, when my brother in law was visiting, since I have become more advanced in my own uke playing since originally purchasing this instrument--maybe my novice ears were not adjusted to the tone of a uke after 20+ years of playing very high end acoustic guitar.

But the intonation is still quite bad.
Side by side comparison with my Pono MT or my new Mya Moe tenor
makes it even more obvious.

For my money, I'd stick with something from HMS's list of top selling ukes under $200, since they will do a professional setup for you:

http://www.theukulelesite.com/best_selling_ukulele_under200

Mele's higher end line of instruments I'm sure is of excellent quality, but I've never played those ukes.

good luck,
Charles

That is a shame. But, the old saying, "you get what you pay for" can be too true sometimes.

iamesperambient · Jun 4, 2014

Ukejenny said:
That is a shame. But, the old saying, "you get what you pay for" can be too true sometimes.

This is true but sometimes you can find a real gem as far as affordable ukes, as far as i'm concerned a rogue baritone is the best 30 dollar uke on the market, it looks like crap but the sound action and intonation is perfect for such a cheap instrument, im more than happy with that aspect the only reason why i want another is to have somethign more pretty, and to keep one in reentrant D and one in linear D.

so i've decided on hula ukes (mele's budget line)

iamesperambient

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Yukon Cornelius

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