New Uke Day: Martin C1K Concert

Victoriuke

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Just received my Martin C1K Concert today and am I excited! We bought it off a great UU member, who gave us a fabulous deal and threw in a hard case, soft case, strings, and two humidifiers. Thank You FrankB!!

It was only 5 months old and looks brand new. The Koa wood is gorgeous and it plays so well. Now my husband is jealous and is considering purchasing a Martin C1K as well. Don't know if he can find one quite as good as mine.

This ukulele fits my hands so well and is a real pleasure playing. My husband and I have played it almost all day long. Don't know if I can close an eye in bed tonight, for fear he may sneak off and play it some more. :D

Victoriuke
 

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Congrats! While I don't have a Martin uke (yet) I do have a few Martin Guitars. Enjoy!
 
Just received my Martin C1K Concert today and am I excited! We bought it off a great UU member, who gave us a fabulous deal and threw in a hard case, soft case, strings, and two humidifiers. Thank You FrankB!!

It was only 5 months old and looks brand new. The Koa wood is gorgeous and it plays so well. Now my husband is jealous and is considering purchasing a Martin C1K as well. Don't know if he can find one quite as good as mine.

This ukulele fits my hands so well and is a real pleasure playing. My husband and I have played it almost all day long. Don't know if I can close an eye in bed tonight, for fear he may sneak off and play it some more. :D

Victoriuke

Congrats. What made you decide on the C1K? What else did you look at? I'm curious in that I am also in the market for a concert in this price range and have looked at Loprinzi, the Koaloah Opio. an out of my price range KCM-00 and the longneck version KSM-02.
 
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Hey! That uke looks familiar. ;) I'm glad you like it, Victoria.

Rappsy,
Nuprin's (Chris) video comparison of the C1K and Koaloha Concert ukes sent me looking for a Martin. Chris played a couple, and paid more than online retail for one he thought was exceptional. Victoria's new C1K is quite exceptional as well, and I bought and returned three more trying to find another like it. They don't cost much to ship, but it can be frustrating, and it does add up after a while. My hands are rather large, so even a tenor is cramped for me. I've owned a Koaloha and Kamaka concert uke, and this Martin holds its own nicely. It has more resonance than the two K brands, and looks nicer than the Koaloha. I returned both of the K's and kept the Martin, but I simply don't fit a concert uke. If you're looking for a sure thing, without trying before buying, the C1K might not be it. Victoria was assured that this particular Martin was exceptional, and she wasn't disappointed. If you can try them in person,that would be the best course. To save shipping costs, having guitar center order them would be one option, but that's slow. I'd order 3 from GC, and you should be able to pick a winner, and not have to payment return shipping on several ukes.

Chris's C1K video: http://youtu.be/XdPv23dqthw

Chris is using stock strings on both ukes. I used switched the stock Martin strings to Oasis after a few days. Much more volume, and better tone. The Koaloha couldn't match it with stock strings, but did quite well with Oasis. The problem with Oasis on the Koaloha was that ukes thin soundboard. The bridge rotated under the tension of the Oasis strings (which aren't very high tension at all), so the stock strings were put back on. It was suggested that Worth strings be used on the Koaloha, and they really pulled on the bridge. Martin strings are kind of funky, with the C string having a rather large diameter. I recall the tenor and concert sets shared the same C string, and they were much larger than the Oasis C string. Martin and Oasis are both flourocarbon sets.
 
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wow, congratulations! I've been wanting a Martin for a long time....lucky you!
 
Did I mention that I really love, love, love my Martin Concert? :D

Totally agree with FrankB, the Oasis strings do provide great volume and tone. My husband has a 3-month old Martin Tenor T1K that has Martin strings and we are going to put Oasis strings on it. Plus the Oasis strings seem so "comfortable" to play, if that's the correct way to say this. I didn't realize the C string was not as large as the Martin C string, but that does add to the "comfort" of the Oasis strings.
 
Gorgeous uke....glad to hear it sounds/plays as good as it looks. I too am a concert fan, but don't have a nice koa one yet. Keep a close eye on that hubby.
 
Hey! That uke looks familiar. ;) I'm glad you like it, Victoria.

Rappsy,
Nuprin's (Chris) video comparison of the C1K and Koaloha Concert ukes sent me looking for a Martin. Chris played a couple, and paid more than online retail for one he thought was exceptional. Victoria's new C1K is quite exceptional as well, and I bought and returned three more trying to find another like it. They don't cost much to ship, but it can be frustrating, and it does add up after a while. My hands are rather large, so even a tenor is cramped for me. I've owned a Koaloha and Kamaka concert uke, and this Martin holds its own nicely. It has more resonance than the two K brands, and looks nicer than the Koaloha. I returned both of the K's and kept the Martin, but I simply don't fit a concert uke. If you're looking for a sure thing, without trying before buying, the C1K might not be it. Victoria was assured that this particular Martin was exceptional, and she wasn't disappointed. If you can try them in person,that would be the best course. To save shipping costs, having guitar center order them would be one option, but that's slow. I'd order 3 from GC, and you should be able to pick a winner, and not have to payment return shipping on several ukes.

Chris's C1K video: http://youtu.be/XdPv23dqthw

Chris is using stock strings on both ukes. I used switched the stock Martin strings to Oasis after a few days. Much more volume, and better tone. The Koaloha couldn't match it with stock strings, but did quite well with Oasis. The problem with Oasis on the Koaloha was that ukes thin soundboard. The bridge rotated under the tension of the Oasis strings (which aren't very high tension at all), so the stock strings were put back on. It was suggested that Worth strings be used on the Koaloha, and they really pulled on the bridge. Martin strings are kind of funky, with the C string having a rather large diameter. I recall the tenor and concert sets shared the same C string, and they were much larger than the Oasis C string. Martin and Oasis are both flourocarbon sets.

I've found that Worth CL strings work best on my KoAloha Pineapple long neck & KoAlana concert. CM strings were too much for them.
 
Hey! That uke looks familiar. ;) I'm glad you like it, Victoria.

Rappsy,
Nuprin's (Chris) video comparison of the C1K and Koaloha Concert ukes sent me looking for a Martin. Chris played a couple, and paid more than online retail for one he thought was exceptional. Victoria's new C1K is quite exceptional as well, and I bought and returned three more trying to find another like it. They don't cost much to ship, but it can be frustrating, and it does add up after a while. My hands are rather large, so even a tenor is cramped for me. I've owned a Koaloha and Kamaka concert uke, and this Martin holds its own nicely. It has more resonance than the two K brands, and looks nicer than the Koaloha. I returned both of the K's and kept the Martin, but I simply don't fit a concert uke. If you're looking for a sure thing, without trying before buying, the C1K might not be it. Victoria was assured that this particular Martin was exceptional, and she wasn't disappointed. If you can try them in person,that would be the best course. To save shipping costs, having guitar center order them would be one option, but that's slow. I'd order 3 from GC, and you should be able to pick a winner, and not have to payment return shipping on several ukes.

Chris's C1K video: http://youtu.be/XdPv23dqthw

Chris is using stock strings on both ukes. I used switched the stock Martin strings to Oasis after a few days. Much more volume, and better tone. The Koaloha couldn't match it with stock strings, but did quite well with Oasis. The problem with Oasis on the Koaloha was that ukes thin soundboard. The bridge rotated under the tension of the Oasis strings (which aren't very high tension at all), so the stock strings were put back on. It was suggested that Worth strings be used on the Koaloha, and they really pulled on the bridge. Martin strings are kind of funky, with the C string having a rather large diameter. I recall the tenor and concert sets shared the same C string, and they were much larger than the Oasis C string. Martin and Oasis are both flourocarbon sets.

Thanks for the explanation, but I'm a bit confused. Is Martin's quality control so bad that you had to go through 3 of them to get the 'right one" and as a player who is not that technically proficient yet, what do I look for? What was wrong about the others that you went through 3 of them? This should help me when I am looking to make sure I get the best one I can possibly get. I know that each one comes off the line a bit different, but is there enough to be concerned?

Anyone ever compare this to a Loprinzi concert? I am looking at that now. Opinions on it?

Also, you are talking about Oasis strings. Which models?

Thanks in advance.
 
Hi Rappsy,
The first C1K I ordered (Victoria's) had perfectly dressed fret ends, great volume, and was very balanced from string to string. Two of the next three had a very prominent G string. I tried using a lower gauge G string to balance it with the others, but it just stood out when strumming a C chord for example. The third was just lackluster when compared to Victoria's. If I had never heard/played Victoria's C1K, the others might have been more acceptable. It's hard to ignore better when it's sitting right in front of you.....
 
Congrat's! The C1K just might be the best deal out there!
 
I've always been a Kamaka Ukulele man, but have always greatly admired the Martin Ukuleles. I've played a few, and they were superb! I own three Martin guitars, but none of their ukes. Being somewhat of a loyalist, I wouldn't buy a guitar that wasn't a Martin. Your new Uke is very pretty. If my wife hadn't brought me that first Kamaka from Honolulu, and if I hadn't gone to the islands myself and toured the Kamaka factory, I'd probably be sitting here with Martins instead of Kamakas. You have a wonderful instrument there. Enjoy it in good health, and play it like you stole it!
 
My C1K is the sole Martin in a room full of Lanakais. What a peach. Fit and finish, fretwork, action, all first rate. I even got to choose the exact axe from online pictures; figured Koa, sweet. I highly recommend this ukulele.
 
Congrats on your C1K!

Petey
 
I know I'm a year late, but I'd like to give you my impression of my Martin C1K. Shortly after I got it, I sent the following to the members of my ukulele club.

I recently spent a bit of time looking for a mid-priced concert or tenor ukulele, with an emphasis on the concert size. And, while I didn’t want to spend a great deal on this uke (about $500), I wanted a very good sounding solid wood Koa uke that will take the wear and tear of jams, camping and traveling. After quite a bit of looking, I decided the Martin 1 series concert (C1K) and tenor (T1K) ukes are exceptional values. I ended up buying a Martin C1K from Elderly (www.elderly.com) and have played it a great deal. Simply put, I would buy it all over again. Great uke! As a step up from a entry level uke and one you can play very nicely for the rest of your uke career, the mid-priced Mexican made concert C1K or tenor T1K are a good buy and definite keepers. So, if you are looking for a very good mid-priced concert or tenor uke, this info may help you.

I have a number of ukes that cost 2 or 3 times as much as the Martin C1K, including a Martin T2K. They are tremendous ukes, but dollar for dollar, I am truly impressed with the C1K.
 
Thanks for your impression of the C1K. I like my Kamaka soprano (koa), and I think a C1K would make a fine addition to my small collection of ukes. One of these days I'll find one I like, probably hanging on the wall at Willies or maybe in the UU Classifieds. Hopefully I'll get to hear your C1K at one of the local jams - we attend the StrumMN jam when we can, but a free Monday may find us at Tony's TCUkeClub BUG jam. The BUZZ jam looks really interesting too.
 
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