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A bit surprised that Tim Laughlin hasn’t been mentioned, although Laughlins aren’t typically cheap. I’ve heard they are among the best Martin clones.

Also there’s a brand called Luna (NOT to be...

Martin’s HPL instruments (ukes and guitars) do have heavy necks because the necks are “stratabond” laminate affairs with lots of wood layers compressed together. However, the HPL bodies are also...

Just to chime in, Pepe Romero Jr. makes handmade, tenor-scale ukuleles, I believe in San Diego, that go for about $2-3K. Maybe more for custom orders which have about a year wait. My understanding is...

Agreed. 78910

I think that’s correct. But they do have premium guitars that they literally distress by putting actual wear on the wood to “age” them, which seems a little crazy to me, but maybe they sell well.

...

Going against the majority here, I like the distressed look of Martin’s Streetmasters. I like the vintage look without the vintage cost and potential issues of an older instrument. I guess it’s like...

What’s the uke that did it for you?

I have to agree that high quality and painted don’t usually go together. The only thing that comes to mind is some of Pop’s Pineapple Sunday ukes which have painted art on them. Sometimes Uke Like...

I wish I had something helpful for you, but I just have a question. Owning a koa KoAloha and having tried the KoAlana, how would you say they compare? That is, are there any similarities at all? I...

Fair enough. I’m not trying to step on anyone’s toes, and as a stranger on the internet, my opinion shouldn’t be taken too seriously. That said, the comparison to the U.S. seems a little apples and...

“Self inflicted wound” might be one of the best descriptions of Brexit I’ve heard.

Agreed. Like any forum, there are folks who are helpful, folks who are not, folks who are friendly, folks who are not. I would note, however, that this forum seems to have very little moderation,...

I came across #1 online somewhere (maybe instagram), I think before it was shipped from the builder. I’m not a fan of some of Oulcraft’s aesthetic choices, including the little silver feathers they...

Mango has quite a bit of variety in its appearance, and it seems surprising to dislike all of it. I don't like every mango grain pattern--there's some that I do and some that I don't. I even like...

Thanks for this! Like many others, I liked C best by a small margin, although I thought it was Kamaka. Actually, I wasn't sure if B or C was the Kamaka. I have to disagree with clear about the...

Campanella can be done with linear tuning. But re-entrant does lend itself more to that style.

I tend to favor low G, but that disposition probably comes from having a guitar background. For...

Yeah, that's pretty exciting. I think Rebels are a bit underrated and closer to KoAlohas than Opios, but I don't want to hype it up too much for ya. I have to say, the 80s/90s graphics on their cases...

I'm sure his books are slightly cheaper than his guitars. Man, I wonder what a Somogyi ukulele would sound like. And how much it would cost.

Actually, I was surprised to find Jerry had company in the recent “how many ukes” survey. Three other UU members also have more than 50 ukes. I wonder if any of them come close to Jerry’s actually...

I’m not a fan of Romero’s headstock. It was designed to reduce the overall length of the ukulele on the pineapple shapes, but for some reason it’s used on the figure 8 shapes as well. Aside from the...

As with most things, there’s a trade-off. Radiused and narrower fretboards lend themselves to barring, but are less accessible for fingerpicking than wide, flat fretboards. Since fingerpicking is the...

Is a bezel like the armrest bevel? Or are you talking about a different feature? Is it an actual cushion? Interesting. I've never heard of this.


My two cents: I've got a guitar with an...

Yes you can use friction tuners on a tenor. Just a word of caution, unless your geared tuners are planetary, there will be extra screw holes to fill in at the back of headstock when you take out the...

I have Kamaka strings on my Kamaka concert. I tend to keep stock strings on ukes for a while, even if I know I'll prefer other ones, just because I want to get a feel for what the builder intended...

I can relate, although I seem to have different preferences to you. Aesthetically, headstocks and bridges can be dealbreakers for me. The Rebels' headstock shape isn't my favorite: not terrible, but...