Help! Can't decide which model to buy! Makala MK-T Vs. Beaver Creeke BCUKE-T.

ukenoob7

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Hey guys! Newbie Uke prospect here haha! I cannot decide between the Makala MK-T or rhe Beaver Creeke BCUKE-T. Does anyone know how they sound? They look fairly similar but are out of stock everywhere so I have to order one online. Let me know your thoughts :)
 
I have a Maklala MK-T, which is perfectly adequete, but I would suggest, if you can afford it, to go for the Kala KA-T, it's just that bit nicer in feel & tone, personal opinion, of course. :)

P.S. Buy from someone who does a setup, like Mims or HMS in the US. (Southern Ukulele Store if in the UK.)
 
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I have the KA-T as Keith mentioned above. It was the first uke I bought (at a local music shop, for $119 [same price as Amazon]). That was 4 yrs ago. I still play it at least once a week. It is currently strung and tuned in CGDA fifths tuning.

I also have the Makala MK-B, the baritone version of the MK-T and it was very nice out of the box and I got lucky that it needed no setup. I think it cost me ~$80 with free shipping from Austin Bazaar.

+1 for getting a uke from a dealer that includes a setup for your first uke. Buying off of Amazon, you are getting a uke that comes drop-shipped from the factory, without ANY inspection before you get it.

As a beginner, a uke without a setup can have rough, razor-sharp fret edges, high action at the nut and saddle, and poor intonation, and all of these things will not only make it physically harder to press the strings down and move your hand without getting cuts on your palm, but too high action will also give really bad intonation - and that means that even if the TUNER says you are in tune with the OPEN strings, however, when you FRET the strings, the notes will all be sharp. This means that your playing will sound out of tune, and your ear will never get trained for recognizing the proper pitch when playing.

you can avoid all of this misery by either:

a) buying from the dealers Keith mentioned, in addition to Uke Republic (USA) and Omega Music or Eagle Music Shop (UK) that do a setup for no or little additional cost

or

b) after buying a uke from a seller that does NOT do a setup, take it to a local music shop or luthier and pay extra, sometimes up to $50 for a full and proper setup

I have done setups on my own guitars for 30+ yrs and on a few ukes for the past 4 yrs, but for my money, you are much better off, especially for your first uke, to buy one that is setup already before you get it for a few dollars extra (or free in some situations).
 
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I started out on the Makala MK-C. I still play it often. I've always liked it and I think that you get a lot for your money. If I did have it to do over, I might get the Kala instead, but I don't have any rationalization for that. I guess just because the Makala moniker is synonymous with bottom of the line and for twenty dollars you get the Kala decal on the headstock. I've never even heard of Beaver Creeke.
 
Hi Ukenoob7. Im not sure if I have heard of Beaver Creek either. I also agree that Kala has some great entry-level ukes. Some of the other folks had some great recommendations and getting a setup from where you buy it from has advantages. Depending on where you are, some of the online ukulele shops do a setup with all the ukuleles that they sell (theukulelesite, mims, ukerepublic). Getting the setup is really helpful to get you started off right. Here is a link to Hawaii Music Supply aka the ukuelele site to see how a setup is done.

 
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kala ka-kT

I have a Maklala MK-T, which is perfectly adequete, but I would suggest, if you can afford it, to go for the Kala KA-T, it's just that bit nicer in feel & tone, personal opinion, of course. :)

i wanna get a makala mk-T but the store model i played did not sound very well sound didn't resonate much either could it be that the store model is screwed ?
 
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When my kids were looking to get into ukulele, they both chose sopranos and one got a bottom-rung Kala while the other got a Makala. For the sopranos, they were $5.00 different ($20 different for tenors from Sweetwater) and I always had issues with the Makala’s tuners slipping but I never had this issue with my son’s Kala (or any of my Kalas).

That’s anecdotal, but maybe it helps.
 
It is surprising to hear, but with inexpensive instruments it’s even More important to buy from a reputable dealer who does setups.

I can go to Elderly or Southtown guitars, and the cheapest instrument they have will be setup and will play well. I could order from Mim or Ukulele Site in a heartbeat.

On the other hand, I went to a Big Box and they had exactly ONE “Starter-Grade” uke that was setup playably. They fare better on guitars, but there are still a few that could be used as cheese slicers.
 
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