Martin C1K Review - Quality Control Problems

The only small independent dealer I know of here in northern California that carries Martin ukes is Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto (a great store for acoustic guitars). But they carry the full line of Martin acoustic guitars - it's a virtual Martin paradise. The Martin ukes I've looked at there were, in my opinion, nothing special. The MIM (Made In Mexico) ones were just average in fit and finish. Then there is a huge premium for the USA-made. There was nothing wrong with the playability or tone of any of them. From my experience in the guitar world, there are those that just must have a Martin, and those like me who wouldn't touch one. You pay your money and you take your chances.

The big box stores run on volume, and returns are just figured into the business model. They are profitable and are not going to change their practices.

My best experience has been with Hawaii Music Supply. If I lived in HI, like Alohakine, I'd go see them in person and choose the exact uke I wanted. And as others have pointed out, they don't carry Martin.
 
Martin requires dealers to buy all kinds of none instrument items not only the guitars/ukes so you have to do as they want or you can not sell the intruments...not sure why they make this rule?

Andrew at Hawaii Music Supply sends back many many ukes(even expensive ones) as their normal setups are done on all the ukes they send out so if a company sends ukes that require more than normal amount of work on it they get rejected or he stops carrying the brand all together...

another strange thread from Alohakine....at the end he is capping on a uke/company/dealer as usual...:) IMO but since he has Martin's ear maybe they will change.....
 
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Booli, sorry to hear, and I did talk to an exec level staff member about suggestions, and to be honest, it's all good, I'm not mad or anything, hope no one reading the post was thinking this.

SamAsh has been great to be honest, all the staff I have spoken to on the phone really helpful, and I just scored a killer deal this time on a Kala Elite Concert, which I hope is going to be good, I can't imagine a bad Kala out of California, seeing all the Chinese ones I've seen in the past that were really nice.

It's just because I've gotten such amazing deals from SamAsh is why I purchased from them.


Threads like these are pretty confusing, especially for readers who happen to stumble upon them via search engine looking for impartial reviews on what and where to buy. Wasn't the original post more like "what a great uke", and "what a great deal"? And now it's a total 180? To be honest, I was sceptical about both endorsements, so I'm not surprised about the flip-flop. Don't you wonder why most stores dedicated to the ukulele don't have Martin in their lineup?

Sorry, I did say in the post that I was excited and not paying attention to the Ukes when I did the original post and I did mention all this in the original post, so I thought I made all that clear for everyone to understand it was a mistake on my part....

Martin has a name, and history I'm not going to deny, hopefully it was just a rare thing that happened.

Choirguy I did edit the post over, but I didn't make it in bold, the title of the post was changed, so I assumed others would read and see the changes, but I went back and made the top bold.

By the way SamAsh didn't have a big order from Martin when I placed my order, they told me it was just a small order they placed from Martin.

It would be interesting to ask the other dealers why they don't carry Martin, if it's because they have to buy their guitars too, especially someone as big as the Ukulele Site in Hawaii, when they have carried a lot of brands over the years.
 
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another strange thread from Alohakine....

Hawaii 50, may I ask you to stop using the above line when commenting on Alohakine's posts? This is not the first time I have seen this and it is a borderline violation of rule #1.
 
SamAsh is a big, box chain, I guess you could say company, according to Wikipedia 45 locations across the USA;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Ash

SamAsh says they don't open the boxes and inspect, they want it to be closed, as in not a broken seal for the customer, and I get the idea/thinking behind something like this. But I did explain that if they didn't inspect instruments, then you can run into problems like this.

I personally think the Store Inspection and setup aspects of a business are a really good selling point, and something players like, knowing that professionals, cleaned/prepped, inspected and setup their Ukes, this is a good thing, and I tried to encourage SamAsh to looking into this.

Of course these things happen with other makers, and they should not of left the factory, the thing is, Martin and companies like them, that have these issues, the truth is, this is a Quality Control issue, the company themselves not addressing these problems and allowing these out the door, which should not be happening in the first place.

Specialist dealer or not, the stores aren't to blame, the makers are, and they need to improve their Quality Control, and for Martin, it should be better. But even if things slip through, I agree, it's nice to buy from places that inspect, and if there's a problem it's dealt with before.

I won't name names, but I think, or I assume, everyone gets the idea here. I expect something like this, from the smaller Chinese makers, I didn't expect to see this, twice in a row from Martin.

As far as protruding fret ends goes - I am responding way after the fact, but I believe the following is totally relevant. I strongly disagree that Martin is at fault, at least with your statement on the frets, "Both Ukes frets were not properly dressed, frets are sharp on both sides of the necks, not fun to play on either neck." In fact, in most cases of fret dressing, the dealer is at fault.

Here is a recent review I posted on Amazon about a Martin S1 I purchased.

A Great Uke and A Message About Humidifying Your Ukulele
January 30, 2019

I recently bought a new Martin S1 from a local music store. The frets were sticking out badly and had very sharp ends. I got a great deal on the ukulele because of this (basically dealer cost). An extremely common reason for sharp protruding frets is an instrument that has gotten dried out. The owner/seller has not humidified it adequately. This is NOT Martin's fault. As wood dries, it does a few things. It shrinks, it cracks and the action can get high or low. Luckily, my Martin S1 was not cracked, and the action was fine. I put the ukulele in a good Protec Max case, put an Oasis humidifier in the sound hole, 2 Oasis humidifiers by the headstock and one by the heel of the ukulele. Within two days, the frets were protruding FAR less. I then brought it to a good luthier and had the frets dressed (about $40). As it is very cold where I live, our forced air heat runs virtually all the time, and the relative humidity in our house is very low. I keep the S1 in a Protec Max case, an Oasis humidifier in the sound hole and by the headstock. I have a number of very good ukuleles, and this Martin S1 is a favorite. Plays and sounds great. Amazon sells very good humidifiers for ukes - the Oasis OH-18 and the Music Nomad MN302 Humilele Ukulele Humidifier are my favorites. Use only distilled water in them for best results. The Martin S1 is a great ukulele for the price.
 
I disagree with the perspective of the negative review

You got some rough fret ends and don’t like the wood figuring. These are all bargain priced solid koa instruments. They are satin finished and not heavily marketed for having beautiful wood figuring with glossy finish. A lot of laminates are made to look beautiful and sell on their looks. I find these Martins are made to sound beautiful and sell on their looks. I frankly find all this noise about the wood grain and finishing kind of funny. Sharp fret ends shouldn’t be happening, but if you didn’t try hydrating the instrument to see if that resolved it then that is a rooky mistake. Maybe you are not a rooky, but it is a mistake nonetheless.

I owned a C1K and it’s sound rivaled my Koaloha and Kanilea and Pro Classics. I also played several solid Martin 1 models in a store. They were all impressive. If you want specific wood grains in a product like this I think you will need to cherry pick. It is a thinner neck profile, that is something some prefer and others dislike. I hate to say this, but this negative review by the OP is a lot of noise to me.

I consider the C1K or T1K to be a good step up to a quality sold wood SOUND from starter laminates. I find you will have to spend hundreds more to achieve this sound quality in other brands. It may need some setup, and you may need to throw one back. If you don’t like what it is, buy something else. But if you understand what it is, it may be the right uke for many people. To make it something the OP would want, I think Martin would have to raise the price.

Best to all who read this.


Hello,

I want to make this very clear from the beginning, so people do not misunderstand me or the purpose of this review, which is not to tear anyone, or any company down, but to only share the facts with my experience of two C1K purchases, one week a part from each other.

I purchased two Martin C1K online from SamAsh, they seem to be a very nice company that really goes out of their way to help you and offers deals, so this is the reason I picked them.

It would be great, for the benefit of the other members that have never owned a C1K, that if anyone has recently made a purchase to please share your experience. I truly hope that I have just had the bad misfortune that others will not experience, that this is just a rare occasion, and others are getting nice instruments for their money.

Below are the points I have noticed between my two Ukes.

1. Martin has a good Koa wood supplier I found out about, but at times isn't working with the wood good, doing good finish work, sometimes rougher feeling bodies, and sometimes bad lacquer finishes with little to no sheen in the wood. My dark wood Uke had no sheen to the wood, and the texture was rougher to the feel, really dry looking. My lighter colored Uke had a nice satin feel and nice sheen to the body, this is exactly the way it should be, not like my dark Uke, no sheen, dry and rough textured.

2.The weight of the Ukes is not consistent, the darker Koa Uke is heavier, with more weight along the neck and head.

3. Both Ukes frets were not properly dressed, frets are sharp on both sides of the necks, not fun to play on either neck.

4. Small cosmetic flaw, one Uke had Sipo placed as the headstock Plate instead of Koa. Koa is what Martin lists as the wood to be used for the headstock.

5. Fretboard on one Uke was a bad cut of wood, the very spotted look that Sipo can have, instead of a nice cut with nice grains as it should of been, that was also very dry, and without any nice finish to it. I've seen better looking fretboards on $100 Chinese made Ukes.

6. Not saying this is a good or bad thing, I just didn't find the necks on the C1K comfortable. The C1K were actually the first Ukes I've ever played that had a thin radius to them. All the Ukes I've ever played had a thicker more comfortable radius to the hand. Maybe this is common among Martin, I'm not sure, since this is the first time I've tried the C1K.

I have seen a lot of Ukes made by Ohana and Kala at half the price of the C1K finished better.

We all understand mistakes are made, but are these types of mistakes acceptable, and it makes me wonder, maybe Martin needs to be held to a higher standard, because when I get two Ukes in a row with problems, which is suppose to be superior quality, I'm sorry, I'm not seeing this Martin quality. I don't expect to see these types of mistakes from Martin at this price, I expect to see this on lower priced Chinese made Ukes, By the way superior quality is what Martin says on their website about these Ukes, these are not my words.

The pictures below...

...........[Dionysis,had to cut some of the initial review as my post was too long, but it is up there at the spot #1 if you have time to read it all over again.]
...............

I understand companies now have to deal with the Rosewood shortage, and work with other woods, but honestly, this is the best Martin can do, give us a pink/clay color neck and fretboard? Martin truly needs to find a different type of wood to use here, and there are a lot of them out there. With their Koa wood supplier, they should even be able to make the fretboard from Koa and stick with mahogany for the neck, I don't understand why I am seeing a Sipo neck instead of mahogany...

2. Next is the Sipo head plate, notice the spotty look of the wood in the first image? That's Sipo, and the second image is the Koa head plate. Now this is just cosmetics, and maybe some people might like the Sipo look, but Martin lists on their website that it has a Koa head stock, so I would think they could get this right and not make mistakes like this. I personally like the look of the Koa and everyone who knows these woods knows Koa is the winner here in cosmetics. Look at the Koa head stock image, it is a much nicer sheen too, but it's not that noticeable in the picture.

Scroll down to the #4th reply for more images.

I sent both of these Ukes back, I do not recommend anyone buy any of the Mexico Martin Ukes unless you can see them in a store, there is just to much inconsistency with these Ukes, as well as finish issues, improperly finished Ukes.
 
My longtime experience with the C.F.Martin Company in response to your experience.

I just stared perusing the UU site recently and I am happy to see an honest review. I grew up about an hour away from the C.F. Martin factory in PA and have lived in Montgomery County the next county over most of the last 60 years. I own two guitars one I had built at the Custom Shop in 2011 and one “off the rack” both purchased new. I must admit the Custom Shop order was quite expensive however the fit and finish is superb. The “off the rack” purchase I made in person from a reputable Martin dealer I noticed small things like a tiny finish flaw and a very slightly off color position dot but other than that the “off the rack” OM-21 Vintage shaded top became my go to guitar and now it’s broken in and I love playing it. I own a 1960 Baritone Martin uke which is a family instrument and I bought a 1950’s Martin Concert C1 ukulele second hand that had some minor issues in terms of cosmetics but I love the way it feels and plays.
I have no familiarity with Martin’s plant in Mexico and I am not certain exactly which models are made there but many of the ukulele line is not coming from Nazareth. I know in order to compete with China , Martin opened up a factory in Mexico I have never been there so I can not defend what I do not know but as a Martin owner for many many years I have had no issues with Martin instruments.
When the bridge started to lift on my father’s 1948 000-17 …50 years after he bought the guitar I brought it to Martin and as he was still living at the time, I gave them my driver’s license and they repaired the bridge free. It did take several months but it came back looking like new. When I wanted to have them build me a new guitar my father had passed away so I sold the OOO-17 to help fund a new guitar and I wanted a prewar style 30’s slotted 12 fret 00 size guitar. I made Great wood choices but no frills in terms of decoration normal binding an Engelmann spruce top shaded sunburst an ebony fretboard with no position dots on board only side Markers. The guitar arrived after about a year and was flawless. My jaw dropped at how perfect it was. My guess is that Martin mass produces regular instruments in their line and depending on which place they are made the fit and finish is likely not the same. The bottom line is that the quality comes at a price. The reason I have chosen to buy used older ukuleles is because I just feel I am getting more bang for the buck and my first interest is in the way they sound I don’t mind some cosmetic flaws I am most interested in playing so the value is not as important. I am a guitarist first and ukulele is a later edition if there had not been one lying around the house I might not have found interest. I was fortunate to grow up in a musical household. My advIce has always been investigate investigate investigate AND don’t settle for something new when you can find something second hand that just feels right. The only instruments I ever bought new were the two Martin guitars. (I did buy my niece an inexpensive ukulele) I have tried numerous new guitars out and numerous ukuleles But already having a small herd of instruments I just haven’t resonated with making another new purchase. I like reviews as it gives me insight as what to expect. I am sorry for your experience. You might take a trip to the Martin museum if you are ever in the area. They are certainly a reputable company and you might take the tour of their workshop.
If what you are reporting is instruments made at the Mexican plant, I would investigate the ones being produced at the Martin factory in Nazareth. The instruments I own are backed by a lifetime guarantee and I feel comfortable if I have any issues Martin will take care of them. I realize the instruments made in the PA shop are expensive and out of most budgets. It took me a year to save up for my “off the rack” OM 21 Vintage shaded top
($1800) and I see they are much more now. I knew that is the guitar I wanted I am not a fan of larger bodied guitars and I love that prewar feel. I also prefer looking outside big box stores. They buy in large groups and I think that when things are made in batches the fit and finish suffers as does the attention to detail. I grew up being close friends with an incredible luthier John Zeidler. John was a Perfectionist he. Built incredible guitars mandolins and a few other instruments. He was one man. not a team building a group of instruments. He paid incredible attention to detail. It is different when a large group of the same instrument is made in batches. I also have a friend who lives in Hawaii and he talked me into buying a Kamaka Soprano ukulele second hand. He explained that the Koa is dried for four years before they use it for making an instrument. He also explained that in China many of the Koa instruments are heat dried in a short period of time and not seasoned. So his fear is the instruments may look good but the sound will not sufficiently get better over time where as the Kamaka instruments will become even more resonant in time. I liked that idea researched what was available and purchased an older standard (Soprano) it had a fine crack that was minor which I put on my bench and carefully sealed saving me $800 over the cost of a new instrument (I paid $300 for my ukulele ) I am happy with it and it has become my Soprano and now I am here at UU because Everyone knows something about these instruments
and graciously share their experience and knowledge. I think you should return the ukuleles if you already haven’t and do what I learned investigate investigate investigate and hopefully you will find the right fit and the right instrument.
 
My longtime experience with the C.F.Martin Company in response to your experience.

I just stared perusing the UU site recently and I am happy to see an honest review. I grew up about an hour away from the C.F. Martin factory in PA and have lived in Montgomery County the next county over most of the last 60 years. I own two guitars one I had built at the Custom Shop in 2011 and one “off the rack” both purchased new. I must admit the Custom Shop order was quite expensive however the fit and finish is superb. The “off the rack” purchase I made in person from a reputable Martin dealer I noticed small things like a tiny finish flaw and a very slightly off color position dot but other than that the “off the rack” OM-21 Vintage shaded top became my go to guitar and now it’s broken in and I love playing it. I own a 1960 Baritone Martin uke which is a family instrument and I bought a 1950’s Martin Concert C1 ukulele second hand that had some minor issues in terms of cosmetics but I love the way it feels and plays.
I have no familiarity with Martin’s plant in Mexico and I am not certain exactly which models are made there but many of the ukulele line is not coming from Nazareth. I know in order to compete with China , Martin opened up a factory in Mexico I have never been there so I can not defend what I do not know but as a Martin owner for many many years I have had no issues with Martin instruments.
When the bridge started to lift on my father’s 1948 000-17 …50 years after he bought the guitar I brought it to Martin and as he was still living at the time, I gave them my driver’s license and they repaired the bridge free. It did take several months but it came back looking like new. When I wanted to have them build me a new guitar my father had passed away so I sold the OOO-17 to help fund a new guitar and I wanted a prewar style 30’s slotted 12 fret 00 size guitar. I made Great wood choices but no frills in terms of decoration normal binding an Engelmann spruce top shaded sunburst an ebony fretboard with no position dots on board only side Markers. The guitar arrived after about a year and was flawless. My jaw dropped at how perfect it was. My guess is that Martin mass produces regular instruments in their line and depending on which place they are made the fit and finish is likely not the same. The bottom line is that the quality comes at a price. The reason I have chosen to buy used older ukuleles is because I just feel I am getting more bang for the buck and my first interest is in the way they sound I don’t mind some cosmetic flaws I am most interested in playing so the value is not as important. I am a guitarist first and ukulele is a later edition if there had not been one lying around the house I might not have found interest. I was fortunate to grow up in a musical household. My advIce has always been investigate investigate investigate AND don’t settle for something new when you can find something second hand that just feels right. The only instruments I ever bought new were the two Martin guitars. (I did buy my niece an inexpensive ukulele) I have tried numerous new guitars out and numerous ukuleles But already having a small herd of instruments I just haven’t resonated with making another new purchase. I like reviews as it gives me insight as what to expect. I am sorry for your experience. You might take a trip to the Martin museum if you are ever in the area. They are certainly a reputable company and you might take the tour of their workshop.
If what you are reporting is instruments made at the Mexican plant, I would investigate the ones being produced at the Martin factory in Nazareth. The instruments I own are backed by a lifetime guarantee and I feel comfortable if I have any issues Martin will take care of them. I realize the instruments made in the PA shop are expensive and out of most budgets. It took me a year to save up for my “off the rack” OM 21 Vintage shaded top
($1800) and I see they are much more now. I knew that is the guitar I wanted I am not a fan of larger bodied guitars and I love that prewar feel. I also prefer looking outside big box stores. They buy in large groups and I think that when things are made in batches the fit and finish suffers as does the attention to detail. I grew up being close friends with an incredible luthier John Zeidler. John was a Perfectionist he. Built incredible guitars mandolins and a few other instruments. He was one man. not a team building a group of instruments. He paid incredible attention to detail. It is different when a large group of the same instrument is made in batches. I also have a friend who lives in Hawaii and he talked me into buying a Kamaka Soprano ukulele second hand. He explained that the Koa is dried for four years before they use it for making an instrument. He also explained that in China many of the Koa instruments are heat dried in a short period of time and not seasoned. So his fear is the instruments may look good but the sound will not sufficiently get better over time where as the Kamaka instruments will become even more resonant in time. I liked that idea researched what was available and purchased an older standard (Soprano) it had a fine crack that was minor which I put on my bench and carefully sealed saving me $800 over the cost of a new instrument (I paid $300 for my ukulele ) I am happy with it and it has become my Soprano and now I am here at UU because Everyone knows something about these instruments
and graciously share their experience and knowledge. I think you should return the ukuleles if you already haven’t and do what I learned investigate investigate investigate and hopefully you will find the right fit and the right instrument.
 
Thank you for your insightful thoughts regarding Martin Guitars and Ukulele. I have a Martin D18 and 00015sm. And, I also have Santa Cruz OM-PW, a copy of a Martin OM-21. Cosmetically, the Cruz is flawless, and the sound is Second to nome. The Cruz Is a custom build. On the other hand, my D18 and 00015sm are production models and cost less. Cosmetically, they are not perfect. However, where it counts, the tone, the intonation is spectacular.

As per Martin Ukuleles from Mexico, some may be ugly as sin, but they have a voice like angels. I’ve never played a bad Mexican Tenor, Concert, or Soprano that was not at least equal in quality and sound to any of the Hawaiian brands.

I recently compared my Collings UT1 with A Martin TK1 which was made in Mexico. Sound wise and playability, the Martin was just as good, if not a little sweeter to my ears. I paid $900 new in 2013 for my Collings. I hate to think what I would have pay for one now if I could find one.

Thanks for your comments. Your analysis is spot on.

Tom

p.s. There is a reason that Martin Guitar company and Kamaka are still family owned after over 100 years.
 
Just wanted to chime in that I have acquired a C1K not too long ago and I like it very much. It looks good to my eyes (sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder) and plays and sounds nice to my hands and ears. It is a keeper for me.
 
Just wanted to chime in that I have acquired a C1K not too long ago and I like it very much. It looks good to my eyes (sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder) and plays and sounds nice to my hands and ears. It is a keeper for me.
I’ve had a similar experience with my C1K. The koa isn’t spectacular, but the overall build is great. It plays and sounds delightful. I keep it in a humidified case when the heat is running, because I don’t want to taunt the fret sprout monster.
 
I’ve had 3 Martin ‘ukulele. A T2K that I still have, a T1K, and a C1K. Both of the Mexican built Martins were fine instruments. The sound was good, intonation fine. I gifted one to a family member. I gifted the other to a church musician who was happy to receive it. Since I could compare the tenors side by side. There was very little difference in tone. The T1 was a bit louder.

The finish and trim of the C1K and T1K are not the same as the upgrade instrumeant. The Koa wood is for sure low end. But if you want a deal they worth every penny.
 
I have a Martin C1K and have tried a Martin 2K concert at my local music store. The 2K definitely has a crisper and more resonant sound and responds more quickly/easily to my strumming and fingerpicking. The 2K retails for $1700, which is more than 3 times as much as the C1K. Maybe some of the price difference goes to paying for an American standard of living, but a lot of it must also go to better trained workers and a more precise and time consuming manufacturing process. You get what you pay for.

I don't know about "low end koa". The wood looks fine to me, similar to what I see on the standard grade models from Kamaka, Kanilea, or Koaloha (except without the gloss finish).
 
I’m really good with my vintage Martin tenor. Picked up a ck1 to have a concert choice. Liked the feel. Played very similar to my tenor. Never got to like the sound. Just kinda thin, not much body to it. My Kamaka soprano has a much bigger sound. Sold it…….
 
I have a 2013 Martin T1K koa and a 2018 1T IZ quilted mahogany tenors.

The dimensions of the two are pretty much identical. From what I can see of the bracing, It too seems the same. Right now I have Martin 620 High-g fluorocarbon strings on both.

I think the T1K made in Mexico tenor is a very good, nice sounding instrument. The fit is excellent. The koa wood is straight grained with a couple of matching knot holes in the wood. Not bottom of the barrel, but not high grade koa. The lower end open-geared Grover tuners could be better. For an under $500 tenor it's an excellent choice.

My 1T IZ retail today costs almost 4X what the T1K does. It is very well made as well. The quilted mahogany body is lovely. It came with PegHed UPT tuners. Which I had replaced with Gotoh black UPTL tuners. The PegHed s were very good tuners, I just prefer the less fiddly Gotohs. The sound is just better. It's bigger, with better balance, projection and sustain. Perhaps not $1200 better, but significantly better. Both feature Tusq compensated saddles.

Weirdly, the rosewood bridge on the T1K is MUCH better than the terrible rosewood bridge on the 1T IZ. The unfinished wood on the 1T has a very loose grain. It's very rough. And the strings had already made deep indents on the tie bar when I got it. And it came directly from the Nazareth factory to the Martin guitar store.

I will say that I hate the matte finish that Martin uses on its ukes. It absolutely kills the beauty of the wood and produces a scratchy sound when your hand or clothes rub on it. I don't mind a smooth satin finish, but both of these have matte with a lot of tooth that produces the scratchy sound.

If the contemporary made in Mexico Martin ukes are made to the same level of quality as the 2013 koa uke, then they are a lot of bang for the buck. I wish I had one when I first started learning to play.
 
Just to mention that this original thread was create about 5 yrs ago.

Most of the people originally involved are likely no longer active here on the forum.

So now it may seem like shouting into the wind, if expecting replies from them.

Otherwise, for those talking here now, carry on...
 
I have a 2013 Martin T1K koa and a 2018 1T IZ quilted mahogany tenors.

The dimensions of the two are pretty much identical. From what I can see of the bracing, It too seems the same. Right now I have Martin 620 High-g fluorocarbon strings on both.

I think the T1K made in Mexico tenor is a very good, nice sounding instrument. The fit is excellent. The koa wood is straight grained with a couple of matching knot holes in the wood. Not bottom of the barrel, but not high grade koa. The lower end open-geared Grover tuners could be better. For an under $500 tenor it's an excellent choice.

My 1T IZ retail today costs almost 4X what the T1K does. It is very well made as well. The quilted mahogany body is lovely. It came with PegHed UPT tuners. Which I had replaced with Gotoh black UPTL tuners. The PegHed s were very good tuners, I just prefer the less fiddly Gotohs. The sound is just better. It's bigger, with better balance, projection and sustain. Perhaps not $1200 better, but significantly better. Both feature Tusq compensated saddles.

Weirdly, the rosewood bridge on the T1K is MUCH better than the terrible rosewood bridge on the 1T IZ. The unfinished wood on the 1T has a very loose grain. It's very rough. And the strings had already made deep indents on the tie bar when I got it. And it came directly from the Nazareth factory to the Martin guitar store.

I will say that I hate the matte finish that Martin uses on its ukes. It absolutely kills the beauty of the wood and produces a scratchy sound when your hand or clothes rub on it. I don't mind a smooth satin finish, but both of these have matte with a lot of tooth that produces the scratchy sound.

If the contemporary made in Mexico Martin ukes are made to the same level of quality as the 2013 koa uke, then they are a lot of bang for the buck. I wish I had one when I first started learning to play.
I wonder how much of the difference between the two is down to one being koa and the other mahogany? We will never know, unless they make a mahogany uke in Mexico. 😕 I think the Iz version is more attractive, clearly.
 
I wonder how much of the difference between the two is down to one being koa and the other mahogany? We will never know, unless they make a mahogany uke in Mexico. 😕 I think the Iz version is more attractive, clearly.
Yes, much of the difference is the woods used. The koa definitely has a warmer sound than the mahogany. It's plenty loud, but the 1T has more projection and sustain. It also has a little more in the low end.
 
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