Review- Makala MK-B Baritone Ukulele

https://vicsukuleleblog.com/2018/06/03/review-makala-mk-b-baritone-ukulele/

You can also click the link in my signature to see the review.

Please post an update with the Living Waters strings when they are on!

Chris

Choirguy said:

Please post an update with the Living Waters strings when they are on!

Chris

Click to expand...

Will do- next Sunday.

Whilst not a Baritone player (never tried but I think that the scale would be too big for my short stubby fingers) I do own a Makala Concert and have owned two of their Sopranos. When it comes to basic laminates, that just play well, I think that you can’t go wrong with a Kala / Makala brand instrument - they just work and don’t cost silly money. IMHO the Makala’s are a bit stripped down compared to the Kala’s but an owner can change some of that and apply a bit of tlc too. A bone saddle, set up of the nut and change of strings works wonders and giving the tuners a good look at and oil is time well spent too.

I think that you’ve made an inspired purchase with your Baritone and that with a bit of attention it will be a perfect Uke for everyday use and knocking about outside with, enjoy and thanks for the review.

My first (personal ukulele was a Makala MK-CE, an electric smaller version of the MK-B. The first (ordered as a Christmas present in 2015) had a buzz, and by the time a replacement came, it was well into January in 2016. I also had a number of very inexpensive Mahalo MK1 ukuleles at school to play.

My only complaint about the instrument were the strings...they come with Aquila Super Nylgut. Don’t get me wrong—I love Aquila and what they do, but I’m just not a fan of the feel or sound of Super Nylgut, and that was very true on this ukulele. Laminates can have a bit of a “heavy” sound to them—which is amplified by Super Nylgut strings. I put Martin 600 strings on the MK-CE and it was a completely different instrument. I also (eventually) set up the ukulele for my own use—in hindsight, I should have bought from Mim’s Ukes or Uke Republic which would have matched the price in all but shipping.

I don’t think I’m crazy about my theory about the Super Nylgut strings and this instrument—I installed some DR colored strings on the MK-CE to make some instructional videos (they match the Aquila KIDS strings, which are basically colored Super Nylgut strings) and the instrument is back to sounding not-so-good.

I wish that people would start shipping instruments with Aquila’s Sugar strings (I’ve got these on my Outdoor Tenor and like them just fine) as a lovely compromise—and leave the Super Nylgut as an option for people whose ukuleles need less brightness and more volume (although the Sugars are plenty loud).

So, I’m very intrigued to see how the MK-B will react with Living Water strings (which are all fluorocarbon—the only option, I believe, for such a set on Baritone). I have the Living Waters on my only Baritone—a gambler’s special from eBay a couple of years ago where the instrument was $30 (a company had bought a rejected load of Lanikai ukuleles and resold them). If I were to buy another Baritone, it would probably be the MK-B, as I don’t need an upper level instrument for the amount of time I play Baritone. The truss rod is a nice addition.

I would encourage people to buy one of these from Mim or The Uke Republic, with the strings they want, where set-up is included. Both vendors do sell the entry level ukuleles with set-up.

I do wonder, Vic, if this will start another round of Baritone buying in your life? At one point, you were really Baritone focused, before you became a soprano man.

Also—great to see you got the concert KoAloha back. Could you imagine how loud a KoAloha baritone would be?

Huh, whaddaya know. I've only had experience with Makalas in smaller sizes at Guitar Center and Sam Ash and I was not impressed in the slightest with any of the samples I saw. I have seen quite a few decent Kalas in the same places, so figured I would skip the whole Makala line. Sounds like they've stepped up their game.

I'll be filming a follow up video this week as I have worked on the setup and added the Living Water strings.

Certainly an improvement and the intonation is spot on.

A Koaloha baritone? Yes, please!