Cheapest Uke You've Bought That...

DiscGolfGuy

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...you did not regret buying?

Many people here have given me great advice on buying my first ukulele (once I find the funds; probably a concert). But as I'm waiting until that happens I keep getting emails about ukes on sale incredibly cheap (the latest a $29 Mitchell MU40 Soprano, shipped).

Just interested in hearing about any ukuleles you've gotten on the cheap (or maybe you don't have any) that you were satisfied with.

DGGuy
 
I've replied to your previous posts the same way: Enya solid mahogany top for around $70 on Amazon. It is comparable to Kala and others costing much more. And I have ukes costing much, much more. But the Enya is still enjoyable to play, once you've put on better strings. I keep mine by my desk and I don't have to worry that the dog knocks it over.
 
Enya solid mahogany top for around $70 on Amazon. But the Enya is still enjoyable to play, once you've put on better strings. I keep mine by my desk and I don't have to worry that the dog knocks it over.

That's awesome to hear!

$54.99 for Enya solid mahogany top now https://www.amazon.com/KUC25D-Concert-Mahogany-Ukulele-Beginner/dp/B06WVN4F8W/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1530127776&sr=8-2-fkmr0&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=enya+solid+monagony+ukulele

DGGuy
 
We bought a bunch of different Enya that were priced from $19-29 on three different occasions.
XLP camp soprano, multiple concert and tenors that were either solid top mahogany or sepele plywood.
Most were very good once the strings were changed. Most went to friends or relatives as gifts. None needed set up work.

I've bought several Donner sopranos for about $50. I like the Donners a lot, but they needed some work to lower the nut and or bridge.
And they needed better strings.

All of the above were from Amazon with free shipping, free soft case, straps, and tuners.
I check every now and then but haven't seen those fire sale prices in a while.
When I did see great prices, I would post a thread on this forum.
 
My first uke was a Makala concert package from Austin Bazaar and at the time it was $64.00 for uke, gig bag, microfiber cloth, Eno T-33 tuner, and a spare set of strings, shipping included. I played it for more than a year before I upgraded. I've always liked it and still play it often. It actually lives at our condo in PR and if I'm just going down for a couple of weeks I won't even drag something else down. The Makala is fine enough. The action was just fine out of the box.
 

The Enya solid mahogany top has been as low as $41 in the past. If time is on your side, see if the price falls a little bit when Amazon restocks it.

I have the Enya KUC20 Concert Sapele Ukulele and for what I paid for the uke, case, tuner, etc. (way less than listed now), I have no regrets. It's more delicate than an outdoor ukulele, but much lower maintenance than the solid KALAs I own.
 
not that it's information anyone will find useful - but my first ukulele was also the cheapest I've ever bought and did not regret having done so. A now defunct brand "Kolohe" which might never even had sold many ukes at all... mine might even be the only one for all I know. It was a brand name being used by Music Guy Mike for a line he was sourcing from Idonesia in 2005 that I bought on ebay. Mine is marked "1/1 prototype" and is an all solid mahogany concert. Out of the 6 ukes I now own and the 3 others I've sold off, it's still my favorite ... it cost me about $110 back then. It has a beautiful voice... seriously.
 
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I found a concert on Amazon for $18 shipped - slight ding but fixed real fast and gave to a beginner. I bought an Enya concert for a friend for not much more. They are out there
 
I want to write about my first ukulele: a Kala KA-15S. It was about $45.00 at the time I bought it from musicguymic. It had a decal rosette that I played right off the top. It was wonderful then, and many ukuleles and ten years later, when I pick it up and strum it, I smile. I paid less for ukuleles I don't regret buying, but this one got me started. I purchased ukuleles and gave them away to others who wanted to learn to play. I thought occasionally about passing the Kala along, but I just can't bring myself to do it.
 
I've not been so frugal. I was naive and bought a used Hilo bari for $40, and thought it was awful, so I gave it to a friend who had lost his bari. Since I didn't learn to play anything on it, I guess that didn't count.
Then I bought a Cordoba at Sam Ash Music for $100. I should have kept it, I sold it for $50 to a friend and he still plays it.

I don't know if this counts, cause I really didn't buy them, but gentleman who was almost a stranger gave me 2 ukes, a Harmony Bari (I later sold it) and a Kamaka 8 string tenor, which I gave my wife. Cost - $0.00
 
I am still very happy with my Makal Dolhpin which cost about € 35 a few years ago.
Perfect as a beater uke.
 
I got an Enya concert from Amazon during one of their brief sales. It cost $18.21, delivered, with all the Enya extras. Very nice uke. I also got an Enya tenor for $50.55. I converted that into a resonator. Both still look and sound good. I'm attaching a picture of the support pieces under the top of the tenor. Notice how they kept a space between the internal bracing and the backing piece for the bridge.

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Years ago I bought an Oscar Schmidt OU-2 for $59. I still have it...…………….solid mahogany with a bound fretboard. They still sell in the $60 + range
 
New Kala ka-acp-ctg solid cedar top acacia lam back and sides slothead concert $50.50 shipped. Street price at the time was about $250. Found this on NewEgg shipped from Zorrosounds three years ago.
 
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The absolute cheapest I bought, & kept for a while, was a Brunswick plastic concert, but I never really liked it.

The least expensive uke I bought that I liked was a Makala pineapple soprano, it was loud, but I just don't get on with the size.

The cheapest that I still have & like is my Kala KA-SLNG, a long neck soprano.
 
Cheapest I bought and didnt regret was my Flight TUS50 Travel ukulele. Nice little thing, plays well and very durable.
 
Cheapest I bought and didnt regret was my Flight TUS50 Travel ukulele. Nice little thing, plays well and very durable.

Yes, this is a nice uke for the 49€. I would imagine with normal play the plastic frets would last a long time and them being the only ones subject to wear.
 
Do they still make Johnson ukes? That was my first (I think $40) and it's still my favorite. Great intonation and it holds its tune for what seems like weeks, even though it's got friction tuners!
 
Like many others, the cheapest ukulele I have purchased that I did not regret buying was my Enya EUR-X1 round soprano ukulele last year, when for some unknown reason, they were $29. Thankfully we had some money in our choir booster account at the time, and I bought 13 others for our school so they could be checked out in the library (they came with a great bag and some accessories of differing values).

A few weeks about I bought a Sawtooth Pineapple Soprano Ukulele for less than $19 after taxes...but it needed some work and I replaced the tuners. If you could my time and the cost of the tuners (thank you, Ian!), I have more than $29 into that ukulele to make it playable.

On the flip side of the coin, the ukulele I have spent the most on (and kept) and have no regrets is my KoAloha Opio Sapele Tenor. I paid just over $500 for it new (B stock with spider cracks in the finish) with a case, and it has been the most wonderful instrument. If I ever see Sapele Opio Concerts or Sopranos up for sale here on UU (and priced right), I'll put in an offer...I think the sapele gave KoAloha some finish problems--but does it ever sound good in the KoAloha configuration.
 
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