Kmise Mahogany laminate Baritone : Low cost, great sound

Decided to change my office uke from a tenor to a baritone. My criteria was low cost ( in case it walks away), tolerable of 20%-80% RH, good sound and playability. ...... Found it.

The Kmise Mahogany laminate Baritone (available from Amazon with 85% giving 4/5 stars) was my selection. Bought it never hearing one or seeing one. For $53.99 (w/free shipping) with fairly good rating and reviews, thought it was worth a try.

The construction was nice overall, no construction flaws. Satin finish, bound "rosewood" fretboard and "rosewood" bridge. The upper bout sides near the neck and fretboard would benefit from a light going over with steel wool, to remove a little texture. But, it's not a problem. Decent but very plastic feeling geared tuners that work well.

But the good or great features of this baritone are good factory setup, smooth very playable neck, and excellent intonation. Scale is 20-inch. Neck is 1-3/8” at the nut.

The Aquila strings that came with it seemed to be for re-entrant C (?). But I'm not sure. They weren't a great choice for this baritone; didn't like them. So, they were replaced with Martin M630 (FC baritone strings, wound 3 &4). The tone is warm, clear, loud and resonant. It's not boxy or cheap sounding. Amazing. This sound is better than some baritones costing 10x or more. Have a listen:

Sound sample with Martin strings
https://app.box.com/s/7fmio6u5zli12zqooi4z78l14i3ejz6t

I’m happy with this Kmise baritone as my office uke, the sound and feel really surprised me.
For the price it is a bargain! It’s a nice, cheap baritone.

Doc- I have always appriciated your sound samples.

Wow Hodge, that really sounds nice. Amazing at that price!

Mitch

I don't know how I missed this as I always look for your reviews. Noticed it when you made your recommendaation to dirtestkidever's request for a cheap baritone. This is a great PSA (public service announcement) Hodge as I think more people would try baritone if there was a decent cheap one available.

I got one as well just to try out the size at a cheap price. I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality at that price.

My coworker bought a Kmise soprano for his work locker ukulele, (We will play on night or weekend shift if its quite)
I really liked his so I bought a tenor for myself that has Living Waters dGBE strings, this tenor is amazing.
Another coworker bought a Kmise concert as a gift for a relative, and I was allowed to play it too.
So far, I haven't seen a bad one.
Great instruments for the price, it the cheap ukulele that I recommend to everyone now.