Which beginner Uke? Kala vs Luna

I teach 'ukulele classes at a community college on Oahu and see lots of entry level Kala and Luna in these classes. I'd lean towards the Kala in terms of bang for buck and quality. Not a huge difference at this price point but Kala seems to have the edge here. And those Luna laser tattoos are pretty dad burn horrid...
 
Go with a Kala

The Luna I played sounded as good as the burnt artwork looks.

Most Kala ukes are available with inbuilt pickup and preamp.
 
Please elaborate. I have seen some kids perform with Lunas, and I looked at some in stores and was not impressed by the sound, but I'm also not a Kala fan by any means. But at least Kala is the biggest manufacturer of ukes as far as I know, as any uke store I have been to had quite a selection of them hanging around. So they must be doing something right.

Judging by Barry's own reviews, the Lunas seem to have some finishing issues. Sharp frets, poor fretboard in general, poor quality components like tuners, etc., not to mention the uninspiring sound. Unless you really like the looks of the Luna, I would personally steer away. Luna make all sorts of string instruments whereas brands like Kala, Ohana and Lanikai are primarily ukulele manufacturers and are generally a safer bet at that low to mid-range tier. Especially at the lower end, I'd go for Kala every time.
 
Whatever the choice, any stringed instrument mass-produced will be made in a manner that insures the most quantity will get through quality control. From a playability view, that means the strings will be high over the fretboard - and that can disguise things like uneven frets and a bowed neck.

So, if one wants to avoid out-of-the-box problems, it's usually better to deal with a store which individually inspects an instrument prior to shipment rather than just forwards a sealed box. Even better for someone not experienced in instrument set-up is getting the instrument from someone who will do a basic set-up (lowering string height to something generically comfortable, dressing frets if needed, etc.) before shipment. If it costs a couple bucks more, it's money well spent, one of those "pay me a lttle now or a lot later" situations.
 
Please elaborate. I have seen some kids perform with Lunas, and I looked at some in stores and was not impressed by the sound, but I'm also not a Kala fan by any means. But at least Kala is the biggest manufacturer of ukes as far as I know, as any uke store I have been to had quite a selection of them hanging around. So they must be doing something right.
Played many - all have at least one of the following evident

1. Luna claiming that woods are something like they are a special grade or other marketing rubbish for what, in every example I have seen, are just really cheap laminate woods poorly finished.
2. Deep etching leading to strength worries on the top. If I had time I would start an album of Luna bridges that split off the tops due to the poor laminate. Here's one though 71185757_2206545562784518_3085981560348868608_n-2.jpg And another 75328850_2654763081211550_836350975731040256_n.jpg... Oh, and another 71377247_10156510891941500_8600084115116523520_o.jpg

And it's not just the etched ones either... IMG_2123.JPG

3. Poor setups and QC generally on every one i've seen. I've seen fretboards with chips and gouges in, finish issues, sharp fret ends, wobbly tuners, badly fitted tuners...
4. Generally speaking, I find the tone of every one I have played cheap and one dimensional. Sure, they were laminates, but there is a world of difference between laminates. I don't find these sound like good laminates on the ear.

Overall though, Whilst they 'look' like good value, I actually think they are expensive for what you are really getting. It's all about the decor, but decor makes no sound. I have no doubt THAT is why they sell though.
 
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NOT Luna.. please, please PLEASE not Luna

my first was a luna, a baritone mahogany, loved it, gave it away to a good person. Should I get it back from him?
Seriously, luna have good things going for them that Lahuna, Gmise, etc don't have. At least Luna have a following. Why the disdain? serious question, btw

update: Dearest and most wonderful Barry, you've only reviewed two Luna ukuleles, a crappy soprano and a crappy concert. You've not reviewed the tenor or baritone. Just sayin' mate
 
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my first was a luna, a baritone mahogany, loved it, gave it away to a good person. Should I get it back from him?
Seriously, luna have good things going for them that Lahuna, Gmise, etc don't have. At least Luna have a following. Why the disdain? serious question, btw

See my follow up post (post above yours question!). I've played dozens of them and heard stories about many, many more. Their quality control is poor and they are overpriced for what they actually deliver.
 
See my follow up post (post above yours question!). I've played dozens of them and heard stories about many, many more. Their quality control is poor and they are overpriced for what they actually deliver.

I'm sorry Barry, didn't see that. Although, I did love that Luna baritone, lovely tone...
 
As with any of my personal experiences / reviews - I can't possibly speak for every example out there. But... if I see a bad one, I say so. If I see more than one bad one I worry a bit more. If I see LOTS of examples of bad ones I sense a pattern! That's the way it's been for me with Luna. Doesn't mean there are no good ones of course.

Nice update to your first question btw. I've reviewed two, I have seen and played over a dozen (most if not all had issues). I have an album building of Lunas with broken bridges... I've seen enough ukes to know that they are not all they are cracked up to be and there are better value options out there
 
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As with any of my personal experiences / reviews - I can't possibly speak for every example out there. But... if I see a bad one, I say so. If I see more than one bad one I worry a bit more. If I see LOTS of examples of bad ones I sense a pattern! That's the way it's been for me with Luna. Doesn't mean there are no good ones of course.

Nice update to your first question btw. I've reviewed two, I have seen and played over a dozen (most if not all had issues). I have an album building of Lunas with broken bridges... I've seen enough ukes to know that they are not all they are cracked up to be and there are better value options out there

to be fair to Luna, the one I had was received with a smashed in back side. I put the poor thing back together (Frankenstein repair since it was my first), then proceeded to set it up properly. I got the thing to really sing for my money, $40 including shipping in the USA.

All that to say, are the Luna problematic? or are they in desperate need of set-up when received? The bridge was on straight and at the correct scale length. Perhaps the baritone line has better quality out of the chute? I don't know, just wondering if my lovely baritone Luna was a fluke...
 
But there's the key point - a 'desperate need of set-up' for what is ostensibly a beginners brand sold by big box retailers who don't do setups before shipping IS a major problem in my book. Because you get 'what you get' from the factory.

Luna are not the only brand to ship that way, but if you want to ship ukes in high volume, you need to get your QC right such that no matter where a first player buys (online, warehouse shipper, Ebay, Amazon) that the majority will arrive within at least reasonable tolerances. Luna in my experiece don't do that. That means people then stand a higher chance of needing to spend more money / do more work / hassle. I'd rather recommend brands that are more reliable from the off. It's all about chances percentages. Russian roulette if you will.

And there's the thing. The likes of many other brands - Kala, Ohana, Flight, Snail, and an increasing number of others GET this now. That's not to say they get it right every time, but in my experience, their ratio of bad to good setups is far, FAR better than Luna. For similar money too. That's all i'm saying really. A Luna owner with a good one will never see the issue. My worry is the buyer who doesn't get a good one and knows there is something wrong has to spend for a fix, or worse, the one who doesn't realise it and thinks that is what a uke sounds like....

I'm kind of cursed by seeing so many ukuleles over the last 15 years, but then the bonus there is that i've seen every sort of bad and good setup you can imagine. I gauge my recommendations mainly based on reliability and Luna have a long way to go in order to get my recommendation.
 
Not a fan of Lunas in general because of tone. They look cute but the quality is not there for me personally. Have many friends with Kalas and they sound great.
 
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