Kala Concert KA-ASCP-C (First) New Uke Setup - Fluorocarbons and Low G?

adigarg

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Hi Guys!

New to this forum, had a Kala 15s gifted to me 4 years ago that I've been playing the past month. It is pretty banged up and I wanted to try a Concert so just placed an order for Kala Concert KA-ASCP-C over a Ohana CK-50G on Mim's Ukes.

Questions:
1) Should I have gone with the Ohana CK-50G instead? (Can still change the order) The Kala (new - $279) vs the Ohana (B-Stock with a large nick on the back- $239)

2) For the setup I was thinking of having Mim string it with Martin M600 Fluorocarbons I bought as an add on, is that a good idea?

3) I was also thinking of asking for a Low G setup, is that a good idea?

For more context - I like warm tones, used to play the guitar many years ago. Mostly going to play pop song covers from artists like Billie Ellish, Twenty One Pilots.

Thank you in advance for your advice! SO excited.

Link to Kala: https://reverb.com/item/33371103-mi...-solid-cedar-pau-ferro-matte-ukulele-uke-u715
Link to Ohana: https://www.mimsukes.com/listing/mi...-cedar-rosewood-setup-ukulele-uke-922/6921666
 
These are all personal preference issues. Some people will prefer Kala over Ohana or vice versa. Once you get into the middle price ranges ($300 to $500 or so), there are a lot of great brands to choose from. I advise looking at Pono, Opio, and Martin. Martin strings are great for solid wood ukuleles, but so are many other brands. Low-G is great for fingerpicking some kinds of songs, but high-G is much better for some other styles of playing.
 
If you are picky, a second/B stock might not be for you. I got an Ohana B stock recently, at the time of purchase it wasn't clear what the problem was. Apparently it was some big glue blobs on the inside along with a lot of file/sanding/chatter marks on the fretboard edges, noticeable in certain light conditions, which I wasn't expecting. If these things might bother you, they ought to be considered. For the string change, I'd just play it awhile and change if/when needed. Low G is doable, but subject to your personal preference.
 
I am not familiar with the two ukes or if different strings would be an up or downgrade. As it is a concert a low G may be floppy and not produce as crispy a sound as the other three strings, it may require changes to nut and bridge that may could make going back difficult if you don't like it. Low G are generally better on tenor size. On the other hand the kind of music you want to play could benefit from low G. If it was me I'd keep it as is and see if the songs are fun with regular uke sound and only switch if they seem to lose their character
 
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