Talk me into our out of a Mainland Mahogany Tenor

Mainland is sold by a "local" guy, and his ukes have always gotten good reviews. If you buy one, I can't imagine you not liking it. I had one, but I sold it because a friend kept bugging me to sell it to him. I haven't ordered a replacement yet.
 
snowdenn said:
Nice! Rob Collins is one of three UK luthiers whose work I'm interested in. I'm not sure if it's a combination of my experiences on UU and Barry/gotaukulele.com being British, but I find myself more interested in UK builders than American ones, though I kinda wish it was the other way around.
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I am a Brit that has lived in North America for 20 years. I know relatively very little about Ukes.
I am pretty sure however that for every North American that wishes they had easier access to a European Luthier/Uke Supply, that there is a European that wishes they had easier access to a North American Luthier/Uke Supply.:D

The grass ain't always greener. It might just look that way from your yard.
 
If the Martin is available, you won’t do better at that price. If not, Mainland or an Ohana tenor from Mim would be my choice. The instruments would be similar if not identical (other than bling), and Mike (Mainland) or Mim will set up the uke so it will be perfectly playable out of the box.

BTW, I’ve bought two Ohana mahoganies from Mim and another on the secondary market. They really sing!
 
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hendulele said:
If the Martin is available, you won’t do better at that price. If not, Mainland or an Ohana tenor from Mim would be my choice. The instruments would be similar if not identical (other than bling), and Mike (Mainland) or Mim will set up the uke so it will be perfectly playable out of the box.

BTW, I’ve bought two Ohana mahoganies from Mim and another on the secondary market. They really sing!
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Purchase won’t be made until next month so we will see about the Martin. I have been eyeing the cedar topped Ohana was well as the Mahogany mainland. I’ve already had one great experience with Mim. I’ll see what she has available or any recommendations once her store opens back up Friday.
 
Kenn2018 said:
What are you looking for in acoustic sound?

Generally:
Bright and loud? (Maple body or Spruce top)
Warm-ish medium to loud? (Koa, Mahogany, Myrtle body or Cedar top)
Very Warm? (Mango body, or Redwood top)

Strings and build affects all of those very general sound qualities.

I had a solid TK-50G cedar/rosewood Ohana tenor for a while. Nice sound for a mid-range tenor. Easy to play after setup. I think it was $350 three years ago.

I have to say stay away from Fender ukuleles. They are overbuilt and they have a boxy sound to me. Even their solid ones.
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Basically at this point something that sounds decent and is intonated well. Warm sound preferable but not necessary.
 
I have a lot of ukes, but only two of them are tenors. That is because these two fit the bill for me.

One is an Outdoor Ukulele (for all the reasons a nearly indestructible uke is good).

The other is my Mainland Mahogany. It is perfect for fingerpicking and strumming.
 
actadh said:
I have a lot of ukes, but only two of them are tenors. That is because these two fit the bill for me.

One is an Outdoor Ukulele (for all the reasons a nearly indestructible uke is good).

The other is my Mainland Mahogany. It is perfect for fingerpicking and strumming.
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@actadh How is the sound on the outdoor uke? It looks like a tenor with a K&k installed would come in just at $300 which is a nice price point and K&k are great pickups . I also have an impedance matching orchid di that is perfect for k&ks. I also like the unique looks and near indestructability of the injection molded body. Are there any good demos you would recommend?
 
Since you already own an Orchid Electronics DI, I'll revise my suggestion: a decent tenor (Kala SMHT, Magic Fluke Co. Fluke tenor, Mainland mahogany, used Pono or Martin, etc.) with a K&K Aloha Twin pickup installed.

I gig using a pair of K&K-equipped Kanile'a into a Radial PZ-Pre, and the result can be pretty convincing. Since you are already equipped to use K&K pickups, I'd forego the use of a UST.
 
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wab223 said:
I am a Brit that has lived in North America for 20 years. I know relatively very little about Ukes.
I am pretty sure however that for every North American that wishes they had easier access to a European Luthier/Uke Supply, that there is a European that wishes they had easier access to a North American Luthier/Uke Supply.:D

The grass ain't always greener. It might just look that way from your yard.
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Haha, that's true, the grass always looks greener across the ocean. Lately there've been some Japanese ukuleles that have caught my attention.
 
I guess I’d simply push you to the Mainland cedar/rosewood tenor. I have the baritone and have no desire for another baritone (no Baritone UAS)—and the Mainland cedar/rosewood concert is on my wish list.

Sounds great with Living Water strings. I do not have a pickup in it...I’d go for the MiSi if I did.
 
Still LOVE my mainland mahogany concert - my first Uke. Have some fancier ones but I grab it all the time. Played it all day today in fact! Great Ukes & supports a nice little family run company. Can’t beat the price point either.
 
I've always believed that Mainland Ukes are the best value around for all solid-wood ukuleles, and each one comes with a great setup! They offer a Classic Mahogany version that does not have the rope purfling that folks seem to either love or hate. In my opinion, the rope purfling looks nicer in person than in photos, so I don't think it's a big deal. The Mi-Si pickup seems to be well-regarded too, and the endpin jack provides a handy place to attach a strap.

My favourite Mainland Uke is their Red Cedar/Rosewood Tenor. They sound so sweet, and are brighter and more resonant than any of their Mahogany ukes that I've heard (IMHO, YMMV)! I used to have one and I regret selling mine. I'll probably order another one at some point.

I definitely think a Mainland Tenor uke with a pickup would serve you well. That's my :2cents: (two cents) anyway. :D
 
I agree about the Mahogany Mainland uke. I had one and it had great tone, warm and rich and loud enough. Easy to play. The reason I got rid of it is because I am a concert player. Due to shorter arms it works better for me. I do not think you would be disappointed. I listened to You Tube videos before I bought it and was not disappointed.
 
Rosinante said:
@actadh How is the sound on the outdoor uke? It looks like a tenor with a K&k installed would come in just at $300 which is a nice price point and K&k are great pickups . I also have an impedance matching orchid di that is perfect for k&ks. I also like the unique looks and near indestructability of the injection molded body. Are there any good demos you would recommend?
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I am a big fan of the outdoor tenor. I have been using it a lot in the past few months, Wipes clean with disinfectant. I still have the original Rye Rabbit strings on it, so it is a bit soft, which is fine for me. Others have posted that Worths, Aquila Reds, Martins work well on it and are louder. Good demos on the Outdoor Ukulele site, or their FB site.
 
actadh said:
I am a big fan of the outdoor tenor. I have been using it a lot in the past few months, Wipes clean with disinfectant. I still have the original Rye Rabbit strings on it, so it is a bit soft, which is fine for me. Others have posted that Worths, Aquila Reds, Martins work well on it and are louder. Good demos on the Outdoor Ukulele site, or their FB site.
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How do you feel about the plastic frets? That seems to be t he main drawback to me. Honestly though I’m pretty sure I am gonna go Mainland. As interesting as the Outdoors are they seem less suited to the task I am wanting to fill, which is a decent solid wood with good tone and a pickup to last a couple years as I develop my style and tastes.
 
We have 3 Mainlands at our house, tenor mahogany, concert mahogany, baritone mango. Mainland puts on Ukulele World Congress every year, (except this year because of the pandemic). They have a great, family run shop in Nashville Indiana which you must visit some time. I like supporting the small shops.

I just bought my wife an Outdoor Ukulele so she can keep it in her car. It has a nice, bright sound for a plastic uke, but I would start off with a Mainland, then get the Outdoor if you have a need for an outdoor uke.
 
I revisited the Mainland site again and I think one thing that appealed to me is that they have good options like matte finish or friction tuners that can really boost the quality of a soprano or concert. I'm a bit concerned that they don't provide more detail about their ukes, for example mahogany nowadays is a useless description as it encompasses several different woods that have very different characteristics. But we can't be too picky for budget ukes like this and many good reviews sure are encouraging.
 
Steedy said:
They offer a Classic Mahogany version that does not have the rope purfling that folks seem to either love or hate. In my opinion, the rope purfling looks nicer in person than in photos, so I don't think it's a big deal.
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After looking at their website it seems that "classic" actually implies the rope decoration. It is the slothead tenors without classic label that have the plain look. While I love a rope or herringbone inlay on high end ukes ($2000+) the use of such decoration on budget ukes always makes me wonder if there might be something missing in real quality.
 
I have a Tenor Mainland Mahogany slot head that’s just a fantastic instrument. It’s actually currently on loan to my sister-in-law to see if she if she wants to learn to play. I also own 5 all mahogany Martin guitars and 2 mahogany Martin Ukes, and I would be willing to bet real money that my Mainland is genuine Honduran mahogany.

I highly recommend Mainland to anyone looking for new Uke. High quality instruments at extremely fair prices, set up and sold by one of the nicest people in the Ukulele world!


Scooter
 
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