Tenor "Keeper" Ukulele

MentalAtom

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Hey everyone,

It's official - I caught the ukulele bug and so probably in a month or so I will upgrade my Kanile'a Islander to a much higher quality "keeper" tenor so that I can stop endlessly browsing on the next upgrade. I know it's kinda early to upgrade but I have the money and gonna be spending some time in some less friendly "uke-buying" locales towards the end of the year.

I know more or less what I am looking for (probably) but to be honest, I am basically looking for something high-end good build quality and of course nice sound (yes, I know it is a personal thing).

So:
Budget is roughly £500-700
Solid wood - although in this budget I guess it's a given
Koa would be nice - It's the traditional wood so I feel you can't really go wrong. My Islander is laminate Acacia and i like the sound.
I like a gloss finish although it's not essential.

Currently options which I have found and I like are the following, these are also in stock at various suppliers:
Ana'ole AT Koa
Big Island KT-TR
KoAloha Opio Tenor KTO-10S (Spruce, Acacia)
Flight Mustang

Of course, also open to other suggestions although I feel sometimes finding certain brands in the UK (or Europe) can be a challenge. If you also know any good stockists in the EU that would be handy too.

At the moment it's also very difficult to get out and try anything in the UK as most of the shops are still closed due to the COVID situation, but maybe I'll get a chance before I pull the trigger.

Thanks in advance! Shopping is half the fun ;)
 
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You should definitely hang on and try a few before you pull the trigger. If you really can't wait, I'd suggest a Bruko no.9 if you really want to buy unseen.

They're better finished than instruments that cost twice as much. A real player's instrument.

If I could only have one, it would be either my Stuart Longridge or my Argapa for the stories that came with them. If I could only have one factory uke, it would be a Bruko.
 
Brüko ukes are nicely built but they have a very distinct sound to them. You might want to check out some sound samples. Also, I believe that at least some Brüko tenors have a concert body and only twelve frets to the body. Something to consider.

Within your budget, and of the ones you mentioned, I think the KoAloha Opios are really good value. The Rebel ukes are also very similar to those (made by the same builders) but might be a bit over your budget, although there is a discounted the Rebel tenor scale concert on Southern Ukulele Store if you don't mind the concert body. Flight ukes are very good for the price but I don't think they stand up to the quality of the others you mentioned.

If you want koa specifically you could check out the Romero Creations Tiny Tenor. Aside from that and the ones you mentioned, most other koa tenors are probably beyond your budget.
 
Koaloha Opio.......end of discussion, you will thank me later. I owned a Koaloha Opio along side the top of the line Koaloha KCM-00, both concert size at the same time. Build quality was very much the same, excellent, as was sound and playability. I ended up selling the KCM-00 and keeping the lesser expensive Opio.

The Koaloha brand is a Hawaiian Icon and if you want an instrument you will be proud to own for many years to come this is the one.
 
Well, I'd suggest a Rebel, but it's above your price point. You would truly love it, though. Acacia is going to be the the closest to true koa at your price point. For me, I'd be considering an acacia Pono or the Koaloha Opio. The tiny tenors are very nice too.
 
I have some of the tenors recommended in this thread. The KoAloha Opio was one of my first "serious" ukes, and it's a great recommendation. I'm thinking of replacing mine, but only because I'm considering another KoAloha. I have a Rebel tenor as well, which is one of my favorite ukes. As for DJ Morgan's ukes, they are easily a step above the Opio in quality, and a great value for the price (especially if you're in the UK and can avoid international shipping). The only problem with getting a tenor from DJ Morgan is that he doesn't do commissions, so you just have to see what he has available.

So with your budget, if there's a DJ Morgan tenor available, that would be my first choice. If you can find a second-hand Rebel, that would be my second. Likewise with Romeros, their Tiny Tenors have been recommended, but if you can find a second-hand Signature/Replica, that's also a really good uke (very guitar-like). But since all these aren't likely to be easy finds, the KoAloha Opio is an excellent tenor and might be the best bet in your price range.
 
Hey everyone,

It's official - I caught the ukulele bug and so probably in a month or so I will upgrade my Kanile'a Islander to a much higher quality "keeper" tenor so that I can stop endlessly browsing on the next upgrade. I know it's kinda early to upgrade but I have the money and gonna be spending some time in some less friendly "uke-buying" locales towards the end of the year.

I know more or less what I am looking for (probably) but to be honest, I am basically looking for something high-end good build quality and of course nice sound (yes, I know it is a personal thing).

So:
Budget is roughly £500-700
Solid wood - although in this budget I guess it's a given
Koa would be nice - It's the traditional wood so I feel you can't really go wrong. My Islander is laminate Acacia and i like the sound.
I like a gloss finish although it's not essential.

Currently options which I have found and I like are the following, these are also in stock at various suppliers:
Ana'ole AT Koa
Big Island KT-TR
KoAloha Opio Tenor KTO-10S (Spruce, Acacia)
Flight Mustang

Of course, also open to other suggestions although I feel sometimes finding certain brands in the UK (or Europe) can be a challenge. If you also know any good stockists in the EU that would be handy too.

At the moment it's also very difficult to get out and try anything in the UK as most of the shops are still closed due to the COVID situation, but maybe I'll get a chance before I pull the trigger.

Thanks in advance! Shopping is half the fun ;)
The definition of keeper changes quickly when one first upgrades.. so be prepared to yearn for more.. maybe start with 2nd hand ukes to built your own taste, knowledge and preference before you are satisfied. Buying second hand reduces the entry price point and if you buy something in demand and take care you can sell it for close to what you buy it for..
 
Well, I'd suggest a Rebel, but it's above your price point. You would truly love it, though. Acacia is going to be the the closest to true koa at your price point. For me, I'd be considering an acacia Pono or the Koaloha Opio. The tiny tenors are very nice too.

I have some of the tenors recommended in this thread. The KoAloha Opio was one of my first "serious" ukes, and it's a great recommendation. I'm thinking of replacing mine, but only because I'm considering another KoAloha. I have a Rebel tenor as well, which is one of my favorite ukes. As for DJ Morgan's ukes, they are easily a step above the Opio in quality, and a great value for the price (especially if you're in the UK and can avoid international shipping). The only problem with getting a tenor from DJ Morgan is that he doesn't do commissions, so you just have to see what he has available.

So with your budget, if there's a DJ Morgan tenor available, that would be my first choice. If you can find a second-hand Rebel, that would be my second. Likewise with Romeros, their Tiny Tenors have been recommended, but if you can find a second-hand Signature/Replica, that's also a really good uke (very guitar-like). But since all these aren't likely to be easy finds, the KoAloha Opio is an excellent tenor and might be the best bet in your price range.

I really love the look of the Rebels also, especially since they have them at the Southern Ukulele Store and those guys are awesome, but it's just a little too far out of my price range even if I push it! The used market in the UK/Europe really doesn't seem to be so great, unless there is some amazing site of used ukes that I just don't know about.

Koaloha Opio.......end of discussion, you will thank me later. I owned a Koaloha Opio along side the top of the line Koaloha KCM-00, both concert size at the same time. Build quality was very much the same, excellent, as was sound and playability. I ended up selling the KCM-00 and keeping the lesser expensive Opio.

The Koaloha brand is a Hawaiian Icon and if you want an instrument you will be proud to own for many years to come this is the one.

I am very much leaning towards this one I think, especially since it's seems reasonably tricky to find them within Europe too regularly as they're so good they just sell out!
 
There were a couple Rebel super concerts available on SUS that would fit your budget, but if you want a tenor body specifically the Opio range is an excellent choice as well. Although, I think even those might stretch your budget a bit depending on where you order from.
 
You could also look at commissioning something from Kevin Mulcock. I had a tenor necked concert of his (concert bodied Tenor as Baz would be right to say) and it was a glorious sounding and playing instrument. I only moved it on as Tenor scale and my limited skills eventually came to an agreement after 18 Months that Tenor scale was not quite perfect for me.

Rob Collins at Tin Guitar is another man to chat to.

Both these luthiers would be within your budget for your own 1-off custom build keeper. And you get to keep it local too.
 
You could also look at commissioning something from Kevin Mulcock. I had a tenor necked concert of his (concert bodied Tenor as Baz would be right to say) and it was a glorious sounding and playing instrument. I only moved it on as Tenor scale and my limited skills eventually came to an agreement after 18 Months that Tenor scale was not quite perfect for me.

Rob Collins at Tin Guitar is another man to chat to.

Both these luthiers would be within your budget for your own 1-off custom build keeper. And you get to keep it local too.

Just dropped Kevin Mulcock an email, some of the tenors in his blog from previous builds look goregous! Will see where it goes...

Thanks for the recommendation
 
That's funny, I have the mango Rebel tenor, and while it's one of my favorite ukes, I think I would have preferred the spruce/mahogany version, like you have. The mango is sweet sounding, but I think I'd like spruce just a little more.

The spruce/mahogany is wonderful, I have to say. No regrets with this one. It's my go-to uke, always sounds good, plays easy.
 
You are in the UK? How much does import duty run?

Import duty is around 3-5% usually, then you pay 20% VAT on the value + shipping, and then also usually a "handling fee" to cover the costs of them asking you to pay the costs. It gets expensive...
 
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