Buying a $300 Tenor - What do you think about these options?

Customone

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Hi All,

I’m a guitar player (mostly acoustic, 25+ years) and have had a little more or less decorative Mahalo soprano uke around my place that I’ve mucked around with here and there, and want to graduate to something more considerable. I’ve decided to run with a tenor, and my budget is up to about 350 CAD range (about 225 Euro; 265 USD; 200 GBP) after tax and all.

I’m not really a big fan of traditional ukulele music, but more inclined to contemporary/modern, folk, country, jazz. In an ideal world, my new uke would also have built in tuning and a cutaway, but not absolutely required.

What do you think of these options I’m considering?

Gretsch 9120
Gretcsh 9121
Lohanu Spalted Maple
Kala KA STG
Cordoba 28T Hawaiian Koa Tenor Ukulele
Any other suggestions?

Thanks!
 
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Kala STG is good for the price if you don't mind the narrower neck. Not a fan of the other brands you have listed.
 
I played guitar for almost 50 years, then took up the uke. After going through about 16 ukes my first year 7 years ago, I bought a Kala KAATP-CTG-CE cutaway with preamp/pickup for $379. It quickly became my go to gig uke. Solid cedar top, acacia koa body. I soon sold or gifted all but three of my other ukes.

Kala Cedar.jpg



This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
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Thanks for the suggestion, man0a! I do like the tone of spruce tops.

kohanmike - What a beauty! Looks perfect, and I love the aesthetics. Unfortunately it seems to be nearly double my budget. Can I have yours? ;)
 
Thanks for the suggestion, man0a! I do like the tone of spruce tops.

kohanmike - What a beauty! Looks perfect, and I love the aesthetics. Unfortunately it seems to be nearly double my budget. Can I have yours? ;)

If you like the looks of his ukulele, the Kala KA-ATP-CTG solid cedar top looks and sounds similar, but without the cutout and electronics, and retails for US$250. Cedar top will sound different (not necessarily better or worse) than the Kala spruce top, so it worth trying both before buying. There is also the Kala KA-SMHT solid mahogany for US$280 to try if you're already at a Kala store.
 
Tkohanmike - What a beauty! Looks perfect, and I love the aesthetics. Unfortunately it seems to be nearly double my budget. Can I have yours? ;)

Oops, sorry, didn't take notice of Canadian. As manOa suggested, it also comes in non-cutaway without electronics for under $250 US.
 
What do you think about the offerings by Lanikai? They seem to have a lot of offerings in this price range, including a cedar cut-away reminiscent of yours, i.e. the Lanikai CDST-CET.

Thanks, this is helpful.
 
I like the Kala cedar, but in any form, Kala is good value for the money. I happen to have tenors, but the concerts are just as good in a smaller package. A concert with a cutaway costs a bit more, so decide if you're going to be satisfied with the standard version six months from now.
 
I'd pick an Ohana, Islander or Mainland over any of those. Would probably look for a used uke for a bigger bang for your buck. I rarely, if ever, see a beat up used uke.
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions. Clear - I did actually love what I saw on that ad you found, and sent a pm. Thanks for sharing.
 
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