Looking for a soprano

Boofa

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Hello all,

I am interested in getting a soprano. I think I am wanting a solid mahogany and have been thinking about 4 in particular. Ohana sk38, Mainland, Flight mus2 and Islander mss4. I am certainly open to other opinions as well. Wanting to stay around 300 or less.

Thanks in advance for your advice
 
If you like wider necks, get the Islander. They are usually pretty well built for the price.
 
I have the tenor version of the Mainland Mahogany. It is always a great player. My mahogany go-to in soprano is my Mele.
 
Shop around, you can get a used Martin OXK or even a S! for $300 or less.
 
Why do you want a soprano?

Countless sopranos fall inside your $300 price range.
Let us know "why", and you'll get much more focused answers.
 
If you're after that classic Tin Pan Alley era American mainland sound then both the Ohana SK-38 and the Mainland mahogany are very good. I played both when looking to upgrade from my first cheap laminate, as Eagle Music happen to be the UK stockist for Mainland and also carry a good range of Ohana so I could make a direct comparison.

For me the Ohana just edged out the Mainland and that's the one I bought. It's exceptionally light with a lovely thin top and the build quality is good. The sound is very much that barking, loud, traditional soprano attack, clear and powerful, perfectly suited to strumming. Can't say that it will be the best choice for you but I'm quite happy with mine and can recommend it as model to have a serious look at.

Edit: I believe that Mainland let you specify some elements of the build, which might be relevant for you. The Ohana has decent friction pegs fitted, whereas I think you can have guitar-style tuners fitted on the Mainland instead if that's what you prefer. Not a fan of them on sopranos myself, but that's a personal choice.
 
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Hello all,

I am interested in getting a soprano. I think I am wanting a solid mahogany and have been thinking about 4 in particular. Ohana sk38, Mainland, Flight mus2 and Islander mss4. I am certainly open to other opinions as well. Wanting to stay around 300 or less.

Thanks in advance for your advice

There’s no easy answer here and buying blind is ‘pot luck’. What’s practically available to you depends upon where you are too. Sometimes it’s a case of just buying something - second hand is good - and seeing what you like, sell on what doesn’t suit. In hindsight I’ve sold on some Ukes too early, they can settle and change over time and playing so give ‘em a six month trial. All the ones on your list look good to me, well good enough to try out with a decent chance of finding a player that could suit.

I’d been wondering about an SK38 for myself but I’m not sure how available it is now in that I didn’t see it on Ohana’s website last night. However the SK35 is there and might well fit the bill for you - and for me too. I bought a second hand CK35 off of eBay, did some work on it and now quite like it; at first I thought I’d bought something wrong for my tastes (I like mellow) but the more I play it the better it sounds (more balanced) and that’s ‘cause it’s changing (opening up?) rather me improving as a player. The CK will be kept but I prefer the Soprano scale so if an SK35 came up for the right price then I’d likely bid on it and hope to sort out a decent player from it.

Folk talk about Sopranos barking and some do. Instead I like Sopranos to sing and again some do, and in a surprisingly loud voice. My preference is for them to be melodic and good for finger picking but other folk like them for cutting through with percussive strumming. What’s your preference?
 
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A used Kiwaya KTS-4 would be in that range.... and in my opinion, superior to the choices you mentioned.
I have experience with Mainland mahogany sopranos and I had an Islander MST, of those two, I preferred the build quality and playability of the Islander. Not a fan of Mainlands, YMMV
 
Hi Boofa, I found a mint condition Martin S-0 on the Reverb site last year for $270.00. I have Martin M-600 strings on it, tuned up to A D F# B, and it sounds wonderful. The S-0's don't seem to get a lot of love, but I totally love mine!
 
Update. Picked up a Mainland soprano. It is a nice uke, but I find it to be a little too tight for me to play comfortably (guess this takes the Ohana out of the picture as well). Found a good deal on a KS-5, so based on recommendations, I am going to give it a go. It is not exactly what I was looking for, but it should answer my question on playability.
 
If it's your first soprano, it's always going to feel a little tight to play at first. If you stick to it, concerts will feel so roomy in comparison. I had a sopranino for a while and my soprano felt roomy after playing it. Give it some time for your fingers to adjust.
 
Update. Picked up a Mainland soprano. It is a nice uke, but I find it to be a little too tight for me to play comfortably (guess this takes the Ohana out of the picture as well). Found a good deal on a KS-5, so based on recommendations, I am going to give it a go. It is not exactly what I was looking for, but it should answer my question on playability.

Does "tight" means the strings are too close together for you or the frets are too close together? I think most people can adjust to the fret spacing on a soprano as long as they have enough room between the strings to hold their chords. A lot of imported ukuleles have narrow chunky necks, while American builders tend to prefer wider necks, even on sopranos.
 
I find my two Pono sopranos are just wide enough, and the sound is very nice on both (though different) once the strings are changed from the stock ones. Coming from guitars originally, I found tenors to be the most comfortable for me in fingerboard width. But I've been able to adapt to and enjoy these Ponos. You might be looking for a used one if under $300 is critical. One of mine is used. I returned an Ohana soprano I purchased as the width was too narrow and I didn't like the sound.
 
that would be a great choice!

Re the Kiwaya KTS-4: Used, in very good-mint condition, I think they’ve been running about $400 with a good case. If you can get one for $300, it beats out anything from Mainland, Ohana, etc. If you can go the extra $100 it’s still a great deal. In any event buying one will save you time and money, because you’re going to end up with one anyway, if you like mahogany soprano ukes. Either that or a Timms or Martin or equivalent. I had, briefly, one of the Ohana clones, and in no way does it come close to the Kiwaya; not in sound, playability, appearance, or fit and finish. Which is not to say it’s not decent. But decent about sums it up.
 
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