Hello from MD!

crabjoe

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New here and don't know how to play any instrument. I tried to play guitar about 10 years ago, but gave up. Pressing my fingers against the frets just hurt too much..

About 5 years ago, I saw someone on TV playing a ukulele and it peaked my interest. Well, yesterday, I went ahead and ordered a cheap starter kit from Amazon. I hope I made the right choice.

The Uke I ordered was the Kmise Soprano Beginner Mahogany 21. If anyone thinks I made a mistake and could do with a better starter Uke, please let me know.

I guess I'll be mostly lurking around reading for a while now. At least until my Uke shows.

Thanks all!
 
Kmise ukuleles have a reputation for inconsistent quality. They can be very good, or they can be not so nice.

Inspect your purchase very carefully for build quality. Like big gaps where the parts are glued together. Things are aligned. That the bridge isn't lifting up. The finish is reasonably good. Then tune it up. Do you have an electronic tuner?

The strings won't stay in tune right away. You'll need to tune it. Let it sit for 15 minutes and tune it again. I tune mine a step high: G#, C#, F, A#. This stretches the strings out faster. It takes a few days for the strings to stretch out so that they hold their tune. But you should be able to play it for a while the second day with several tunings in between songs or exercises.

Your strings may be pretty high. Which makes it harder to play. It's a good idea to get a setup done by a repair shop or luthier in your area. But that generally costs $25 or more. A setup will lower the strings, and make sure the intonation is good. (The frets play the correct notes up and down the neck.)

One of the easiest improvements you can do for your uke is to put a good set of strings on your uke. Often on these starter ukes the strings are an inexpensive generic set of Nylon strings. They are ok, but a good set of Aquila or other brand of strings can make a big difference in the way it sounds.

I highly recommend gotaukulele.com or http://ukestuff.info Both are aimed at beginners and offer tips, info, reviews and opinions. Lots of YouTube instruction videos.

But remember to have fun with your uke.
 
Welcome to UU, crabjoe!
I don't know which Kmise soprano you ordered. If it's this one (https://www.kmise.com/goods-18726.html) I wouldn't be too worried. That one is normally more than acceptable. I've got the baritone version and it's great, except for the action (way too high, especially at the nut). From this product line I might eventually buy a guitalele if I can get away with buying another instrument.

I bought two concerts to give away: a MODEL: MI0714, which was okay I guess (my friend absolutely loves it); and a MODEL: MI2068, which is playable and can be improved with some TLC. Both of these concerts have solid spruce tops, yet the MI2068 is noticeably louder than the 0714.

On the whole I would steer people to Enya or Donner (though Donner seem to be rather rare at the moment), or stick to the simple and boring mahogany Kmise with the rope binding rosette.

Enjoy your uke journey!
 
Thank you all for the welcome and the info!

I did order the KMU21S. Of the few reviews I saw on Youtube (didn't actually look until after I ordered it), it seems to be a decent beginner Uke.

One of the reviews I saw on it stated that it was a good beginner Uke because the stings were close to the fret board. Is there a standard range the distance between the strings and the board? This being such a cheap instrument, I'm thinking I can make adjustments to the nut or bridge to make slight adjustments. I've got plenty of files and sandpaper here at the house. Plus, I don't think there's a Luthier within 50+ miles of me. They'd probably also laugh at me bring in a $25 Uke to have it adjusted. LOL.

Oh the strings. They don't specifically state which strings, but in their Amazon listing they have a picture that says "D'Addario Inset - Carbon Strings - Warm.Bright.Penetrating". I guess this means it comes with D'Addario Flourocarbon strings? No idea.. For now, as long as I can get it in tune and it makes noise, I'll be ok. It's not like I'll be able to play anything. But one day, I hope to 1/2 as good as many of you here.

Thanks again all!
 
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