New Martin ukes

I’m always amazed at how long Martin threads get. I’d like to seem them out I. The word “Koa pattern” pm the concert. The Tenor StreetMaster looks cool but agreemfretboard should be darker.....and I’m not sure on the graphtech tuners. I like the look. I want to like these tuner. So many bad reports. As pointed out.......Grover open back are likely a better option....but Gotoh UPT would be the ticket and offer this StreetMaster at $599.

The reality is ukuleles at Martin are not a priority or Martin. IMHO. They did SAVE the company.....Chris Martins words back in the day! Too bad they don’t innovate or at least try to build More, use mahogany or what ever and try to be in the K brands market. They have such a good name and brand recognition. Currently, I’d consider the StreetMaster when I can play one myself and I’ll keep an open mind but would much rather buy this Martin with UPT’s straight from the factory.


Also, IMHO, Martin should be selling them Uke dealer and bypass the guitar dealers. nice to hear MIM has then. Support MIM.
 
One gripe I have about Martin ukes is the cheap quality wood they use for their bridges. They aren't finished. The grain is loose and compresses easily. And it looks terrible. Especially against a dark body.

I got my 1T IZ tenor at a nearby guitar shop. They got it directly from Martin in Nazareth. I decided to change the string after playing it for two weeks. And I was shocked to see that the factory strings had compressed deep grooves into the tie bar bridge. It's raw, unfinished rosewood. But the quality is awful. I love the uke otherwise.

I did apply a little Music Nomad Fret One to it to darken it up a bit. It looks slightly better.

I thought I had read that Martin had responded to complaints about their shoddy bridges and was using a better grade of wood. But they still look cheap in recent photos for a $1600 tenor. This photo was taken after I applied the Fret One oil, but before I restrung the uke. I put a piece of C-String under the wrapped strings, and it seems to help minimize the grooves. I've never had another tenor with this bad a bridge problem. Especially one this new.

Bridge Grooves adj.jpg
 
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I agree with the comment about the bridges. . The bridges on their new ukuleles look really bad in comparison to the rest of the uke.
The new 5k's bridge looks terrible , not the bridge for a very expensive uke.
 
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I always hoped that Martin would release a concert OXK. Would anyone who has one post a sound sample?
 
I bought an OXK and returned it the same day. Volume was very low. The sound wasn’t very nice at all. I think my outdoor carbon sounds much better and the frets were sticking out passed the fretboard so bad it was unplayable.
 


I just checked this sound sample

It has tenor-like sound, even guitar-like to my ears for such a small body

I actually quite liked the tone

But I could also tell that some people will not like it at all
 
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The video reminded me of my Enya HPL concert sound. Better or Worse? I don't play mine often so I don't know. It just sounds about the same to me.
 
The video reminded me of my Enya HPL concert sound. Better or Worse? I don't play mine often so I don't know. It just sounds about the same to me.

I haven't tried the concert ukuleles, but I have an Enya HPL soprano and a Martin HPL soprano and the Martin has a much louder and crisper sound with more sustain. The Martin is also much lighter weight and easier to handle. I think the Martin is a better product in every way. Of course, the Martin costs 3 times as much.
 
Kenn2018…. Agreed on the bridges being shoddy on!artins. A big company like that should not offer anything that poor at that price.

I like the Concert HPL………..the print of Koa looks good. I have played Enya HPL and it’s quiet so I’d have to play the Martin concert. I’d really like a tenor but could do the concert if I liked it. I wish there was product in my area. I’m in the hinterland with only a million population….ha ha ha.

Old like to try the Street Master tenor first. Has anyone got one yet or even played.one at a dealer. I find the sound sample on line…..the few that are on line don’t sound that good to my ears…………could be the recording or just the hard strumming.
 
I'm new to the uke but have been playing guitar for 45 years. I recently bought a T1 Streetmaster and some of the comments are making me nervous. I'm hearing a lot of complaints about the Graphtech tuners. So far mine have been fine but now I anticipate breaking issues and it's probably just a matter of time. I am a fan of "relic" or "roadworn" guitars. When done properly, the really do have the feel and look of an aged guitar. I don't have 60 years or $60,000 to buy the "real deal" so a relic allows me the experience PLUS I don't have to worry about scratches, dings, sweat, etc. on my shiny new guitar. But, the Streetmaster clearly misses the spirit of a relic finish. The wear spots are completely NOT where one would naturally wear the ukulele and it ends up looking like a nightstand mom refinished during the "antiquing" craze of the 1970's. I don't have a problem with the Martin headstock logo. It looks embossed to me, not a sticker. I actually create headstock waterslide decals and I'm not seeing any sticker border no matter how closely I look.
 
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one thing about the tune-a-leles is that they can be easily replaced... people have described early ones as prone to breaking, much less so with the current version
 
Reminiscent of the comments when the C1K, SO, the Collings Ukes and some other Martin ukes were first released. Three or four years later those who did a dummy spit and sent them back regretted their mistake, and some lucky buyers picked up some real bargains.
Wait . . . people returned Collings 'ukulele?

I still remember the first time I encountered a Collings uke at the booth of a vendor who was liquidating inventory at a 'ukulele convention before they closed their store. I owned a Kanile'a Super Concert, but even so, that Collings was by far the best uke I had played up to that point; it had a response reminiscent as that of a nice piano. I did not purchase it at the time, and I sometimes wonder what effect its possession might have had on musical journey had I purchased it.
 
What I do suggest is that you take your time . . . Try to avoid buying one and then reading the negative posts and then just dumping it at a ridiculous price on the Marketplace. . . . at least challenge yourself to see if you can use your own technique to get the most out of them . . . if you feel a need to resell, let the market settle a bit and see how it turns out, try to avoid the early resale market.
Prudent advice.
 
No. They are not a priority for the same reason companies like Collings who discontinued ukulele production, Taylor produced them for a short while and discontinued production. I really don’t blame them. Quite honestly, I’m getting sick of all the Martin bashing on here. Just play what you’ve got and enjoy it! I think anyone that spends $5000 on any ukulele is a complete idiot! (Just my opinion)
I guess you would then call a lot of professional ukulele players complete idiots. But hey, that's just like your opinion man.
 
I was only using FMM when Martin started making production ukes again earlier in this century, you can still find the comments about them on FMM. At that time it seemed that more than a few sellers or just straight fans of other brands felt threatened by the new Martin product and they poured out the disparaging posts. The theme about how a "big" USA brand should be able to sell a uke at a relatively low and competitive price without sacrificing some quality or fittings was as big then as it appears to be in this thread. And I think all the time you could still order a custom Martin uke and access the 5K quality models at a the price of a high quality model, if you really wanted the high quality model.
I recall when the SO was being produced, the big complaint from many at FMM was that they were not a great instrument worthy of the Martin legacy. People were unhappy with fit/finish, sound and overall quality. I think a big part of the complaint was that they were a far cry from the vintage instruments everyone loved.
 
No, that is not what I meant, and maybe my opinion was stated a little to abrasively. What I meant was, No ukulele is worth $5000. To pay that, is all about ego.
Well, this follow-up post is no less abrasive than the original posts calling people idiots. Idiots with egos is a dangerous group.
 
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