Hello everyone! I am brand new here and I am looking to purchase my second uke after falling in love with the instrument via a cheap borrowed Alvarez Concert Uke. I know I want a tenor, and I know I would like some sort of pickup system, and I have become enamored with the punchy sound of solid spruce top ukes.
I was initially drawn to Cordoba's offerings because of a friend's 20TM-CE. It sounds great and he has been very happy with it, but he has never bothered to plug it in and could not offer me any assessment of their obviously cheap active pickup system. Cordoba has some gorgeous instruments and the electric cutaway versions of their tenors can usually be had for only $10-$30 more in my ideal $200-$400 price range, a few of them spruce. People seem to love the sound of these Cordoba ukes but I think they have a middle of the road reputation on these forums and I've gotten the impression that they can come out of the box pretty rough and need a proper pro setup. I have struggled to find the ones I like available outside of Amazon, GC, Sweetwater, and I have been heavily sold on buying from a proper ukulele shop that will be sure to deliver an instrument that plays great.
So that leads me to places like Mainland, Mim's and Uke Republic, where my brand choices are a little more constrained. Mim's has some cool Ohanas in my price range but you can't even buy from them most days of the week due to how in demand they are. Mainland has wonderful reviews but they are expensive and seem to mostly only have mahogany stuff in stock right now. The Ukulele Site charges extra for a setup and the shipping is expensive, so I am currently looking at some stuff from Uke Republic.
I have struggled to find the perfect electric-acoustic tenor with a solid spruce top and a sound I like, but there are some interesting Kalas at Republic and they offer pickup installation. I've talked about my general needs and process so far, and now I finally have some specific questions: is Uke Republic's setup service as well-regarded as places like Mim's? I assume their installation service would be as trustworthy as their setup.
Am I ruining my uke by having a pickup installed? I am ok losing a little acoustic volume. Tenors seem loud, spruce is supposed to be loud, and my wife and our apartment neighbors are not going to complain if I have a slightly quieter instrument. But what about the quality of the sound rather than just sheer volume? I would also be losing my ability to return the instrument due to the installation.
The Cordobas have pretty cheap pickups that get mixed-to-positive reviews as far as I can tell. They do what they are supposed to, I guess. Uke Republic, on the other hand, will put a Mi-Si pickup in your uke for $179. Seems pretty great, considering that the pickup itself is selling for $150 on Amazon and has some glowing reviews here on the forums and elsewhere. I'd hate to have to buy a pickup and then pay an additional $100+ for install somewhere down the line. Anyone have any experience with these pickups? Any complaints? This would put me a little over budget, given the Kalas I have been looking at, but maybe it is worth it.
The Kala tenors I have my eye on:
https://kalabrand.com/products/ka-sseby-t
https://kalabrand.com/products/ka-sstu-t
The SSEBY is very attractive. I love the look of that ebony. The thin travel tenor is pretty slick, and is supposed to be incredibly loud and rich. I also found a thread here that says it will take a pickup installation just fine despite its size. Kala seems to be a well-liked and trusted brand when given a proper setup, and I even like the way they look compared to some of the other options in my price range. Anyone here have complaints about the way Kala instruments sound or the value for the price?
I have been drawn to spruce tops but I don't hate any of the materials I have been looking at. Some of the cheaper mahogany ukes sound a bit dull to me and I don't like the colors as much, but I'm sure I could fall in love with the right mahogany uke, or any uke that sounded good, spruce or not.
Good advice be damned, I still have the option to buy a Cordoba with a built-in pickup from Sweetwater. Free shipping, and I would still have enough room in my budget to buy a cheap gig bag and an audio interface to plug into and some cables. Sweetwater even offers a setup service for $40, but I'm sure their setup is not going to be as comprehensive or precise as what some of the good ukulele shops do. And the complaints about Cordoba do seem to be aimed at how rough they can be straight from the factory and general quality control issues, so I have reservations. Anyone have experience with Sweetwater's pro setup offering?
At this point I am mostly just comparing the Kala ukes to the Cordobas I was initially lusting after, but I am open to any advice or other brand or model recommendations. I also would be happy to be talked into (or out of) Cordoba ukes if anyone has any direct experience or knowledge of them and how they compare to similarly priced instruments, Kala in particular. I also would love input about the pickup thing and the option to have Uke Republic install the Mi-Si. I am sorry for writing so much, I am just overwhelmed by all of the information and factors I am juggling and am looking for discussion on anything and everything in relation to my needs. I have come to value the information I can find here quite a bit so your suggestions could easily be the deciding factor in what I choose to purchase. Thank you!
I was initially drawn to Cordoba's offerings because of a friend's 20TM-CE. It sounds great and he has been very happy with it, but he has never bothered to plug it in and could not offer me any assessment of their obviously cheap active pickup system. Cordoba has some gorgeous instruments and the electric cutaway versions of their tenors can usually be had for only $10-$30 more in my ideal $200-$400 price range, a few of them spruce. People seem to love the sound of these Cordoba ukes but I think they have a middle of the road reputation on these forums and I've gotten the impression that they can come out of the box pretty rough and need a proper pro setup. I have struggled to find the ones I like available outside of Amazon, GC, Sweetwater, and I have been heavily sold on buying from a proper ukulele shop that will be sure to deliver an instrument that plays great.
So that leads me to places like Mainland, Mim's and Uke Republic, where my brand choices are a little more constrained. Mim's has some cool Ohanas in my price range but you can't even buy from them most days of the week due to how in demand they are. Mainland has wonderful reviews but they are expensive and seem to mostly only have mahogany stuff in stock right now. The Ukulele Site charges extra for a setup and the shipping is expensive, so I am currently looking at some stuff from Uke Republic.
I have struggled to find the perfect electric-acoustic tenor with a solid spruce top and a sound I like, but there are some interesting Kalas at Republic and they offer pickup installation. I've talked about my general needs and process so far, and now I finally have some specific questions: is Uke Republic's setup service as well-regarded as places like Mim's? I assume their installation service would be as trustworthy as their setup.
Am I ruining my uke by having a pickup installed? I am ok losing a little acoustic volume. Tenors seem loud, spruce is supposed to be loud, and my wife and our apartment neighbors are not going to complain if I have a slightly quieter instrument. But what about the quality of the sound rather than just sheer volume? I would also be losing my ability to return the instrument due to the installation.
The Cordobas have pretty cheap pickups that get mixed-to-positive reviews as far as I can tell. They do what they are supposed to, I guess. Uke Republic, on the other hand, will put a Mi-Si pickup in your uke for $179. Seems pretty great, considering that the pickup itself is selling for $150 on Amazon and has some glowing reviews here on the forums and elsewhere. I'd hate to have to buy a pickup and then pay an additional $100+ for install somewhere down the line. Anyone have any experience with these pickups? Any complaints? This would put me a little over budget, given the Kalas I have been looking at, but maybe it is worth it.
The Kala tenors I have my eye on:
https://kalabrand.com/products/ka-sseby-t
https://kalabrand.com/products/ka-sstu-t
The SSEBY is very attractive. I love the look of that ebony. The thin travel tenor is pretty slick, and is supposed to be incredibly loud and rich. I also found a thread here that says it will take a pickup installation just fine despite its size. Kala seems to be a well-liked and trusted brand when given a proper setup, and I even like the way they look compared to some of the other options in my price range. Anyone here have complaints about the way Kala instruments sound or the value for the price?
I have been drawn to spruce tops but I don't hate any of the materials I have been looking at. Some of the cheaper mahogany ukes sound a bit dull to me and I don't like the colors as much, but I'm sure I could fall in love with the right mahogany uke, or any uke that sounded good, spruce or not.
Good advice be damned, I still have the option to buy a Cordoba with a built-in pickup from Sweetwater. Free shipping, and I would still have enough room in my budget to buy a cheap gig bag and an audio interface to plug into and some cables. Sweetwater even offers a setup service for $40, but I'm sure their setup is not going to be as comprehensive or precise as what some of the good ukulele shops do. And the complaints about Cordoba do seem to be aimed at how rough they can be straight from the factory and general quality control issues, so I have reservations. Anyone have experience with Sweetwater's pro setup offering?
At this point I am mostly just comparing the Kala ukes to the Cordobas I was initially lusting after, but I am open to any advice or other brand or model recommendations. I also would be happy to be talked into (or out of) Cordoba ukes if anyone has any direct experience or knowledge of them and how they compare to similarly priced instruments, Kala in particular. I also would love input about the pickup thing and the option to have Uke Republic install the Mi-Si. I am sorry for writing so much, I am just overwhelmed by all of the information and factors I am juggling and am looking for discussion on anything and everything in relation to my needs. I have come to value the information I can find here quite a bit so your suggestions could easily be the deciding factor in what I choose to purchase. Thank you!