Mele ukes?

iDavid

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
1,257
Reaction score
0
Location
Troschelhammer, Germany
Heard great things, but also hear they scratch pretty easy.

any of you have them and how well do they hold up?


thanks

david
 
I have an 8 string koa, and love it No problems. There are about 10 pople in my class that have 4 strings they all love them.
 
I have a Mele soprano and it's great. It doesn't seem especially prone to scratches. I've had mine for six months or so and I don't see a mark on it.
 
I've had mine for about 6 months and no signs of scratches. I don't know that thier finish is any different from anyone elses from a durability perspective...
 
I've had mine (Koa concert pineapple) for 10 months and no scratches.
 
I had two older braddah mele (their old mahghany line) and they did scratch. I owned a solid koa top tenor that had some strum marks under sound hole but they buffed out. My double puka has no scratches at all. I personal;ly prefer the Mele finish over other ukes. The high Gloss finishes that are so common on Ponos, kanileas, Kalas, etc... just look cheap to me. The only uke I recommend over a Mele is a KoAloha or an older kamaka (which I am looking for right now). I love my Meles and if a person wants a GREAT budget uke that isn't cheap then Mele is the way to go.
 
I've actually never really heard about Mele Ukes so I decided to take a look at their site.

I like'em, they look good, look like they'll last...AND I like their Tenor Cutaways, it's smooth and rounded - very very noice.:drool:
 
I've actually never really heard about Mele Ukes so I decided to take a look at their site.

I like'em, they look good, look like they'll last...AND I like their Tenor Cutaways, it's smooth and rounded - very very noice.:drool:

It isn't the most popular brand but I noticed that unless the big dealer (aka MGM) doesn't sale it the uke brand is little known. I wish MGM or ukerepublic would carry the Mele but neither one does. Great company to deal with though. Cheryl (owner's wife) taught me my first three uke chords.
 
It isn't the most popular brand but I noticed that unless the big dealer (aka MGM) doesn't sale it the uke brand is little known. I wish MGM or ukerepublic would carry the Mele but neither one does. Great company to deal with though. Cheryl (owner's wife) taught me my first three uke chords.

Ahh, those were the days...my first chords learned were A, C#m7, Bm7 and E7...sound familiar? Haha :cool:

And thanks iDavid for startin this thread - I probably wouldn't have came across this brand for sometime (As I don't really look elsewhere and I spend an ample amount of time on UU)...I might look to get one of these. :D
 
Ahh, those were the days...my first chords learned were A, C#m7, Bm7 and E7...sound familiar? Haha :cool:

And thanks iDavid for startin this thread - I probably wouldn't have came across this brand for sometime (As I don't really look elsewhere and I spend an ample amount of time on UU)...I might look to get one of these. :D

She taught me G, Am, F, and C even though I didn't buy a uke from them (I couldn't bring myself to pay $300 for a mini guitar). Boy do i kick my self in the rear for that mistake. My first quality and second uke overall was a Mele and that is my main brand until i found koAloha.
 
By all accounts, a great uke. Never heard a bad thing about them.

They also make a baritone sized guitulele - one of the few who do. I've considered it more than once.

As for scratches - no clue if its still an issue. Ukes should be beat up anyway, so I don't mind that at all. Keeping a uke in that price range pristine is sort of not worth the time it takes to be careful. :p Looks like a fine value for the buck.
 
That's funny, my first 3 cords I learned in my 3rd grade Hawaiiana class G7, C7, F the standard Hawaiian vamp played between verses of songs. Ah da memories... :)
 
I bought Haolejohn's Mele koa top tenor and I love it! Great uke!
 
Videos? You can play that baby a lot better than I was ever able too. I miss her. Give her some love for me.

Videos will come. I was able to record my last few because I had a few days off from work and absolutely nothing to do but sit and play uke. Work has started again but I'll make a few more videos on my days off.
 
I think their finish is nitrocellulose lacquer (like Martin), both matte and gloss. If you're putting a clear pickguard on, make sure not to use a static cling pickguard. It will destroy the finish.

Cheryl's out doing trade shows and such in China and the Philippines right now and won't be back until the end of the month. The people at Mele are really nice, which makes you appreciate the instrument even more.
 
Last edited:
I have had the mele solid koa tenor for about 4 months,,Great uke..The thiness of the neck took some getting used to for my gorilla hands.., but for the price I got it for Im pleased.
Typical nail scratching from strumming but thats just mojo..Im waiting to hear it open up as Ive read solid koas do..
 
Top Bottom