Best Solid-Wood Intermediate-Level Ukulele in $150-300 range?

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Choweet

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After a $20 luthier fret dressing, "nut and saddle" adjustment , along with re-tightening the A string, I am selling my Kala KA-CG to my friend for $90. With this, I am looking for a new ukulele , without the mistakes of my old Kala and was hoping Ukuleleunderground could point me in the right direction.

I am currently looking at two brands in particular:

Pono MC Concert Ukulele
- Solid Mahogany
- Satin Finish
- ~$260

aaaand...

Mainland Uke Mahogany Concert w/ Slotted Headstock(Limited Edition)
- Solid Mahogany
- Gloss Finish
- $240

Mainland Uke Concert Mango/Red Cedar (I can't, choose lol!!) <------ PROBABLY LEANING TOWARDS THE RED CEDAR
- Solid Mango/Red Cedar
- Gloss Finish
- $240

EDIT 9/11:

Ohana CK-35G/S
-Solid Mahogany w/ RosewoodBinding
-Matte or Gloss finish <------ (WHICH ONE SHOULD I GET? DOES GLOSS AFFECT SOUND SIGNIFICANTLY?)
- $340 (highest I'll go)


Any suggestions on what I should lean towards? (personally I'm already leaning towards the Pono, Hawaiian bias lol!!) Any other brands that I'm overlooking? I'd appreciate any/all suggestions! (But I prefer handcrafted Ukes this time!! ie. not Lanikai, Kala, Oscar Schmidts)
 
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Actually you are not in the "handcrafted" category yet. You would need to get a bit higher in price for that. All the ukes you have mentioned are made in China either assembly completed or set up in the US or hawaii. I don't believe the Pono is built in Hawaii.

The Pono and Mainland mahagonys would be a toss up. They will likely be very comparable. A lot of satisfied customers for both brands.

The Red cedar concert is hard to come by.

The Mango concert is a nice instrument. Plays well, even tone but lower volume compared to mahagony, red cedar or Koa.

If you want handcrafted, and can settle for a soprano size, Brad Donaldson might be worth checking out for a bit more than you are looking at spending.
 
Ah, I see . Thanks for telling me that . These forums are so helpful !! I would've never known :( I'm assuming your knowledge is hands-on experience from the fact that you own both Mainland ukuleles, so I'll probably get the Red Cedar Concert when they are in stock. If I'm getting a Concert Size, I might as well get the full volume potential or I'd just get a Super Soprano which is really not what I'm looking for :|

But man... Mainland Ukes made in China... "NOT ALL GREAT UKES ARE MADE IN HAWAII" ... I guess they're made in China too. Really, thanks for telling me that, from that quote I ASSUMED they were talking about the US.

P.S. If worse comes to worse and I had to choose either the Pono or Mainland Mahogany Concert ukes, what brand would YOU choose? Just wondering :)
 
Pono and Mainland are both good brands, unless you're hung up on having a US-built uke. Ponos were until recently made in Indonesia, now I understand they are being made in China. They are imported by Ko'olau, one of the best-respected Hawaiian builders. Mainlands are made in China and are given final setup here in the US by Mainland owner Mike Hater, who is very active on this forum as Hoosierhiver. They are very good ukes (note that I have two!), and they have the additional benefit of having the owner of the company being an active part of our community.

At the end of the day, I don't think you can go wrong with either brand. In terms of options at your price point, I think Mainland and Pono are two of your best choices.
 
Choweet said:
Ah, I see . Thanks for telling me that . These forums are so helpful !! I would've never known :( I'm assuming your knowledge is hands-on experience from the fact that you own both Mainland ukuleles, so I'll probably get the Red Cedar Concert when they are in stock. If I'm getting a Concert Size, I might as well get the full volume potential or I'd just get a Super Soprano which is really not what I'm looking for :|

But man... Mainland Ukes made in China... "NOT ALL GREAT UKES ARE MADE IN HAWAII" ... I guess they're made in China too. Really, thanks for telling me that, from that quote I ASSUMED they were talking about the US.

P.S. If worse comes to worse and I had to choose either the Pono or Mainland Mahogany Concert ukes, what brand would YOU choose? Just wondering :)
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Pono and Mainland Mahoganys will be very similar. Mike at Mainland is great to deal with. He stands behind his product 100% and is the guy behind the Ukulele World Congress gathering every year for the last 3 years. So I would recommend Mainland, but you would not be unhappy with a Pono either. Just not quite as personal as Mainland.

Hawaiian made ukes are great. In concert, KoAloha is amazing, so is Kamaka, Ko'olau, Mele. If you want Hawaiian, get Koa. Yeah I know it is scarce but better a Koa uke than Koa bowls and other knick-Knacks or Koa panels in the hawaiian hotel lobbies.
 
RichM said:
At the end of the day, I don't think you can go wrong with either brand. In terms of options at your price point, I think Mainland and Pono are two of your best choices.
Click to expand...

If Pono is made completely in China while Mainlands are still assembled in USA, then wouldn't Mainland be better in terms of craftsmanship? I mean, they can check the frets, string tension, and those other adjustments while the Pono would be what they get is what they send out.

This is just so frustrating because I heard of HawaiiMusicSupply's setup job where they do all these adjustments that are originally wrong with manufactured ukes and I was hoping that handmade ukuleles (which turns out I can't afford) wouldn't have those problems like my Kala did. HawaiiMusicSupply's stock is too small, and they offer either very cheap concert ukes, or very expensive concert ukes ($500+) but nothing in between but their setup job is apparently very crucial and can make cheap ukes sound like good ukes. If only other retailers did that :|
 
olgoat52 said:
Pono and Mainland Mahoganys will be very similar. Mike at Mainland is great to deal with. He stands behind his product 100% and is the guy behind the Ukulele World Congress gathering every year for the last 3 years. So I would recommend Mainland, but you would not be unhappy with a Pono either. Just not quite as personal as Mainland.

Hawaiian made ukes are great. In concert, KoAloha is amazing, so is Kamaka, Ko'olau, Mele. If you want Hawaiian, get Koa. Yeah I know it is scarce but better a Koa uke than Koa bowls and other knick-Knacks or Koa panels in the hawaiian hotel lobbies.
Click to expand...

Yes, my dream ukulele is either a Kamaka HF-2 , or a Ko'olau Concert C-100. I'll be asking for one if I get accepted to a UC college *crosses fingers*
 
No one said Mainlands are assembled in the US. Setup is not the same as assembly. Mike replaces the tuners and strings and sets up the nut and saddle as well as culls out the ukes that don't make the grade.

Pono depends on who you buy it from as far as setup goes. Setup is pretty important as all the factories pretty much suck at setup.

Setup takes time, time = money and most people want it for free. That is a no-win situation.

Mainland does a great job with setups but they have a limited number of models. If one of them suits you, you will likely be very happy.

Choweet said:
If Pono is made completely in China while Mainlands are still assembled in USA, then wouldn't Mainland be better in terms of craftsmanship? I mean, they can check the frets, string tension, and those other adjustments while the Pono would be what they get is what they send out.

This is just so frustrating because I heard of HawaiiMusicSupply's setup job where they do all these adjustments that are originally wrong with manufactured ukes and I was hoping that handmade ukuleles (which turns out I can't afford) wouldn't have those problems like my Kala did. HawaiiMusicSupply's stock is too small, and they offer either very cheap concert ukes, or very expensive concert ukes ($500+) but nothing in between but their setup job is apparently very crucial and can make cheap ukes sound like good ukes. If only other retailers did that :|
Click to expand...
 
olgoat52 said:
No one said Mainlands are assembled in the US. Setup is not the same as assembly. Mike replaces the tuners and strings and sets up the nut and saddle as well as culls out the ukes that don't make the grade.

Pono depends on who you buy it from as far as setup goes. Setup is pretty important as all the factories pretty much suck at setup.

Setup takes time, time = money and most people want it for free. That is a no-win situation.

Mainland does a great job with setups but they have a limited number of models. If one of them suits you, you will likely be very happy.
Click to expand...

Set-up and assembly are different, got it, thanks. Pardon my ignorance, I'm still a newb at this. :(

If HawaiiMusicSupply stocks up on their Ponos (which they haven't because I've been spying on their stock for the longest lol!) I'd gladly snatch up their Pono MC for $320, or a Pono MCD for $391! Watching how they setup each uke they send out really instills faith in the uke that I'm buying from them . Hearing that Mainland does the same thing really is comforting to know thanks! :)
 
HawaiiMusicSupply said:
"The Pono line of ‘ukuleles have set a new benchmark in stringed instrument manufacturing. Throughout the world Pono instruments are known for high quality at an affordable price. Pono instruments are professionally designed and handcrafted. All manufacturing is closely supervised by Ko’olau Guitar & Ukulele Company, with final adjustments and set-up at their factory on the island of Oahu, Hawaii."
Click to expand...


That's odd. They are wrong about this, right?
 
Choweet said:
That's odd. They are wrong about this, right?
Click to expand...

Why don't you start by telling folks what YOU mean by "handcrafted".

There are lots of categories for uke builds.
Ukes built by luthiers Eg Chuck Moore, Pete Howlett, Rick Tuner, Eric Devine (I left off a bunch I know)
Ukes make by a "shop" dedicated to building ukes (KoAloha, Kamaka, Mele, Ko'olau) (Again, more missing)
Ukes made in factories (lower skilled labor, high rejection rate, need for retailer or distributer to cull out unacceptable product) (Mainland, Pono, Kala, etc)

All of them are "handcrafted", ie they are touched by human hands. But there is more to it than that. I am not aware of a 100% machine built uke. I don't think it is possible at this time.

Do you take to heart terms like "solid wood furniture (particle board qualifies)" "Lo Cal" "Lo Carb" "Lo Fat". That is how seriously I take a marketing blurb like "handcrafted".
 
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olgoat52 said:
Why don't you start by telling folks what YOU mean by "handcrafted".

There are lots of categories for uke builds.
Ukes built by luthiers Eg Chuck Moore, Pete Howlett, Rick Tuner, Eric Devine (I left off a bunch I know)
Ukes make by a "shop" dedicated to building ukes (KoAloha, Kamaka, Mele, Ko'olau) (Again, more missing)
Ukes made in factories (lower skilled labor, high rejection rate, need for retailer or distributer to cull out unacceptable product) (Mainland, Pono, Kala, etc)

All of them are "handcrafted", ie they are touched by human hands. But there is more to it than that. I am not aware of a 100% machine built uke. I don't think it is possible at this time.

Do you take to heart terms like "solid wood furniture (particle board qualifies)" "Lo Cal" "Lo Carb" "Lo Fat". That is how seriously I take a marketing blurb like "handcrafted".
Click to expand...

Sorry you're right, I should've gave more detail. My "original" thought of a handmade ukulele was that of a webpage I saw, which was called the Kanile'a Process, in which the entire process of making a uke is done on-site and by the same company who's selling it to retailers.

Here is the link:
http://kanileaukulele.com/kanileaProcess_MillingProcess1.php?osCsid=883eb9b2e3d2a1b7ad55f9685aae9733

Thanks for changing my outlook on ukuleles once again! Still got a lot to learn. I'm assuming the term "solid 'x' wood" is also a marketing blurb like "handcrafted" right? So far, my rule of thumb was less than $150 and below means it has laminate wood which $200 and up was solid wood.
 
I'd like to suggest looking at the concert ukuleles from Ohana, if you can wait a while from now. their ukuleles are made in the same factory as Mainland and I was told they check their setups and playability before they ship out to their dealers. I reserved one from elderly instruments and it should be coming in next month.
 
Just my 2 cents, but the mass production companies [like Kala]make some fine solid wood instruments in your price range. I love my Kala solid cedartop tenor. It's my go to uke if I need a loud one. The back and sides are koa lam but the projection is awsome. It's definately not as well made, is not as pretty, and doesn't sound as sweet as my KoAloha, but that sells for 2x as much.
 
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I'd like to add to your indecision by also suggesting Kamoa. They make some solid tops in your price range and they're available at Ukulele Uprising (The UU store) or Larry's Music on Kauai. You can google Kamoa to find a distributer in your area. My pineapple sounds great! next vacay I'm coming home with the flamed maple super-concert.
 
RawrGazzawrs said:
I'd like to suggest looking at the concert ukuleles from Ohana, if you can wait a while from now. their ukuleles are made in the same factory as Mainland and I was told they check their setups and playability before they ship out to their dealers. I reserved one from elderly instruments and it should be coming in next month.
Click to expand...

Wow!! Thank you for pointing me in that direction!! Their Rosewood Concerts are only $340 (I don't know if I should get Matte or Gloss)!!! But I'm not sure how Rosewood compares up to their Mahogany Concert Ukes which can be had for $50 left.

Now I've added the CK-25S and CK-35G/S to my options which is $40 above my price range, but I'd be more than willing to save up for a little longer if that means my uke will have Rosewood top. Thanks!!!
 
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gyosh said:
I'd like to add to your indecision by also suggesting Kamoa. They make some solid tops in your price range and they're available at Ukulele Uprising (The UU store) or Larry's Music on Kauai. You can google Kamoa to find a distributer in your area. My pineapple sounds great! next vacay I'm coming home with the flamed maple super-concert.
Click to expand...

Their cheapest solid wood uke is a Solid Mahogany Concert model is $370, and that's a tad bit more than I'm willing to spend on my 3rd intermediate level ukulele :|
 
strumsilly said:
Just my 2 cents, but the mass production companies [like Kala]make some fine solid wood instruments in your price range. I love my Kala solid cedartop tenor. It's my go to uke if I need a loud one. The back and sides are koa lam but the projection is awsome. It's definately not as well made, is not as pretty, and doesn't sound as sweet as my KoAloha, but that sells for 2x as much.
Click to expand...

I'd be more than willing to get a Kala solid wood ukulele, if I was buying from a company that I know does custom set-up jobs when they recieve the factory uke before they ship them out to me and as far as I know of, the only one at the moment that offers that service (for free too!) is HawaiiMusicSupply. However, they don't have any solid wood concerts ukuleles in my price range :( (that's in stock*)
 
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Trinimon said:
Those Ohana prices on their website are MSRP prices. I've been quoted much less than their MSRP so check with resellers first. :)
Click to expand...

I've seen them on UkeRepublic and Elderly but they're either "coming soon" or "SOLD OUT" :(
 
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