I know exactly how you feel. A 1950/60's Silvertone (Harmony built for Sears) mahogany baritone arrived here recently. Picked it up for a $100, sounds like so much more. Maybe it's the DGBE tuning.
There are a lot of surprisingly good, modestly-priced ukes out there. Of course, the player has a lot to do with it-- I think Jon would make virtually any uke sound good.