Every time I read a thread like this, I can't help but think somewhere a hoosier is smiling...
As you can see, people are getting fed the f**k up with bad service. How hard is it to sell someone a uke? Is it in stock or not? If so, how long will it take to ship? A walk down PayPal Blvd. and BOOM! 5 working days later you should be getting your tuner out and putting up one of Aldrine's lessons. Real Rocket Science, here. Like others, I opted for the Mainland for all of the above reasons. At that price it didn't kill me to pop for a pickup AND hard case (It's tweed, Jerry, tweed!). I got the concert mahogany gloss, and this little gem sounds better than all the demos hinted at.
I'm not trying to get YouTube hits, but here's a link to a song in progress (inspired by and named after the uke!) that shows what it sounds like in the studio. There's a little reverb on the tracks, but you can hear the wide tonal range I can get even in the roughest of mixes. Use headphones if you can, but even with YT's limited bandwidth, you get the idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vVl08nIkm0
You can also see it in action with some of my other vids, but there are better demos and reviews of Mainlands out there.
Bushman... There used to be a dealer in my area, but they don't stock them anymore... wonder why... They are nice, though, I have to say.