I must talk to at least 30 or 40 people every week who are trying to decide on their first uke. If not their first then at least a lower end affordable uke that they can haul around with them and not worry about it taking a little bit of abuse, and leave their custom Kamaka safely at home in its indestructible adamantium coated laser protected bunker safe...exaggeration?
...anyway, I thought I would write a short synopsis about some of the more economical brands and models that are most popular with beginners or players looking to find another instrument they can pickup without breaking the bank.
#1 Kala: At this point pretty much every uke enthusiast has at least heard of Kala Ukuleles. They seem to have covered every inch of the market from tiny pocket ukes to their impressive U-BASS (detailed review coming up soon), from entry level mahogany laminates to solid body deluxe models. Bottom line, if you want options Kala has them.
As far as their entry level ukes go, the basic Mahogany laminate series is where it begins. The KA-B, KA-T, KA-C, and KA-S are all set with geared tuners, premium Aquila strings, mahogany laminate body and white plastic binding.If your looking for a little more flash in the pan the exotic mahogany series has the same setup but with some nice curly "exotic mahogany" laminate that adds some eye candy without breaking the bank. Here I do a quick and simple overview and sample for the Concert Exotic Mahogany KA-CEM:
The playability of these ukes is pretty good, the nut and saddle usually need an adjustment but once that is done these ukes make a pretty good bang for their buck. As always I recommend getting a full setup including nut and saddle adjustments, fret dressing, and an intonation adjustment if it is necessary (I will be writing about the setup process soon, with some helpful tips and tricks for those who want to attempt to do it at home). But compared to other ukuleles in the same price range, their "fresh from the factory" playability is above average. The Aquila strings can really bring out the tone potential in lower end ukes, because they are so bright and punchy they can compensate for what would otherwise we a dull or muted tone, they are well suited for these basic laminate models. With the price ranging from $65 for the soprano size and $130 for the baritone, they are worth trying out if you want something decent without investing too much.
Makala and Luna reviews soon to come! Email me if you have a request for a review on another brand or model as well as any other questions or comments you have. Aloha!
tsk. not mentioning either Ohana or Mainland ukuleles in such an article is quite a mis-step.
ReplyDeleteface it: a $40 ukulele is a fabulous ashtray.
while I hold no doubt that your set-up skills can make the best of such beasts, you really can't set up a ukulele in such a fashion that it compensates for horrid intonation once it gets up towards the "dusty end of the fretboard."
there are several "big lies" that are common in the ukulele world (and, no doubt, in other instrument's milieus as well). coming in at #1 is the lie that you can get a musical instrument at a bargain basement price and expect it to perform well.
sometimes, even "adequate" performance is beyond them.
Ohana and even Mainland do make some decent ukes. I simply picked these 3 brands because by volume and popularity they seem to stand out, but I might add another post to cover a couple Ohana models in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think it goes without saying that you get what you pay for, if you get something cheap its not going to preform as well as a more expensive instrument, and I do believe most people expect this. It is not a "lie" however to say that you can find an inexpensive instrument that will serve its purpose and get the job done without being considered a piece of junk. Its ironic that you mention the "dusty" end of the fretboard having the bad intonation, because if anyone complaining of bad intonation ever played on the higher frets where the bad intonation is then it wouldn't be dusty, haha...anyway. It is my opinion that if everyone in the ukulele scene is honest with themselves, I think that we can agree that "the scales are fixed".
Last week I played a tenor with a price tag well over $1000...I would have traded it for the $100 uke I started learning on years ago based on the way it played.
Bottom line, common sense shows that something cheap does not equal something expensive. Everyone needs to be realistic with expectations and if you want "perfection" you will pay for it. But for the majority of players out there who have only played maybe 30-40 different instruments with their own hands, opinions can be skewed and that is why the bias exists.
Everyone knows a U.S.A. Fender Stratocaster is the best guitar ever right? Wrong. But if you ask 100 middle-of-the-road guitar players what their favorite guitar is Im willing to bet by majority the Strat wins almost every time. But who is to say whats best and whats not, or what isnt even worth giving attention to for that matter? When you get past the brand name and price tag and look at the individual instrument in front of you and pretend that you've never heard an ounce of opinion from anyone else and actually make up your own mind from scratch,...that is when your happy. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and who am I or anyone else to say what is good and what is not for another player? I offer my personal opinion and an honest look at what is "adequate", and if I do lay down my clout for anything I think it is having an eye for what is and isnt "adequate".
Ive worked on and played over 15,000 different ukuleles. Dozens of brands, hundreds of models. And all that experience has shown me that you cannot make up your mind based solely off of word-of-mouth. 99% of what everybody on forums and the like say is regurgitated, repetitions of what they have heard from someone else and they pass it on as if it was fact, despite they themselves having no direct experience.
Everyone should make up their minds free from bias and personal opinion does not equal fact. I think the biggest misconception is that you cant find an instrument within your budget, within your taste, and within your liking. There IS a perfect uke out there for everyone despite what anyone says.
Aloha
-Ukulele Fiend
Amen to that brother!
ReplyDelete