Kala Solid Acacia Soprano Ukulele Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It was with great anticipation that I awaited this little soprano's arrival as I needed a gift for my wife for our 38th wedding anniversary.
With all of the great reviews on Kala Ukuleles, I had to try their soprano.
As far as the looks go, although not the Koa looking one in the picture, the one that arrived was still nice.
This is a simply made instrument and that's to be expected as it is not on the same build or cost level as a Kamaka, Ko'olau or Pono.
But that in no way takes anything away from this ukulele!
The fingerboard is nicely done especially the nickel silver fretwork. There are no fret ends sticking up and they are nicely rounded at their ends.
After tightening the screws on the end of the friction tuners the soprano stayed in tune perfectly. Do not over tighten these screws! Tighten only in small increments.
The intonation was great. The neck is very comfortable with no surprises. Bar chords are easily played with a nice rolled edge on the fingerboard.
The real gem, in this instrument, is the sound quality! It has excellent projection with the traditional "Bark" when bouncing around on the strings playing chords.
Fingerpicking produces very clear and melodic notes! Fretting is also effortless.
This little instrument was singing to me when I was taking the wrapper off, so I knew it was going to sound great!
I love playing it and my wife loves her gift!

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Also called the Mimosa or Shower Tree, these tropical trees are cousins of the Hawaiian Koa tree. They have gorgeous striped patterns of light and dark brown and have a deep colorful tone that match their visual beauty. These solid wood ukes come sized in Soprano, Concert and custom Tenor with a slotted-headstock. They are trimmed with rosewood edge binding and classic herringbone purfling. Custom position markers accent the fretboard. The Soprano has classic friction style tuners. The Concert comes with chrome die-cast tuners with black buttons and the Tenor has vintage geared chrome tuners. The ukes come with a rosewood fingerboard and bridge and an ebony nut and saddle. 13-11/16 Soprano Scale (Distance from Nut toSaddle) 21 Overall body length9-3/8 Body length5-1/4 Upper Bout7 Lower Bout4-1/2 Waist 2-3/8 Body depth1-3/8 At NutCustom vine fret position Marks at 5th,7th ,10TH and 12th frets on neck and top of fingerboard12 Silver Nickel FretsMulti-Layered Headstock cap with carved Kala logo Satin FinishFriction style tuners with Black buttonsPremium AQUILA NYLGUT Strings

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Lanikai O-8 Ovangkol Series 8 String Ukulele Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This ukulele is beautiful and it sounds great too. Don't get me wrong it's no Cordoba
like my other uke, but for being an 8 string it gets the job done. I would replace the strings
to get the most out of this uke.

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Sometimes one needs to break traditions to create a masterpiece. West Africa is about as far as one can get from the islands of Hawaii, but no other wood had the characteristics needed to spotlight the nuances of doubled strings. Coupled with a solid spruce top the Ovangkol series by Lanikai has an incredible full tone. When the song calls for a different voice Lanikai delivers a new array of sounds with this 8 string ukulele. This model comes with the standard tuning of GCEA with all strings doubled like a 12 string guitar. With the easy playability, and included instruction booklet written by Mary Lou Dempler you will be playing in a matter of minutes.If you have never played ukulele before get ready for a world of fun. The ukulele is an addicting instrument that can and will be taken everywhere. The standard tuning on a Soprano, Concert, and Tenor ukulele is GBEA, and on a Baritone DGBE. If you can play one ukulele you can play them all! Pick up a Lanikai today and see why people are saying Lanikai Makes Me Happy! For more information about this model or Lanikai please visit www.Lanikaiukes.com

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Recording King Metal Body Resonator Soprano Ukulele Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This ukulele was a big disappointment, all the more so because Amazon shipped it promptly and it was out of the box 5 days after I bought it.
The intonation was worse that a $30 Mahalo. It wasn't much louder than a solid spruce top, and the overall appearance was, well, cheap. I guess the lesson learned is that a resonator uke for $300 will be "cheap".

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Made from an entirely European bell brass body and featuring a 6" hand-spun Continental cone, this resonator ukulele adds a unique twist to the classic Hawaiian instrument. This rare model features a mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, Champion-style friction tuners, pearloid headstock overlay and a bell brass coverplate.These excellent features give this traditional instrument fantastic projection and a bark that is uncommon yet very appealing for a ukulele. Includes featherweight case.

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Lanikai CK-S Soprano Curly Koa Ukulele Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had to return the first one because the tuners were installed crookedly. It didn't affect the playability but it just didn't look good. Amazon exchanged no problem as usual. The second one was completely different. The first was made in China and the second was made in Indonesia. The wood grain on the new one is AMAZING. Very contrasted light to dark grains, just like you would expect in a curly koa. The first one looked just like the picture. All the same color. One tuner on the new one was very slightly crooked but not enough to return it for a second time. Not to mention I like this grain a lot better so it's a keeper.
I played guitar for years but never played the uke. I've played this a few times and it sounds fine to me, but I'm no expert. It seems to stay in tune. They are not friction tuners. They are standard mechanical tuners. Tuner quality looks OK.
The craftsmanship, aside from the slightly crooked tuners, is very good. There are no over-sanding spots or glue drips. The pearl inlays look beautiful. This uke does not look like a toy like some other ukes.
The weakness here seems to be consistency. It's apparent that they use multiple facilities and what you get depends upon where it was made. Cross your fingers I guess and hope you get an Indonesian one with the full grain curley koa wood.

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The Curly Koa Series is the pride of Lanikai. The CK-S uses Hawaiian Koa that is especially prized for its curly grain. Lanikai makes use of this exquisite wood by handcrafting the CK series to exacting specifications. Grown mostly on the island of Oahu, the gorgeous red-hued wood used for the Curly Koa series make these ukuleles look as beautiful as they sound. In its most traditional form the CK-S is a Soprano ukulele that owes its existence to Portuguese immigrants bringing their craft of music instrument building to Hawaii in the 1870's. The Ck series comes with die cast tuning machines geared 14/1 for those players that demand greater control over their tuning.If you have never played ukulele before get ready for a world of fun. The ukulele is an addicting instrument that can and will be taken everywhere. The standard tuning on a Soprano, Concert, and Tenor ukulele is GBEA, and on a Baritone DGBE. If you can play one ukulele you can play them all! With the easy playability, and included instruction booklet written by Mary Lou Dempler you will be playing in a matter of minutes then you'll see why people are saying Lanikai Makes Me Happy! For more information about this model or Lanikai please visit www.Lanikaiukes.com

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