Members Misha Posted March 29, 2020 Members Share Posted March 29, 2020 I wanted something very light, very easy to carry. I thought of a ukulele. I did not want something too expensive because it's for traveling. I decided to get a Makala MK-CE (concert size). I ordered it online (because of that Covid-19 thing...) I don't know if they did a setup on it but the action is very good straight out of the box! Low action! No buzz! I'm surprised! I put nut sauce on the nut and saddle, lemon oil on the neck, etc. I like it! I know Makala is the budget line of Kala but maybe I got lucky or maybe they are fine for the price! What do you know about these? It has plastic nut and saddle but it seems to be well built, overall. Link: https://kalabrand.com/products/mk-ce Now, I need to learn ukulele chords! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nabisco Posted March 29, 2020 Members Share Posted March 29, 2020 Nice looking uke. Congratulations on your purchase. If you haven't seen/heard her before, you should checkout Danielle Ate the Sandwich - she is a terrific performer with a ukulele. Here is a link to one of her many great performances: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted March 29, 2020 Members Share Posted March 29, 2020 Nice new uke! I usually swap out the 4th string with a thicker string and octave lower. You still get the same general sound, but with a bit more dynamic range. If you're ever jamming with a guitarist, just get them to capo on 5 and you're playing the same chord shapes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted March 29, 2020 Members Share Posted March 29, 2020 Happy New (Small) Guitar Day. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) Enjoy your new acquisition. I have an old Harmony ukulele I inherited from mom. I need to have it put in playable condition. Mine looks like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Misha Posted March 30, 2020 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2020 9 hours ago, Nabisco said: Nice looking uke. Congratulations on your purchase. If you haven't seen/heard her before, you should checkout Danielle Ate the Sandwich - she is a terrific performer with a ukulele. Here is a link to one of her many great performances: I did not know about her! Thank you for the info, I will listen to her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Misha Posted March 30, 2020 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2020 3 hours ago, DeepEnd said: Happy New (Small) Guitar Day. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) Enjoy your new acquisition. I have an old Harmony ukulele I inherited from mom. I need to have it put in playable condition. Mine looks like this: This vintage ukulele has lots of mojo!! Very cool!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Misha Posted March 30, 2020 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2020 6 hours ago, Grant Harding said: Nice new uke! I usually swap out the 4th string with a thicker string and octave lower. You still get the same general sound, but with a bit more dynamic range. If you're ever jamming with a guitarist, just get them to capo on 5 and you're playing the same chord shapes. That is a question I had in mind: can we put a lower (thicker) string on any ukulele or only on certain ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted March 30, 2020 Members Share Posted March 30, 2020 If it were me I'd put a fresh set of these on: https://m.juststrings.com/aqu-aclwg.html https://m.juststrings.com/aqu-86u.html https://m.juststrings.com/aqu-113u.html They used to sell the low G strings separately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Misha Posted March 30, 2020 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Grant Harding said: If it were me I'd put a fresh set of these on: https://m.juststrings.com/aqu-aclwg.html https://m.juststrings.com/aqu-86u.html https://m.juststrings.com/aqu-113u.html They used to sell the low G strings separately. Thank’s for that info too! I know nothing about Ukulele strings! The uke came with Aguila Super Nylgut strings. The strings are still too new to stay in tune but it gets better everyday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted March 30, 2020 Members Share Posted March 30, 2020 This is the single low G replacement: https://m.juststrings.com/aqu-acslwg-1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 On 3/28/2020 at 7:54 PM, Misha said: I wanted something very light, very easy to carry. I thought of a ukulele. I did not want something too expensive because it's for traveling. I decided to get a Makala MK-CE (concert size). I ordered it online (because of that Covid-19 thing...) I don't know if they did a setup on it but the action is very good straight out of the box! Low action! No buzz! I'm surprised! I put nut sauce on the nut and saddle, lemon oil on the neck, etc. I like it! I know Makala is the budget line of Kala but maybe I got lucky or maybe they are fine for the price! What do you know about these? It has plastic nut and saddle but it seems to be well built, overall. Link: https://kalabrand.com/products/mk-ce Now, I need to learn ukulele chords! That looks really nice! HNUD! How is the tuning and tuning stability on it? I have been wanting to pick up a uke for quite some time, but still haven't gotten around to it. I'm thinking of getting either a tenor or a baritone - simply because they're the larger instruments, and I suspect they'll be easier to get into (and keep in) tune... but I don't really know much of anything about ukuleles... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garthman Posted March 30, 2020 Members Share Posted March 30, 2020 Congratulations, Misha, very nice. I've played a little bit on ukuleles but find the fret-board of the smaller ones too narrow. I would probably go for a baritone ukulele and string it to ADGB (same as a guitar 5th to 2nd strings) rather than the usual DGBE (guitar 4th to 1st strings). You can use different strings if you want to - good string retailers stock single strings or you can cannibalize regular nylon guitar strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Misha Posted March 30, 2020 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2020 8 hours ago, Phil O'Keefe said: That looks really nice! HNUD! How is the tuning and tuning stability on it? I have been wanting to pick up a uke for quite some time, but still haven't gotten around to it. I'm thinking of getting either a tenor or a baritone - simply because they're the larger instruments, and I suspect they'll be easier to get into (and keep in) tune... but I don't really know much of anything about ukuleles... I received it last thursday and tuned it (they cautiously leave less tension on the strings before shipping) only during the evening of that day. It doesn’t stay in tune perfectly right now, but for brand new nylon strings I think it is pretty normal. It’s very playable. At that price point, I know that the tuning pegs are not of the best quality but they seem to do the job! For the price, I’d say that the built quality is impressive, it sounds good and the neck is very nice. I did not want something with solid wood or even a solid top because I intend to carry it with me often. I need something sturdy. I guess changing the tuners for better ones, upgrading the nut and saddle to bone would make it even better but it would possibly cost as much as the little ukulele entirely unless I can get spare parts for cheap. For now, I’m happy with it as it is! It has good reviews, I took a chance and I’m glad I did! I don’t know if they all have good low action straight out of the box like mine. No buzz! I ordered it from Cosmo Music and it’s very, very good for the money! Some people bought new ukuleles online from different retailers and they complained about high action! Maybe it depends on the seller or on the brand or a bit of both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Misha Posted March 30, 2020 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2020 6 hours ago, garthman said: Congratulations, Misha, very nice. I've played a little bit on ukuleles but find the fret-board of the smaller ones too narrow. I would probably go for a baritone ukulele and string it to ADGB (same as a guitar 5th to 2nd strings) rather than the usual DGBE (guitar 4th to 1st strings). You can use different strings if you want to - good string retailers stock single strings or you can cannibalize regular nylon guitar strings. Thank you garthman! I can imagine easily that a man with medium or large hands could find ukuleles much too small! It’s probably more comfortable for womens. I got a concert size because I thought a soprano would be too small. I did not want to get a baritone as the first one, but a tenor would be nice with the a lower « G ». I want to learn the chords with a regular ukulele before I think about getting a baritone but in the future... humm! If you think about it, some very playable ukuleles are cheaper than some generic Walmart paintings. They look good too on a wall but play better! 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 Thanks for the details Misha - it certainly looks like a sweet little uke - congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted March 30, 2020 Share Posted March 30, 2020 PS Do you know if they make a Tenor or Baritone model in that same product line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Misha Posted March 30, 2020 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2020 Thank you sir and yes they do make a tenor and a baritone. So, in the range of Makala ukuleles by Kala: I think it is called the Classic line. -Kala MK-T or (MK-TE for electroacoustic version) = Tenor -Kala MK-B = Baritone (I don’t know if there is an electroacoustic version, maybe!) -Kala MK-C (or MK-CE for the electroacoustic version) -Kala MK-S (I don’t know if there is an electroacoustic version, maybe!) = Soprano Maybe it is better to have the best of the budget brand instead of the cheapest of the more expensive brand of the same company??? 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted March 31, 2020 Members Share Posted March 31, 2020 23 hours ago, Misha said: This vintage ukulele has lots of mojo!! Very cool!! Thanks. It appears to be solid mahogany. It's been around the block a few times. There's a top crack; the one piece bridge+saddle has no saddle any more because a chunk is broken off; the fretboard is all one piece of Bakelite, a material used for electrical insulators, and some of the "cowboy" frets are pretty well worn. It probably needs more to be rebuilt than fixed but it was mom's and it's pretty much all I have left so it's worth fixing (to me). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Misha Posted March 31, 2020 Author Members Share Posted March 31, 2020 I too think it’s worth fixing too! You’ll love to play it when it will be rebuilt! These souvenirs have no price! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OregonJim Posted April 13, 2020 Members Share Posted April 13, 2020 I have a Kala KA-S soprano and a Kala KA-TEME electric tenor. They sound great with Aquila Reds nylgut strings. I put a low-G set on the tenor, high-G on the soprano. Wife has an Epiphone Les Paul electric uke - looks just like a baby Les Paul - it's a blast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Misha Posted April 13, 2020 Author Members Share Posted April 13, 2020 8 minutes ago, OregonJim said: I have a Kala KA-S soprano and a Kala KA-TEME electric tenor. They sound great with Aquila Reds nylgut strings. I put a low-G set on the tenor, high-G on the soprano. Wife has an Epiphone Les Paul electric uke - looks just like a baby Les Paul - it's a blast! I'll try to order a set and a spare low-G string online. No other option, everything is closed! Phil O'Keefe is intered in an Epiphone uke! They look very good! I hesitated between an Epiuphone, a kala exotic wood and the Makala. I got something inexpensive to be able to carry easily without worrying too much about it being damaged! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OregonJim Posted April 13, 2020 Members Share Posted April 13, 2020 4 minutes ago, Misha said: I'll try to order a set and a spare low-G string online. No other option, everything is closed! Phil O'Keefe is intered in an Epiphone uke! They look very good! I hesitated between an Epiuphone, a kala exotic wood and the Makala. I got something inexpensive to be able to carry easily without worrying too much about it being damaged! Yeah, my wife loves the Epiphone, but I'm more into the traditional look of my Kalas (besides, I have a real Gibson Les Paul for when I want to make lots of noise...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Misha Posted April 13, 2020 Author Members Share Posted April 13, 2020 It's a beauty!!! Me like it! A lot!! 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted April 15, 2020 Members Share Posted April 15, 2020 On 3/30/2020 at 8:29 PM, DeepEnd said: Thanks. It appears to be solid mahogany. It's been around the block a few times. There's a top crack; the one piece bridge+saddle has no saddle any more because a chunk is broken off; the fretboard is all one piece of Bakelite, a material used for electrical insulators, and some of the "cowboy" frets are pretty well worn. It probably needs more to be rebuilt than fixed but it was mom's and it's pretty much all I have left so it's worth fixing (to me). Absolutely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 On 4/12/2020 at 10:53 PM, OregonJim said: Yeah, my wife loves the Epiphone, but I'm more into the traditional look of my Kalas (besides, I have a real Gibson Les Paul for when I want to make lots of noise...) Those look cool! Like you, I already have real Les Pauls - while it would be cool to have a mini-one, I think the Hummingbird Uke looks rather cool too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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