Hamano U-200 Standard Mahogany Ukulele Outfit

I've just gotten this ukulele a few hours ago, and so far I've loved it. I have never, ever played a ukulele before, but I've got to say, it's pretty sweet. The shipping was quick, so I got to playing in less than a week. The strings take a bit of tuning and retuning to stretch them out and will take some patience, but once you get it right it's worth it. It has a nice, loud sound, and it definitely has that fun factor. The instructional DVD is also VERY useful if you're just starting, like me, and it goes over the vital parts, like how to tune and the chords. I'd recommend this to anyone just starting out on the ukulele and is on a tight budget, because at this price, it's a steal.All in all, I'd say go buy it, you'll be glad you did.UPDATE - 12/8/12After a year and a half of use, this ukulele has still held up quite nicely. It's still intact with few blemishes after lugging it around school and strumming away at home, but it gathers dust in my bedroom at the moment. After comparing with other people's ukuleles, the construction and wood of the body and fret board seemed inferior. The intonation didn't smooth out as much as I had hoped even after giving the original strings time to stretch. Trust me, it doesn't sound as good as ukulele instrumentals on YouTube and will definitely never will despite tuning, and that's due to the build quality and the over sized nut. But hey, it's loud and fun to play with, which at this price point is what most people are looking for.I just thought I'd mention that the tuning pegs are geared and stick out on the sides and not friction tuners that stick out on the back of the head stock as pictured, and that the carrying bag/case that comes with it isn't the best. It is made of incredibly thin fabric, has no strap, and the zipper is located at the bottom, making it difficult to put in and take out. Not a big deal, as the tuning pegs actually operate better and a replacement case can be easily found on Amazon.I originally purchased it at around $32, so I didn't really expect much when I ordered it. However, I was quite surprised by the quality of the ukulele and the fun factor, and was definitely worth the money. Given the new price of $45, if beginners looking to purchase a soprano ukulele asked me what to get, I would direct them to either get the  Makala Dolphin , or spend an extra $10 and go for either the  Kala KA-15S  (preferred) or the  Lanikai LU-21  instead.I would also recommend purchasing  Aquila Nylgut Soprano Ukulele Strings  for the ukulele of your choice; many will agree that strings on a ukulele definitely make or break the instrument and Aquilas are top notch. Given time to stretch out, they will improve the intonation and give a bright, loud tone to any ukulele, and these low to mid-range ukuleles will definitely need the help. If I recall correctly, the Mahalo, Lanikai, and Kala ukuleles come equipped with it; the Makala does not.This Mahalo is a still a great beater ukulele, nonetheless, and is a definitely a viable choice for beginners.

I got the uke bug recently when I had decided to bring my grandmothers early 1920's banjolele home from a storage unit we have a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed playing it tho the tone isn't that great from the 7th fret on, & decided to purchase an inexpensive ukulele to relieve the stress I'm experiencing at my part time job right now. Seeing the deal on Amazon for this model,I decided to splurge on myself.(usually don't do that around the holidays) It arrived today and I went about testing it. I love the tone-very sweet and that sweetness carries all the way up to the 12th fret. The neck has a great feel,and the frets are well done-no rough edges or uneveness. No string buzzes,the nut and bridge also being very well made. And it has dots on the side of the neck as well as on the fretboard...yay!! (Soooo important-I'm one of those dot players-I get lost without em.) Very good tone for such an inexpensive instrument. The finish could be a tad better-no glue shows or anything like that,it's just not a high quality finish,but the whole idea of buying this model was to have something I could take to work without worry-and the better the finish,the more I worry,so that met my qualifications as well. I had to tweak the machine heads a bit-one was too tight,one too loose & was easily remedied with a small blade screwdriver to the screw on the back of each tuner. On the picky side,I was hoping the gig bag would have an accessories compartment & shoulder strap,but I can add those myself or carry my tuner & pick in my backpack. The strings are new,and stretch a lot just like those of a classical guitar. (I also play guitar,mandolin,and lap dulcimer) This would make a great first ukulele for a person of any age,or a take along model for those more experienced but wanting a "what,me worry?" instrument. Looking forward to playing blues,Irish tunes,1920's songs in addition to classical on it. Right now I'm learning Yuletide carols.

You get what you pay for with this ukulele in regards to quality, the fun factor is there though. We bought this for an eleven year old that just finished reading star girl and is using that theme for her birthday party. She's been taking piano lessons for seven years and was able to pick up the ukulele very quickly just from her music theory knowledge and a beginners ukulele book. Very simple and fun instrument.This one in particular sounds ok. We upgraded the strings before even tuning it to Martin standard Ukulele strings. It failed to stay in tune through an entire song until the strings were broken in. Now that the strings are all stretched out it makes it through the song but needs to be adjusted fairly often when playing for any length of time. It's a cheap way to learn an instrument and stay entertained. If you are looking for a gig quality instrument or something to pass down through the years this isn't it. The intonation is pretty horrible past the 5 fret, but again for the price and reason for the purchase it doesn't bother us at all.If you are wanting to really get serious and learn to play the ukulele save up a little more and buy yourself a better quality instrument. If you want a musical toy this is for you.Edit: 5 years later we still have this Ukulele. I've tightened up the tuners and it stays in tune much longer than when we first had it. The price has doubled since 2010 so if you are looking for a quality instrument this may be priced too high now.