Hamano U-350C Deluxe Concert Ukulele Outfit

I bought this in 2012 for only $80 with the gig bag so it was a steal.Cons: Barely finished. I actually like the minimal finish but it is a little rough to the touch (looks decent though, glossier on the neck) and you can feel the wood's grain. Sanding marks on the heal. And a bit rough on the top in front of the end of the fret-board. Dolphin tuners (as in actual dolphin shapes) with big knobs seem hokey to me, but it is a uke and that's on the back and they still look nice. Mahalo decal is very obviously a decal since it doesn't have much of a clear coat if any at all over it. Frets are smoothly flush with the neck, but the filed, sloped ends are a little rough.Pros: Loud and pretty nice sound for the price. Looks way better than the pictures (as long as you don't mind the bare finish). Golden, curly koa is impressive. Wood binding. Inlaid rosette (minimal but more than expected for the price) Solid (even though the top is thin) with no humidity problems. I have a beautiful cheap Vietnamese exotic uke that became unplayable in the low humidity of my heated house in the winter. Tuners work well. Action set up pretty well. Fret markers on side (wood?, subtle)When I bought this the only review I could find was a youtube video playing an even cheaper Mahalo. The reviewer called it "absolute rubbish" and practically tossed it aside. It was so cheap though that I took a chance and still like it even though I now have a Cordoba 20TM.At the current $156 price, while still probably worth it, I would definitely shop around and compare. There should be plenty of solid tops available in this price range that have a perfect satin finish. But do they sound better? That I don't know. I am still impressed by the sound.When shopping for ukes if it doesn't say SOLID assume it's plywood. There are plywood tops that still cost hundreds of dollars that can be better than these low end solid tops. There are some impressive looking off-brands with inexpensive solid ukes, but they're a crap shoot. You can get lucky but some of these builders make ukes that don't hold up in a dry heated home.

I got this ukulele on Amazon from a third party seller and it came with a hardcase. It came with aquila strings on it and a compensated bridge (saddle). The ukulele did not need any adjustment as far as adjusting the height of the nut or saddle. The ukulele when tuned in open position also is in tune in the fretted positions--even without adjustment. The only other ukulele I got which was as good out of the box for playability as this is my Hamano. O I will say the tone on this uke has a similar quality to the Hamano as well. Not identical, but closer sounding to the Hamano than it is to laminate ukes which are priced similarly to this ukulele. So, I would say it has a 'vintage' sound to it. The top on it is solid mahogany I expect but at first I thought it was a bit thick but now I realize it is fine as it does sound good. The Koa or Acacia on the sides and back matches the stain of the mahogany on the top. I would recommend this ukulele to anyone wanting a good sounding good playing good looking ukulele. Mahalo tends to get a bad rap in the reviews for intonation but I found this one quite good. Plus it comes with a case. I am very happy with this purchase. It does have friction tuners but about half of my ukuleles do and they work fine. I actually prefer them as it makes the ukulele more traditional and better balanced as machines are too heavy for a soprano. The strings like on all ukes need a little break in (stretching at first). I tightened the tuners a little as they have screw tighteners on the back. Be sure to use a proper smaller philips head when tightening them so as not to strip them out. Once I tightened the tuners a tad, and stretched the strings a little, it tuned up great.I bought this ukulele on a gamble as there were no reviews or really any youtubes of it. The closest youtube I could find was for the UK version of this which I think is the Mahalo LTD2 by my research. I gambled right and found the uke was better than I expected. Its got the tone I like.

I got mine as a “used” Hamano U 350 concert and it is a very nice, well made, nice toned intermediate instrument. The gig bag it came with was plain black medium padded Hamano labeled basic bag and nothing like the one pictured in the listing. I have no idea why there are so many references to Mahalo, or gig bags with “turtle pulls” or other things that aren’t supposed to be on this listing. I am disappointed in getting a lower level gig bag than advertized, but whoever returned this item for resale could have swapped it out.

The first thing I want to say before you get bored of my review is that when i received my ukulele, it came with geared tuners rather than friction tuners! I am a long time guitar player who wanted to learn the uke, but was having a difficult time deciding which one to buy. I was hesitant about buying this one, due to the negative reviews on friction tuners, but the koa back and sides really sold me on this model. I reasoned that if the tuners were really bad, i could always replace them. Imagine my surprise when i open it up and see geared tuners! I don't know if this is standard or if they made a mistake on mine, but this made it a no-brainer for me. The uke looks and sounds great, and i have no complaints. It is easy to tune, and stays in tune very well. I can get a very loud and pleasant sound out of it, and It is a beautiful instrument. The included gig bag is also of very good quality. Overall, this is well worth the money i paid for it, and is a great beginner ukulele.