Hamano U-320P Deluxe Pineapple Ukulele Outfit

I am always cautious with low-cost ukes, especially when I read amazon reviews. One person may say a uke is perfect and the next will say it is junk. I can't believe how many reviews involve strings that won't stay tight- it takes a couple of days! Anyway, as for this particular uke, it had a few issues. When I unboxed it, I thought it looked really good. The finish is nice. I only found one tiny blemish in the stain. The tuners are exposed gears but they are really solid so far. The strings were decent. I replaced them but one wouldn't have to. Then I tuned it up. It sounded really bright and loud. Of course the strings were stretching so I played it again that night. I found that the c string was out of tune with the e string at the third fret. Then I started noticing that all the frets were out when played against open strings. I was very upset because I just had a bad return experience on something else and didn't want to go through with it again. After much soul-searching, I decided to keep it and try to fix it myself. Everyone should realize that cheaper ukes are mass-produced in foreign countries and a good music store (not all) will take the time to adjust an instrument, but since I was bypassing the music store I didn't get that luxury. The strings were high. Not pawn-shop guitar high, but high enough to be uncomfortable to play at higher frets. The saddle was WAY too high so I took it out and realized that it had been put in backwards. It is a compensated saddle, which is a surprising feature for a cheap uke, but the notch was in the wrong end. I sanded about half the saddle off (from the bottom of course). Then I filed the string slots in the nut. They were so shallow that the strings actually sat on top of the grooves, causing the c and e strings to pop out of place when playing. Finally, I strung it up with some Aquilla low-g concert strings and now it is perfect. I am glad I kept it. Now, I am satisfied with it myself, but whether I can recommend it or not is complicated. If this was my first ukulele or even my first musical instrument, I would not have known how to fix the problems and would have been an unhappy customer. Or maybe I wouldn't have even noticed them. Who knows? One thing I do know is that you can play good music with cheap ukes. You just have to be able to do a little research and be patient. And be willing to monkey around a little bit with tools and sandpaper. That's how you learn.

I received my Mahalo baritone ukulele from Amazon.com today. I'm a performing singer/songwriter, mainly on guitar, and occasionally banjo. I have several vintage guitars that have been custom set at the factory specifically for my performance style. So you could say I know a bit about stringed instruments and good sound. A friend suggested I get a baritone ukulele, since the four strings are typically tuned to the four highest strings on a guitar in standard tuning.The ukulele arrived in perfect condition. The finish is matte, a bit bland, but attractive enough. The provided strings aren't good, but that is typical for instruments, and I will replace them as soon as a good set arrives. The ukulele smells new and a bit like Elmer's white glue! The sound quality is good for what it is. Ukuleles aren't known for their resonance and sustain. The tuning machines are a bit cheapish. They can be tightened using set screws on the end of the tuning pegs. Too tight and it is difficult to precisely adjust string pitch, too loose and the tuned strings won't hold their pitch. Right now, the strings don't hold their pitch very well, but that may be a function of crappy strings or stretching nylon strings.The ukulele responds well to a capo (try using a banjo capo), requiring little retuning after the capo is set. The intonation is fair - good with decent overtones.The gig bag is cheap, primarily a dust cover, and doesn't even include a pocket or two. If you want to carry picks (sacrilege to ukulele purists, I am sure) or a capo, get a small bag that can be tossed into the gig bag along with the ukulele.All in all, I like the price and recommend this as an entry level instrument. I am pleased enough with the sound that I will likely perform on stage with this ukulele. I will update my review once I have had a chance to try new strings.f

I strongly believe it's all about how you play Whilst this is a beginner's uke it gets people in the game with affordability. It also is not too terribly too small. For a 4yr player I want to emphasize that size is the most important thing. I've found that soprano ukes are ridiculous, and tenors are overplayed, but the concert style is wonderful. I use it in a folk band and we couldn't be any happier. Of course it's tune holding sucks, but there are a few ways to fix that. 1: replace the tuning pegs with geared metal tuners.2: chane the strings (NEVER PLAY WITH FACTORY SETUP)and lastly3: tune, retune, and tune again again.You have to break those bad boys in. If you've got no access to extra money for strings just play and keep it tuned up.Be careful of weather variances because you don't want it warping. Also, be sure to leave it just aying around. It's nice that the give oyu a case. Until you're willing to invest in a more expensive uke, use that case proudly. Once you upgrade then it wouldmake sense to get a padded hardshell case Other than that, for the price I couldn't be happier. It really is nice to pla on, and ver comfortable If I was 4yrs back in time I'd still reccommend this over starting with any other style (soprano/tenor/etc). I love the concert size, and true tone I get out of it.