Finally got a nice new ukulele: Mainland Classic Mahogany Concert

Sep 23, 2013 · 2 minute read · Comments
musicukuleleSteel City Ukuleles

Exactly two months after beginning to learn ukulele, I finally got a quality instrument for myself, ordered online from Mainland Ukes in Indiana (yes, there are good ukuleles made outside of Hawaii).

I first encountered Mainland because of an electric tenor that Linda lent me at my very first Steel City Ukuleles meeting. This instrument had some very nice qualities I appreciated: its construction, appearance, and sound.

Why now?

I delayed two months because I wanted to get sufficiently proficient that I could actually tell what was good and what I like.

Also, Abby’s friend really wanted the banjolele back (I had been playing it mostly, amidst the other loaners), and having already signed up to perform in a gig soon (!), I really wanted to have my own instrument for that.

Why this Mainland Classic Mahogany Concert?

After trying various instruments, I concluded that I really did want a solid wood ukulele, rather than a laminate, because of the fuller sound. Given that, there was the question of a reasonable price point. I figured that I did not want to spend more than $300 on an instrument.

Another thing was that I wanted to make sure the intonation and action were decent, and were set up with care. That meant ruling out buying from some random store without a specific person responsible for setting up.

I looked up a lot of reviews and descriptions online, and also demonstration videos. Hawaii Music Supply was much mentioned, for example.

But I found information that made me think Mainland was the way to go.

Here are some reviews of Mainland instruments that I paid attention to:

• tenors
• mahogany concert

Comparing the woods, I liked the deep mahogany sound. Although the bright spruce-topped instruments sound great too, I prefer deep to bright, even if the classic ukulele sound is on the bright side.

The sound of the mahogany just seemed gorgeous to me, and also the Mainland instruments are quite resonant:

Ordering

So I eventually contacted Mike of Mainland and asked him some questions, and then put in the order, and the instrument quickly arrived. I already love it!

Conclusion

I felt I did a reasonable job in evaluating (in person or from online information) various instruments before finally ordering one. This was not an impulse purchase.

Now that I have a beautiful instrument, I feel committed to play it every day! I expect to enjoy this investment for many, many years to come!