It doesn’t sound that great. I have to tune it more frequently than I should. I’ll have to invest in a pitch pipe (for some reason this low-tech option seems more fitting than my electronic one).

Excellent Playability] Low action, without buzzing, comfortable and very easy to press strings, perfect for beginners. Well-maded fretboard with 18 frets wires properly seated, comfy to touch and more friendly to your handsPerhaps that’s not a glowing recommendation but it fits my needs perfectly. I’d only recommend it for my mother because it’s inexpensive and she’s thrity. So to conclude this ukulele has been a great companion. Its been economical – you don’t need to worry about losing or breaking it and opened up many opportunities. It has been a good experience and although it still sounds bad I’m getting better on it and it has made me want to buy a better one from which I can really play properly. Piano Albums

Piano Albums including Piano, Vocal and Guitar (PVG), Easy Piano and playalong books

Despite being a ‘cheap soprano by Mahalo’ as he’s been described, there is not much difference in the playing and sound quality compared to more expensive ukes. I’ve spoken to ukulele masters and they’ve agreed with me. Us two have been all over together and are pretty much inseparable. We crossed the Atlantic to play in New York, flew to Sweden to play at pop festivals and have played at least 300 gigs up and down the UK. We’ve played live on the BBC, Xfm and 6music, recorded in Maida Vale, took the stage at Bestival & Lattitude festivals, gigged on boats and steam trains and never once let each other down.

I've never tried the UG50 you have - yes, I took at the round-up you did. (If Mahalo's numbering system were logical, you'd think the UG50 you found so many bad problems with would be a step up from the UG30, but I guess not! Or maybe times have changed chez Mahalo since you bought it?) I had to file the corners of the bridge down. They were sharp and pointy and jabbing into my forearm. There are 2 types of this simple but effective little soprano ukulele; one with side geared tuners (as above), and another with more Plastic ‘Brass’ Instruments

pBrass Instruments or Plastic ‘brass’ Instruments are a fantastic invention, resulting in many brass players accessing instruments they wouldn’t normally have had the chance to. They are great for children or for a beginner which is looking for a budget buy in the brass family and great for the school or education authority who want something that will last but at low cost. At Heriatge Music we have the pBone, pBuzz the original pTrumpet and now the pCornet available

Accessories | Brass

Brass instruments accessories including valve oils, stands, cases and gig bags for maintaining and protecting your musical instrument.

This uke is probably not for the guy who already plays something nicer, but then again, the guy who already plays something nicer probably already knows that. Nor, by the same token, would this uke be a good way to convince someone who plays another instrument of the ukulele’s many merits. The fact is Mahalo is offering a good quality ukulele for an affordable price, and some more pricey companies are unset by this.

This may not sound like a fantastic Uke ‘looks bad’ sounds bad and is generally very unreliable but it had one tremendously redeeming quality, one that I did not expect at all. A social one. It’s my first ukulele and I’m happy with it any way it comes. It’s a great ukulele in my opinion. 8/10. He wasn’t an expensive uke, cost me under 60 quid (complete with what is now a well worn, battered and bruised hard case) but with just a little tweaking he has proven to be invaluable. Firstly I had the saddle filed down under the “A” string to sort out an intonation problem (that only the luthier who could hear!). Giving the screws on the tuning pegs a little quarter turn sorted out any tuning/slipping difficulties there may have been, (I have to do this once every few months) and a nice set of Aquila strings really brought him to life. Telecaster and Les Paul style ukuleles. This was an idea originally done by Kiwaya and their K-Wave ukuleles, which were of better quality. Sadly theIt chips very easily and is lightweight, but I’d expect this from most sopranos. I’ve been taking good care of it though. 8/10. After a couple of hours on a train into Paris I pulled it out and began playing immensely enjoying making an extremely public fool out of myself. The strings are brand new when you first buy them so of course they’ll take a while to stretch! I tweak my ukulele before gigs every Saturday, but every since July-ish, he’s never been out of tune.

Their bright colours and low price tag mean that they are very popular with schools and ukulele groups. They’re not the world’s greatest uke by any means but, considering the price, it’s a decent ukulele. The Mahalo is often the choice for new ukers just getting started with the ukulele. The Mahalo ukulele range has grown a lot over the last few years. They are still best known for the basic colourful soprano size ukuleles, find the ukulele losing its tuning regularly. So try to buy a Mahalo with geared tuners if you can!

My storytime kids don’t tend to notice (or care about) the tone problems or the buzzing during “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. Chad took this photo of me playing my Mahalo ukulele with Steve on his hand-made bass, Darren on drums, and Fran on tapshoes on her special wooden board (which is out of shot). The uke needed an extra mike for this one, but otherwise behaved itself nicely. Maybe quality control has improved, maybe these came from a particular factory (I don't know if this applies to Mahalo, but with other instruments that are ostensibly identical models, there are distinct differences between some that are contracted out to different factories), or maybe the shop I used (where the staff seem to know a fair bit about ukes) weeds the bad 'uns out, though while chatting, the guy who served me claimed they'd had no problems, and they sell a lot locally. Afterthoughts: My first excursion into the Alaskan wilderness was a hike to Bird Creek and the incredibly beautiful super secret waterfall. There was a threat of bear but no sightings by us. The uke was out of tune almost immediately but I persevered. I probably wouldn’t buy another Mahalo for hiking but it’s still nice for storytime. He was the 4th or 5th ukulele that I bought, is now part of a good medium sized collection, is one of hundreds of ukuleles I have played, but he still remains my favourite. Every favourite instrument should have a name and this one is known as “Escape Plan B”*.