Review of Mele Mahogany Standard/Soprano Ukulele

I just got a new ukulele! It is the Mele Standard (or soprano) Mahogany Ukulele, and I absolutely love it. “It is a professional-quality ENTIRELY HANDMADE musical instrument, set up for great intonation and ease of play by a master luthier, at a price lower than many of the mass-produced imported ukes seen in music stores today (which usually come right off the assembly line with no setup whatsoever.)”

The Deets:

• Solid Mahogany body

• Mahogany Neck 

• Adjustable Friction Tuners 

• Black Nylon strings

• Ebony Fretboard

• 20.5×6.5″ 

Hear and see the ukulele:

Sound (5)

The ukulele sounds like sex. It is just SO BEAUTIFUL! Of course, it is sorta a niche sound, being that a lot of ukulele players try to get their ukulele to sound like a guitar (we call those people fakers), but it is still great. The two main tonewoods used for ukuleles are Koa and Mahogany, and they have a bright sound and a warm sound respectively. I am not a huge fan of the bright sounding ukuleles, so with soprano size, mahogany body, and black nylon strings, this thing is warmer than the sun.

Looks (3)

This is the one part of the ukulele I am not in love with. From every single picture I saw, the body looked to be satin and light, but mine was a glossy dark wood. It has a very nice paint job on the side, with little to no flaws, but the circle around the front is too thin to be seen from a distance, so from afar the ukulele can look a bit cheap. However, it really shines on the neck. The way the wood was cut it has an almost striped zebra type look to it that makes it unique and beautiful.

Playability (4)

In most aspects, playing this thing is terrific. The first good point is it’s intonation. It is amazing. When it is in tune, not a single note is off. However, getting it in tune can be a bit difficult. It has friction tuners, so whenever you turn the tuner it changes the pitch quite a bit. However, once you get it in tune it stays there for a while, which is a fair tradeoff. I have only tuned mine 3 times since I got it with brand new strings 6 hours ago. The most faulty part for me was the action, because I was under the impression it was going to be very very low. It only affects the playability a little, but I wish it could have been lower.

In Conclusion

This is a real buy. It costs an affordable 250$ (Especially for a hand made) and has an amazing sound. If you like soprano ukuleles (which you should) this is the one for you. It is especially good for people who want a soprano but have big hands, because the fret board is especially wide. So yes, very good, very fun, BUY IT OR I HATE YOU. 

LOOKS:3/5

SOUND:5/5

PLAYABILITY:4/5

OVERALL: 12/15

That is a B! That is good!

Mele Ukulele Website

Mele Soprano Mahogany Ukulele