Makanu Soprano Ukulele Sapele 21 Inch Uke for Beginners with Gig Bag

The media could not be loaded. Makanu Tenor UkuleleBuying this ukulele was a gamble on my part. Searching online I could not find any information on the Makanu brand ukulele, so I pretty much went with the overall positive reviews on Amazon. I was looking for a basic Tenor ukulele that didn't cost much, and this seemed to fit that need. This review is my observations regarding the product and any other information that might be useful to those considering a purchase.With this Amazon listing (what I saw) you have three choices: Soprano Ukulele, Concert Ukulele or Tenor Ukulele. I own a Soprano ukulele and can play it well, even though I'm a big guy and have fat fingers. The Concert ukulele provides good comfort on the fret board and a tone quality that retains that ukulele sound. My experience with a Tenor ukulele has sold me on that style. The ease of fingering frets and the sound it produces appeal to me, so I lean in the direction of Tenor ukuleles. Some say that Tenor ukuleles are the choice of professionals, but I think it's more about personal preference.My soprano ukulele I keep in my car so I can practice while on break at work. It's one of those instruments (inexpensive) that I don't mind throwing around. My Tenor ukulele I hang on the wall at home where it is easy to grab. Though it's not a pricey item, I still treat it with a little more care than I do my Soprano ukulele.The price of this Tenor ukulele was a factor. Before purchasing this ukulele, I went to the local guitar shop and tried playing the higher-end ukuleles there. Looking at their Tenor ukuleles, nothing was priced less than $120.00 (used), and I really didn't hear an advantage in paying more. Certainly they looked much nicer, but the tone quality just didn't knock my socks off. I did see and play a Kala Tenor ukulele that looked much like this Makanu Tenor ukulele, and that did have some influence on my choice to buy the Makanu. The sound quality was good, not outstanding. It does have the mahogany body like the Makanu.When I purchased this Makanu Tenor ukulele, I also purchased a set of Aquila strings, so that I could swap out the originals. From everything that's been said on this listing regarding the strings, those on this ukulele are not Aquila strings. I have Aquila strings on my other ukuleles, and they do sound better than the regular nylon strings that come with most ukuleles. I'm a fan of Aquila strings and am sold on their value. It really makes a difference to change over to quality strings.So what's right and what's wrong with this Tenor ukulele? Let me be clear that my expectations were not high. It's a $65.00 ukulele after all. I would be happy had it simply been reasonably playable and been reasonably well constructed. All things considered, I figured this would be my travel ukulele, something I might throw in the car for a camping trip, nothing that I would stress over should it get damaged.At a glance, the Makanu Tenor Ukulele looks simple and unpretentious. Visually, it has just enough to be attractive but not so much that it looks overworked. Along with the mahogany construction, the simple design around the sound hole, the logo and emblem on the head stock, these give it a unique character. It would look great hanging on any wall. The simple design is what first caught my eye.Inspecting the instrument on arrival, I could not find any flaws in workmanship. Nothing looked misplaced or out of alignment. Even the frets (which I've come to expect issues with low-end ukes) were in proper order. There is a slight rough feel on the ends, but it's nothing I would bother taking the time to dress. I played every fret on the board and could not find any buzz. The action is low near the nut but considerably high towards the bridge. Adjusting the saddle is an option for those who want low action all the way up the fret board, but such things are a personal choice, depending on how you play.I found the inside label a curiosity. The model number is “muk-maho 7. There's a space for the serial number, but that space is blank on my Makanu ukulele.The original strings sound fine, though as I write this review, I have tuned the ukulele several time in the last 30 minutes. I'm assuming that the strings are stretching. I will probably let them play for a while before switching to my Aquila strings in the future.Laminate, not solid wood. The first question I ask when looking at an instrument is...material? I did ask this question on Amazon: Is the top, sides and bottom solid wood or a laminate? The seller's reply was “It is a laminate.” Okay, I really didn't expect the body to be made of solid wood, and I wasn't shocked to learn it was a laminate, but I suppose I was fishing for a happy surprise. Anyway, you would be hard pressed to find any low-end musical instrument that isn't made with laminate. I did once own an acoustic guitar that had a solid spruce top, and it was pretty low-end, but that is a rarity.According to the Amazon description, the fret board and bridge are rosewood. This is usually standard material for most instruments, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that choice of wood. In fact, I would be a little suspect of any instrument that didn't use rosewood for the fret board and bridge.The nut and saddle are, according to the description, bone. This was actually another selling point for me. Bone is denser than plastic and performs better when transferring vibrations from the strings to the soundboard. It is a preferred material for high quality saddles in guitars and many other stringed instruments. The saddle is not compensated on this uke, it's just a straight length of bone. However, the intonation sounds fine to my ear, but I haven't checked it with a tuner yet.According to a reply from the seller, the neck is made from Mahogany. What kind of mahogany, I do not know.Sound quality... It's hard for me to judge while using the original strings. To my ear it sounds fine. The tone quality isn't so great that I say to myself “Wow,” but it still sounds good while strumming chords. I'm satisfied with the sound quality--more so when I consider the price of the instrument. I can't complain.Overall I'm happy with my purchase. It is very playable and appears to be well constructed. I would buy another as a gift for a family member or a friend. I think it is a good introductory instrument, offering both quality and value.Note: If you're new to the ukulele, I just want to say it is a wonderful instrument to play (easy). There is a wealth of information online to search and learn. Also, after you purchase your Uke, download one of the free available tuners to your Android phone or Kindle Fire.

I am a long-time guitar player and have taught guitar for many years. It is from that perspective I write this review.Beautiful construction - I was very impressed with how clean the construction was. The pictures provided by the manufacturer are accurate. The wood, black bindings, and finish looks flawless overall. If you look real close you can see some minor imperfections. I was also impressed that it had a slightly rounded back.The biggest "imperfection" was the logo and emblem on the headstock. The ridges of from CNC machine are very evident.The strings were cleanly put on.Previous reviewers were negative about the instruments ability to stay in tune. My experience with any nylon string instrument is that it takes a number of days of consistent tuning and stretching for the instrument to maintain it's tuning. Out of the box, I had to tune to re-tune a number of times before it stabilized.The most negative thing is intonation. After getting open strings perfectly tuned (with a tuner) I had to make minor adjustments (make a little sharp or flat) to a few of the strings to make the chords sound consistent. For me, having played guitar for 30 years, this is no big deal. Beginners might get frustrated with how chords don't sound quite right even though the strings are tuned "perfectly." Adding a compensated bridge saddle might help this.The sound is acceptable. This is the first Ukulele I have ever played. I imagine if I tried out an expensive crafted instrument, it would spoil it for me. I assume the stock strings are not the greatest. Changing the strings would probably improve things.PROS:- Beautiful construction- gig bag is provided.- Sealed tuners- Decent soundCONS:- No additional materials were provided. Other ukuleles in this price range have tuners and methods. This didn't have of that.- IntonationFinally, I have only had the instrument a few days and I'm having a good time with it. Time will tell if this instrument can take reasonable amount of abuse. So far I would say for $45 (USD) it is a great value.

My 10 yr old daughter received this for Christmas and absolutely loves it. She started learning how to play immediately and has a friend that is teaching her. She can already play a few songs in just the month since she got it. It's small & lightweight so she can easily carry it to school along with her lunch box & other stuff. After the first 2 days of tuning it constantly, it finally started to stay tuned (this is expected for a new ukulele). The case that comes with it is very high quality, and she loves the color of her ukulele. I think it is slightly darker in person than in the stock picture for this listing, but still nice. My daughter is tall for her age with long arms (around 5ft tall) so that is why we got her the concert size. It fits me perfectly too & I am 5'5". The tuning screws in the back are covered which is ideal since it keeps debris from getting stuck in the screws/gears. This ukulele has a nice sound, does not sound canny or like a toy, but sounds like a decent ukulele. Obviously you can get a much more professional instrument that will sound beautiful, but for the price this makes for a great introductory instrument and then after you know that you really enjoy playing and it is something you definitely want to take up, you can invest in a more expensive ukulele. That's my opinion.I would definitely recommend this for a beginner looking for an affordable but nice ukulele.