My intonation test is to tune it to GCEA, then play that on the 12th fret. For being a starter uke they are well built. Feels solid. Mine came with Aquila strings so I had no need to buy a replacement set. That is a HUGE difference. There's a problem loading this menu right now. The ukulele wood and finish look nice. Great low cost Uke. Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2016. Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2015. Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2013. Laminates are fine for kids because they need very little maintenance and are rugged. All basic chords including a "C" ring out wonderfully. Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2020. They make sure that the strings are placed resolutely on the ukulele. You can take it to the beach, the river, the lake, or the mountains. Also, one of the strings was snapped in half/broken upon arrival. The sound quality is good for an acoustic instrument at this price point. Great buy, at least if you're getting into playing the ukulele. Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2020. Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2013. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. In this article you will learn the detailed of specific Makala ukulele review such as the Makala shark and Makala dolphin. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. I bought this ukulele because it was the cheapest I could find, and I wasn't certain if I'd be able to pick it up. Makala ukuleles are high-quality instruments that sound good yet affordable at the same time. If the little one breaks it, well you are not out that much. I played it and it was beautiful. Before I recommend any ukulele (or anything, really) I always do my best to get the lowdown. I'm so thrilled with this ukulele! If you get the plastic ones you are buying a toy really. Good materials, excellent workmanship, tunes easily and is in tune all the way up the neck. This one is probably as good as it can get in this price range. Good ukulele. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. But other than that, it's a okay ukulele for someone who just wants to sing along with it. It's a great starter for a child. The strings it came with are also some kind of plastic, which is much easier on my fingers than metal guitar strings. Sounds very good. It survived getting tossed around in my daypack during a full week in the Dominican Republic. the factors that make Makala ukuleles good: I bought this for my niece who liked playing my OS OU-5. Also the tune is true. I haven't played in many years and recently became interested in playing again. I'm also impressed with the quality of this instrument--I've been playing it pretty often for over a year and haven't had to replace any strings yet, and it sounds great. I have heard other more expensive brands of ukuleles and with the right strings, it sounds equally as good as the more expensive ukuleles. They have a lovely sound! with a dolphin bridge – these are particularly popular with kids. Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2015. My niece and nephew LOVED it and begged to play it, Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2017. She was thrilled. Now, most probably the question you have is which brand to get it from. The strings on the fretboard are high action, so you have to press harder than usual. Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2016. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. The first few days playing it, it would NOT hold a tune. This ukulele is a great little instrument for the money. This time seemed perfect for my needs and it didn't disappoint! Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2016, Received it with a broken peg and broken string, Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2017. At this price there is a chance for more and potentially worse defects. Coming in a variety of colors and a large fan base, it seemed like the perfect choice. They did not need a DVD or hard case. I will admit I'm not an expert. And let me tell you, it's definitely worth the price! I will say that this instrument exceeds my wildest expectations. The action on this instrument is also better than my Bugsgear. This Kala Dolphin model was chosen because I wanted a "cheap" uke to take traveling that still sounded good. Here are a few of the comments I’ve heard about the Makala … I bought it so that I didn't have to carry my Cordoba around because it's expensive and with the case, altogether pretty bulky. Great product for beginners! On the other hand, Kala Concert ukes are known for their exquisite and warm sound and just about of right tuning. In addition, it has a rosewood fretboard and bridge to add to the impressive aesthetics of this instrument.. With an overall satin finish, it is safe to say that this instrument is of high quality design and structure. I have kind of big fingers and was worried about how playable it would be, but the fingerboard is very nice and very playable even for me. Easy to learn chords more so if you've played guitar. They come with higher end strings too. Please make sure that you are posting in the form of a question. I had for almost a year and it looks brand new. I changed the strings to a better quality strings and it sounds really good. New strings on this ukulele made a big different in the sound quality on this Makala. All the way across the freboard. I don't think you'll find a better ukulele for under $50 period. Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2016. I bought this uke on a whim, one day decided that I wanted to learn to play (this is my first string instrument, but not my first instrument all together). The stock strings are very good though. Years ago I was so desperate for a tenor that I ignored my own advice and jumped at the most affordable one, a Makala. The dolphin on the bottom is a nice touch. I check my ukes with the Snark every day anyway. She has played the violin for 6 years and was wanting something that she could play some more pop music on. Stays in tune and is comfortable to play. We liked that this kit was stripped down. What a fantastic choice! I would've rated it 4-stars at the most however, it loses a couple stars for the following reasons: 1) one of the pegs that holds the string in place is loose and just keeps spinning and moving around. Whilst generally the Makala MK-S we reviewed was a solid Ukulele, we have highlighted a later model which could be worth the extra investment if you have the budget.. We discuss more about this later, but for now now lets take a look at what we liked in our Makala MK-S review. I literally got it in the mail today, and I've been playing it for the past hour.