![]() ![]() I usually plug straight from the uke into a D.I. Last year I had a SHADDOW pick up installed by a good friend, this cost more than the ukulele, but has been another good investment. I chose a concert sized uke for that wee extra bit of volume when playing acoustically and also with my clumsy old fingers this has been a wise choice. 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. Firstly I had the saddle filed down under the “A” string to sort out an intonation problem (that only the luthier who could hear!). 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. He’s even had his photo in The NME! He’s not a shy uke, and I’m not a jealous guy…he has been played live by Robert Newman (of Newman & Baddiel fame!), Jens Lekman and Erlend Øye (from Kings Of Convenience). 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. 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. Us two have been all over together and are pretty much inseparable. Every favourite instrument should have a name and this one is known as “Escape Plan B”*. 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. He’s a 4 year old Mahalo U320C made, as far as I can tell from solid mahogany. On Videoĭavid Beckingham plays Baby Elephant Walk on his Mahalo tenor. Mahalo’s two most popular ukuleles are their pink ukuleles (insanely popular with girls) and the Flying V ukulele (which I would strongly warn you against buying – it’s the worst ukulele I’ve ever played). I’m not sure about that, but if you get to try a bunch of them out and pick one, that’s a good way to go. There are rumours that one Mahalo in five sounds absolutely great. The Mahalo is often the choice for new ukers just getting started with the ukulele. They’re not the world’s greatest uke by any means but, considering the price, it’s a decent ukulele. Their bright colours and low price tag mean that they are very popular with schools and ukulele groups. Mahalo are a very cheap ukulele made originally in China and now in Indonesia. ![]()
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