IslanderUkulele MT-4 Ukulele

Can't really complain about anything on this instrument. Finish and fit of the body and hardware are great for the price. My first ukulele, I have a uke bass and many 4 5 and 6 string bass's and other guitars but this is my first ukulele.

I am now shopping for a fret file. My fingers keep getting slowed when strumming over the harsh rough ends on the frets. Those files are expensive! I'm disappointed in this lack of technology on ukes in general. Otherwise l'm very happy with my lslander ukelele.

Made in China, and not Hawaii

This is probably the best value ukulele you can find on the Internet. I have many high end ukuleles and I'm not a big fan of cheap plywood ukes, but I've got several Islanders.You should be aware that Islander used Kanilea 1.5 inch nut width which means the string spacing is slightly wider than the vast majority of ukuleles. On the Concert and Soprano size that is, in my opinion an unmitigated improvement, but on the tenor size it is something that I am ambivalent about. That's because tenor is slightly longer of a reach and the extra width can make some chords more challenging. It can also make some chords easier where you are using closed jazz chords that require some finger contortion. At the moment I'm on the side of liking the 1.5" tenor width but might steer a beginner toward the concert unless they have big hands.On the plus side the instrument intonates well - which is really important. On the minus side I'm not a huge fan of the bridge pins but I can live with them. I think they make string changes a little harder.What you won't get with a uke this cheap is a truly smooth sound, a lot of chime, or much sustain. It' s an issue with almost all laminated tops, they just don't give you the sustain. (The exception are some more expensive laminates like the Kiwaya ukes). What you will get is a solidly made instrument with good intonation, decent tuners and good playability. You have to spend upwards of $300 to get something better than this.In my view, even if you are an experienced player with expensive instruments, there is a place for a good laminate like this in your collection. If you are going to be playing outside or keeping the uke in the car, or playing where you are concerned about the uke getting stolen or damaged, you can use your $100 uke and not worry. I'm seriously considering getting two of the electric version of this uke, one strung in low G and one in high G. I believe that once you plug in the uke, the sound in fundamentally changed so you don't really need an expensive uke. With two ukes the same, high and low G, I'd have a disposable set of gig ukes.

I bought this ukulele in Lahaina, Maui during a trip about a year ago. I've played guitar for years, and planned on buying a cheap-o uke while in town. Ended up at a nice music store, and the salesman told me it was basically the best I could get without breaking $200 (they had about 200 different ukes from $50-3000). When I compared it against dozens of more expensive ukes, I was amazed at well it held up in tone, action, and feel. One year later, and I'm still loving it! In fact, I'm only writing this review now because I came to find a case for it to bring it with me to Cabo this summer. This is a great first ukulele!!!!!