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| Mitchell Ukulele? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Thu Nov 1st, 2007 06:31 pm |
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1st Post |
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cayenneblue Approved
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Are they any good? It's the type our local music store carries, but I can't find out anything about it - good or bad..... Thanks!
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| Posted: Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 12:33 am |
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2nd Post |
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UkeForever Approved 
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Just say "no" to Mitchell ukes. Same maker as Samick/Washburn/Lyon & Heal/Oscar Schmidt. Composite/laminate spruce tops do not make a nice sounding uke. They look pretty, but that's about where the honeymoon ends. Yuck, yuck, yuck. "Mitchell" is Guitar Center's p.o.s. cheapo house brand. They overcharge. I'd tell you to go for it if they offered the uke for $25. That's about their value. Last edited on Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 12:35 am by UkeForever |
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| Posted: Wed Nov 7th, 2007 04:57 pm |
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3rd Post |
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neilg Approved
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I have a Mitchell that was given to me as a B-day present. It's not that bad, but dont' pay Guitar Center's price for it, there's cheaper online. Having said "it's not that bad", I also recognize that it's the only one I've ever owned, but it seems a good beginner instrument. When strung up with decent strings (the ones that come with it are cr*p), the intonation is quite good.
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| Posted: Fri Nov 9th, 2007 02:21 am |
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4th Post |
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honu Approved
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UkeForever is absolutely right. Any of the Samick/Washburn/Oscar Schmidt/Mitchell brands are heavily braced and made like a guitar. For ukes, they are very quiet, not very loud and have more of a guitarish sound. A real uke is supposed to be warm and bright! Save your money and buy a better uke, like a Flea or Fluke.
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| Posted: Mon Dec 17th, 2007 08:07 pm |
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5th Post |
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sarita Approved
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what kind of strings did you put on the mitchell? i am having a big intonation problem. i thought it was the quality of the instrument - poor layout or bridge misplacement. please let me know.
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| Posted: Mon Dec 17th, 2007 08:54 pm |
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6th Post |
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honu Approved
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I installed Aquila strings. The stock tuner pegs would not hold the string's tuning, even after three weeks. So I spent another $40 for Ping guitar tuner pegs. Had to buy the set, which was six tuner pegs. Only used four...of course. Now, it holds the tuning and I have not touched the uke in months. It's collecting dust. The fretboard's frets needs to be sanded down...they are too sharp and the plastic border on the fretboard is really a waste. Yes, the Mitchell is the same as a Samick.
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| Posted: Mon Dec 17th, 2007 09:51 pm |
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7th Post |
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neilg Approved
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I have tried Worth brown and clear strings, preferring the clear. I find the tuners to be rock-solid and can't imagine them slipping. What kind of intonation problems are you having?
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20th, 2007 10:34 pm |
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8th Post |
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sarita Approved
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the notes played along the fret board are about 15-20 cents sharper than the open string notes.
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20th, 2007 11:30 pm |
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9th Post |
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neilg Approved
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sarita wrote: the notes played along the fret board are about 15-20 cents sharper than the open string notes. Yeah, that's quite a bit. I just checked mine with two different tuners and the notes along the board are only a couple of cents sharp. It's not enough to bother me: I play a non-fretted instrument for a living so I guess any tempered instrument sounds a little off to me, even when perfect. In any case, 15-20 is beyond audible. Maybe you could fashion a nut that would shorten the string length by just a hair making the open string shorter to match the fretboard. Or file the top of the fingerboard down. I don't fix 'em, I just play them so maybe someone has an idea?
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| Posted: Fri May 15th, 2009 10:11 pm |
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10th Post |
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aron444 Approved
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Maybe its an opinion thing but I find The Mitchell 100 Kao to be just fine. Come on. its made of Hawaiian Kao for starters like many of the much more expensive Ukes. What do you want em to get. A Rogue. LOL Mitchell guitars and Ukes are worth checking out. I think most will like them. There $170 and if you know someone or have the coupon you can get 10% off.
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| Posted: Fri May 15th, 2009 10:20 pm |
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11th Post |
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aron444 Approved
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Tell me what I can get that would be alot better than a Mitchell for less money. I am being serious with this question. I liked the Mitchell better that my no brand. I am looking for another one and would like to know. I liked the way it played and sounded compared to the other ones I played at GC. I was told that some of the best Ukes are made of Koa. I am Marin all the way with my acoustic guitars but don't see any Ukuleles in that price range and honestly didn't think they sounded any better than the Mitchell. I am a guitar player so maybe I don't have the ear but I really like what I heard from the mitchell.
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| Posted: Fri May 15th, 2009 11:30 pm |
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12th Post |
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UkeForever Approved
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You would apply the same factors to a ukulele as you would a guitar. I'm surprised it's "Martin only" for guitar, and that the Mitchell sounds good to you. Martin guitars are built lightly for resonant, open, and loud sound. You should have the same high expectations for a ukulele. You want to go with a brand that is solid, not laminate. One that is built lightly, but not overfinished or overbraced. You can get many soprano Ohanas for around $100-150, and they are solid mahogany, solid spruce top, etc. Solid concert ukes in the overseas market hover around $200, but you can find them for less if you work at it. Guitar Center is not a good place to get the breadth of uke sound. Koa is not an end-all, and on the Mitchells that they sell, it is a thin veneer on top of a very thick piece of plywood. The Cordoba brand they sell that they claim is Koa is an out and out fraud; it's Portugese Acacia or blackwood, not Hawaiian Koa. I could be wrong, but I detect an underlying 'it's just a uke, so why spend the money on it?' tone in this thread. A fine ukulele is just as fine as the finest of acoustic guitars. Unfortunately, GC has few examples of this (except for the odd vintage Martin uke they might carry behind the locked glass).
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| Posted: Mon May 18th, 2009 03:50 pm |
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13th Post |
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DaveVisi Approved 
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I almost fell for the Mitchell Uke just because it was there. I resisted the urge and instead found an equally priced Spruce topped Kala from musicguymic on eBay.
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| Posted: Mon May 18th, 2009 10:10 pm |
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14th Post |
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aron444 Approved
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As far as the Martin only comment I made. Thats what I prefer. I wouldn't get mad if someone got me a Taylor. LOL I'm not disrespecting the Uke as an instrument at all. I know some people who like Ibanez acoustics better than Martins because they have more high end. I think they are crazy. It sounds like you think I am crazy for liking the way the Mitchell sounded. What I need is brand names to look at since I'm not sure exactly where to get different Ukuleles. I didn't know you could get really good ones for $200. Someone mentioned a Kala for a good one to take with you everywhere without having to worry to much about it. He also said he had a Koaloha which was alot nicer but he didn't play it as much out because it was very nice and he wanted to keep it that way. Are there any Ukes as nice that are not to expensive. I will spend up to $300-$400. Guitar Center had the Cordoba you mentioned which is what I was comparing the Mitchell too. That and they had a used Martin but I don't remember what kind. Anyway, it sounds like you really respect the Ukulele and I am interested in any brand names you think would be good to look at. Thanks Aaron
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| Posted: Mon May 18th, 2009 10:28 pm |
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15th Post |
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aron444 Approved
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Down the line I may consider getting a high end Ukulele. I looked at a few I thought followed your guidelines. let me know if you recommend any of these and anything else. http://elderly.com/new_instruments/items/KMS.htm http://elderly.com/new_instruments/items/KU600.htm http://elderly.com/new_instruments/items/LSC.htm http://elderly.com/new_instruments/items/CK25.htm
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| Posted: Wed May 20th, 2009 02:17 am |
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16th Post |
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Neal Approved 
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You liked the Mitchell. Get the Mitchell. I don't like the Mitchell, but that's just me. It's just not up to par for the music I prefer to hear and play. But if you found one that intonates well, and is set up properly, get it. The others that you mentioned in the thread above are good too. To expand, or just to agree with Ukeforever above, spend as much on a uke that you'd spend on a starter guitar. Think about that, but in the meantime, you played a uke that seemed good for what you're aiming for, and I say go for that. Koa is overrated. Last edited on Wed May 20th, 2009 02:20 am by Neal ____________________ http://ezfolk.com/audio/NealPaisley http://www.youtube.com/nealpaisley http://www.myspace.com/nealpaisley |
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| Posted: Thu May 21st, 2009 10:12 pm |
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17th Post |
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aron444 Approved
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I just wish I could play the others. I think I will take a day to drive to Lansing and try some out at elderly music. The only problem is they might not have them all in stock. Still, you got me thinking. I remember one of my students got an Epiphone Les Paul. I was surprised at how nice it was. That turned out to be because it was the one every 100 or so that was built well all around. All I wanted was a nice guitar that was inexpensive so I didn't have to bring my Gibsons around to all my lessons. After 3 Epi's bought and returned, I ended up going with a Gibson Studio LP. I guess what I am saying is that maybe the Mitchell I played was one of the few. Still, I am thinking it is my inexperience with Ukuleles. The bottom line is though the Mitchell sounded good to me, anything would sound better than the "toy" Uke I have now. Sounds like I could get something better without spending more.Thanks for all your help. I really appreiciate it. Aaron
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| Posted: Sat May 23rd, 2009 03:01 pm |
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18th Post |
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Neal Approved
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Elderly? You'll find one there. They have a few Martins, a nice old Favilla(too much), a beautiful Gibson uke-3. These would be benchmarks to use in your search. You might find that the Ohana or Hamano ukes do it for you just as well as the 1000$ Martin.
____________________ http://ezfolk.com/audio/NealPaisley http://www.youtube.com/nealpaisley http://www.myspace.com/nealpaisley |
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| Posted: Mon May 25th, 2009 07:19 pm |
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19th Post |
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aron444 Approved
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Thank you so much. Its not to far away but you know how hard it is these days to get some free time. I am going to make the time to check it out so I can get a nice one. Aaron
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