Concert Ukulele
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
The one or two Oscar Schmidt ukes I have tried had poor sound. We have 2 Kala ukes, a concert and a Travel Tenor, and both sound pretty nice. The Travel has a very thin body, so it doesn't sound as nice as the other Kala. We also have a baritone Favila made in 1963. This is my favorite, but Favila closed up some years back. The fourth is an Islander concert made by Kanile`a. I think Islander is their budget line. I would put the Islander up with Kala for sound and quality. It sounds better than the Travel model Kala, but the Travel Kala gets the most use.When it was my only uke, I put a pickup in it for playing out, so it gets the nod by default, plus being thin makes it easy to fit in a crowded car or under the seat in an airliner when travelling. I feel cramped on the 2 concert ukes, years of playing wide necked 12 string guitars, probably. If I played them enough, I would probably get over that. They are my wifes toys, actually.
I don't advocate buying instruments without playing them first, though a friend's 8 string Kala almost had me ordering one. I did play his, though. I can't see having a fifth uke in the house. But buying without playing robs you of one of musics greatest pleasures, and can leave you wishing you had "known then what I know now." I wanted a Martin guitar for years. But when I saved the money to buy one, I tried a lot of them, and the necks felt like the wrong end of a Louisville Slugger. I ended up with a Taylor instead. Had I ordered a Martin without trying, I might be wishing I hadn't. Hindsight is much clearer than foresight.