MT-4GPU Ukulele

This uke and the Islander tenor without the pickup are dollar for dollar the best value you can get in a tenor ukulele. You will have to spend upwards of $300-500 to get anything better.I take my ukuleles seriously; I came to ukulele with a fair amount of musical experience from woodwinds and guitar so picking up the basics took me less than a day. Over the last few years I've become fairly proficient on the ukulele and I have high standards for what I consider to be a good ukulele.In my opinion when it comes to cheap laminated or low end solid instruments, Islander makes one of the best products (Islander is actually made in Asia but designed and marketed by Kanilea - one of the top Hawaiian uke builders). They aren't particularly fancy looking but they come decently setup and intonate well. The tone is usually as good as the best in its class.There are situations where a custom uke is just not the right one. Playing at a beach, playing in a crowd, playing at a restaurant. Sometimes a uke that you can live with losing or having stolen is a good thing. I wanted a tenor with a pickup to tune low G and did not want to drill holes in any of my "good" ukes. This works fantastically - the pickup is quite decent. This uke, with a pickup, cost the same as having a luthier install a good pickup in a high end uke.Now on to the negatives and caveats. First, if you are a beginner beware that Kanilea and Islander use a 1.5 inch nut width. What this means is that the strings are just slightly farther apart than on other ukes. If you are coming from guitar you'll probably like this, or if you have big hands. If you have small hands, or have been playing a soprano or concert uke, you might be dismayed at the reach for some chords.Second. I don't get why the pickup jack is not installed in the center of the side strip in the middle of the lower bout. I use my jack as a shoulder strap button and can't do that on this uke.Third. Aquila strings? Really? I hate them and don't know why every uke manufacturer uses them. The sound is a bit shrill and not enough sustain. They are hard on the fingers. I switched them out for a set of Southcoast Flourocarbon medium tension low G with a smooth wound low G. So much better.Fourth Islander ukes come with cheap tuning machines. They work OK but rattle when you are changing strings.Fifth. I'm not a big fan of button bridges. Too hard to change strings.Finally, don't expect a "tone monster". The tone is great for a cheap laminate, but I'm used to much better ukes. I am, however, very happy with how it sounds when plugged into my Yamaha thr10 amp.

I recently purchased the Islander MT - 4 and just love it! I don't have very much experience playing the Uke but after much deliberation and research decided on this one. So glad that i did! It is of high quality, and sounds beautiful, I am enjoying my time learning how to play it and creating beautiful melodies. My advice to anyone planning on purchasing a Uke is to not go overboard and spend a lot on your first one, and also to do research and find one that you really enjoy the sound of. If it's something that sounds good and you love, chances are you will appreciate it and dedicate yourself to it that much more. Also appearances aren't everything! There are some cool looking Uke's out there that are crap quality and don't hold tune for very long. Things to consider. Anyways, you can't go wrong with an Islander Uke, especially for the price. Try to find one that is a tenor/concert or smaller if it's your first go. Kala, is another good brand. Cheers!