Makala 133487 "Purple Burst" Dolphin Soprano Ukulele Outfit

I bought this Ukulele as a joint family Christmas present as, since I got my own mor expensive Kala Concert Ukulele back in November, it seems every time I get it out, it ends up in the hands of another family member. Makala is also Kala but its lower range of Ukuleles so you know that what you will be getting is a good solid Uke from a company who knows what it is doing as far as Ukuleles go.This is a great entry level Uke and will give you hours of musical pleasure. It comes with its own bag which I would describe as more like a dust cover if I'm honest and is the one poor point in this outfit for me. The strings it comes with are perfectly respectable but I chose to change mine for a set of Aquila soprano strings and what a difference that made. It's lovely to hold, has a nice wide neck to give beginners and little hands more space for some of those more complicated chords and has a lovely soundd. Even the people in the Uke group I play with commented on what a lovely instrument it is.When you first get it however, be awear that the strings will take a few weeks to settle so you might find that you have to tune it a lot. This is nothing to do with the quality of Ukulele but is something that happens to all stringed instruments so do not be disheartened. The more you play and tune initially the quicker this will stop. You may also wish to stretch your strings. If you don't know anything about this just google it. There's loads of free info on the net.So, in short, I definitely would recommend this and probably the only beginner Uke I would recommend as it's good quality, rugged, robust and comes from a Ukulele manufacturer who is renouned for quality. I know there are much cheaper Ukuleles out there but honestly, if you can't afford it right now just save for it. If you are wanting a better sound, simply change the strings for a set of Aquilas and spend a little extra on a proper Ukulele bag. It's certainly deserving of that.

Bought this on the strength of the reviews for Makala ukuleles. I knew it was meant only to be a starter uke, good for a child but the reviews also said it was a good starter for an adult as well ( I am in the silver surfer brigade!) I was disappointed when I played it straight out of the box as it was playing sharp on all the strings on the first few frets. Musically it was unplayable and sounded awful! I looked on you tube and found quite a few videos of how to set up a new uke so I followed the advice. The fret board was OK and was very flat with no raised frets so I decided to keep the uke - better the devil you know - as I thought a replacement might even be worse. Took the strings off and filed down the nut slots and removed the bridge and took 2-3mm of that as well, they are plastic so this was no problem. I set the action a lot lower than it was being careful not to get any fret buzz from the strings. Replaced the standard factory strings with a set of Aquila and Ureka!, it was a totally different instrument! Joined my first ukulele band last night and my Makala sounded just as good as the more expensive ones being played. It's a shame they let them out of the factory without being set up, as basically, it's a fine uke for a starter and sounds rather nice with the Aqila strings, but I would rather had not had the initial hassle of setting it up. But I am sure I would have had to pay a lot more to get an intrument as good as what I have now so on balance it's a cost efective solution. Would have got 5 stars if it played like it does now straight out of the box.

I love my makala uke with my whole heart. This was actually an upgrade for me as a beginner, now thanks to this i'd say i'm at campfire player level. This is my second ukulele and the sound quality is definitely there. My first one was cheap so it had a plasticky sound (it was £20 from argos idk what i expected) but this one is so gorgeous, it's cute and i didn't think i'd ever find a pink ukulele with good sound quality that was as affordable as this! It literally has anything. If you love the colour pink or blue and are looking for a good quality ukulele with sound quality that's there I'd highly recommend this one.

I purchased this a year ago from Amazon, wanting a sturdy starter ukulele. I know from my experiences on the guitar that starting with a quality instrument makes it less frustrating for a beginner. Same concept with the strings. As others mentioned, changing the strings is a must. I purchased Aquila Nylgut Soprano Ukulele strings with the ukulele. I watched some YouTube tutorials on how to restring it. It was an easy process.I thought I would need to move up after getting the basics down, but I still love this ukulele a year later. The sound is fantastic. I went to the music store to test some others, but found I wanted to stick with this Makala. Rather than getting another soprano ukulele, I wanted to invest in a tenor. This is still my go-to soprano uke.Learning to play is so easy, though as with anything, it takes practice. YouTube is filled with tutorials. The internet has websites dedicated to this purpose. You don't have to invest anything, but time. It's such a fun hobby!

I bought this ukulele based on the many glowing reviews I had read.It is a super instrument that plays really well. When learning how to play a musical instrument it is well worth spending an extra £10 in order to get a proper instrument. The fact that it's intonation and tone are great really keeps the new pupil engaged rather than frustrated that nothing sounds right.When I first bought a ukulele for myself it was cheap and always sounded out of tune. My daughter loves this and it's pleasant to listen to.It has a plastic body which I suppose enables the manufacturer to get a consistent result. The paint job is a little patchy, but it is a very inexpensive musical instrument, rather than the many "Ukulele-Shaped toys" that are widely available in the £15 - £25 price bracket.A superb buy, don't settle for anything less