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The comparison…I am a beginner player just on the cusp of being intermediate. I own 3 ukuleles. The Martin is by far, without a doubt, the best out of all. The other 2 uke’s are in the 100–200-dollar range (not super expensive but not cheap). Honestly, they feel and sound and function like toys in contrast to the Martin. The Koa… it’s built with is phenomenal. It has this iridescent almost 3D look to it. I love the way it looks. There are no blemishes or build imperfections that I can find I feel like it is extremely well made. I would change the Martin sticker on the headstock. When I wipe it down the lint free cloth gets caught on the sticker, it’s already coming off. To Martin: The sticker sucks, fix it…The sound…the sound is amazing. It projects a bright and clear volume but also is very responsive to lighter playing and soft tones. Again, the sound is night and day regarding my other uke’s (and they sound pretty good). If you are struggling with the fact, it’s Mexican made then let me put you at ease because it’s totally worth it.Ease of use…Okay, the common complaint is the action from the bridge. Its really high and from what I’ve read most people get it adjusted. If you are a serious player, you are going to get it “setup” to fit your body and playing preference anyway so I would not worry about this.Value & Wow factor…Totally worth the money. I struggled with whether to go for the Mexican made Martin when there are some very nice Hawaiian made ukulele’s out there that are from what I can tell also very worth the price tag. Sorry Hawaii but I can’t be dropping over 1k on an instrument as I am not a professional player. Maybe one day zZounds will start selling some of the big-name Hawaiian ukulele brands such as Kanile’a, Kamaka, KoAloha, Ohana, etc. so that the working man can spread out that price tag over time and afford one

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This is my latest ukelele and I truly love it. While I have read reviews online that there are better values for the money, I disagree. It's solid Koa and I love the look of it......and to top it off the smell is very nice. This thing projects serious volume of you want it too, but can be played delicately and it will respond to that nicely as well. Out of the box, it was playable. But I did remove the saddle and sand it down to lower the action to my preference. It now plays like butter. I'm not fond of the strings and I'm researching alternatives. I believe I will try worth Browns or clears next. One thing I don't like is the headstock label.....cmon Martin. But unlike others, I'm more into what really matters.....sound and secondary... looks. This is a beast for the $, don't care what anybody says. Tty and buy a Koa Uke from one of the major Hawaaian manufacturers and see how much money you spend compared to this. Or even the American made Martin. 4 times the price and no way possible it's that much better. My 2 cents

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Verified Purchaser zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.

I just bought this ukulele, and it arrived yesterday. It’s wonderful to play; light action and mellow tone, and beautiful to look at too! It also comes with a nice gig bag. I own a couple of Martin guitars also, and I’ve never been disappointed with the quality, tone, or playability of their instruments. I’m very happy with this little uke. The uke was delivered ahead of schedule and very well packaged for shipping.