Mahalo UTL-1/ETS

My Mahalo Tele

This was my first Ukulele and I got it because it looked fun. When it arrived I was impressed with the quality of the instrument for the money and hooked by how much easier Ukuleles are to play than Guitars. Once hooked well you can see from this site what happened next...

Mahalo apparently means Hello in Hawaiian. It is also the brand name for Ukuleles supplied by an outfit called Team International who supply starter instruments produced in China. Their most famous range is this one called "Rock Ukes" with Ukuleles that look a bit like classic Electric Guitars.

The Ukulele itself is reasonably well made. The finish which is described as "Tobacco Sunburst" is largely excellent and I would particularly pick out the machine heads and the paintwork for praise. On the down side some of the lower frets are a bit rough. The acoustic sound is OK without being anything special, it is what you would expect from a low end basswood laminate Ukulele. The electrics are good though, with a reasonable active pickup under the saddle, (it needs a 9v battery but remember its in and don't let it leak). The tone and volume knobs are usable but a bit small.

All in all it is a good and distinctive first Ukulele and I think I made a good choice picking it as mine.