Kala Mahogany Soprano Ukulele w/Rosette

I waited a few months after my purchase to write this so I could offer a more informed opinion. Now that I've been playing for a few months and own another ukulele (a concert size) I feel comfortable writing a review. I'm giving this five stars - not because I think it is as good as a much more expensive instrument, but because I think this ukulele is one of the very best values on the market. It's cheap enough to "test the waters" as a starter/first uke, but it's an instrument, not some kid's toy. Even though I now have a more expensive concert ukulele next to it I still enjoy playing this little ukulele almost daily. The sound is really nice. A friend of mine (who owns a more expensive ukulele) was impressed with the volume and tone of this instrument when he played it. The construction is solid; I didn't detect any flaws or defects. The finish is very simple and natural looking, which I like. If you prefer shiny finishes and light colored woods this may not be your uke. The action on mine was a little high. The bad news is that this is to be expected at this price point. The good news is that it can be adjusted. You can remove the saddle from the bridge and sand some material off the bottom to lower the action. I did this to mine and really improved the way it played. Read a few articles on the net to get the details on how to do this if you need to; just Google "adjust action ukulele". As others have noted, it takes a little time for the strings to settle in and hold their tune. This is not unique to this ukulele. The knots at the bridge will let out a little string as they tighten, the string coiled up around the tuners will give out a tiny bit, and the strings will stretch. Mine arrived with *several* turns of string on the tuners, which might have added a bit to the time it needed to settle in. If you're fussy about this you can unwind the strings from the tuners, and re-do the knots so that you have only three turns of string around the post and cut off any excess. I didn't bother to do this. The strings will settle in after the first week or so. Bottom line: If you want to try the ukulele without investing a lot of money this is really good instrument for the money.