Mele Ukulele
RatingsThere are actually two Mele ukuleles. On a New York company that has long since disappeared (although there are a few ukes still knocking around) and a more recent Hawaiian company (set up in 1992).
Their higher end instruments are made on Hawaii with solid wood. But they also a budget range of ukuleles known as Hula.
On Video
Peter Delapina of Mele Ukuleles display the double neck Mele ukulele which was sold on eBay.
On eBay
US $549.00
18 Comments
There should probably be a separate page for their “student uke” line, Hula Ukes, but since there isn’t, I’ll review it here.
Mine is one of their lower end models, no frills. That said, I am very surprised at the level of quality and attention to detail. The finish is absolutely superb, to the point that it looks like a much more expensive instrument than it is. Yes, it is made with laminates, but this is not something you’ll notice until you look for it.
The sound is also better than expected for a budget instrument. My uke playing friends have commented on how much they like the clear tone. It isn’t perfect (it sounds a little more muted than I would like) but for the price, it is excellent. Better than some ukes at twice the cost.
I traveled to Maui in 2000 and purchased a Koa Concert Uke. At first I was ecstatic about the price and sound of the instrument. While in Hawaii, I played it for hours every day. I returned to my home in New Jersey and put the Uke in my humidity controlled room where I keep about twenty of my vintage, hollow body guitars (some as old as 50 years). Within a few months the MELE uke started to collapse upon itself with several long cracks in the top and back of the instrument. I was distraught! I contacted Cheryl in Maui and she at first told me that she would replace the uke with her apologies. But after a couple of weeks I received the same instrument by UPS, with the cracks and separations along the binding sanded down so that they were slightly less noticeable. I was quite angry and disappointed. By email and by phone Cheryl accused me of keeping the instrument in “an oven” to have caused such damage. I explained to her that I gave the uke the same care I would to any hollow bodied instrument and that she should replace it, not (a half-assed) repair it according to the company’s guarantee. She flat refused. This is not the kind of company anyone should have to deal with and I cannot urge any of you strongly enough to avoid MELE ukes. A company is not only judged by what products they sell but by how they deal with trouble. MELE is the worst company I have ever dealt with in this regard. If you bought one and it has been issue free then you’re okay….but if anything goes wrong with the instrument God help you! You’re out of luck and out whatever you paid for it. As I understand it, MELEs are constructed in the Philippines and then shipped to Hawaii. Clearly the Koa of my uke was not completely conditioned and split horribly after a month.
Never buy one of these!!!!
I have a Mele tenor ukulele and it is really a nice instrument, it has a Cedar top and Rose Wood body. The intonation is spot on and it plays better than any of my other Ukulele’s I have had no trouble with it so far and I play it a lot, every day. The only issue I notice is that I have made a couple of marks in the finish from my finger nails resting on the top when I finger pick. Other than that is a very nice instrument.
I’m sorry to say, I experienced a similar situation with my Mele Concert Ukulele as Lenie Colacino. I called Mele and explained my ukulele got cracks on the top and back. My ukulele was kept under the same conditions as my husband’s Mele solid koa tenor, yet he did not experience any damage. Yes, I am aware of winter and how it can take a toll on such instruments. And yes, we had taken the proper care of the instrument. Like Lenie, my husband also owns other acoustic instruments and were properly cared for as the Mele ukes.
I contacted Mele Ukuleles. I sent my ukulele @ great expense. They originally quoted me a price of $200.oo to fix the ukulele. Compared to the price of the uke, it did not seem worthwhile and I asked that the ukulele be mailed back. They had the credit card info to charge for shipping. I had not received my uke back in a timely manner, and I called what was the problem. Per Cheryl, she did not feel right sending me back my uke in disrepair. They fixed the ukulele (very nicely), and charged me $75.00(repairs and shipping). This occured between Dec.2009 and early March 2010.
Again winter. I take my ukulele out one time….and again another crack!!!!! Perhaps there should be a warning that Mele Ukes may not be able to take winter conditions! Also, if you view some of the blogs, several persons have reported having their Mele ukes crack. Someone mentioned that a shop discontinued carrying Mele ukes because they crack. It appears Meles are suitable for the temps of the Phillipines, Hawaii, and the West Coast. Other than the cracking…. the instrument plays well. But how can a Mele ukulele be an incredible value for the quality when it continued to crack despite proper care?
MELE MAHOGANY TENOR REVIEW
This was my first uke, bought from the Mele store on Maui while on vacation there. Since I din’t have any experience with ukes when I bought this (other than being able to play a few chords), I didn’t really know what to look for. I realized after playing the instrument for a few weeks that the intonation is off across the fretboard. Some strings are sharp as far down as the 2nd and 3rd frets, though the strings will be in tune when played open. I’m not sure if this is something that a simple ‘set-up’ can fix, but I don’t live in an area with extensive uke resources.
That being stated, the feel of the instrument is what ultimately sold me on it. The super slim neck is really nice, and the overall feel of the uke makes playing it fun, despite it’s tonal shortcomings.
If this uke were priced in the introductory range, I would knock the overall rating up one star, but at the mid-level price range, the intonation should really be better, especially since I bought it from the manufacturer directly.
All in all, a decent first uke.
Like Ha’Ina’IaMaiAnaKaPuana, I too recently purchased a Mele uke. I liked the look and feel, and thought it a good price for a solid koa instrument. I too discovered that the intonation was completely unacceptable and sent it back.
There is no excuse for poor intonation (unless you’re buying a plastice, Toy Story one). I strongly encourage you to let them know about problem and insist that they make it right.
From their website – “Each Mele ukulele is designed to produce the clear, ringing tones, superb playability and precise intonation that we are famous for.” (I can excuse their poor grammar, but not their poor intonation)
UPDATE
I received my uke back from Mele. They adjusted the saddle and compensated the bridge and now the intonation is quite good. It will never rival a Kamaka or Koaloha – but for half the price, it’s a good sounding and attractive instrument.
5 years ago when I visited Maui, I bought one Mele mahogany tenor 6 strings. I didn’t know anything about Ukulele, but Cheryl helped me to pick a nice Ukulele! She was super friendly and I had a really good experience there. I’m really happy with my Mele Uke and loving the sound!
Now I’m trying to help my friend to pick out one for her. When I let her borrow my Mele Uke, she fell in love with it!
As for the customer service, I can say they are outstanding! I accidentally dropped my uke and it needed a repair. I had a family member who was visiting Hawaii that time, so I asked him to hand carry the instrument to Mele Ukulele. He was only visiting Maui for 3 days but Mele Ukulele made sure to take care of it and have it ready for him to take it back with him.
Great thanks to Cheryl and her awesome team, I’m back to strumming my beautiful Mele Uke!
I hope anybody who has chance to visit Maui would stop by Mele Ukulele. Even if you are not planning to buy a Ukulele, I assure you’ll have a wonderful time meeting the people there at Mele!
One happy customer from Japan, Mahalo!
I was in Maui in January of this year and stopped in to take a look at Mele’s shop- thinking a uke would be a good souvineer- I purposely didn’t bring one with me on my trip- with that in mind. I have a few ukes already- including an old kamaka, and martin- both sopranos, so I’m not a total noob. I was astounded at the selection- I’ve been in plenty of music stores looking at the ‘couple a’ ukes on their “uke wall” But I’ve never been in a UKE store-. They had Spruce top with Zebra sides; Solid Mahogany; Solid koa; maple; even REDWOOD! All varieties- all sizes- 4 string; 6 string; and 8 string!!! I wanted to pick up a tenor- but I couldn’t believe it. I had to walk out the first time with nothing- my head was spinning. My husband had to bring me back in a few days later and the special they had the last time (free case) had expired- and the NEW special- was buy one get one Half Off… so, you know how this story ends. I left with two-. A four string koa sides and back and mahogany top- and a six string spruce top- both tenors. The service was outstanding- they walked me through all the choices and helped me choose the right ukes for me. Uncle Peter was giving me the run down. It was awesome to get to meet him. The tone on my ukes is perfect- and they are beautiful instruments. I’m very pleased with them- and have had no problems with cracking or anything. I do live on the west coast- but it’s quite dry here. I play them often- but they are in a hard case much of the time… I’ll keep you posted if anything changes- but had to share my happy uke story because my experience was so different than some here.
A happy Uker in Cali
I walked into the Mele store looking for a solid wood ukulele just 3 days after I bought my very first a Kala concert – all laminate mahogany.
Cheryl patiently helped me as I am one meticulous person always looking for the best bang for the buck. I tried just about every tenor and a few concerts they had in stock. I narrowed my choice to 2 which sounded the best to my ears – both tenors, a double puka and the traditional style. They even helped me do a blind test. My ears picked the traditional style which happen to have a beautifully figured sides and back. It’s eye candy and sounds sweet too. (I wish I bought both & took advantage of their buy 1 and get the 2nd at half-off but I want to stay married). Glad to hear that a California uker bought that double-puka shortly after.
Mike installed a MiSi pickup with tone and volume controls inside the soundhole – an extra feature which was a pleasant surprise. I like my Mele Tenor all-hog Uke a lot. We have extremely dry winters in Edmonton, Alberta Canada – so my Mele is always humidified like my 5 other guitars. No issues so far.
I need to mention that Cheryl gave me a generous trade-in value for my Kala as I bought a second all-hog concert uke for my nephew. He is also enjoying his uke (which I’m so willing to adopt in case his interest wanes.)
I highly recommend Mele Ukulele. Good quality handmade all-solid wood ukes at fairly reasonable prices with a warm & friendly staff. Even their cheaper Hula lineup sounded better than the Kala.
I’ll keep you posted about my ongoing experience owning my Mele and how it compares with my (future – read “hopefully”) ukulele$$$.
Maholo-salamat-Aloha!!!
rukey-ricky
Ooops, I forgot about the ratings. Here goes:
I have a Concert mele uke and I haven’t had a single issue. It was purchased for $380 and produces a lovely sound. The koa wood on the face adds beauty to the display while a rich mahogany backing adds to the strength. My uke is a very simple design and yet holds a clear distinction as an upper class ukulele. No complaints with my mele ukulele as its beautiful sound makes each day I play it better!
Purchased my Mele all-koa tenor from the Mele website 3 years ago, and have never regretted it. Beautiful sounding instrument, with great intonation. Looking forward to perhaps picking up a double-puka model in the not-too-distant future. Love my MELE!
There has to be more to the story regarding the cracked ukuleles.
I have three Ukuleles from Mele. One all Koa tenor 6-string, one Spruce top, Mahagony sides and back tenor 4-string, and one Hula Uke tenor 4-string.
I love all three of them. The sound and playability are fantastic. The customer service I have recieved from Mele has always been very, very good. I highly recommend Mele.
I adore my Mele all-koa tenor 4-string. The intonation is fantastic and it is an absolute dream to play. I was the envy of my ukulele group when I unveiled it. Thanks, Dad, for buying this on your trip to Maui earlier this year. I treasure it. Plus, dang, it is an amazingly beautiful sight to behold!!!
I picked up a Hula Uke Concert Ukulele while on vacation in Maui in January 2011. The customer service was outstanding, and they were quite patient with me, as an absolute beginner. I had a quick tutorial with Uncle Peter who had some valuable pointers. For the price, it is an outstanding instrument.
Based on that, I ended up purchasing a Mele solid Mahogany Tenor Ukulele, and am very pleased with it. It looks great, with a lot of attention to detail in the construction. It sounds great (even with me playing), and the neck is very comfortable.
It looks like they don’t sell Hula Ukes online anymore, so the ratings will apply to the Mahogany Tenor only. I love the sound, but don’t know enough to compare it to other makes and models, so I will leave it blank. If you happen to be in Maui, it is definitely worth your while to drop in and check these instruments out!
I was researching Mele Ukuleles this morning to confirm that Mele Ukuleles are made on Hawaii when I noticed all the bad press about cracks and nasty service. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but my experience is so different I had to comment: I have 7 Mele ukuleles–soprano, concert, tenor–acoustic and acoustic/electric. I’ve spoken with Cheryl a number of times by phone from my home in NE Connecticut where we heat with wood in the cold months. My experience is this: If you want an excellent ukulele–wonderful tone, stunning looks, great playability, good value and friendly service–check out Mele ukuleles. I play out with a Mele Koa Tenor A/E and each time someone will come up to marvel at the beauty of the instrument and the amazing sound it produces. I own over 40 ukuleles–Martin, Gibson, Gretsch, Favilla, Tangi, Kamaka, Kelii–and Mele is always my ‘go to’ uke for reliability and sound.
I wonder about the negativity expressed by those few folks. Certainly not my experience. Not by a long shot.
Ukulele was my first instrument at age 6 or 7. I am a working professional musician but I didn’t come back to ukulele until around the mid 1980′s. I bought 2 Mele ukuleles in 2004 – an all koa tenor cutaway and a Kalia rosewood/cedar concert. Since then I have learned a lot & played many expensive ukuleles, buying an extremely expensive soprano from a famous maker. I will tell you happily that my Meles are made better, age better & sound better than the $$$ soprano, & that my experiences with Cheryl and Mele have been stellar. I can’t say that for the famous maker, who treated me quite shabbily.
I did have a crack in my tenor after some time and I paid them I believe around $100 total with shipping to fix the crack. But I don’t feel that they tried to rip me off in any way or that the instrument was made poorly. Their cracks have never come back and I humidify them year round. I always feel & play best when I have them in my hands and I have traveled the world with them. You will not be disappointed with a Mele.
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