Morelli/Santini Ukuleles
Morelli ukuleles and Santini Ukuleles are made by the same people. They're sold very cheap (around $35) and have a very similar shape to other ukueles such as the Fluke, the Roy Smeck Vita uke and the J Chalmers Doane triangular uke.
I haven't played a Morelli or know anyone who has. There seems to be only one seller of them on eBay and their listings make me very suspicious:
- They claim the instrument is, "Hand Made by a Master Luthier" but it looks decidedly mass produced. In one of the close up photos, you can see a very slapdash job around the bottom of the fretboard. That is not the work of a 'master luthier' (if it was, they'd burn it before it had a chance to ruin their reputation).
- The picture of their distribution center looks like it has been manipulated to add their name to the sign.
- Their preferred form of payment is money order (also preferred by Nigerian email scam artists).
I've never played one, so I could be wrong in my judgment. But there's no way I'd buy a Morelli ukulele. If you are shopping for a ukulele in this price range, I'd suggest a more reputable brand such as Makala.
