First off, sorry about the lack of posts for the last few days. I was traveling for my has-nothing-to-do-with-ukuleles stupid day job. But, I'm back in the saddle now.
The first thing I did when I got back to my desk was to check out Musician's Friend and see if there were any new ukuleles listed. Sure 'nuff, my eyes fell on a real beauty. It looks like Ibanez now makes a Spalted Mango Concert Ukulele.
If you've priced Ukuleles made with Spalted Mango in the past, then you've seen that it's almost impossible to get one for less than $300. It's a shame because grain of the wood creates a real eye-catching and unique guitar. Well, this little number is only $169.99! Here, take a peak:
Ibanez is a relative new-comer to the ukulele market, but I've already checked out another of their ukuleles in this post, "Ibanez UKC10 Concert Ukulele". There aren't any reviews of this ukulele yet (it's that new), but at least you can count on Ibanez to make a quality product. They've been making instruments since something like 1929.
Here's some quotes from the product description:
The UEW20SG cutaway concert ukulele from Ibanez is a sweet-toned, nylon-stringed instrument with the luxurious Hawaiian tonewoods and is built to stand the test of time. Built on the Concert style platform and size, the Ibanez ukulele features a luxurious spalted mango wood body, presenting that unmistakable warm ukulele sound. The rosewood bridge and fretboard provide clear sustain and let the lows and mids soar. The chrome Grover open gear tuners offer precision tuning and keep the ukulele in key. Dressed in a natural high gloss finish, and featuring a desirable abalone rosette around the soundhole, the UEW20SG concert uke s natural beauty shimmers through, making it a 4-string of incredible looks and unmatched tone.
If anyone sees one of these at a music shop and is able to put their hands on it, please let us know how it plays.