I have reviewed many budget ukuleles for beginners and one which I have been able to test is the Caramel MC43 Concert – 23″ Solid Mahogany Ukulele.
For those not familiar with Caramel, the company is known for providing inexpensive ukulele under $50 They are made in China, but many ukulele’s are made in China, what it comes down to is quality and there are those who feel Caramel ukes are much better than other similarly, popular brands under a $50 and you’ll notice many ukulele schools using Caramels because of price and what you get with it.
I am reviewing the Caramel MC43 Concert – 23″ Solid Mahogany Ukulele which is offered for under $40 (yes, concert not soprano) and the company goes beyond the typical ukulele only. You get a gig bag (not a lot of padding but better than nothing), a strap, tuner (does it all…guitar, uke, violin, chromatic, etc.), plastic picks (standard plastic picks, not felt), cleaning cloth, spare/backup strings (Caramel Technique Carbon Strings) and instructions. Which is awesome and great for those looking for an introduction, first-buy ukulele for the price!
The ukulele features a mahogany laminate for top, back, side and neck with matte natural finish. And I really like the black headstock and overall style.
This ukulele has laser etchings near the soundhole. You’ll also find strap pegs on the bottom and one near the neck.
I like the fact that this Caramel ukulele is a concert because typically for this price, it’s a soprano.
You get fret marks on the side which is great for the beginners and action is not high at all.
One of the things that worry me about inexpensive ukulele are the tuning pegs. Even after heavy use to stretch out the strings, they lose tune because the tuning pegs are poor.
The tuning pegs are better than some of the cheaper ukuleles and they are facing down instead of outward, which is cool.
Fortunately, the tuning pegs have held up, but it’s important to note that you really need to stretch out the strings. It takes some time, depending how much you play, so in the beginning, you’ll do quite a bit of tuning. But to make sure they are stretched and played, pluck the strings a bit (not too much) but enough to stretch them out. Strum a lot, play a lot and tune until you notice that you don’t have to tune as much.
Overall, as a first-purchase ukulele for under $40, it’s actually a cool deal considering you getting a concert uke, a gig bag, tuner, strap and a few picks.
This is a very good ukulele for the price. I’ve reviewed ukulele for around the price point and not only do they give you less, the tuning pegs are terrible and you literally can’t play more than 2-3 minutes on it. This is not the case for the Caramel MC43 Concert – 23″ Solid Mahogany Ukulele. I do recommend this Caramel as a first time ukulele under $40 because you get so much for your money’s worth.
In addition, the company has professional Luthiers tune it before they ship them out and you also get a risk-free 30 day money back guarantee.
For the price and how cool this set is for under $40, the Caramel MC43 Concert – 23″ Solid Mahogany Ukulele is highly recommended for those who are looking to purchase their first ukulele and are on a budget!
