6 YEAR UPDATE: I was curious how long I've had this uke. Checked Amazon and it says I have had it 6 years. Wow, time flies when you are having fun I guess. I've played it daily for those 6 years and it looks, sounds, and plays like the day I got it. I've thought about getting a "high end" ukulele, now that I feel I deserve one after so much practice...but this one really sounds great and I'm still very happy with it. I will say, the bird shaped bridge still hasn't grown on me-oh well, what ya gonna do. By the way, I have not changed the strings YET (lol) and it holds tune like a boss.

I’m a musician who has performed regularly for years. Typically on guitar, but in the last few years I have developed a love for the uke. Uke is like playing guitar, but fun. lol. So the Aklot. The short answer, hands down the best uke in this price range. I don’t think there is anything else in the ballpark. This is not a toy, it’s a true instrument. I’d even go as far to say it’s a work of art. What a beautiful instrument. I have no clue how they made it this quality at this price point. Honestly, I feel like someone dropped the ball in the pricing department and I got this at a steal. Before buying this I made about 12 months worth of trips to the uke/guitar store to try out different models. The uke comes with all kinds of stuff, none of which factored into me buying it-the instrument was the only thing I considered. But, the gear it comes with is good-the tuner and strap are my favorite and get daily use (the uke does hold tune very well)! Even the box it comes in is top notch. Did I mention the uke has a solid wood top? So awesome! I love this uke.

I almost returned this thinking I had a buzzing issue! It was just the strings needing to be stretched and tuned over a number of days as it is fine now and I LOVE this uke!!! It is beautifully made! The fret board is well marked on top and sides and I really love the dove engraving and bridge! The solid mahogany body is lightweight with wonderful resonance and volume. It comes with a nice strap to attach to the two buttons as well as a great tuner and a few other things you may or may not use. The bag is just Ok but adequate. The action is great and the more I play it the more I love it! It is a wonderful instrument and nicer than my first one I bought years ago which was twice the price!!

This is 7th ukulele that my family has purchased in the past 9 month, all of varying price ranges, brands, and sizes.

UNBOXING

The ukulele arrived promptly and with all of the promised accessories. The starter pack comes in a nice box resembling a gift. The ukulele was securely wrapped inside of the bag inside of the box to prevent scratches. The bag is of good quality and is thicker than bags I received with ukes that were twice the price. The ukulele is a beautiful color and is quite pleasing to hold. The edges of the fret board are very smooth. The top of the ukulele has a rounded edge that is quite comfortable in your arms. The back of the ukulele has a slight curve which helps to project the sound. The dove bridge is really pretty. The ukulele came with pins for straps. Strangely, the strap that came with it is not the kind that uses the pins. The included tuner is adequate, but you must remember to set it to UC for it to work correctly. One felt pick and one plastic pick were included in the starter pack. This is important because felt picks are really the best for the soft ukulele strings where as guitar strings are tougher and can handle a plastic pick. The cleaning cloth is a nice touch, however the matte finish of this ukulele doesn’t really show fingerprints and using the included case should help keep it clean.

FIRST TUNING

I’ve purchased ukuleles both on-line and in speciality music stores. Right out of the box the strings on this ukulele were much closer to being in tune than many of my other purchases. The included book does a great job of explaining how to tune the ukulele. Many ukuleles are shipped with such loose strings that you really need to understand the c scale to figure out how to get them tuned. My first Amazon purchased ukulele had really loose strings and didn’t come with tuning directions causing me some anxiety. So, the included starter guide is a HUGE bonus to this kit especially if it is being purchased for a beginner.

SUBSEQUENT TUNINGS

As expected, it takes a bit of playing before the strings settle/stretch enough that they can stay in tune for an entire hour. This is NORMAL for all new stringed instruments. I’ve played this ukulele for about 6 hours over the past week and it now stays in tune for an entire hour practice session. I have noticed that the E string becomes really flat when the instrument sits for 48 hours without being played.

SOUND

I am very impressed with the sound of the Aklot ukulele. It is very warm and pleasing to the ear. It is of comparable sound quality to a “name brand” solid mahogany concert ukule that a family member purchased for twice the price. I personally feel like the action on this ukulele is a bit high. Therefore, I needed to press the strings a bit harder to keep them from buzzing than I do on my more expensive “name brand” uke. This was only a slight problem for the first few days I was using it. My fingers have since gotten use to the feel and I do not have trouble with the buzzing.

CONCLUSION

This is a fantastic ukulele for the price! The starter kit is a great value and the included instruction book is a real bonus. I would recommend this ukulele to anyone who wants to play but doesn’t have a lot of money to fork out on a “name brand” instrument. You can take this uke to jams and group lessons with no fear of being embarrassed. The quality is so good that no-one will know it’s not a “name brand” unless you tell them. Keep in mind, instruments want to be played. Their sound quality continues to improve the more they are played.

I would have given 5 stars if it were not for the minor faults with quality control of stain color and the saddle; despite those errors the uke plays wonderfully and displays well on the wall when not in use.

Rec'd 07/20/18

I inspected the entire ukulele visually and tactilely; No noticeable flaws; made sure the tuning pegs were securely fastened; checked the action height @ fret 12 and it measured 3.25mm, a deduction for that; I took it down to about 2.5mm. The saddle is definitely bone!

The color is actually red, really red, like a cranberry red (the photo misrepresents the true color); instead of reddish brown or medium brown mahogany (this is a replacement of another ukulele which was more natural in color that had playability issues). It is a stain so the grain does show. I would like to see Aklot be more consistent in with stain color (another deduction). The fingerboard has a nice grain pattern to it.

After tuning and stretching the strings I played some chords, notes and scales; then went up and down each string at every fret; no buzzing.

It plays well; general appearance shows as a nice ukulele, with exception to the color; sounds very good ( I am considering changing strings to a brighter style, maybe a fluorocarbon or the D'Addario titanium; it will give a different look than the Aquila white Nylgut, also).

This Aklot solid mahogany top concert uke is nicely constructed.

The gig bag is okay, I've seen better for $$$ and even worse cardboard hard-shell guitar cases; the tuner is great to have; the cloth can be handy; the other extras aren't really needed; don’t know why there are strap pins and the kit has a clip-on strap.

If you don't want to put out $250 or more for a nice ukulele that doesn't look or feel like a toy but is a nice solid wood top ukulele that sounds like a more expensive uke then this could fill the bill.

11/29/18

Recently I restrung the uke with D'Addario nylon strings because the Aquila strings were wearing over the frets. The nylon strings sound much better. Still a great little instrument!

Also, because of the color I hung the uke on the wall for the holidays!

Don't bother with the others. I have tried several of the other brands, (i wont name them) but i get fed up with them within a week and send them back.

I have 3 Aklot ukes, a soprano, a concert and a tenor. I exchanged the soprano once, I just felt like the strings wouldn't settle and stay in tune. Now all 3 are nearly perfect. I seldom touch the tuning pegs. Solid construction, Beautifully crafted. Wonderful sound. Why pay more for something that works half as well?

Frequently returned item, it says. Huh. Look at the number of reviews. I myself exchanged 1 in 3. I won't give a thought to trying any other of the available brand again.

So, give it a go.

It was handled carefully bcoz no cracks or damages to the ukelele. I was reading comments for other ukelele reviews with different brand and the purchaser said for the beginners, AKLOT is the best to use and I search right away that brand here in amazon. And I was not wrong to choose Aklot. Nice ulelele and the sound is whole, great sound coz it’s solid mahogany. With complete inclusions as well! That is the best part. With casing, extra strings, cloth to clean the ukelele, it has picks, tuner as well, it has ukelele straps too. I’m so loving it now and can’t stop to strum it. Thank you.

UPDATE 10/18/2021

I got a quick response from the Aklot customer service team, and learned that the pin placement I had thought was a problem…wasn’t. :facepalm: They even posted a nifty video on their FB page to show how to properly attach the strap on the left handed ukulele. I tried posting a link, but Amazon refused my review update when I did that, so I left it out this time.

My previous experience with playing a stringed instrument was the electric bass guitar thirty years ago, and that giant, heavy instrument was held by a strap with a very different pin setup. That’s why I was confused at how the ukulele strap was supposed to fit!

Now that I see that the strap feeds behind the neck, the pin placement makes much more sense. I am still not sure how my fingers will access the higher frets without my hand striking the pin, but with lots of practice, I will figure it out!

I am leaving my original, totally wrong review, just in case any other left-handers have the same confusion that I did. This beautiful mahogany ukulele with, gig bag, strap, tuner, and picks really is a great deal!

ORIGINAL:

I am left handed, and decided to finally buy myself a ukulele in order to learn this fun instrument. This mahogany ukulele is beautiful to look at, and seems solidly made- but it has a significant flaw: the pin for the strap is installed on the wrong side of the neck. I have included pictures to show what I mean, but when I wrap my right hand around the neck (as lefties do), I can’t comfortably reach the higher frets because the pin is in the way.

If I did attach the strap and tried to play left handed, the strap would make things even worse, and the ukulele would never hang properly from the strap unless I wore it as a right handed player would.

I thought maybe Aklot had sent me a right-handed ukulele by mistake, but when I looked closer, I could see the fret markings on the top of the neck were along the edge of the neck that a lefty would be able to see when they were playing, and the strings were strung as a lefty would need.

So, my guess is that several people work on a single instrument in their factory, and the person who installed my strap pins is used to pinning right handed instruments, and just zoned out and installed the neck pin on the wrong side.

I’m still giving three stars because the mahogany is gorgeous, the tone of the instrument is lovely, and it’s a great value for money considering you get a soft gig bag, a strap, a clip on tuner and a cleaning cloth. Truly a nice beginner kit!

I have sent an email to Aklot’s customer support address, and messaged the seller via the Amazon app as well. I’m hesitant to try an Amazon exchange, in case I get the exact same pin assembly on the new one. If they respond to me and help me get a left-hand uke with the pins in the correct place, I will update this review immediately!

I bought this ukulele model specifically after I had borrowed one from a family friend for a few weeks. I enjoyed playing it so much that I took a picture of the logo so that I could buy it for myself. It's a really solid, gorgeous-looking ukulele that feels great to play and sounds beautiful. And for the price, it's a great deal. It comes with everything pictured- 2 picks, extra strings, a shoulder strap, a tuner, a case, a cloth, and an instructional pamphlet. I'm happy with my purchase and excited to learn some more songs on it!

UPDATE:

I had this ukulele for a good 4 years and I had a lot of fun with it, but I decided to give it to a friend since I didn't end up using it as much as I thought I would. The ukulele sounds as beautiful as ever- I'm just a very forgetful person that doesn't always end up using the things I buy, haha. Still, it was a good purchase and it's a very nice instrument, especially for the price. I'd definitely recommend it for any beginners that can't afford an expensive ukulele.

サウンドホールからの音に加えて背面に甘く響く音量もたっぷりで、サスティンの伸びも良くソロ弾きにピッタリです。買って良かったです！

Excelente opción para principiantes, BBB.

I am a beginner Ukulele player so wasn't sure what I should purchase. I looked around alot and did some research. I decided on Akot tenor Ukulele. I am very pleased with my purchase. The things that came with the Ukulele were useful and of good quality, particularly good for a beginner who was not sure what was needed. The Ukulele has a great sound, even with a beginner using it!

First time I buy an instrument online. great packaging. came with all described items.

instrument is very nicely finished. sounds great. many instructions to help with learning for a beginner.

its appriciated.

perfect sounds