The Uma UK-05ST is an incredibly priced bit of kit - with a solid mahogany top and a gig bag included. Most instruments, even the good ones, at this price point are all laminate. And this is nice, thinly cut mahogany that gives this uke a big voice, with plenty of richness and a bold tone with attractive complex harmonics too. It’s fairly plain to look at, true, but it plays well and sounds much more expensive than it is.

The mahogany body is quite pale - with the wood left in its natural state, without the dark stain we’ve all become used to seeing. There’s a satin finish, fluorocarbon strings and decent geared tuners, and a bit of decoration in the form of the abalone soundhole rosette.

I suppose that given the great specification and the small price, something might have to give, and true, the first one I tried had an action so high that you could fly a plane under the strings. However, that’s easily (if time-consumingly fixed), and just because it’s not an expensive uke, that will be taken care of here before it leaves.

With that lowered action, the UK-05ST is nice to play, with the average width (35mm) nut feeling unchallenging to most players.

This Uma ukulele is a world away from what you could get for this money when I first started selling ukuleles - and is a great advert for an inexpensive tenor ukulele that punches well above its weight.

There’s a video demo of the UK-05ST if you click additional info below.

For common accessories and customisations (like strap buttons / low G fitting) scroll down to the bottom of the page where you'll be able to add these common items to your basket.