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!
Ukulele, AKLOT Concert Ukelele Solid Mahogany 23 inch for Professional Beginners Adults Kit with Free Online Courses and Uke
4.6 | 10,491 ratings
Price: 57.99
Last update: 01-11-2025
About this item
【About the sound】This ukulele is made of solid mahogany, which has a longer sustain compared to a laminated uke. This makes the sound warmer, cleaner and more pure. The tone of this ukulele will continue improving and progressively sound better as the wood ages. That¡¯s one reason this is a great ukulele for a beginner.
【Stay in tune】This ukulele comes with an 18:1 premium tuner machine, pure copper gears and aquila strings, pre-tuned before shipping to help ensure the strings stretch out properly and stay in tune better upon arrival.
【Free online lesson】Check out the beginner ukulele lesson on our website and YouTube channel. With the start manual and full set of accessories (tuner, strap, picks, gig bag, extra set of strings), you will learn the basics to play ukulele in 30 minutes.
【Unparalleled Craftsmanship】This ukulele has a unique design with a rounded edge for comfortable practicing and playing. It has an embedded rib to reinforce the neck, strict action height control to ensure excellent tone and playability and neck sanding to help prevent scratching.
【Customer Service】Contact us if you have any problems with your ukulele and we will do our best to make things right.
【Stay in tune】This ukulele comes with an 18:1 premium tuner machine, pure copper gears and aquila strings, pre-tuned before shipping to help ensure the strings stretch out properly and stay in tune better upon arrival.
【Free online lesson】Check out the beginner ukulele lesson on our website and YouTube channel. With the start manual and full set of accessories (tuner, strap, picks, gig bag, extra set of strings), you will learn the basics to play ukulele in 30 minutes.
【Unparalleled Craftsmanship】This ukulele has a unique design with a rounded edge for comfortable practicing and playing. It has an embedded rib to reinforce the neck, strict action height control to ensure excellent tone and playability and neck sanding to help prevent scratching.
【Customer Service】Contact us if you have any problems with your ukulele and we will do our best to make things right.
Product information
| Item Weight | 2.9 pounds |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 23 x 8.46 x 2.75 inches |
| ASIN | B072JT9WLF |
| Item model number | AKC23 |
| Batteries | 1 CR2 batteries required. (included) |
| Customer Reviews |
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars
10,342 ratings
4.6 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #855 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments) #7 in Ukuleles (Musical Instruments) |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | June 5, 2017 |
| Back Material | Mahogany |
| Body Material | Mohagany |
| Color Name | Acoustic |
| Fretboard Material | Technical Wood |
| String Gauge | Light |
| String Material | Aquila String |
| Top Material | Mahogany |
| Neck Material Type | Okoume |
| Number of Strings | 4 |
| Material Type | Mohagany |
| Musical Style | world-music |
| Size | Concert Size 23 Inch |
| Proficiency Level | Beginner, Intermediate, Professional |
| Battery type | Lithium Manganese Dioxide |
Top reviews from the United States
Liss S.
Left-Hand 23” Concert Ukulele
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2021
Liss S.
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 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!
Images in this review
Gerardo Piero Pavone
Perfection, for an incredibly affordable price.
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2024
VoxPopuli
A SURPRISINGLY good uke for a great price
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2024
VoxPopuli
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2024
I've been playing now for over a month and I cant put the darn thing down. Its become my "fidget toy" and I work on chords while waiting for meetings to start. At the end of the day, I work on songs I want to seranade my wife with and its been the perfect way for me to relax, unwind and let the stress of the day disappear (seriously. I cant think about anything else when Im trying to play. My focus needs to be locked to the music.)
The craftsmanship of this is REALLY good for a mass-produced instrument from China. A solid mahogany body provides a surprising amount of tone and sustain. Not as "crunchy" or "tinny" as you would expect a ukulele to sound. Instead its a warm tone, thats resonant and clear without being shrill. This tells me that the construction of the body is tight: The wood is doing its job and really letting the ukulele sing. This is honestly hard to believe from an instrument so affordable. The inside of the body is clean with no glue drips, or scuffed up wood, the neck is SMOOTH, with perfectly filed frets on a silky smooth fretboard, and the action is CORRECT, right out of the box. The laser engraving is clean and even the stain is nicely done, without any drips or smudges.
This is a HUGELY UNDERRATED ukulele. If you are just getting started on the path of ukulele playing, this is hands-down one of the best instruments to start your journey with.
Images in this review
Tracey L.
Solid instrument with one little quirk
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2020
Tracey L.
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2020
The pros:
- Craftsmanship is solid.
- The mahogany wood, the bridge design and the little details on the body are really pretty.
- The frets are smooth and don’t hurt my fingers.
- I really like the sound of a low G because of its warmth and depth.
- The items in the kit are useful and perfect for a beginner (gig bag, tuner, cleaning cloth, strap).
The cons:
- While I liked the sound of the low G, I didn’t like the metal one that it came with. I found it to be too stiff and hard to play (I ended up buying new strings — see comment below).
- The extra strings that came with the kit weren’t labeled. I could make an educated guess, but this uke is marketed for beginners so why wouldn’t you label it?
A note to buyers (this is neither good or bad, just a weird quirk):
- When changing the strings, I discovered that the G and A were knotted together, while the C and E were knotted together. Given its unusual bridge, I see why they did it, but this means if you only wanted to change one string, you would either need to also change its companion or spend a lot of time trying to untie the two. This also means if the C string breaks, the E string will immediately go out of tune because now there’s a slack. I don’t know if this is the case for all the Aklots, but something to note.
Again, I like the Aklot and am pleased with the purchase. For me, though, the strings had to go. But that’s subjective and something you can change easily.
Photo is with the new strings: Fremont Black Line Fluorocarbon Low G.
Images in this review
