KA MK SD LBLBURST Makala MK-SD/LBL Light Blue Burst Dolphin Bridge Soprano Ukulele

I now own four of these dolphin/shark bridge instruments. I use them with children -- except for one that I put Aquila Nylgut strings on, and which I tote around with me. I'll often just pick it up during the day to play for a few minutes and it is always fun. Not only is it rugged but it puts out a decent sound as well.All of my Makalas hold their tune well. Of course, as with most ukes, it takes about a week for new strings to stabilize. I do have some higher end ukes but people are always more amused when I pull one of these bright colored instruments out during a performance. It's everything that an ukulele is supposed to be -- fun, playable, and unpretentious.They have wood tops, injection molded bodies, a solid mahogany neck, and geared tuners. This is a great entry level instrument that you might find yourself going back to even as you advance.

I've always wanted to learn how to play the ukulele so I looked around on the internet and found that this one is a common beginner ukulele. I absolutely love it! It's adorable and well made for the small price. My only negative comment would be the strings it comes with but I just recently changed the strings on mine and it sounds so much better! Definitely a good beginner ukulele if you want to learn to play!

After practicing with my Dolphin (as my 1st uke) for 6 weeks, I have come to realize that this uke may not be the best for beginners to learn to play. This uke, like many others, has a shorter fretboard that does not extend down to the soundhole. This leaves a deeper gap between the strings and the uke body, which makes it harder for a beginner to learn to strum (see pictures), especially if you have smaller hands like mine. With the Dolphin, I often end up strumming with the flesh just above my finger nail unless I focus on the strumming. With my other uke that has a longer fretboard, it is much easier to strum with the middle part of my finger nail, so that I can pay more attention to learning the chords with my left hand. For this reason I will mostly practice with my other uke, at least until my strumming becomes consistent. I still love the Dolphin uke and will keep it for entertaining guests. The Dolphin will be perfect for camping and backpacking trips.Bottom line: I agree with other reviewers that this cute and affordable uke sounds pretty good with Aquila strings on it. Mine was purchased in late Dec 2015 right on Amazon, and it came with Aquila strings already. If you just want a toy that produces decent sound, or if you are a seasoned uke player wanting to add a visually adorable uke to your collection, this is a good one. If you are a beginner who is serious about learning to play the uke, find a different one.

Beautiful construction and color. Perfect size for toddler arm length. Strings looked like they were good quality. Would be even better if it had a case.

Far better than one might expect. Pleasant action, nice tone, good intonation. Looks like a toy but is a musical instrument. Stays in tune and is easy to play. The dolphin shaped bridge is a nice touch. Clearly better than many instruments costing more. I changed out the strings to Martin M600 Fluorocarbons (just a personal preference). Purchased 8-9 months ago.

Bought this beautiful ukulele for my girlfriend. I was pleasantly surprised at the good quality, especially for a relatively cheap, $40 ukulele. Really good for beginners. It's heavy plastic body feels really durable, and it allows for louder sound. I bought a wooden Makala soprano ukulele for myself, and it plays significantly softer than the Dolphin. Overall good product, and definitely recommend.

My ukulele came strung with aquila strings so I didn't have to buy aquila strings with it. Though I bought them just in case this didn't happen. It also produces a really nice strong sound and the strings don't seem like they'll break anytime soon. The canvas case was also a nice little bonus. Overall, this ukulele is a great buy especially considering it was only $45! It exceeded my expectations.

I;m so happy this came so earky, although I ordered it in the light blue burst and all I got was regular blue. And the strings are worthcrap and needs to be tuned but overall it was a good buy.