This is the C1K concert ukulele from Martin, arguably the most famous and storied ukulele makers in the history of the instrument. As such, owning a Martin is often considered an aspirational choice. And this one is very nice. Personally, I am less bothered about who makes something and more interested in value and how it sounds - but thankfully, for all solid koa from Hawaii the price is actually quite reasonable, and it sounds bright, chimey, clear and harmonically interesting. So you can own a Martin, have all the history, and have a nice ukulele too.

The C1K has a 35mm nut width, Grover open geared tuners and is fitted with Martin fluorocarbon strings. Koa can be quite muted, if the wood used is thick, but the build is neat and light and those strings keep some of the pretty warmth, but also allow the top to resonate well and give you plenty of punch.

The Martin C1K is supplied in a really excellent quality gig bag - with loads of padding. The type where it’d survive a fall down the stairs. (Take me word for that, don’t put me to the test, just in case!) At the bottom of the page you’ll find a series of optional extras that are easy to add, like a strap, low G or strap buttons. You can of course ignore the option for a gig bag as you get a great one, and I’d argue it’s worth passing over the hard case option too as that bag is so good. I know, know… giving you the hard sell again telling you not to spend extra money on a superfluous case!

Since the advent of the internet, price matching and shopping around for the best deal are common, and sensible in many cases. If you do the same and look for the cheapest Martin C1K concert ukulele out there, the odds are, mine won’t be the one. I will however check, inspect and set up the uke before it goes. I’ll lower the action at nut and saddle, level any problematic frets and make sure it plays as well as possible. For that… you might pay a bit more than a company who drop ships direct from the distributor, but that’s the only way I can work. I think it’s worth it.