I always enjoy looking at Martin ukuleles so i'm happy to bring you this one which is new for 2024. This is the Martin TKE Uke Tenor Ukulele.
I say that I enjoy them mainly because i've never played a bad one myself, but I have had some issues creep into my views in recent years and wondered if their eye was off the ball of late. It's nothing to do with the production in Mexico which I personally don't give a hoot about and speaks more about the people who get aggravated by it than anything else. It's not about the use of composite materials either, something else that I don't mind and think works very well. But in one or two areas I've seen some questionable choices from the brand. Firstly it's the move on some models to bridges and fingerboards made of Sipo. Not only do I think it looks too pale, it's just not hard enough for use in this way and i've seen reports of fingernail damaged fretboards and split bridges. Secondly its the dogged determination to stick with those Graphtech Ratio planetary tuners. Not only do I think they look like doorknobs, the material is clearly not working out as I have experienced (personally) two breakages and can point you to countless other examples. I no longer think they are fit for purpose despite 'supposed' material changes as it is still happening. I find both choices very odd for Martin who otherwise have always stuck with quality materials and reliable builds. I suppose I could add a third in that I think their USA models are insanely priced, but that's a more subjective one. So I was intrigued by this new 2024 model. How does this one stack up?
SUMMARY VIDEO REVIEW
At first glance at the specs here I wondered whether this was a complete replacement for the T1K tenor ukulele, a model that I really rather liked, as this too is a solid koa bodied tenor made in Mexico. But when you dig deeper there are a number of changes, most for the better and one I am not too sure on. Still, two solid koa tenors in the range?
So yes, this is an all solid koa tenor body in the traditional Martin double bout shape. But the obvious change from the T1K is the finish and decor. Many people thought the T1K was too bare with it's rubbed oil finish and minimal decor and I would agree with them. It looks and feels a bit unfinished and pale. Here the body is glossed and looks all the better for it giving it a warmer look and making the grain patterns more zingy. It's still not particularly stripy or curly koa, but it's not unattractive either. It's made from two pieces on the top back and sides and what minimal grain there is, is well bookmatched. I think this looks like a far more serious instrument than the T1K.
The bridge gets a change too as this is a usual Martin tie bar but made from rosewood. The very earliest T1K ukes used 'either rosewood or morado' but now comes in Sipo which I would avoid. This is much sturdier. Like the T1K it has a compensated Tusq saddle but this is black, not white and looks better for it. Spacing here is 40mm.
Other than the gloss finish, the TKE also gets the same typical Martin sound hole rosette under the gloss of black and white purfling but has the addition of black top and back bracing with black and white purfling to the top. I think that really adds to the look and is the sort of addition that lifts it from the plain of the T1K. Elsewhere on the body you will spy a jack socket strap button in the base and that holds a Mi Si rechargeable pickup system. These are as good as pickups get and so convenient without battery compartments and control panels. An excellent addition I think.
Inside is extremely tidy with thin bracing and tidy kerfing. I find all Martin ukes are tidy inside. That top is very thin too!
The neck is made from 'select hardwood' like the T1K (answers on a postcard), but is the same single piece and wonderful profile that I enjoy with Martin necks. Like all Martins it's an applied dovetail joint for security rather than being glued and screwed. It tapers down to a skinnier nut width than I normally like (like the T1K at 34mm, 28 from G to A), but my view of those is always tempered by the feel of the back profile and also the room around the nut. As with all Martins this is excellent, shallow on the back and comfortable space where the headstock tapers out. I still find it odd that some other smaller Martin ukes have wider nuts, but I can actually get along with this. Another real plus is that they left the neck satin not gloss so it's very nice to move around on.
Like the bridge the fingerboard is upgraded (or is that 'reverted') to rosewood which is in fine condition. It's not edge bound so you see the ends of the frets, but i've never found a Martin with an issue on fret dressing. You get 20 of those joined at the 14th. The fret markers are a change so out go the tiny but traditional outward facing dots and in come larger abalone dots at the 5th, 7th, 10th, double 12th and 15th. They are paired with white side dots with an addition one at the third which is common for Martin.
Beyond the black Tusq nut is the usual Martin crown headstock which as I say, has a taper I always like for comfort at first position. Sadly this too is left unglossed on the face and I say 'sadly' and that is because the one thing I hoped they would change, they didn't. We still have the 'greeting card sticker' logo which I have seen first hand don't stand up to clip on tuners. A gloss face here would make a world of difference to protect that and match the body.
I'm also delighted to see they didn't go with those awful Graphtech tuners here and have stuck with very decent Grover open gears, only this time with black buttons which look better than the T1K. These are great.
Finishing it off are a set of Martin strings (obviously) the pickup and a gig bag. Another change here too - out goes the famous blue TKL bag with other Martins and in comes a much sturdier, great feeling, black and grey bag with sturdier side support and waterproofed zips. I really liked those blue bags, but they were not the most protective from crushing and I really like this new one which is more akin to the sort of thing you now get with brands like Kanile'a.
So quite a few changes and I'm pleased to say that all of them positive and an improvement on the T1K. But there is another change which I am a little less taken with, and that's the price. OK this adds gloss, bindings, reverts to rosewood bridge and board (that always used to be there), adds the (admittedly not cheap) Mi Si pickup and upgrades the gig bag, but the price is RRP $849. The T1K on the Martin site is $499. So $350 more. Translating that into UK street prices, these are on sale in the UK at about £860 (if not more in some stores) whereas you can find a T1K for about £550. A difference of over three hundred quid. On the other hand the additions are welcome and will naturally add up to an increase, but I wonder if it's a bit too rich. Not massively perhaps if you take the pickup into account, but inflated for sure.. and still with that damn greeting card sticker.. Saying all that - costs are up across the board and you can see this sort of quality from the more boutique far eastern brands these days (like Rebel, Romero Creations, Singer) for similar or considerably more so maybe I'm being too unfair. It's just the comparison with the T1K that jars with me. There are welcome improvements though and this looks and feels like a much more grown up offering than the somewhat bare T1K.
I am pretty impressed with the changes and like other Martin ukes I've seen the build and finish here are flawless here. This is a very classy, attractive ukulele whichever way you slice it that is made well and looks just great. It feels nice and high end to hold and isn't heavy at 685g and balances well as you would expect.
On the basics I find that Martin ukuleles usually deliver well and this has great volume projection, dynamic response and lasting sustain too. These are the things that will make your playing more expressive and enjoyable. Good stuff.
The T1K had a sound that kind of sat outside my normal likes for a tenor ukulele as it was extremely bright and direct, whereas I tend to prefer dark and woody. But it compelled me and is an instrument I sold on and have regretted to this day. Of course, Koa is not a dark earthy sounding tonewood, it's much richer, but it was still certainly on the brighter side. And it's the same here though, whilst I don't have a T1K to play side by side with it, seems to have something else going on with the tone, perhaps created by the gloss finish that has given it a different edge. It's a little more tightened up and tone focussed than I recall the T1K. That's not to say brighter, though this is still bright, but I am sensing more of the mids in the tone.
Like the T1K this is very rhythmical and bouncy when played strummed, almost like it is a slightly smaller instrument, but I am getting a bit more character to the sound which I find very pleasant. It's still a bright peppy sound, but there seems to be more of a focus on the mids and the actual tone which makes it more interesting to listen to.
Fingerpicking is certainly bright and chimey all over the neck - it's like a crystal bell in sound played this way, but again with something going on that draws me back that isn't one dimensional. All in all tone wise I am liking this quite a bit. Sure i'd like a bit more bass, but then Martin strings are notoriously chipper and a play around with darker strings could change the gear down on this one quite easily.
Yes, the price threw me a little, but actually I can see where the money is here and, ultimately, when you consider some of those other brands I mention it's not too bad really. The build, like all Martins I see is exceptional and the new gloss finish here is wonderful. I loved the T1K, and this one trumps it for the right reasons. A great ukulele more worthy of the brand than some others that I am happy to highly recommend.
UKULELE SPECS ROUNDUP
Model: Martin TKE UKE
Scale: Tenor
Body: All solid Hawaiian Koa
Bridge: Rosewood, tie bar
Saddle: Black TUSQ, compensated
Spacing at saddle: 40mm
Finish: Gloss
Neck: Select hardwood
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Frets: 20, 14 to body
Nut: TUSQ
Nut width: 34mm, 28mm G to A
Tuners: Grover open gears
Strings: Martin Fluoro
Extras: MiSi Pickup, Gig bag
Country of origin: Mexico
Weight: 685g
Price: £860
UKULELE PROS
Extremely classy, grown up looks
Exact build and excellent finish
Great tuners
Excellent volume and sustain
Crisp clear tone with nice character
Great passive pickup
Gig bag improvement
UKULELE CONS
Still with the greeting card sticker...
Less affordable, but perhaps with reasons.
UKULELE SCORES
Looks - 9.5 out of 10
Fit and finish - 9.5 out of 10
Sound - 9 out of 10
Value for money - 8.5 out of 10
OVERALL UKULELE SCORE - 9.1 out of 10
UKULELE VIDEO REVIEW
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