Warranty

Warranty

As stated on the hang tag that comes with each Mele Ukulele, “All Mele Ukulele instruments are guaranteed to be free from defects in quality of materials and workmanship. If your instrument fails, we will repair or replace it as we see fit.” This warranty also applies to every ukulele that we sell, whether it be a mass-produced beginner model or a fine, exotic wood, handcrafted instrument. We feel that this is a clear and comprehensive warranty. It is incumbent on the customer, however, to bear in mind that your Mele Ukulele is a fine handmade instrument constructed from top quality tonewoods and hardwoods, and even if it’s not a Mele, it still requires a certain level of attention, care and freedom from abuse. Any of our handcrafted solid wood ukuleles are constructed of woods that have been very carefully dried and seasoned before being cut and planed to their present thickness. The wood is naturally hygroscopic, meaning that it will soak up moisture in humid climates and lose moisture under dry conditions. In very hot or cold temperatures or any time relative humidity falls below 40% (common in mountain & desert climates and in heated homes and apartments), your ukulele will dry out and the wood can warp or crack. This, of course, is serious damage and IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. It can, however, be easily prevented by keeping your instrument in its hard case and using a good quality humidifier. This is less essential for ukes built from laminates, but some care should still be taken. You can find a humidifier in our store or on our website (or at any good music store), and they come with instructions for their proper use. We recommend those made by Oasis, Herco and Planet Waves, and we also suggest you add water to them once a week rather than every other week. (Most of the instructions recommend 2-week intervals.) An instrument that has severely warped or cracked due to extreme temperatures or dryness is usually not repairable. Even in cases where a repair can be performed, it usually will cost more than it would cost to buy a replacement instrument, especially on high-quality handmade Spanish-style instruments such as a Mele brand ukulele, where the sides, back, top, and neck and tail blocks are solidly fitted and glued together and cannot be non-destructively disassembled. The best we can do in such a situation is to offer a replacement at a discounted price. Of course, we would much rather see you and your uke live happily ever after! So please take good care of your Mele Ukulele! If you treat it well, it will treat you well for a long, long time to come!

 

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