Do you play a uke that far exceeds what your skill warrants?

Going with a nicer instrument can help you become a better player. Smoother action and better tone can motivate you to play more, which may result in you improving your talent level. That is not always the case, but I see nothing wrong with buying a high quality instrument if you can truly afford it.
I play acoustic guitar and I am probably mediocre to fair at best. I own a Augustino (yes, as in Lo Prinzi) DR-31 that cost me 550.00 in 1980 and is now worth at least 1,200 (they sell new for 2400. I may eventually sell it. but I don't feel guilty for owning it.

I think that there are diminishing returns with instruments. We migth all want a $2000 custom uke or guitar, but will it sound 10 times better than a nice producton model? I dont think so. However, a nice soundign instrument is inspiration in itself. Not sounding like you are playing a plastic Sponge Bob uke is a good thing, and I find it makes me try harder if teh basic instrument sounds good. My two cents worth

Cliff Edwards set the pace as far as Martins go. I'm not even close, but sometimes enthusiasm over takes skill.

My new Pono ATD whose purchase was the impetus of this thread has made its way from Honolulu, HI to Memphis, TN! Maybe it will pick up some music mojo on its way through there. It's scheduled to be delivered here in MN tomorrow. I'm just hoping that the required-to-sign-for-it delivery timing works out because I can't sit around the house all afternoon, I have to run out of town. I'm getting excited!

mikelz777 said:

Maybe the next question should be, does the number of ukes you own far exceed your ability to give each one the time it deserves? Discuss...

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I struggle with this a bit, and have posted about it before. I have ten ukuleles. A few are pretty nice. I also feel that I could not sell them for what they are worth to me, so I just hang on to them. Some definitely do not get played as much as I would like for them to be played, but parting with any of them is just -- difficult. Each one is unique and has its charms or purpose.

mikelz777 said:

My new Pono ATD whose purchase was the impetus of this thread has made its way from Honolulu, HI to Memphis, TN! Maybe it will pick up some music mojo on its way through there. It's scheduled to be delivered here in MN tomorrow. I'm just hoping that the required-to-sign-for-it delivery timing works out because I can't sit around the house all afternoon, I have to run out of town. I'm getting excited!

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Can you do "Pick up at shipper's local office"? I've done that with Fed Ex.

Hope your weekend is open!

vanflynn said:

Can you do "Pick up at shipper's local office"? I've done that with Fed Ex.

Hope your weekend is open!

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I was hoping that I could do that and contacted Fed Ex customer service as soon as I got notice that it had shipped. They weren't able to hold it for me because of whatever option HMS chose to ship it. FedEx said that they were required to attempt delivery and obtain a signature and only if they attempted and failed could they/would they hold it at a Fed Ex office. They asked for my +4 zip code and were able to tell me that historically, they usually delivered packages in my area between noon and 2:00. I'm hoping that stands because I have to leave town around 3:00. I'll probably call them mid-morning on delivery day (tomorrow) to see if they can give me a probable window of time based on the load and the delivery times so far that day. Fingers crossed!

Pueo said:

I have ten ukuleles. A few are pretty nice. I also feel that I could not sell them for what they are worth to me, so I just hang on to them. Some definitely do not get played as much as I would like for them to be played, but parting with any of them is just -- difficult. Each one is unique and has its charms or purpose.

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Similar situation here, except mine mostly aren't that nice. They're either real cheap and not worth trying to sell, or have doubled or tripled courses and are thus distinctive (for me). Only one each of various types are 4-string and tuned standard. I tend not to play the standard soprano or banjo-uke enough, not to mention the small-voiced baritone that I just might sell at a loss to make room for something better. That bari and an F2-clone mandolin, both Harmonia, are the only instruments I'd want to sell. The rest just call to me at random moments. (A faint voice calls my name.) Ah, that's a dulcimer; I must go now.

mikelz777 said:

I was wondering if there are many people out there who play a uke that far exceeds what their skill/talent warrants?

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I'm about to.

To elaborate:

This is an interesting topic and has generated a lot of discussion.

I find it particularly interesting because I made a similar leap myself. I have been playing on and off for about three years, but have been steadily playing, practicing and improving over the last several months. I started on an all solid mahogany Fender from HMS and I also now have a solid spruce top Cordoba. I have been wanting to add another voice to the collection for several months and last week, decided to pull the trigger.

I started off looking for a cedar top uke and called HMS to discuss the Kala ATP CTG CE. After much discussion with the guys at HMS about how I play and the sound I was looking for and extensive research online, I purchased a Pono Cedar/Mahogany Pro Classic slot head tenor. It arrives today. I know it is a little late for you mikelz777, but I was able to schedule a specific delivery window for an additional $5.

This price of the Pono is more than double the price of my most expensive ukulele and also more than twice what I started out looking to spend. The reputation of the Pono is considerably better than my best uke. Just the anticipation of receiving the Pono has doubled my practice and playing time in the last week. I expect having it in my hands will keep me playing and practicing at that pace or better for weeks to come.

I am reminded of an interview I once saw of the great professional golfer Payne Stewart. He was well know for always playing in flamboyant attire of ivy caps and patterned knickers pants. He was asked during this interview about his colorful and unusual clothing. His response was that he felt it made him play better. He said, "Anyone who shows up on a golf course looking the way I do better be able to deliver one hell of a game".

Perhaps obtaining a ukulele above our playing level will inspire us to rise to the challenge, and, if not, it should at least increase the level of joy we get from playing ukulele. Isn't that what it's all about anyway?

So, good for you mikelz777! I hope you get your uke today!

That is one of the things that leads me on. If I had just continued to play around with the uke I had for years, I would have never fallen in love with the instrument, as I did with the 6 string tenor Lanikai 4 years ago.

I don't feel like I have erred by trying to buy better and better ukes that are that far beyond my skill level. Instead, I have been lucky enough to get a uke that smoothed the path I was already on and led me further down that path.

My latest uke, a wonderful Kinnard tenor, is another step on that road.

Hippie Dribble said:

No stooge wrote a rule that says you have to be able to justify owning a certain value instrument by your skill level. If that were the case then almost all ukulele makers would be out of business. There'd be no market.

Buy that which you can afford and makes you happy and motivated to play. It's your money. Heck, hang the thing on a wall and gaze at it with lustful and loving eyes. Then take it off the wall and play the snozzle out of it. Don't feel guilty, apologetic or unworthy; feel darn glad that we live in a world where these things are possible. If you're hung up about your level of playing, use that as motivation to improve. And what better instrument to use than the lovely one you've just bought.

Congrats Mike. Look forward to the big reveal!

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Amen!!! :agree::agree::agree:

This has been a fun thread to learn from.

I bought a ukulele well above my skill level to avoid buying 'step by step' and wasting money. I learned that lesson from the guitar purchasing over the years. I already know that I am going to learn to play and not put it aside. Many years ago I purchased a Martin above my level and now play it well enough to appreciate its beautiful tone wood mahogany, and I wanted the same thing with the ukulele. I did play my daughter's cheap model enough to know I would like to learn to play and I read reviews here that led me to Pono. Instead of buying another entry level and then another, I went right to an intermediate one. I won't ever play professionally, but I can still appreciate the beautiful sound produced by a fine instrument.

Thank you to all who contributed to a most fascinating discussion on this thread.

Now back to the Pono ATD 2, and Fred Sokokow's DVD using the glass slide! It's a challenge, but I will practice daily.

Greenie 44 expressed it well:

it's great to fall in love with an instrument as it will lead to more time on it, which will lead to an increase in skill, which will lead to more enjoyment from it, which will lead to more time on it, which....

I will say again that ALL new instruments are well beyond our skill levels -- until we learn them well. Except for my 12-string Ovation, I am most used to thinner-neck guitars, so even the cheapest wide-neck classical guitar exceeds my skills. I have not yet mastered dulcimer chording so my twenty buck Chinese mountain dulcimer exceeds my skill level. (And that cheap one plays more easily than a much 'better' crafted one.) My cheap Chinese mandola certainly outpaces my skills, and it's imperfect enough that, yes, I do lust for a luthier-crafted mandola; but yes, the cheap one still drives me onward.

Would I *like* a crafted 'uke? Rather! Beautiful instruments are indeed great -- IFF they sound and play as well as they look. (IFF is a logic symbol meaning If And Only If.) I have fondled enough high-end instruments to know that price and beauty do not necessarily translate to empathy and sound quality. And my superb handmade Celtic mandolin almost intimidates me with its beauty; I play my cheapest Soviet boat-paddle mando more now. Both are beyond my skills but the cheapo feels more accessible even if it is not as mellow.

Life is short!! There are far worse things that you can spend your money on than the sheer enjoyment of playing the ukulele! Go for it and have fun – you are as worthy as anyone! But now we need to know which uke you bought....

This has stuck on my mind since I first posted in this thread. I probably should sue the OP for what has happened to my UAS. lol At the time of my first post, I felt that I would overachieve on a Kamaka tenor in the near future. Since then I have added a Hokukano thin bodied tenor and a Moore Beddah to my list.
The scary part is that I have found justification for this new attitude. The bottom line, is that even though I might not get the most out of them, I would truly appreciate them, on all levels. And, they would get played, not collected. I am fortunate to have owned some beautiful guitars and also pool cues, that were really top end, and I know the joy I got form them not only using them, but also just sitting and digesting their beauty.

Even if you are only a moderate player, you can still appreciate the tonal qualities of a good quality instrument. In addition, good quality instruments are easier to play hence the reason for the advice to buy the best you can afford. Over time you will improve and "grow into it"

k0k0peli said:

I can yammer about a beautiful... big Sigma 175-500mm zoom that cost me a grand, and about their specs and other hard numbers, throwing out acronyms like AoV / DoF / OoF / etc.

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Oooo, made me drool a bit there! :drool:

I think it wasn't until I got my Pono Pro Classic that I really was able to kind of get somewhere. It just fit everywhere I needed it to fit. The radius on the neck, even though slight, helped my hands fit and last longer.

The couple of nice guitars that I have now; if I'd had just one comparable to any of them when I got a used steel stringed Framus with high action at age 16, might have been the difference between really trying to learn something on guitar and not. I come from a family of famous and talented musicians and none of them gave a crap that I wanted to learn. They're mostly dead now and I don't miss them.

Teek said:

Oooo, made me drool a bit there! :drool:

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I started a thread over on Mandolin Café titled DO YOU DROOL WHEN YOU PLAY? Maybe I should do that here, too. Anyway, if ya wanna drool, consider the Schneider Betavaron enlarger zoom as a brutally sharp camera lens. Nothing like it. They used to sell for US$3700. I got mine, brand new in the box from a liquidator, for US$70 shipped. Okay, you can wipe it up now.

Meanwhile, I have come up with an instrument that is NOT beyond my skill level. May I present: the kazoo. Yeah, I can handle that, much better than a slide whistle (which I *still* have not mastered).