Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome (UAS) - Is it real ?

itsmemattchung

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A few other members who had visited (or reside in) Seattle suggested stopping by Dusty Strings, a local music shop that not only offers lessons but also specializes in selling (since 1982) string instruments: violins, harps, guitars, and ukuleles. So I decided, this past Saturday, to pay a visit since for the past 2 years I've been playing on my Kala 15-S, my first and only ukulele. Up until two days ago, I've never even fiddled with a different model—let alone touched another ukulele.

When I stepped foot into the shop—the top of entrance door has a faced-down acoustic guitar mounted at the top, the strings sing a beautiful chord as the door swings open–I turned right and walked towards over to the 40 (or so) ukuleles neatly mounted on the 10 foot wall.

As I approached the ukulele section of the store, I was immediately greeted by a friendly employee, who I explained to that I was searching for a second ukulele—nothing too fancy—that falls within my budget: $200.00 and $300.00. He then suggested that I simply just try a few out, handing me a Shark tuner to clip on to the end of whatever ukulele I planned on test driving.

I grabbed a tenor ukulele from off the shelf, sat myself down on a leather stool, and cradled the ukulele in my arms. I then coiled the fingers on my left hand, positioning them across all four strings and forming a C chord in it's first inversion. With the strings pressed against the fret, I strummed all four strings.

And now ... I understand ...

I get.

I spent the next 45 minutes playing around with all sorts of ukuleles. Some concert sized. Some tenor sized. Some laminate. Some all wood.

There's a massive difference (in feeling ... in sound) between a $50 ukulele and a $150. I understand the bigger difference between a $50 and a $300. Because in the end, I walked out with a $400 ukulele, my second ukulele that I've been unable to put down since Saturday.

It's real people. I caught it—ukulele acquisition syndrome—it's no joke.

And here it is, my very first (and only, so far) Pono AT[1] with a artful strap installed:

my new uke.jpg

[1] https://www.theukulelesite.com/pono-at-acacia-tenor.html
 
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Wait until you start playing $3000 ukuleles...
:iwant:
 
There are 2 choices: 1- Treat yourself to as many ukes as will satisfy the NEED, or

2- Get into a Compulsive Ukulele Buyer Rehab Center at even greater cost
 
Remember this:

What ever you think is all in your head.

:D
 
What you experienced was the difference in sound that a quality uke has over a cheap uke, it is massive. My first uke was an all laminate tenor which I thought was great, until I bought a used custom koa tenor, big difference, big, huge. UAS comes after this......like drinking better and better wine as time goes on. Then you are chasing the differences in the good stuff.
 
In a way I'm glad my hearing is so poor, ( High Freq roll off) Onec you get over about $300 they all sound the same to me. ( He said as he sat surrounded by 12 Ukes!)
 
Welcome to the UAS jungle! ;-)

Enjoy the journey, however it takes you. For me experiencing many different ukes has been part of my journey. Different sizes. Different woods (or non-woods.) Different builders. Different appointments. Different turnings. There's no right or wrong answer.
 
Congratulations to your new uke, and welcome to the club (or therapy group)!

My own experience was very much like yours. And for me, the biggest step up is still the one between the laminated entry level stuff to an all solid Pono. I have bought several instruments that cost ten times as much since then, but that AT was the one that showed me how good a nicely built ukulele can be. And to be honest, I could be perfectly happy with just that one uke. But like others here, I do enjoy exploring different makers, sizes, woods, and build options.

Enjoy your journey! And remember, it ain't UAS if you don't buy your next uke within a month... ;)
 
Wait until you start playing $3000 ukuleles...
:iwant:

Hey you're from Hawaii... :shaka:

I can say as far as the Ks go, I've played the lowest priced ones, up to the higher, and every one of the higher priced models I never considered a better instrument, just different tones. Actually you can say, when it comes to the Ks, no matter what you pay, it really just gets down to the wood and the tone you like...

Aloha
 
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this is why I try to recommend getting a higher end uke that you can still afford.

Once you know that uke is going to be an integral part of your life, spending more will be spending less, and you get more time on a more enjoyable instrument.
 
I've only bought two ukes since April of 2014, my Makala, and then my Mainland a year later. But even though I haven't bought one since then, that doesn't mean that I don't look at them all the time. Anyway, I somehow got a student this spring and I decided that I would take the money that I was getting for teaching her, and that I would buy a Soprano. At first I was just going to get a Makala when I got enough for one. I mean, I really like my Makala concert still. I play it all the time. But then when I got enough to buy the Makala, I thought that I might hold off a for a while until I got enough saved up for a bottom of the line Kala. But then when I got enough saved up for a bottom of the line Kala, I thought that maybe I would wait until I saved up enough for a solid top uke with laminate sides. So now I'm saving up for a solid solid wood soprano with a spruce top. I don't know when I'm going to get a new soprano, but as time goes on it gets to be a better and better uke that I'm saving for. I really need to pull the trigger here pretty soon.
 
I went through sixteen tenor cutaway ukes the first year I played, culled them down to four, and now I'm up to seven. I have no problem with UAS, it's fun.
 
Matt, you were lucky to go two years (!) without catching it. That's a beauty. I wish you another two years of playing, not shopping. I need to get to Seattle and visit Dusty Strings, if only you see that guitar door chime.
 
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