olphart
Well-known member
Just a thought or two from my experience. I've been playing for about 8 months now and a month or two ago I decided that if I was going to work as hard as I was at it, I deserved a better uke.
The one I was playing most, (I had 3 by then), was fine, but I figured that a really high quality instrument would be that much better.
I went ahead and purchased a pretty decent uke, the kind that professionals often played. It is gorgeous and sounds great
BUT... I don't enjoy playing it. it feels "tight"?? for want a of a better word. The action seems stiff, and my fingers get sore very quickly. I changed the strings, checked the action, played it more to see if I just needed to get used to it.
It's OK, but I really enjoy playing my much less expensive Kala TEM more. To me, it sounds just as good, is louder, more resonant, certainly lighter, and my fingers don't hurt nearly as quickly when playing it, and that's weird, because the strings on both ukes are the same and they're both tenors
The lesson? I guess it's obvious, PLAY before buying. My gorgeous pro level uke may be the best thing you can get for less than $1200, but I should have played one first. If your cheap entry level instrument feels good and sounds good...stick with it like a good friend.
Did I mention, play any uke before buying it?
The one I was playing most, (I had 3 by then), was fine, but I figured that a really high quality instrument would be that much better.
I went ahead and purchased a pretty decent uke, the kind that professionals often played. It is gorgeous and sounds great
BUT... I don't enjoy playing it. it feels "tight"?? for want a of a better word. The action seems stiff, and my fingers get sore very quickly. I changed the strings, checked the action, played it more to see if I just needed to get used to it.
It's OK, but I really enjoy playing my much less expensive Kala TEM more. To me, it sounds just as good, is louder, more resonant, certainly lighter, and my fingers don't hurt nearly as quickly when playing it, and that's weird, because the strings on both ukes are the same and they're both tenors
The lesson? I guess it's obvious, PLAY before buying. My gorgeous pro level uke may be the best thing you can get for less than $1200, but I should have played one first. If your cheap entry level instrument feels good and sounds good...stick with it like a good friend.
Did I mention, play any uke before buying it?