I've decided not to buy the Martin. Mainly because I haven't played enough "nice" ukes yet to pull the trigger without instantly feeling regret. Too soon.
Here's the backstory if anyone is interested.
Last week I was in NY for work and I decided to google around and see if there were any good uke stores in Manhattan. As I mentioned before, I'm in the market for an upgrade, probably a tenor.
My Google search quickly revealed this thread:
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...ng-to-NYC-any-good-ukulele-shops-in-Manhattan
The 7th reply to this thread mentions Matt Umanov Guitars, which I had never heard of before, so I google them and it turns out they are this beloved guitar store in the village that's been in business since the late 60s.
And that very day they announced that they are closing:
http://www.umanovguitars.com/news/
So, instead of eating lunch I hopped in a cab and rode over to the shop. And it's packed with people because everything in the store is 20% off. In spite of the crowds, the woman behind the counter was very patient and helpful. They had 4 or 5 "nice" ukes, 2 or 3 koa and the rest mahogany I think. I can't remember the brands other than the Martin 2K. I tuned them all and played them, and they all sounded good, way better than the Kala laminate soprano that I have been enjoying so much recently.
Then she handed me the Martin 2K. When I plucked the 1st string I was surprised. It wasn't "sort of" different from the other ukes, or "sort of" better. From my perspective, it sounded like it was of an entirely different category somehow. I just stood there listening to that 1st string, my first pluck, and it seemed to ring and ring.
My second surprise was that the other 3 strings were just as strong. When I strummed all the strings together, there was the shimmery sound I mentioned before. I've heard shimmery sounds before, but they weren't like this.
On my cheap ukes (I still love all of you, I promise), I always have a favorite string and a least favorite string, due to the pitch of the uke itself I guess. I don't know much about ukes, but it seems like Martin somehow avoided this problem or hid it from my ears. I just stood in the shop plucking the strings and holding the instrument at different angles and smiling like a goof.
Soon it was time to get back to work. Naturally, I gave the instrument back to the woman. Because the price was $1,700, and even with 20% off that's ridiculous, right? I literally know next to nothing about ukuleles. Hand it back to the lady and back away from the counter!
I decided to walk back to the office instead of taking a cab. As I walked I could still hear that sound ringing around between my ears. I decided on a new plan: I would go home and get on ebay and find myself a used Martin 2K from a reputable seller. Boom! I'd get that amazing sound (hopefully) and save a bundle. Right?
But when I went to ebay, there weren't very many and they were all $1700 or more. Not saying I searched exhaustively (or waited for any time to pass whatsoever), but plan B was starting to seem unlikely.
The saleswoman gave me her card. When I went to bed I put it on the bedside table. When I woke up the next morning, I stared hard at that card for a few minutes before deliberately dropping it into the hotel wastebasket. (Nothing personal!)
I flew home and put it out of my mind.
Then 3 things happened:
First, my cousin invited me over Saturday night and we drank a little bit of whiskey and, while he was messing around on his guitar, he talked about his dad's old Martin guitar (apropos of nothing, believe it or not), about how Martins tend to hold their value and about how hardwood instruments just get better and better with care and use. For what it's worth, I don't really buy into the idea of hardwood improving for years and years due to actively resonating, etc., but my short visit to ebay at least seemed to weakly indicate that, with the 20% discount, I could probably turn around and sell it immediately for at least what I paid for it, maybe a bit more.
Second, my own dad came over to the house yesterday afternoon and he brought his uke and I told him the story about the guitar shop and he kept saying, Maybe you should have bought it. You only live once. Etc. I said, Maybe Martins really do hold their value. I can't seem to find a deal on one. He said, Probably a better investment than Bitcoin.
Third, after my Dad went home, I looked up their phone number and gave them a call. Sure enough, the Martin is still available. I spoke to a different woman, equally as helpful as the first. She told me it would be sold tax free since she would be shipping it out of state. It comes with a hard case. I told her that I was sorry but still not ready to pull the trigger.
I went inside and started this thread. When I woke up this morning, I decided it's just too soon to do it. I want to play more ukes and travel to more stores and talk to more people. I'm in no hurry.
So, the secret is out, there's a concert Martin 2K available from Matt Umanov's for 20% off. That's a $340 discount. I played it and it's awesome, but what do I know? If somebody else on this forum decides to buy this uke, I'd love to hear about it.