Ben_H
Well-known member
So here I am, only 5 weeks into my ukulele career, already looking to get a better quality, "stay at home" ukulele to compliment my travelling Makala Dolphin.
Having sat in a few music shops for several hours I know I want another soprano, the bigger instruments just don't do it for me. I'd narrowed my options down based on quality and price to a Bruko No6 or mainland red cedar soprano from youtube reviews and was just looking to see what budget I could realistically work to but...
I have just discovered I am getting a bit of money from a recently deceased relative which changes the game completely. I'm unlikely to have a similar chunk of disposable income until the children have grown up and graduated (another 20 years at least) and want to get something "nice" to remember this person by.
The dilemma is that this has come so early in my ukulele career. I'm completely green and reliant on many web reviews and useful blogs. I also cannot see myself become a collector of a wide range of ukes so I want to get this one right as it's going to be with me a long time.
Despite this windfall I cannot afford to travel widely around the UK sampling many delightful ukes till I find my special one. I want a soprano that will do it all, strum, pick, accompany my singing and hold it's own in a group situation. Having come to a short list I now find that it have been completely blown open again and I now have an enormous amount of options to choose from.
So, should I keep to my original plans and get that Bruko or mainland and keep a large chunk of cash back until I am much more experienced? (Yeah right, how likely is that going to be?) Or, has someone got a better suggestion? Are there any big uke get togethers in the UK where I could sample lots of different ukes in one go.
I'm not talking silly money here as my playing will never do justice to super Uke but there seem to be far more options once you hit the £300-400 mark. At this price point I think it becomes cost effective to order from abroad and still be able to absorb the import charges within the budget.
So much choice!
Having sat in a few music shops for several hours I know I want another soprano, the bigger instruments just don't do it for me. I'd narrowed my options down based on quality and price to a Bruko No6 or mainland red cedar soprano from youtube reviews and was just looking to see what budget I could realistically work to but...
I have just discovered I am getting a bit of money from a recently deceased relative which changes the game completely. I'm unlikely to have a similar chunk of disposable income until the children have grown up and graduated (another 20 years at least) and want to get something "nice" to remember this person by.
The dilemma is that this has come so early in my ukulele career. I'm completely green and reliant on many web reviews and useful blogs. I also cannot see myself become a collector of a wide range of ukes so I want to get this one right as it's going to be with me a long time.
Despite this windfall I cannot afford to travel widely around the UK sampling many delightful ukes till I find my special one. I want a soprano that will do it all, strum, pick, accompany my singing and hold it's own in a group situation. Having come to a short list I now find that it have been completely blown open again and I now have an enormous amount of options to choose from.
So, should I keep to my original plans and get that Bruko or mainland and keep a large chunk of cash back until I am much more experienced? (Yeah right, how likely is that going to be?) Or, has someone got a better suggestion? Are there any big uke get togethers in the UK where I could sample lots of different ukes in one go.
I'm not talking silly money here as my playing will never do justice to super Uke but there seem to be far more options once you hit the £300-400 mark. At this price point I think it becomes cost effective to order from abroad and still be able to absorb the import charges within the budget.
So much choice!
Last edited: