Reasons not to buy a cheap ukulele

What we in the high end see is that many folks come "into the fold" via cheap-ass, pre-land fill ukes and eventually realize that the ukulele can be a "real" instrument. The folks who find themselves going past year two at uke club also find themselves wanting better instruments. The early ones will find their ways under the belted tread of the Caterpillar D-5's at the land fill sooner than later.

And in fact, you're probably better off NOT burning that cheap uke. The off-gassing of the finish as it burns is not going to be good for your lungs! OH, the glue in the laminates is probably not a wonderful thing burnt in your breathing space, either!

OK, I have a very primal and basic objection to disposable products in general. That's why I have 185,000 miles on my car. Use a 7 year old computer. Love a table saw that's 30 years old. Have had one of my drill presses for over 30 years. Cheap s** offends me...spiritually, politically, and personally. It's not the price...it's the longevity and the value.
 
When you buy cheap, you will buy twice.
 
Well, there aren't many pictures.....

You want pictures señor... I got pictures.

Here is my very first Uke - the one that put me off the instrument for years.

Lark Uke 07.JPG

And here are some of the things wrong with it. Action way too high to be useful, goes out of tune at first fret, the tuning pegs soon broke or broke off completely, the bridge threatens to separate from the soundboard, the neck threatens to come away from the body, the only way to stop the nut buzzing was to add wads of paper or cloth......er... the varnish is cracking all over the place.

However, judging by my lovely little Green Dolphin, I think the Chinese have really got their act together though since this was sold to me in about 1978. :rolleyes:

Lark Uke 01.JPGLark Uke 02.JPGLark Uke 03.JPGLark Uke 04.JPG
 
Well, there's your problem.... that's not a ukulele, it's a cheese slicer!

:D - But it was sold to me as one back then.... and this thread is supposed to be warning of the dangers of cheapo ukes. If any of these photos inspires a newbie to look for any of these faults in a potential purchase, then my embarrassment at baring all here will be worthwhile ;)
 
...One of these days I'll learn to adjust it, but IF those were the ones I started with, I surely would have given up...

And that's exactly what burns me the most about people recommending cheap instruments as "suitable for beginners" - all too often the cheapest instruments are good only for discouraging beginners. It doesn't matter whether you're talking about ukes or guitars or horns or...

The example of a Dolphin I purchased recently was absolutely horrid - maybe I got an exceptionally bad one but I suspect that they've just increased production by leaps and bounds and the consistency has gone to crap over what it perhaps once was. The thing had terrible fretwork, it is the only ukulele that I have ever had to actually level frets on to be able to bring the nut down low enough to intonate properly at the first few frets, even though I left the bridge saddle fairly high.

The problem is your typical beginner isn't going to know that it's the instrument that sounds like crap because the intonation is terrible - all too often they think it's them and they just give up.

John
 
So where's the balance point between being able to afford some kind of Ukulele and standing on the outside looking in because you can't afford a quality instrument?
 
So where's the balance point between being able to afford some kind of Ukulele and standing on the outside looking in because you can't afford a quality instrument?

If you buy from a seller who does decent set-up you should be good, but entry level is $70 or so and I'd recommend $120. If you are willing to adjust the uke yourself you can go as low as you want but you obviously have to be willing to put effort into the project.

I do not think it is fair to recommend a $60 or less uke to a complete beginner unless you are willing to help them pick the seller and are able to evaluate the setup (even the good sellers miss something sometimes). So if you have some skill you can save your friend some money.
 
Before I would recommend the kind of research it would take to find a quality uke at a reliable dealer, let alone one that would do a proper setup, I would want to know if the guy was seriously contemplating taking up the Ukulele as a hobby and that it's going to do more than gather dust in a closet. Or be crushed under a cat's tread at a landfill.

If he just couldn't afford quality, I still thonk he would be better off with a cheap knock off than with no uke. As for assisting with set up yeah, I think I could assist now. But not if I didn't have a cheap uke to practice on. I can afford to screw up a 30 dollar uke. I can not afford to screw up a hundred dollar, or more, uke.
 
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I only use 'cheap' ukuleles. Budget constraints mean that I could never hope to own an expensive ukulele and so......... I would rather play a cheaper ukulele than not play at all. I have three ukuleles: a dolphin that has had a setup that my grandson plays, a Hudson concert that has had a decent setup done and, my current favorite by far, a Makala Tenor that I bought secondhand on this forum. The tenor had been supplied and setup by HMS and actually is very nice to play. Sure they are not as good as an expensive ukulele but they are playable instruments and, I think represent very good value for money in terms of smiles per ££££. A playable ukulele for not much more than a restaurant dinner for two or a couple of rounds of golf cannot be bad.

I am convinced the trick with buying a cheap ukulele is to carefully read reviews, if possible take an experienced player with you when you buy your first ukulele, if buying mail order buy from a reputable supplier, and have any cheap ukulele setup.
 
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