mya moe advice

Hi all,

I put down my deposit last week for a mya-moe custom and I could use your advice. It's only been a week and I'm already changing my mind on the size (its gonna be a long 9 months) but I thought I would seek the advice of the experts here at UU. I'm a long time guitar player and recent ukulele fanatic. I currently own a vintage favilla baritone and a kala KA-FMT tenor.

The point of the mya-moe is to replace the Kala. The Kala is pretty nice sounding for the price (I like it more than most all solid woods I have played in the price range, except Mainlands) but the nice solid woods I have played at Gryphon and Sylvan have shown me what I am missing. I actually want two different types of sounds and I am deciding which one to pursue with this instrument; (1) a loud resonant tenor with a low G for guitar like strumming and singing, (2) a lively concert for picking old-timey tunes (virtually my entire repertoire was learned from watching EugeneUkulele videos).

I think a Compass Rose would probably be the perfect fit for option (1) but I can't afford it, certainly am not good enough to justify it, and am not in love with the designs (maybe next year). So based I the videos I have seen I originally picked a MM tenor myrtle with a low G (this seems like the most popular MM being made). But after putting a low G on my current tenor I am starting to think that low G is a fun change of pace but not the primary set up I am looking for. It's only good for a subset of songs.

So my current favorite option is a concert mango (another popular MM set up). After playing some nice concerts in stores I think they might be a little more fun to play than tenors. smaller, faster, lighter. they just feel great to play. But I haven't owned one so it is tough to know exactly how I would like it.

Anyway, I am sure I will change my mind many times before I have to commit. But I would love to get any advice I can from people here. What would you get? Do you own one of these two MM configurations? How do you like it?

I think a concert scale is a nice compromise and will give you a great tone for the music you like: still with the traditional sparkle of a soprano but with more room for the picking you want to do, and a little more warmth and fuller sound you might be looking for when strumming.

For myself, I pretty much play sopranos and concert scale exclusively, but like to use my baritone sometimes for a change of pace, especially with blues, jazz, and occasionally with traditional folk and country type songs. I struggle to adapt to the string tension on tenor scale ukes. The sound you're chasing in option (1) I think you could readily achieve with your baritone, so I would go with option (2) on that basis alone. Bear in mind also that a reso will have a very different sound, more metallic, more brash and bold, not as 'warm' and is not for everyone. Great for jazz and blues picking though...

As to wood selection, again, I think mango is perfect, but I am a mango devotee. It's such a personal choice and all wood sets seem to vary. If you're going MM, then their ukes are characteristically bright and punchy but very sweet so that could work out really well for you. I'm lucky as I have an Ono mango concert and a MM concert reso, as well as a bari and a couple of sops, so I feel that I've got all bases covered depending on the mood and the song.

All the best with the choosing mate. I don't envy your decision!

oh, just going to move over to 'Buying Tips' as this isn't a marketplace item. Cheers brother!

I'm not sure why you started this thread in the marketplace board, where people post to sell stuff they own or ask other people if they want to sell something the OP is looking for. Maybe you can ask the mods to move this thread to the "Buying Tips" or Uke Talk" boards.

My first reaction is that nobody else can tell you what YOU are going to like. I have a Mya-Moe myrtle tenor with a low G set of strings, and I absolutely love it. When I ordered it, I told Char that I was looking for a less "Hawaiian" sound than I got from my tenor Kamaka. That led me to Mya-Moe because in general MMs are less "deep" than Kamakas, and I picked myrtle because it's a brighter tonewood than koa. (For what it's worth, most luthiers agree that the signature sound of a brand is more a function of design than tonewood. A myrtle Kamaka will sound more like a koa Kamaka that a myrtle MM, for example.) It's also why I wanted a low G string, which sounds less Hawaiian to me than reentrant tuning. I love my MM myrtle tenor with a low G string and I have none of the reservations that you have about this setup. I also don't like concerts that much. They sound too "plinky" to me, and I don't like the smaller scale of the fretboard. So, what I want is really useless information for you.

What I'd suggest is that if you have a few months before you have to commit to your MM specifications, go out and buy an inexpensive concert, like a Kala, and play it to death. In fact, if you get the same model of Kala in a concert that you already have in a tenor, you could do a heads-up tenor vs. concert comparison. That will at least give you some information about whether you like the concert scale and sound in general and allow you to test out your "smaller, faster, lighter" theory.

To answer your question, though, I would get -- I DID get -- a myrtle tenor with linear (low G) C tuning. I love it. But you've already said you're not sure you'd be happy with that configuration. Since you and I probably want different things from our MM ukuleles, I don't know how my answer to your "what would you get?" question would help you. I think you just need to play lots of concert uke and lots of tenor uke and let your own heart gide you. Good luck!

P.S. It looks like Jon beat me to the punch on the appropriate board for this thread.

mds725 said:

What I'd suggest is that if you have a few months before you have to commit to your MM specifications, go out and buy an inexpensive concert, like a Kala, and play it to death. In fact, if you get the same model of Kala in a cncert that you already have in a tenor so you can do a heads-up tenor vs. concert comparison. That will at least give you some information about whether you like the concert scale and sound in general and you can test out your "smaller, faster, lighter" theory.

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this is excellent advice. can't beat first hand experience.

Thanks. I think the purchase of a cheap concert is a good idea. It seems that you cant really get the feel of an instrument without owning it for a little while. 5 minutes at a store just isn't enough time to get acquainted with it. I have been very tempted by Mainland concerts for this very purpose. Buying the same model in a different size would be the most scientific test but I dont think i could resist the chance to try something new.

I have no idea why i posted in the marketplace forum either. Total mistake. Thanks for moving it to buying tips where it belongs.

Anyway, thank you both for your input. You both seem quite happy with your myrtle tenor and mango concert/sopranos. I guess the real problem isn't deciding between the two but figuring out how to afford two. hehe. Thanks again.

A conundrum that only you, respected musician, can answer.

If you read what you wrote--your word choice and enthusiasm--it "feels" concert.

coolkayaker1 said:

A conundrum that only you, respected musician, can answer.

If you read what you wrote--your word choice and enthusiasm--it "feels" concert.

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Dude. Do you ever sleep?

consitter said:

Dude. Do you ever sleep?

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.......
Lol. Maybe I can be a UU Mod.

coolkayaker1 said:

.......
Lol. Maybe I can be a UU Mod.

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And the earth would shake mightily, and there would be great tempests on the face of the deep...

Mark's advice is really good. I just sold a concert myrtle mm and I think it would have fit all your criteria. The only reason I sold it is because I'm playing tenors and baritones more and it was sitting more than it should. It was strung low g for a bit because I was teaching with it and it had some depth for that tuning, but it was super sweet for reentrant tuning and worked well for Tin Pan Alley and folksy stuff. I never thought it to be too "plinky". Mark was also correct in suggesting that design will be more of a factor than tone wood when you look at most small instruments, so if mango calls to you, you will probably have a similar experience to mine with myrtle.

I have a Mya Moe and a Compass Rose..
depending on what type of wood, binding etc..you order, of course changes the price..

my 2 ukes were close in price..

email Rick Turner or PM me and let me know what you want i can give you approx prices for a CR