Seriously, how many ukes are too many

How many ukes is reasonable number to own?

  • 1-2

    Votes: 12 7.2%
  • 3-5

    Votes: 54 32.3%
  • 6-10

    Votes: 38 22.8%
  • 11-15

    Votes: 7 4.2%
  • 16-20

    Votes: 6 3.6%
  • As many as you can afford without going into debt

    Votes: 50 29.9%

  • Total voters
    167
This is like the "how many licks to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop" question which has plagued mankind for decades.

The world may never know.
 
When I started down the acoustic road 20 years ago I started with one fairly expensive guitar (to learn on) and it all went downhill pretty fast from there – I had major GAS. Having owned as many as 10 guitars at one time it took a while for me to arrive at the mature realization that I wasn’t really getting the pleasure of playing each guitar “in” and that I couldn’t possibly do each one justice (in terms of playing time). I gave most away to my 5 kids (fortunately they all play) or sold some, kept a couple, bought a couple more, moved on to mandolin and then found the ukulele about 4 years ago. The number of ukuleles I can comfortably play and care for is therefore limited not by “too many ukuleles”, but by the other instruments that need “quality time” as well.

The current list includes the ukuleles mentioned below in the signature line plus:

Guitars: Gibson J-45 Custom; Martin 000-28EC; Taylor 510 Limited
Mandolins: Collings MT2 Blackface; Breedlove Cascade Blonde
Piano: Steinway, Dakota Jackson model

A couple of years ago I finally realized that I had spent enough (meaning: far too much) on musical instruments that I just don’t have the time to responsibly play. (Let’s not even talk about hi fi audio equipment ... .) The upside, however, is that there’s always music playing somewhere in the house – and that makes it all worth while. So, I guess you need to own as many as are needed for that to happen!
 
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I only need two---a soprano and a baritone---so I voted 1-2. (I do love my travel uke, though; I should've voted 3-5.)

I've been feeling like I have too many ukuleles lately---there are ukes in my house I haven't played for months, poor things. To offset my disappointment in myself for repeatedly succumbing to UAS, I try to lend each uke that does't get played at least once a week to a uke-less friend. I like to think those ukes are happier in homes where they have a better chance of being strummed.
 
For me personally I'm trying to stick to around five.
 
I've never been tempted to buy ukes just for decoration. But if I could have as many as I wanted I would probably have, 7 or so. I already have 3 but I would like to have two baritones (GCEA and an octave bari uke) and an electric tenor... But once I get them I might want more.
 
If it make you happy and keeps you out of trouble then as many as you can afford although someone I know says only one ;)
 
There you go!

When you cannot play them all....then that is way too much....LOL

This is one of those great one liners that define 'da uke'. Right there with "The best ukulele is the one you play" (love that one).

So like, I haven't read all 300 pages of this thread but, what about 5 string, 6 string, guilele, 8 string, 10 string tiple ukulele, and all the wonderful tunings (and stringings) that go with?

Jus sayin'.

I have 12. Yes I play them all. Some more than others. I want one more. That's what I tell my wife. Just one more.....

Makala mt-4
kala long neck soprano
leolani bambo concert
islander tenor kstcut
kala cedar top 5-string tenor
cordoba guilele
kamaka hf-1
kanilea 5-string super concert
koaloha imaikalani
kamaka hf-3l
pono mango baritone
noname koa tiple
 
My brain tells me 8. Each size with linear and re-entrant tuning. Not including mini sizes. My heart says as many as you can afford. (As I was typing, I realized I forgot about the long neck versions of each size. So, 8 is not enough...)
 
I answered 3-5, then I started counting and I have six. I have an antique Banjolele that needs some luthier love, a Firefly Banjolele, Kala soprano (my first uke), a Kanilea soprano, a Ko’Aloha concert and my new Kamaka soprano pineapple. I never play the Kala. Funny thing is, just over a year ago, my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I blurted out “a ukulele.” I had so much fun playing, I asked for a Kanilea for Valentine’s Day. I just kept on asking and I kept on getting. Yay husband! Now if I could just play better.
 
My vote goes to as many as you want whilst not putting a strain on your finances. :)

I thought 3 was more than enough, until I got my 4th; then less than 10, but I ended up with more - they are so addictive when you are starting out. :rolleyes:

But, I have now found my ideal size - & my UAS has stopped - so I was definately looking for the right one all along. ;)
 
If you have to ask someone if X number of ukes is too much, you have too many ukes! :rolleyes::p

But seriously i picked 6-10 because 3-5 is actually a reasonable number but if you teach students or let other people borrow your uke, you need some 'beater' ukes.

So like:

High g
Low g
Baritone
Your fave size with pickup
You other fave size with pickup
Beater uke you keep in car
Beater uke you keep at work
 
I would say one of each size and style
Soprano - 1 low g and 1high g
Concert- 1low g and 1 high g
Tenor - 1 low g, 1 high g, 1 dGBE and 1 DGBE
Baritone - 1 dGBE, 1 DGBE, 1 gCEA and 1 GCEA
Metal string electrical
Banjo uke
Uke bass
Cavaquinho
At least

So far that makes 16 not including different brands and different woods.
😀😜
 
I voted 3 to 5.
But that's just for me. Any more would probably be insane.
I have 2 concert ukes, one Lo G and one hi g, a wallhanger that I don't play, and a tenor banjouke.
I would like a really really nice soprano for playing Baroque on.
But I really just want to play way better before I get any more.
To anyone else, as many as you can afford. Me, I just don't want to get bogged down with possessions.
 
I voted 6 to 10. What a surprise, I currently have 10. I did actually sell one to buy my latest, so holding at 10 for a few years now. I do feel each has a purpose. I also regularly play all but three of them:
My Lanikai I do not play anymore because it collects autographs. It is the first ukulele I purchased and it has intonation issues anyways.
My Mainland Gecko I do not play, I tried to customize it and have as an office/beater ukulele but then I won a Kala concert in a raffle and that became my beater ukulele - it lives in my car.
My R&L Koa I do not play too often, the bridge is lifting and I need to get it fixed. So that leaves seven. It is very beautiful and I love its very Hawaiian sound so I will never get rid of it.
My Kala, as I already said, lives in my car and gets a lot of action as a spare, time-killer, beach uke, that type of thing.
My Epiphone Les Paul lives in the overhead bin at my desk at the office.
My Hikare Baritone belonged to my wife's late grandfather. Grandma gave it to me after he passed. It is on a stand in the living room and I play it every now and then, sometimes just to hear how something would sound in a different key.
My Pono is my only Koa tenor. I love it, I play it often.
I have a concert Milo and Lychee custom and a tenor six-string custom, also Milo wood, made by Emil Bader. I play them when I need the sound that they each offer.
I recently purchased a 5-string Tenor Compass Rose. This is my main player now.
So when you break it down like that, not entirely unreasonable at all!
I have different sizes and different tonewoods and different string configurations, and not one of them I would call redundant in my little collection.
 
Two is too many if you don't play them both. Three is too many if you only play two, etc etc etc.

Collecting ukes for the sake of numbers makes no sense to me. Being competitive about how many one owns, even playfully, makes no sense to me.
 
Accumulating vs collecting. Are you accumulating junk or actively looking to collect a set of instruments which have a common theme.
Most of the posts in this thread are about accumulations, not collections.
You can tell if you have a collection if you have catalogued all the items, if it has a theme, if you regularly network with other collectors to swap or buy ukes to fill gaps in the theme.
If you just say UAS a hundred times and buy whatever activates your buying impulse at the time, you are mostly accumulating junk which is going to clog up your house when you realise it is not satisfying your needs. You wont even be able to give some of the items away, no-one else will want them. You are just adding to landfill.
Also it is OK to both accumulate and collect if that is how you want to spend your time and money, but showing off your list of acquisitions is nowhere near as much fun as actually playing in a social setting or for a paying audience.
I recommend that you start out with a single student uke and keep that until you learn a few things about playing and music. When you have learned up to a point where you understand the parts of the music and how each type of ukulele can fill the part, that is when you have enough knowledge to make a useful purchase for your next uke(s). You are just buying blind until you have some knowledge to help you plan and budget for an acquisition.
Some goals to discuss before moving on from the student uke:
Knows the names of every note on the fretboard.
Can read a written form of music well, like TAB which has four strings or standard notation (this means look at the written format and play it smoothly as written)
Can just start to be able to pick a string is out of tune by ear
Can find the C D and G scales on the fretboard
Can name all the parts of a ukulele and the common sizes and types
Can smoothly play a three chord progression
Can name the notes in the chords in the progressions and find them on a fretboard in an arpeggio pattern
Starting to be able to find alternative chords.
Can source suitable string set and change strings.
Maybe others could contribute some useful goals and help beginners save a lot of time and money?

That's what I'm trying to do. Bought a tenor as my first one and got really frustrated before I figured out it was just too big for my hands. Trying to learn on a concert, but I'm finding learning the music theory is making my head hurt. I'm sure it will click eventually. I'm at least trying to practice chord transitions. Working with sheet music just leaves me scratching my head.

Thanks for this as a good list to start. I want to get to finger picking. If my hands were big enough, I'd be playing banjo. Love bluegrass
 
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