The cheaper the better

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John Sargent said:
That K-Wave was cool. I'm glad you are enjoying it but sometimes I wish that I had kept it. I was in a marching guitar band this summer and the K-Wave would have been cool to march with.
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Well, know that it went to a good home. If it makes you feel any better, it is the uke that is nearest and dearest to my heart. I'm very thankful that you sold it to me. :)
 
eugene ukulele said:
Same here. I have several expensive ukes and a bunch of cheapos that cost between 15 and 50 dollars. On balance, the cheapos get played more. All ukes are happiness machines, whatever their cost. Dodgy intonation doesn't even bother me, my ear isn't that refined. My first uke was a painted blue mahalo that cost 20 bucks and still gets played most days, even with the bridge and the back separating. :)
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I love this philosophy.

It's also a good nudge to get over myself and not try for perfection because it ain't gonna happen for me no matter how nice a uke I have.
 
Oh boy, can I relate to this lol. Budget instruments are what I learned on so naturally they have a place in my heart and I play them more than anything in my collection. I only have one "fancy" uke, but I rarely use it. My first 8 string is still the one I play the most an cost me only $100 , so far its been the best $100 I ever spent
 
YES! Having something is better than having nothing- and it's so great to be able to try so many instruments now at a low cost. Several decades ago, there wasn't such a choice, and "entry level" still meant costly in some. When I started palying guitar, a tuner - chromatic especially was upwards of $50- I got one recently on ebay for $6 delevered and the best one yet!

The only danger is going "TOO LOW" because sometimes those instriuments are out there, so you should research it a little bit- and so much easier now in the computer age.

I went this route with a fiddle recently- got a package delivered for $37- the fiddle wasn't bad, but I knew right away I wanted a better one, and found a good Rothenberg on ebay for under $100.

I'm even more that way with electronics, where technology moves along so quickly, and a device goes belly up in a millisecond-

a decent instrument will last a lifetime generally - yet still has a life

Classical guitars have no truss rod, and the tension evbentually bows the neck- I still have the student guitar made in Korea I got cheaply over twenty years ago, and I've cut the bridge down a couple of times- a Takamine I got used mint condition for half price a decade ago was in fact more precise feeling and less laquered with greater intonation hoping it lasts a couple more years at least.
 
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An addendum to my post, I just ordered an Oscar Schmidt tenor cutaway spalted maple open box from eBay for $169. Just can't pass up a bargain that looks so good, and gets good reviews. I'm already planning to replace the preamp with one I have that has a tuner. My UAS is running rampant.
 
UkeKiddinMe said:
It may seem strange, but I get satisfaction out of getting good tone out of something that doesn't cost much.
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I only quoted the important bit. It doesn't seem strange at all. I know exactly what you mean, BUT

Me, no. I'm not the same I started off as cabinet-maker I appreciate good woodwork and beautiful woods.
To be honest I don't play that well. My time is limited and I want to enjoy what time I have as much as possible.
That means that I look for Ukes that have a certain mellow ringing tone, in a well made, nicely finished, well presented package.
It often comes expensive, which is why I only have a couple.
 
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My first ukulele cost me $40 and I still play the hell out of it! All in all, I have 6 sopranos that cost me less than $40, and I have them each set up just a little differently. It makes things simple when I want to try a different sound on a song. So, that's one thing cheap ukes are good for...

My main thing though, is that I practice a LOT in public. I play while I'm waiting for the bus, I play at parks, and a lot of the time I play while I'm walking down the street. Let's face it.... sometimes **** happens. I'm not going to be upset in the least if anything should happen to one of the ukes I haul around town with me. On the other hand, I would be very grumpy indeed if **** happened to an expensive instrument.

Cheap ukes work out pretty well for me right now, but eventually I'll invest in a higher quality instrument just to play at home.
 
I own three luthier built instruments,but still play my Makala 'Dolphin' as much as any of the others!
 
I've looked at a lot of lower end ukes lately- and I'd probably call that under $150, and even under $100-

the one real diiference I see sometimes at often about the same cost are the tuners- usually plastic as opposed to die cast-

give me die cast any day , for the same cost or slightly more, and ONLY BECAUSE those plastic tuning knobs can sometimes break off the pegs
and die cast are musch sturdier even if they don't have the same quaint appearance-

a set of either can be had for less than $10
 
Someone gave me one of the mahalo smiley ukes for my last birthday and despite some negative reviews I've read it's actually a nice little uke. Sure it's not especially resonant but so what? Sometimes that's the right sound anyway. Even the strings it came with aren't bad. I expect it will sound better still if I do restring it.
 
I have found that I really like the woody tone of some of the high end ukes that I have played. Most of the midrange ukes that I own or have played sound nice, but tend to lack the tonal character of a more expensive ukulele. Last year I saved up and was looking to get a new tenor in the $400-700 but as I played more ukes, I just didn't hear the tone I liked or at least couldn't justify that kind of money for a new uke that sounded a little better than what I had. I heard a Luna Tattoo and was amazed. It was loud and woody and cheap. I ordered on e from HMS and it came set up perfectly. I put Worth low g strings on it and it sounds amazing. To my ear, one of the best sounding tenors I have played, it's woody, has character, is loud, and cost under $150. While trying to find a new ukulele I kept raising my limit because I couldn't find the sound I was looking for. Who could have guessed that I would find it at the other end of the spectrum sometimes cheap is awesome!
 
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This has been a fun thread. I didn't expect the response. Very interesting.
Most of my threads die with 2 posts.

:cool:
 
What does it matter.....as long as you play the thing and enjoy it....isn't that what counts?

I am retiring from the US Army next year at the age of 53. I've worked hard and saved to not have to work for the rest of my life if I choose not to. As a consequence I've made choices....and my choice of uke currently is a "Kingstone" vintage baritone that I got from eBay for $40. I love it, play it daily and get lots of satisfaction from it....but NOT because it only cost $40.

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I can appreciate making a beater of an instrument sound awesome.

On the other hand, I like really nice hand made instruments. For me it is as much about the tone as it is about the quality of workmanship.
 
Appalachian picker said:
What does it matter.....as long as you play the thing and enjoy it....isn't that what counts?
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I agree. Having said that, I would much rather listen to someone making a beater sing, than someone twanging away on a 1500 dollar custom job.
 
I think my Luna was about 70 bucks. I still love her dearly and play her more often than anything. (I have a couple $3-400 range and one $600 range.)
 
Surely it's part of the reason for the ukulele boom of late- the instrument is lightweight and can be taken along, in our mobile world-
and if you can' take it wioth you, you can probably afford another one down the line-

I hate to admit, even the classical guitar is wearing me down a little sooner these days- I'll be 60 soon- but I can fidget this little uke anyplace it seems and it isn't a strain-

heck, maybe I'll hang one by the toilet!
 
I can have fun with almost any Uke. But I could liken it to food. I will enjoy chex mix, I can love a $3 taco next door. But when I get to Alan Wongs it is a treat to the senses, and I know why I pay more. Some people wouldn't see the value. But I do. I work my butt off. I Don't watch tv, and put a lot of effort to what I do. Having nicer things is not worth the stress of debt. But I don't buy new cars. I wear t shirts and go to the vans outlets for my $20 tennis shoes. But I love great musical instruments. My warrior bass improved my quality of life.
I recently got a Uke from Chuck Moore and tonight I sat under the moonlight as my kids played in the park next to the beach. Such sweet sounds took me to a higher place and I can't imagine a more satisfying feeling.
don't hate on either side of the coin. A less expensive Uke can make great music and be a fun companion. But more expensive Ukes , for some people will give an experience well beyond, and that appreciation is not snobbish.
 
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