what uke to buy with $1,000 budget?

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bookbinder

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I won my fantasy football league this year and I've decided to buy a nice uke w/ my $1,000 winnings. I am a beginner-intermediate uke player, learned to play 10 yrs ago on a cheap soprano uke I bought in Maui. I'm leaning toward an all koa soprano uke. Should I get a Martin? I play/own a Martin guitar so I feel comfortable w/ the brand quality. Or should I look at ukes made in Hawaii or elsewhere? If the latter, which brands should I research for my budget? thanks for any help!!
 
I would get a Koaloha or a Kamaka. The Koaloha seems a little brighter and the Kamaka a little warmer. This place will do a good set up.
http://www.theukulelesite.com/
If you want a Martin style Ken Timms makes some great ukes.
Any of the above listed ukes will be great. Quite sure many opinions to follow.
 
You can get a really nice vintage Martin style 2-M for that cash to go with your other martin. Or any of the K brand koa and have enough left over to buy a Martin 0. I'd get to a music store with a good selection of used and new ukes and see what speaks to you. They all sound and play a little differently, but you really can't go wrong with a nice vintage Martin. they even made some in Koa, but they are pricey, you may find one in your price range though.have fun with your search.
 
Congratulations! That is a high stakes FF league. First of all, what was your starting line up?

Second of all, if you want a koa soprano I would go for a KoAloha soprano (preferably contact them directly to get a factory second). They have tons of volume and projection but still have a very full satisfying tone. They are amzing instruments. Plus, if you got a factory second you would still have ~$500 to save for a rainy day.

Your post gives me a great idea though. A UU fantasy football league.
 
If tenor, KoAloha.

If soprano, vintage mahogany Martin.
 
Newportlocal said:
I would get a Koaloha or a Kamaka. The Koaloha seems a little brighter and the Kamaka a little warmer. This place will do a good set up.
http://www.theukulelesite.com/
If you want a Martin style Ken Timms makes some great ukes.
Any of the above listed ukes will be great. Quite sure many opinions to follow.
Click to expand...

I hear in Sept. KoAloha extended the scale length on their ukes a small amount(very small)...
the KoAloha's now have a warmer/deeper tone than before...IMO

and their finishes are looking nicer and Koa getting better too...again my opinion only....
 
One important consideration is what kind of playing you do. Chord strummer? Then a vintage Martin soprano makes sense (with only 12 frets), but if you play up the neck at all you may find yourself running out of frets! If you play lead or melody or inversions up the neck, then as others have suggested, consider Kamaka or Koaloha. You might even be able to fit a longneck soprano in your budget - Koaloha makes a really nice long-neck pineapple soprano that is under $1000 if I remember correctly.
 
Buy two solid Kalas, have a tech set them up properly with tusq or bone nuts and saddles, string one high g, one low g with cases and take the other $400 and have fun! :)

Sorry, just another option... I'm sure you're ready to get that "one" and I hope you find it!
 
well its amazing how much can change in a 24 hr period... I've now switched my thinking to a concert or more likely even a tenor uke. why? well from what I can hear on youtube the tone is loads better. and i can do more stuff up the neck. so that's all well and good. the bad news? I happened to see some pics of the most gorgeous Collings sunburst tenor, more than double my budget, and can't get it out of my mind.. i have a feeling i'm gonna pull the trigger on 3x the uke i set out to buy when i started this post.. a uke a player of my caliber doesn't deserve, yet i would love with all my heart.. help!!
 
No love for Kanile'a?
 
bookbinder said:
well its amazing how much can change in a 24 hr period... I've now switched my thinking to a concert or more likely even a tenor uke. why? well from what I can hear on youtube the tone is loads better. and i can do more stuff up the neck. so that's all well and good. the bad news? I happened to see some pics of the most gorgeous Collings sunburst tenor, more than double my budget, and can't get it out of my mind.. i have a feeling i'm gonna pull the trigger on 3x the uke i set out to buy when i started this post.. a uke a player of my caliber doesn't deserve, yet i would love with all my heart.. help!!
Click to expand...

You came to the right forum full of enablers. A better uke will make things easier for you as you learn.:D
 
I understand this, I too have seen those Collings and lusted after that sunburst as well! Gorgeous instruments, finely made, as are the other top K brands. The Collings would be an heirloom quality instrument and worthy of the money if you have it lying around...

That said... do keep in mind an instrument that costs $2500 (that you might not really have) is less likely to leave your house than the $350 well made solid uke by someone like Lanikai or Kala. I cherish my 2009 Kala Acacia Tenor, one for my wife giving it to me and two, it's just developed into such a sweet sweet tone over the years with upgrades and the wood opening up... But I take it everywhere! I'll keep it my entire life but I don't worry about throwing it in the back of the car and hitting the road... heck it's up here at work with me now and most days. I doubt I'd bring a Collings out except for performances. I have a $2700 Taylor GC5e that lives in it's case. Love it, sounds wonderful, plays even better... when I travel I take the $400 Taylor GS Mini everywhere, not the GC5!

Just food for thought. Save money, upgrade to a mid level instrument and have fun buying more than one over the years. I told my wife to buy me a Collings some day, like when I turn 50, some milestone, ya know?
 
If you're a previous or present guitar player, you won't regret going with a higher end uke. I agree on a Collins Sunburst being a great cdhoice. Yeah, you do deserve it. For myself, I would rather spend the bucks on one,HA!, great uke than many inexpensive ones looking for the right one. Course, I know what I want and expect from an instrument so went for it. Ya can't go wrong with a Collins. If it doesn't work out for you, I'm sure it'll sell quickly to people like, umm well me.

I hear what people are saying about taking an expensive uke out of the house. I don't know about that. I wouldn't take my Moore Bettah to a bon fire but take it to parties and uke gatherings all the time. It's meant to be played not left in a case at home. I may look into a Mainland 'hog for the bon fire nights.

I love my tenors, concerts were too cramped; especially playing up the neck.
 
Last edited:
The Big Kahuna said:
No love for Kanile'a?
Click to expand...

Kanilea my top choice (some of the new Ko'olau's are also "off the hook") Except for the "professional" models, I have been underwhelmed by Kamaka's. Of course, these are my ears. Should buy what you love. We teach our kids to "stop, look, and listen" when crossing the street. When buying an instrument in pretty much any price range, stop, look, play, and listen...preferably several, before buying. Repeat process as needed until you find "the one." You'll know it when you do.
 
bookbinder said:
i have a feeling i'm gonna pull the trigger on 3x the uke i set out to buy when i started this post.. a uke a player of my caliber doesn't deserve, yet i would love with all my heart.. help!!
Click to expand...

Here's the thing: the more you love it, the more you will play it. The more you play, the better you become. If you can afford the Collings, I don't see a problem here :)
 
I would take a look at Breedlove.
 
dirtiestkidever said:
Congratulations! That is a high stakes FF league. First of all, what was your starting line up?

Second of all, if you want a koa soprano I would go for a KoAloha soprano (preferably contact them directly to get a factory second). They have tons of volume and projection but still have a very full satisfying tone. They are amzing instruments. Plus, if you got a factory second you would still have ~$500 to save for a rainy day.

Your post gives me a great idea though. A UU fantasy football league.
Click to expand...

We've done the UU FF thing in the past, but not the last two years. It was all for fun though.
 
janeray1940 said:
Here's the thing: the more you love it, the more you will play it. The more you play, the better you become. If you can afford the Collings, I don't see a problem here :)
Click to expand...

That's good info...the better instrument wil sound better and better as you get better as well.
 
No love for Kanile'a?
Click to expand...
I'm also a Kanile'a fan, I have two of them. The craftsmanship is absolutely flawless and the wood they use is amazing. I've visited the factory and Joe is very friendly and willing to spend as much time as you'd like on the tour. Both of my Kanile'a sound fantastic as well although they were also over the OPs price range, which is why I hadn't chimed in with a recommendation for them. If they fit your budget, though you'll never regret buying one!
 
I'm also going to mention Kanlie'a. If you can find one for a grand, go for it.
 
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