turtledrum
Well-known member
Would love to hear your ideas about what ukuleles will break into the market down the line. Anyone hear anything about instruments soon to come? New materials, shapes, sizes? Thanks!
What will the ukulele of the future be?
- Thread starter turtledrum
- Start date
So would the manufactures! 
As they build new types or styles, the good sellers will be copied and become popular. For example, the bass uke is all around now, but was unheard of 5 or 6 years ago.
If you have a good product idea, patent it and call Kala!
As they build new types or styles, the good sellers will be copied and become popular. For example, the bass uke is all around now, but was unheard of 5 or 6 years ago.
If you have a good product idea, patent it and call Kala!
stevepetergal
Well-known member
In the not too distant future, wooden ukuleles will be a thing of the past. Like ivory piano keytops, they will become more and more rare, due to high cost and regulation. Eventually it will be unreasonable. This is why I think Blackbird is on the cutting edge. The future holds more development of alternate materials.
I think Guitars will eventually see the same fate.
I think Guitars will eventually see the same fate.
igorthebarbarian
Well-known member
Using your home's 3-D printer to print your own at home!
I think we will see more ukes like the Fluke and Flea. By that I mean ukes made of a combination of synthetic materials and wood. They may have the ability to place digital images on the face or back to allow people to personalize their instruments.
RAB11
Well-known member
Touch screen fretboards and frickin laser beams for strings.
Luke El U
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2012
- Messages
- 372
- Reaction score
- 0
The "Hololele". A fully playable hologram of any uke you chose with the sound modeling to boot. Enter a number and, poof, you're playing a vintage Martin soprano or solid koa KoAloha tenor with Aquila reds. Press another number and you're jamming with Daniel HoloHo. Complete with a Holohula girls for your viewing pleasure.
Tootler
Well-known member
They won't change fundamentally. Part of the appeal of the ukulele is its simplicity and the fact it's made of natural materials.
H
Hippie Dribble
Guest
^ Best thing on the internet today. :worship:
I agree with this train of thought. Be it ukuleles, guitars, violins, cellos etc. wood plays and important role in the tactile experience . No doubt more instruments might be made out of composite types of materials.
I have read interesting articles about using alternate wood types that are local and sustainable. Mya Moe is a big proponent of using myrtle, port orford cedar, maple and walnut, all locally grown trees.
Pirate Jim
Well-known member
Phluffy the Destroyer
Well-known member
Wood is about as "green" as you can get. It literally grows on trees...
But I think you have a point, and I'll take it one step further:
I think the future of ukulele is hemp. I predict that hemp-friendly states will start manufacturing "Weedulele's". Soprano and concert ukulele's will be known as "nickle" and "dime" ukes among the more trendy players. None of the nicknames for tenors and baritones will ever catch on, but the Ubass will be know as the "Maui Wowie". However, about a week after it goes public, Weedulele will start tracking a high level of return merchandise with the sound holes burned out to such an enlarged state that the ukes are no longer playable. Some genius in R&D will notice that they appear to have been smoked, and in the second week after Weedulele goes public they will introduce the first commercially made, playable ukulele bong.
The most popular song themes for Weedulele song writers will be odes to Mr. Hand, and emotional ballads about ill-fated trips to 7-11 for munchies. Players will no longer make references about intonation or sustain, and people will simply begin to refer to the quality of a ukulele at "righteous" or "harsh". President Obama's high school choom gang will reunite and put out an album, but Michelle will not let Barack to play because Weeduleles encourage people to eat junk food. MSNBC will not carry the story, and Fox News will begin referring to all ukuleles as gateway instruments.
Last edited:
stevepetergal
Well-known member
And a bit bigger. Perhaps like this super-baritone:
(Hmm... I guess we're already there) Welcome to the future!! (love those Aquila Reds)
Last edited:
Did I meet you at the first Woodstock? All seriousness aside, the value assigned to well made wooden instrument over the past three or more centuries indicates that well made instruments will be always remain desirable.
chuck in ny
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2013
- Messages
- 528
- Reaction score
- 1
hopefully things stay wood. there's room for composites. some of the carbon fiber violins are outstanding and relatively reasonable.
bear in mind the composite people haven't had the decades to improve and tweak things. there is a small chance that they will be able to be improved. at that point all bets are off. i don't think anyone has tried carbon fiber with a solid wood top or any other zany scheme.
bear in mind the composite people haven't had the decades to improve and tweak things. there is a small chance that they will be able to be improved. at that point all bets are off. i don't think anyone has tried carbon fiber with a solid wood top or any other zany scheme.
Rllink
Well-known member
It will have six strings, it will be tuned linear, will be made of plastic or composite, and it will be shaped something like a mandolin.
Brenda Wong
Well-known member
Does it mean we should all hold on tight to our rare wood instrument? It may worth something 50 years from now.
SteveZ
Well-known member
It will have six strings, it will be tuned linear, will be made of plastic or composite, and it will be shaped something like a mandolin.
This may be more true than folk know....
Part of the popularity of the ukulele over the last couple decades has been the progression to be more "guitar-like" in size (they have gotten bigger) and function (acoustic-electric, solid-electric, steel-strings, etc.). This has increased the ukulele's versatility, resulting in an increase in customer base. While there will always be a "soprano traditionalist" market, the concert-tenor-baritone-AE/SE market now comprises a sizeable chunk of the ukulele industry's output. An interesting group on Facebook is the "Tenor Guitar and Baritone Ukulele Group," which shows how close the line between these two instruments is. Banjoleles come up now and then as discussion items on the primo banjo forums, and there is apparent acceptance there of the banjolele as a banjo "breed."
The ukulele's future will be determined by how adaptable the instrument can be to the genres popular among today's 25-45 age demographic. The industry will respond with instrument hybrids (size, shape, function and materials) to satisfy the musical tastes of that demographic, because as they define the music future they also define the supportive industrial trend. Also, as this demographic get progressively older, the more disposable income they have to purchase the industry's wares.
As a non-"soprano traditionalist" whose genre preferences go from "Gulf and Western," straight rock (e.g., Dire Straits, Moody Blues, etc.) and some crossover folk (Crosby, Stills; John Denver, James Taylor, etc.), the classic Koa Soprano often falls musically short, but the larger, more tonal ukulele evolutions do well. What got me to first try ukulele was not "soprano-traditional," but the larger sizes as being adaptable to my genre preferences similar to how the tenor guitar has adapted. I must not be alone, as the ukulele industry seems to have broadened their marketing into targeting the "rock" generations who normally become (or are) guitar-centric. Please excuse my ramblings, but an understanding of what the future brings is helped by seeing what led to today's market.
Guitar sales are many times greater than ukulele sales, and ukuleles today are mirroring guitars in many ways (sizes, shapes, function, materials). Watching how guitars evolve should indicate how the ukulele industry will probably take tomorrow's ukulele(s). Also, just listen to today's "Top 40" radio stations. Many of those tunes will be "golden oldies" in two-four decades that future "older folk" will want to perform themselves singularly or in fun groups, and they will demand instruments which can support this musical market. It's a reasonable bet that the ukulele industry will respond accordingly.
Last edited:
stevepetergal
Well-known member
Yes, I'm sure you're right. But, this too is just an evolutionary step. The Flea-like ukes (wood and plastic) will eventually go the way of the Dodo, as well.
Similar threads
