UAS debate

SoloRule

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Messages
2,356
Reaction score
32
Location
Toronto , Canada
No doubt this topic comes up from time to time.

My first sign of UAS sickness surfaced in January of this year - all on my own. The symptom worsen after I became friends with three members from this forum ( yes , you know who you are).

Do we buy just because it's a sweet deal although it does not have the feature that you are looking for?
Is this why we keep buying because we are still searching for The One?

Seriously, how many uke can one person play and love equally?
 
I went 8 years before I got a bit of UAS and most of what happened in 2015 was due to finding a different type of ukulele in a soprano. I then ordered a tenor. And then ordered a concert for my wife. The wise gentleman who made these decided to make two, one sapele top and one cedar top so my wife would have a choice. And I ended up buying the other one, thus confirming that he was indeed wise. Those purchases were based on wanting an instrument that may not be available down the road, and UAS just completed the trifecta.

The last ukulele was because I had spent over 8 years with an excellent ukulele that I always thought sounded too bright. Plays fine, sounds good, nothing wrong with it, but I really "wanted" a mellower sounding uke.

So all of them fit a niche, so to speak, and maybe trying to find The One... how successful is too hard to say at this point. Probably a good part of the last buy is looking toward retirement and spending now when I could and not later when I may not want to.

John
 
I don't have UAS. I have been playing ukulele for two years and somehow I have accumulated 5 ukuleles. All except the first one have been at under market prices and have had features I felt I needed. I have a few more on my wish list. But no I don't have UAS.
 
Seriously, how many uke can one person play and love equally?

For me? Two. One low G, one reentrant. (Although I actually own three ukes, but while the third is loved equally, I confess it's not played equally :()

I've never been much of a UAS'er - over the years I've been playing my needs have changed, which I think is normal for anything we take on as a hobby or pastime as we grow. But I do know that being around other players and seeing other ukes can sometimes spark a bit of interest in something new - fortunately for me it usually fades before I have the funds to act on it.
 
Some of us use UAS because it's more socially acceptable then Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder :iwant:
 
These are all the uke I had in 2 years......Kala tenor, lanakai 8 sting, lanakai 6 string, 3 eddy fins, ohana of sk 10,
Ohana sopranino, cocobolo concert, loprinzi tenor, Martin tk1, firefly banjo, ohana up obu 22 bass, Luna tattoo, Oscar schmidth soprano, mainland baritone, bruko number 6, Córdoba tm20,

Do you think I have UAS.?
 
These are all the uke I had in 2 years......Kala tenor, lanakai 8 sting, lanakai 6 string, 3 eddy fins, ohana of sk 10,
Ohana sopranino, cocobolo concert, loprinzi tenor, Martin tk1, firefly banjo, ohana up obu 22 bass, Luna tattoo, Oscar schmidth soprano, mainland baritone, bruko number 6, Córdoba tm20,

Do you think I have UAS.?

It is a privilege to be able to buy so many in a short time. Not UAS at all. LOL
 
I have noooooo idea what you are talking about. Neither do Simon and Tim :biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:
 
I have 17 ukuleles, the last time I bothered to count.

When we are in a public situation, and people how many ukes I have, after I state the number - and before the person who asked can usually say anything - my wife will start telling people about how they all sound different, and some songs just sound better on some of the ukes than others. If I start talking about how I bonded with one instrument, she will tell about how I was playing every uke in the store, but when I played the Sceptre, she knew that one was the one, and had to come home with us.

Yes, there are a couple I play less than the others. One I won't even take out of the case in the winter, because the fir top is so thin it cracks when the humidity is less than 40%- but when I play that Low-G soprano Waverly Street uke, it is so sweet that I need to dig out my diabetes test kit!

I'll let other people decide if I have UAS or not. My wife and I simply think I have a lot of nice instruments, that I play at different times.



-Kurt​
 
To me, it's not about finding "The One" at all. Just the opposite, it's about discovering different voices, woods, models, sizes, features, even different price ranges, then finding strings that match, and comparing them all to each other. Kind of a scientific approach... :)
 
I have noooooo idea what you are talking about. Neither do Simon and Tim :biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

Just because I bought 5 Ukes in the first 6 months of the year doesn't automatically mean I have UAS.

Um, I am a collector. Yeah, that's it!:drool:
 
To me, it's not about finding "The One" at all. Just the opposite, it's about discovering different voices, woods, models, sizes, features, even different price ranges, then finding strings that match, and comparing them all to each other. Kind of a scientific approach... :)

I support you in your path to find "The Many". And may I play them some day! Lol
 
Hey fellow NYer Ksiegal. I am in the Catskills south of you. Maybe it's a NY thing. actually heading to Florida my winter roost.
I have got a Córdoba 20 TM and a firefly banjo. But now selling all my laminates or partial laminate ukes. Just want solids in my collection. The firefly is nice but is so hard to keep,in tune or get a spot on tuning. Maybe be going by by soon. Eventually when I get tired of buying and selling and trying new stuff I will sget a a mya-moe, Collins or
Top end loprinzi as my skills progress and actually focus on being a better player, not collector, of the instrument. I think the exploration phase is fun, but it can be expensive as you never recoup all the money you spend.....and I am tired of explaining my obession to my wife. she buys one instrument..
And it's a lifelong commitment. We are very different.
 
UAS is serious and beyond help when you start buying cheap cheap cheap ukes just to satisfy your desire while waiting for our dollars to go up (probably a long wait , that means more cheap cheap cheap ....)
That's exactly why I ordered my last two new additions. I know this is kind of embarrassing . sam13 above is disgusted with me.
 
To me, it's not about finding "The One" at all. Just the opposite, it's about discovering different voices, woods, models, sizes, features, even different price ranges, then finding strings that match, and comparing them all to each other. Kind of a scientific approach... :)


+1!! This precisely describes the approach I have established since taking up the ukulele in 2011 by exploring the so many offerings out there. I have acquired Soprano, Concert and Tenor sizes, variable wood types, all-laminate models, solid-wood and laminate back and side models, solid-wood and composite back and side models, and of course and all-solid wood models.

I feel I would be limiting myself if I tried to box myself into the idea of just focusing into one size and design, or one brand of strings which would simply end up limiting the overall experience of playing ukulele. I really don think any one really would be truly happy to be locked into one type of sound or feel.

I also find that my playing capability improves when moving between different size fretboards as it forces me to improve my adaption to each, and in essence, expand my playing capabilities.

Most st of all, it's just fun to shop for and play so many different and ultimately fun ukuleles that results in UAS, and ultimately brings me more joy than any other activity I participate in.
 
Who ever said money can't buy you happiness had never bought a ukulele ;)
More ukes more happy.

It is similar to every other form of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), once the ball starts rolling and you experience a variety it is hard to stop. Kinda like buffets, variety is fun and exciting and stimulating. There is a limit of course but some of us will have a larger appetite than others.

I could gladly play one low G and one reentrant but why limit my level of enjoyment and that is what it is really all about. No right or wrong just whatever floats your boat.
 
My old story; in the first 18 months of playing ukulele I went through 16 ukes, mostly lower end between $150 - $200. All tenor cutaway, high G, either with electronics or I added it, three were custom made. I bought for the look of the wood mostly, but the sound was not bad on any of them, not great, but not bad. Then I started playing bass uke and I'm up to seven in about a year. Over that time I decided to choose the four ukes I liked the best and sold or traded in the others. I have no problem with UAS, to me it's fun, keeps up my interest. I still surf eBay very often looking at tenor ukes.
 
I have Peghed tuners on my Firefly - stays in tune with no issues at all.

As to the laminate vs solid debate, well... Some laminates are superb, some are less than stellar; the same for solid wood. You really need to play them before buying. The Les Paul, for example, has a body routed from solid mahogany, with a laminated top - the same as the Les Paul guitar. it is quiet when played acoustically, but fine when plugged in. Of course, the one I have also had the nut and saddle replaced by a bone nut and saddle, the frets were leveled, and the neck reset (By UU Friend Tudorp - Miss you, Tony!)

My Republic is a laminated Zebrawood - Tony fought with getting this one playable - and over the years it is starting to settle in nicely. I was going to sell it, cheap, but my wife said it was too pretty to let go. The Kala has a solid cedar top, but I'm pretty sure the Koa body is a laminate - but it is a tremendous instrument.

For me, the composition of the wood is less important than what I hear when I play - the Aqulele plastic ukes sound better to the listener than to the player, for example.

My only beef with any of the ukes is the tuners. Some are cheap geared tuners that work, but I want something better. The only friction tuners I have left are on the harmony - the originals are cracked, but I found some original Harmony "Shark Tooth" tuners a while back, and little by little I'm replacing them, which lets the uke stay in tune- and the 1920s Stella Banjo Uke. I just need to take those off and clean them (one of these days), but the frets are set right into the neck, and the neck is really not playable above the 5th fret, so that is one the back burner.

I don't think of recouping expenses - I buy to play, not to trade/sell/invest, and never with the thought of getting rid of an instrument.

And there is no need to explain any obsession to my wife; she is a knitter, I'm a spinner, and we are both beginning weavers - with all of the associated fiber, yarn, needles, spinning wheels, and looms that entails, along with a lack of room for everything.And we are both avid readers - have I mentioned books? We have lots and lots of books, and then some.

Nope, no obsessions in this house.


-Kurt​

Hey fellow NYer Ksiegal. I am in the Catskills south of you. Maybe it's a NY thing. actually heading to Florida my winter roost.
I have got a Córdoba 20 TM and a firefly banjo. But now selling all my laminates or partial laminate ukes. Just want solids in my collection. The firefly is nice but is so hard to keep,in tune or get a spot on tuning. Maybe be going by by soon. Eventually when I get tired of buying and selling and trying new stuff I will sget a a mya-moe, Collins or
Top end loprinzi as my skills progress and actually focus on being a better player, not collector, of the instrument. I think the exploration phase is fun, but it can be expensive as you never recoup all the money you spend.....and I am tired of explaining my obession to my wife. she buys one instrument..
And it's a lifelong commitment. We are very different.
 
UAS is serious and beyond help when you start buying cheap cheap cheap ukes just to satisfy your desire while waiting for our dollars to go up (probably a long wait , that means more cheap cheap cheap ....)
That's exactly why I ordered my last two new additions. I know this is kind of embarrassing . sam13 above is disgusted with me.

I don't really see there being a "debate" as per the OP's subject heading, however there is interesting discussion on the subject of UAS.

The post I quoted above does make a good point. I learned from guitar involvement about GAS, and did it differently with ukuleles. I got high end of one of each of soprano (1925 Martin 2K), concert (Kamaka Ohta-San), and tenor (top of the line Ko'olau), and have considered it done long enough to know that it is finished. Personally, I would prefer this to having a room full of cheaper ukuleles that end up costing me as much as the three I chose, but spread across many more ukuleles. Others may well feel differently, but this is just how I chose to do it. As my wife has always said "you can only spend it once", meaning to choose wisely because once it is spent, it is gone.

If a person is constantly buying lots of less expensive ukuleles, unless that person has LOTS of disposable income, the dollars won't accumulate to later buy a higher end model. For many, apparently, "choosing wisely" is frequently buying less expensive ukuleles, probably because the fun is in the hunt as much as it is in the playing.

Tony
 
Musical monogamy is overrated.
 
Top Bottom