What To Look For In A New Ukulele?

What are some of the things that set apart ukuleles from good to great to magnificent?

Wood

Good $200
Great $1000
Magnificent $5000
:nana:

That's somewhat true

Jim Hanks said:

Good $200
Great $1000
Magnificent $5000
:nana:

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Jim --

There is some truth to what you say but those $5000 and above ukes are more about bling than anything. Not that I have anything against bling. If you want to spend your money on something that is beautiful then it is a reasonable thing to do if you have the money. Note, I've heard some sound samples of $2000 ukes on HMS are about as good as it gets... Also, I'd personally say it's hard to get a really good new uke for $200. Though, I would say you can get a quite decent uke for that $200.

-- Gary

What most distinguishes ukuleles, and other musical instruments, the the quality of the sound they make.
The secondary characteristics are the build and the playability.

Regarding the sound the good characteristics are resonance, sustain, clarity, brilliance and warmth.
A bad characteristic would be string buzz.

Regarding build, some instruments are simple of more sturdy construction though this can be
a trade off against resonance. A truss rod or a carbon fiber rod in the neck can guard against
warping. The quality of the construction itself also counts.

Playability can result from either the design and/or the setup.

You can be the judge about the sound. The build dictates how well the instrument passes the
test of time so you have to rely on the experiences of others. If you are an experienced
player playability will be obvious and if you are not again rely on the experience of others.

I don't think this is a question that can be answered because I don't think there is much difference between good, great and magnificent. If you spend a lot of money you will think it's magnificent.

But, really, it like talking about a good, great and magnificent apple. You know a bad one but after that it's ... an apple.

If an instrument works and is in tune and is property intonated with a low action...it's a ukulele.
The rest is either visual, tactile, or largely imagined.

Actually low action is probably the thing to look for as it's hard to do much about it if it isn't low if there is no truss rod.

A sound that pleases your ear.

Another way of looking at that extraordinarily broad question that you ask, Wood: based on your signature, you own some good ukuleles, you're "looking at" more good ukuleles, and dont yet own a great ukulele.

Now that I think of it, uke1950, you're right: the sound to one's own ear is, in essence, all that matters.

Very existential.

WG,
Welcome.
These are all pretty good answers.
The only thing I can add is good intonation. That's accuracy of notes when playing "up the neck".
None of my "good" ukes have had really good intonation. It's kind of frustrating, no matter how nice they look, or how easy they are to play.
I'm not a good musician by anyone's judgement, but OMG when a note is off, I wanna cringe.

seattle said:

But, really, it like talking about a good, great and magnificent apple. You know a bad one but after that it's ... an apple.

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Apples are a good analogy. If you never had a magnificent apple from a local tree, or at least the farmer's market, and only know the watery greenhouse kind of apples from the supermarket, or the fruit imported from some place thousands of miles away and that was pulled off the trees before even ripened, you won't know what you're missing. But once you get used to "real" apples, the difference between those and what you get from the shelf in a mall is huge.

With ukuleles there is a tipping point somewhere, that sweet spot where price and quality meet. I'm not exactly sure where the point of diminishing returns is, and it probably depends on each player, their expectations, skill level, financial situation, and what they aim for. And also what they have been exposed to before, like with apples.

For me personally, bling is fairly irrelevant, and, for example, inlays don't matter to me at all, no matter how artistic and time-consuming they are. I can appreciate their beauty, but they wouldn't enhance the enjoyment I get from an instrument. It's the same for fancy wood grains: There are beautiful woods out there, and I can marvel at them, but they don't add value to my experience. For me, it's all about playability and sound (and sound is relative -- I dig the KoAloha's signature sound, while others would call it brash and loud) and you can get that from a plain instrument like an Opio.

Extras, like pretty wood, a hand-applied finish, decorations, etc all add to the price and potentially the experience, but to me they don't impact whether an instrument is good or magnificent. For others, though, those aspects do matter and do make a difference. They certainly increase the status value and quite possibly the resell value, too. Like with sneakers, you also pay for the brand name sometimes. There are also functional features that raise the price, like an arm rest, which are also meaningless to me personally, but definitely do benefit others and are valued by them.

So anyway, there is probably no objective answer to the question. For me personally, I think the soft spot is between $500 and $600. After that you get diminishing or no returns (depending on what you value), and before you have to make some sacrifices. For koa, which I'm not sure I could tell from other forms of acacia in a blind test, you have to add another $400-500 to that.

Hate to link to my own stuff lest people feel I'm spamming, but here goes: http://liveukulele.com/gear/buying-tips/. That's about all I have to offer on the subject.

There's a similar thread started awhile back that lists elements like luthier, wood types, sound, and so forth. Of course, each of those elements can be subjective to the person who's playing the uke...even builder to a degree. For me, what makes anything go from great to magnificent is feel. It's the point where you just know when something feels right in your hands that can usually only be had when picking up and playing a variety of ukes that are in front of you. But feel can also be cultivated over time and with familiarity. It can be regardless of the brand, flaws in the finish, build quality, dings, color, etc. or it could be because of them. Of course, the elements of intonation, sustain, and playability come into play, and "feel" is what brings them all together for myself and many I've spoken to. It adds that element of passion when playing which helps make the instrument come alive in your hands.

I was just reading an older interview with Abe Lagrimas Jr. I liked what he said about one's instrument:

LUC: Your tone is so beautiful; your tenor sounds like a classical guitar at times. What advice can you give new players on developing their tone?

Abe: Know your instrument inside and out. It helps to have a good quality instrument but not all of us can afford to buy them. We must find the strengths in our instrument and learn how to showcase those points but at the same time find the weaknesses in our instrument and learn how to turn that into a positive. It is also important to make sure all of the strings and notes are resonating in whatever fingerings we do so that each note can be heard.

Full interview: http://lambchopukulele.blogspot.de/2010/06/ukulele-vibes-abe-lagrimas-jr-on.html

Hippie Guy said:

Hate to link to my own stuff lest people feel I'm spamming, but here goes: http://liveukulele.com/gear/buying-tips/. That's about all I have to offer on the subject.

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I just read that article on your web site. It's a great resource for learning all things concerning 'ukulele. Make sure to click on the links. Nice work.

Wow,

It looks like I picked the right group of Ukulele people to be around. Lot's of thoughtful and interesting replies here to think about and take under consideration. Thanks to each of you that answered my question!

Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:

I just read that article on your web site. It's a great resource for learning all things concerning 'ukulele. Make sure to click on the links. Nice work.

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Chuck makes magnificent ukuleles!

Pueo said:

Chuck makes magnificent ukuleles!

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I thought I recognized his name. I hear his inlay work is spotty though... Depends on what side of the bed he wakes up on. ;-)

For me it's about tone, intonation, resonance and an easy playing setup. If you are checking out a uke, tune it up and play every note. There shouldn't be any thuddy notes. No sharp fret edges. Check the tuning at the 12th fret. Ideally it should be the same in tune GCEA. In my limited experience, my one custom has the best intonation, but some factory ukes can be very good too.

I recently bought a ukulele and totally forgot to check intonation at the shop. I loved the tone so much I just got it. I checked it once I got home though, and to my surprise I found it had near perfect intonation. I've never seen a uke with intonation that good!

I find it best to play a few different models in the shop,and
decide which one 'feels' right to YOU. Sound,quality,all things
that would make you want to play that particular instrument!