Bling

Down Up Dick

Down Up Dick

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Ya know, one of the things I like about expensive banjos is the bling. Sometimes the fret markers are mother-of-pearl, and, sometimes, the heads have a painting on them. The peg heads are decorated with mother-of-pearl too.

And I've also seen decorated guitars. Even the violin family has f-holes and very fancy pegheads, and sometimes other stuff.

Everyone drools over Moore-Bettah Ukes that have fancy inlays, and I have a "Peace" Luna Uke with translations of the word peace carved all over it (it plays very well too). I also have a Kala Spruce top baritone that sounds great and is fun to play, but the spruce top could certainly use a little artwork or somethin'. I like high gloss Ukes or maybe very fancy woodgrained ukes. Painted Fleas or Flukes are fun, though I don't like the sound of mine. But just plain ol' brown Ukes leave me cold.

Many times I've heard negative words about bling on a Uke, and I always wonder why Ukers don't care for it. Sooo . . . whadaya think?
:eek:ld:
 
Down Up Dick said:
Many times I've heard negative words about bling on a Uke, and I always wonder why Ukers don't care for it. Sooo . . . whadaya think?
Click to expand...

I won't go so far as to say negative things - at least I don't think I do - but it does come down to personal preference. I don't like bling on a uke, but then I don't like ornate decoration in general. For instance, I don't care for jewelry or other non-functional clothing accessories, fancy trim on cars, picture frames that are more detailed than the picture within, any form of make-up, and so forth. I like simplicity.

On a uke though, I have a few practical purposes for not desiring bling. Mainly, I'd rather spend the money on a quality build that sounds good rather than time-consuming inlay. Further, I think it's a distraction. I don't want the decorative elements of my uke to be a conversation-piece - I prefer to keep the focus on the music rather than "Oh cool, you like (penguins? Hawaii? flowers? guinea pigs? honu?). I can tell from the inlay on your headstock!"

I dunno, I might feel differently if there was a "thing" that I identified with and wanted the world to know by displaying it on my headstock or around my soundhole. But my interests and passions are pretty widespread, and since I'd put music at the very top of my list of passions, well... it just seems unnecessary to me, for me, to put anything else on display. Kind of like wearing a necklace or putting on make-up :)
 
If the bling is cheap (plastic) or poorly designed... Sometimes less can be more.
 
A great built/sounding/playing ukulele in it self is a work of art. Add some exceptional inlay/carving/painting and you can have a masterpiece.
 
I love good bling. I love flamingoes. It was a no-brainer for me. But! I don't care what everybody else thinks. So there is that.
 
I like "tasteful bling", that is, a little and subtle, and fitting. Not gaudy or kitschy.
 
I'm generally in the plain & simple camp, though I don't mind a little bit of adornment as long as it's not 'in your face'.

Simple rosettes & bindings are my preference. :)
 
Can there be too much bling? Yes. Can there be too little. Yes.

Does the Uke sound good because of it. Probably not, but it sells Uke and people play music rather than less desirable activities.

If more people played Ukulele there would be a lot less conflict in our world.
 
I'd say that my sentiments fall closer to those from janeray. I'm not anti-bling, but I'm not drawn to it much. This goes for most things, not just ukes. I appreciate the craftsmanship and artistry that goes into making a blinged-out uke but personally, I prefer plain. I don't even really care about fancy wood. I like my LoPrinzi soprano with its plain walnut in satin finish and a subtle black binding and tiny striping. It's a light build with a thin neck and every detail of the construction and finish is just spot on. Oh, and it sounds great too.
 
It depends on the bling. Cheap bling is...well...cheap!

It all comes down to art. Music is an art form, and the combining of visual art with aural art can be wild. For many stringed instruments that visual art is confined to the headstock or some unique scrolling around the sound hole. Banjos can get quite ornate as can a few guitars. I've always admired the Bruce Wei upscale ukes for their aesthetics and have pondered hiw I could modify a couple of my ukes with some visual art without impacting the sound output.
 
I would tend to go towards the middle ground on Bling. A simple rosette and headstock decoration can add character to a ukulele too much and it looks gaudy.
 
I own a plain dark brown (some would call ugly) mahogany baritone to a tenor with a fancy headstock inlay, mother of pearl pufing, herring bone tail graft (bling bling) and everything inbetween. If it is well done I like fancy equally as well as plain. There is no substitute for good craftmanship that is well executed.

Blondes, brunettes, redheads they are all beautiful to me.
 
I have a t-shirt that says "Easily distracted by shiny objects." I am usually about the bling, and about color, too. I love vintage jewelry since it often is so in-your-face gaudy.

Most of my ukes, though, are satin finish and low on the bling spectrum such as my Opio, Brueko, Silvertone. I love the wood grain and other aesthetics. My Luna with inlaid spalt dragonflies around the sound hole used to be the most ornate of the bunch.

Then, I got my gloss Mainland with a cool blingy strap to go along with it that accentuates that rope binding. Man, it sure is purdy. So, I think I have been closeted blinger for far too long.
 
Read my signature. 'nuff said. ;-)

I love gorgeous, figured woods and tasteful appointments. I've seen many very ornate ukes that I thought were unattractive to me. Inlays can be great or too much to my eyes, it all depends.
 
Not to step on anyone's toes, but I really don't care for satin finished Ukes. I had a solid mahogany Ohana six string, and I never did like how it looked. I finally traded it for a high gloss, plywood Kala 8 string that I love. It sounds great and looks great, and I'm glad that I traded. The Ohana was the only satin one that I have, though one of my banjos is. Another of my banjos is gloss blond, which I also like a lot.

My daughter gave me a yellow, Mahalo smiley face soprano just like my avatar. Of course it's a keeper. :eek:ld:
 
Yeah, actadh, a colorful, sharp looking strap can really add to a uke's looks. I have a couple that look pretty good. :eek:ld:
 
uke1950 said:
I'm generally in the plain & simple camp, though I don't mind a little bit of adornment as long as it's not 'in your face'.

Simple rosettes & bindings are my preference. :)
Click to expand...

I agree with you completely!

Petey
 
Even what bling is seems to be a matter of opinion. A rosette, binding and position markers are all functional as well as decorative. I don't care for over the top, but I still think a Martin 5K is nearly perfect and I love Martin style 3 ukes. Moore Bettah may seem over the top to some, but to many, including myself, they are truly art, as an instrumentioned and as a visually beautiful object. I would not take the bling over the musical virtues of an instrument, but you can have both. If it is well done and proportioned, it can add a lot to an instrument.
 
Last edited:
Ever since I got this, I don't need bling....

Concert #260 4.jpgConcert #260 7.jpg
 
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