What is your current lineup and how do you categorize them?

Many of you know how excited I am to be a part of this community. Along my journey, I have had the pleasure to meet many great people and play many different brands, sizes, and styles. Some have worked for me, some haven't.

Over time, my tastes have changed and what worked at one time, doesn't now. I also have been privileged to have, and have had, a fantastic lineup of Ukes in my stable, and when the time comes that they need to find a new home, they do. If I'm not playing them, someone should.

This is my current lineup.

MAIN PLAYERS:
Romero Creations Tiny Tenor in Koa. (I love this Tenor. It is the one that puts a smile on my face.)
Mason Long Neck Concert with Lutz Spruce and B/S of Koa. 2016.
Kamaka Ohta-San Koa. 2005.
Kamaka Ohta-San Western Red Cedar and B/S of Koa. 2013.

<<<One of the Ohta-Sans will be going soon. l bought them both to help me determine which works better for me. Videos and audio clips are fine, but I need to have then in my hand and I need to play them.>>>


AT WORK PLAYER:
Leeward Lounge Tenor. (My so called beater.).


NOVELTIES and/or UNUSUAL:
Black Bear ULO Psychedelic Concert. (Just plain fun. Even though it's concert size, sounds like a soprano.)


TRAVEL:
RISA Tenor Stick. (A keeper. Goes with me & fits inside the side pocket of a suitcase. Quiet and personal.)


SENTIMENTAL:
Luna Soprano. (A gift from my mom and it's staying with me.)


What does your lineup look like and how do you categorize your stable? Add categories as you see fit.

Let's have some fun.

I am sorry for not providing full disclosure, as doing so makes me feel uncomfortable.

I have enough ukes that I'm actually a little embarrassed to list them all...(yes, it is time for me to thin the herd & will have some on offer in the Marketplace soon once I get around to taking photos and making a sound sample video for each)

However, I will say that anything solid wood is hibernating in a case with a humidifier (or two), while a few laminates, Fluke & Flea ukes are out for the easy grab'n'play.

Lenny, provided that the timing is right (that I have enough cash in hand) when you part with one of your Ohta-Sans, I would be happy to adopt one from you (fingers crossed)...

Nice line-up Lenny!

I'm so new to the instrument that I am still dealing with changing tastes on practically a daily basis. The one thing I have learned in these 5 months of getting to know the ukulele is: If you spend enough time with any decent instrument, you can make it sound damn good. That being said, there are huge differences to be found in neck styles, body styles, tonewood combinations etc. I have been blessed with the chance to own around 30 different ukuleles in the last 5 months, and many have already been re-homed through sales or trades. Two of my favorite ukuleles are used Ponos that cost a fraction of what some of the higher end ukes I have or have had cost new.

My current line-up:

Main Players at Home:
Hoffman ML Custom Style Tenor - Koa B/S with Cedar top
Pono MPTSH Cutaway Tenor - Maple B/S with Spruce top
Martin 1940's 1-T Tenor - All Mahogany
KoAloha Slimline Tenor with Baggs 5.0 - All Koa
Mya Moe #1451 Tenor - All Myrtle
Ken Potts cutaway Tenor - All Koa

Local Meetup Ukes
Pono ETSH-PC Tenor w/Pono Pickup - Macassar Ebony B/S with Cedar top

Novelty/Unusual
Pono MTSH(C)-PC Cutaway Tenor tuned as mandola CGDA - Mahogany B/S with Cedar top
Mainland Soprano tuned as mandolin - GDAE - Rosewood B/S with Cedar top

Travel Uke
KoAloha Long Neck Soprano - All Koa

Don't Get enough Attention/Looking for a new home
Pono ATC-PC Tenor - Acacia/Cedar Cutaway
Kamaka 100th Anniversary HF-3 - All Koa
Kanile'a K-2 Super Concert - All Koa
Mya Moe #1009 - All Myrtle
Kala Spruce top Bass

[/B]Special Mention
Ono #44 - Concert w/16" scale - Claro Walnut w/ Port Orford Cedar top (I just got this recently and am still getting to know it and trying to find the right strings for it) I really like the build style and responsiveness of this instrument. It is so responsive that it I am finding I have to adapt my playing style to coax the sweet tones it is capable of producing

Minimalists represent!

LOW G: 2008 Kamaka HF-2 concert
REENTRANT: 2015 Kamaka HF-1L longneck soprano
TRAVEL/BACKUP/BEACH (and very sentimental): 2011 Kamaka HP-1 pineapple soprano

No electronics, no fancy stuff, no bling, just three solid koa players that I use for everything.

Lenny nice way to make us reveal our stash........I see Booli didn't bite. Come on Booli this here is THE safe place where you can be free to admit your addiction. I'll go first........Hi my name is Dave and I'm a ukeaholic.

Tenors: LfdM; Spruce and rosewood, I'iwi; Redwood and Walnut, Webber; Spruce and cocobolo, Pono; cedar macassar ebony, Ono; 18" Port Orford cedar and Walnut (new kid on the block) and my first uke a Gretch 9120 mahogany laminate, never to be sold.

Concert: Koaloha Opio sapelle

Soprano: Islanders AS4 long neck Walnut laminate, my car uke

Baritone: Kamaka 100th anniversary, Kinnard 19" mahogany, Pono Spruce mahogany, Giannini 19" mahogany.

Classifications would be the LfdM and I'iwi get the most in house play, LfdM has started to come out and perform. Other tenors are for tonal variety. The Pono does travel lot, camping, cottage, uke jams etc. Concert and Soprano are the only reentrant ukes in the stable and are only played occasionally with specific songs.
Kamaka baritone is a golden throated giant and will start to make it out to the stage. Other baritones are in different tuning and work well with certain music.

DownUpDave said:

Lenny nice way to make us reveal our stash........I see Booli didn't bite. Come on Booli this here is THE safe place where you can be free to admit your addiction. I'll go first........Hi my name is Dave and I'm a ukeaholic...

Click to expand...

Ha Ha! I admit the addiction just fine, but I will deny and disavow any details of my collection (as of now), which if one digs deep enough some of them can be seen in my YT videos for my past submissions to The Seasons weekly challenges here on UU.

Be forewarned, that if you venture down that path of discovery- I never claimed to be a good singer, nor a good player due to the humility that has been ingrained in me since I was a wee lad, and bragging is not in my DNA.

I'd rather be a ukeaholic than the other type of 'aholic, but some libations might entice me to talk story... :cheers:

Well now, my first year of 'addiction', leaves me with :-

My Best Ukes
Kala cedar top baritone
Lani spruce top baritone
Ohana CK35L tenor neck/concert body solid mahogany
Ohana SK30L tenor neck/soprano body solid mahogany
RISA Uke Ellie tenor electric
Baton Rouge solid spruce cutaway concert fitted with a MiSi Trio pick up
RISA solid/stick concert electric

Most used/picked up
Kala KA-SLNG concert neck/soprano body laminate


Plus :-

Other Electro Acoustics
Baton Rouge Hot Rod concert laminate
Kala KA-CEME concert laminate

Other Laminates
Kala KA-T tenor
Makala MK-T tenor
Makala MK-C concert
Kala KA-SEME soprano (minus pick up)
Kala KA-S soprano
Makala MK-P pineapple soprano


The top 8 are good for picking melodies, which is my main interest.
The lower 8 may get re homed, the lower 4 of which don't get much play time at all these days.
(Most were purchased to try the size, type, or style of ukes.)

P.S.
U.A.S. is real........ :music:

uke1950 said:

P.S.
U.A.S. is real........ :music:

Click to expand...

Indeed it is! ! ! ! !

Main Players - Howlett Mahogany Concert
Alder Concert (made on a Howlett course) Low G

On the way (hoping by end of Jan - Tom Ziegenspeck Cedar top, Rosewood body Tenor

Occasional Players - Big Island Honu Koa Big body concert
Hamano Mahogany Soprano

Travel - Risa soprano stick

Rarely Played/Novelty - Soprano noname Koa from Vietnam
Home made large cigar box 5 string tenor (tuned as Baritone)

Sentimental - Home made long neck Soprano with dreadful action due to a misaligned neck!

DownUpDave said:

Lenny nice way to make us reveal our stash........

Click to expand...

Ah, you caught me. From the comments, I will determine who is happy with what they have and what is being considered for sale, and I'll swoop in. :wallbash:

DownUpDave said:

I'll go first........Hi my name is Dave and I'm a ukeaholic.

Click to expand...

Yes you are. Happily. This is why we get along so well. :music:

Good idea Lenny. Reviewing and Categorizing is great way to decide which ones to should go.

I play and neglect all of my ukes.

Here's my current ukes. Generally I categorize by size and tuning.

soprano, Reent C " Moore Bettah koa soprano, I've only got 1

Baritone DGBE: Favilla Baritone, Pono EBSH(S)-PC

Baritone DGBE steel strings: Pono UL4-10 Acacia

Every other uke I have is a tenor. Oddly I have no concerts.

Tenor Linear C: Takamine (office uke), Compass Rose flamed cherry, Moore Bettah koa slotted head, vanPelt sinker Redwood/koa, Mya-Moe Striped Myrtle Classic, I'iwi koa, J. Rieck koa/spruce, Kinnard tobacco sunburst Mahogany slotted head, Koa Works koa

Tenor Linear B: Beau Hannam redwood/Brazilian rosewood, Steve Grimes Quilted SB Maple, LFDM spruce/rosewood

Tenor Reentrant C: Pegasus koa, LFdM cedar/rosewood, TODA German Spruce/ Madagascar Rosewood, Pete Howlett Spruce/Makore

Tenor Reentrant B:Makapili POC/Claro, Pete Howlett Korina Hawaiian

I do need to re-home some tenors.

Fun thread!

Main Players
Pepe Romero spruce/Italian flamed maple tenor
Hive Hornet spruce/maple tenor
Hive Hornet spruce/The Tree tenor
Kinnard torrefied spruce/maple baritone
Kinnard spruce/Honduran rosewood soprano
Collings UC3MSB spruce/maple concert
Collings UT3MBS spruce/maple tenor (#1)

Arriving Soon
J. Rieck torrefied spruce/sapele 16" concert
Beau Hannam sinker redwood/Amazon Rosewood macaferri 19" tenor

At Work
None

Novelty
National Resonator Chocolate Spalted Milk concert (would really like to keep but would consider selling)

Don't Get Enough Playing Time/Looking for New Home
Southern Cross Purple Heart banjo (lovely but have never even tuned it up) concert; would sell for $650 net (it's brand new)
Martin 2K soprano (non-vintage; acquired here on UU; would sell for $800 net
Kiwaya KTS5 (acquired here on UU; would sell for $425 net)
1927-1929 Martin 2K soprano (have it listed for $2,200 elsewhere but would sell on UU for $1,750 net)
Collings UT3MSB spruce/maple tenor (#2)(previously Hodge's, so it has good mojo!), would sell for $2,200 net

See my signature for most of mine. I have a couple of vintage ones that need some work to make playable.

The top five - the Outdoor Ukulele tenor is my workhorse and gets a lot of playing time simply because it is always with me. The Brueko soprano is wonderful for classical and folk tunes. The Mainland Tenor is rich and deep for times I want a guitar vibe. The OXK gives me that old-time sound. The Opio soprano is the most versatile of them all.

Not sure if there are others like me , but I categorize my stringed instruments as two types: classical guitar and ukulele.

Thus anything in between I'm not in the mood to focus on and I like to keep these two categories as distinct as possible. Thus only sopranos ukes I practice on.

I feel like I'm reading a menu while very hungry. Yes, that sounds good. Ohhh, how about that? Ahhh, I want that.

Desk/Computer site 1943 Martin 0 soprano, repaired cracks no beauty but plays well

Schlep arround 1930s Hot rod Regal Soprano (redwwod soundboard & bling)

Supper schelpper 1950s Martin 0 replaced back (Hawaiian Style) no back braces, loud and lives in the car

Kanikapila Any one of WWII Martins 1M, 2M, 3M or a Concert.

Performance Visual Treholipee, Bass'nBari (between redesigns), Little River Tenor, or a Bushman Soprano

Performance Sound Little River Tenor, WWII Martin Concert, Vega Baritone, or any one of my Martin Sopranos.

Performance Street 1930s SS Stewart Banjo Uke, every Fat Tuesday or other parades. (needs the sock indoors)

Roughly in order of preference, my ukes are categorised D, C, Eb and F. Sub-categories are wood, plastic, playable, cheap rubbish.

Although this is not typical usage, in the living room on stands:

Ko'olau tenor, Hawaiian ash, linear B.
Pono tenor, solid electric, linear C.
Ohta San, cedar top, linear C.

Currently in their cases, all reentrant C:

Pono AC,
Maton concert,
Timms soprano
Beltona Francis soprano

Thanks to those of you who printed long lists, thereby assuaging any feelings of guilt on my part. I'm currently considering renovating the bathroom which will stop my ukulele acquisitions for the meantime. I think.

Kanilea K1 Concert - I love the sound of it and I'm happy just practising chords on it. Sits beside my desk so I can grab it at any time. I find it an aid to problem solving!
Kamaka HF1 Soprano - feeling mellow song !
Imua iS-C4 Curly Koa - feeling happy song!
Kiwaya KTS-4 for when only that loud ringing mahogany will do.
Bruko no 6 I just like the look!

There are a couple of vintage pieces which don't get played, they'd have been liquidated but they belonged to my grandfather and selling them would upset my elderly mother.

In comparison to many of you, I am but a mere dabbler! But have patience...I've only been doing this for a little more than a year.

My current lineup:

KoAloha KCM-00 Koa Concert (Reentrant High "G")
Pono ATD-CR Cedar Top Acacia Tenor (Reentrant High "G")
KALA KA-SRT/MA - Michael Aratani (MGM) Spruce/Rosewood Tenor (Linear Low "G")

Even though I may not have the numbers, I feel that the quality of my current lineup of instruments greatly exceeds my playing abilities!