How much do you have?

I'm pretty proud that I am not afflicted by UAS, at least to the extent that some people are. And I pride myself in keeping things simple. But yesterday I realized that I'm failing at the latter. Yesterday I received a package with a string gauge, and string winding bit, and some jar of nothing from DeAddrio that I paid five bucks for and will never use. Twenty five dollars worth of stuff that I've gotten along fine without for five years. Then I got to looking around, and I have all kinds of ukulele crap sitting on shelves, in windows, on the walls, everywhere you look, all of which serves absolutely no purpose. I'm not talking about the books that I never read or use, or the four gig bags I have for three ukuleles that right now are all three in hard cases. I'm talking the mini lego ukulele that I put together and set up in the window sill and stuff like that. The ukulele key chains that don't have any keys on them. Anyway, I should take some pictures, but right now I'm pressed for time, but I most definitely suffer from UCAS, Ukulele Crap Acquisition Syndrome. I'll make an itemized list later on and post it. I'm curious.

Rollie thanks for the laugh and the evidence that you're human after all.

I personally have about ten packs of strings. Nothing on the windowsills, but a collection of straps I don't use and strap buttons enough for a ukulele orchestra.

Haha, I've managed to avoid the uke coffee mugs and t-shirts so far (just barely), but I have a few stickers that came with other things. Other than that, all my uke stuff is theoretically functional: string gauge, fret files, fret board oil, way too many tuners and extra strings (some strings which may never get used).

I find the jar of nothing intriguing though. I might need one of those.

I have a few extra straps, more tuners than I need, and lots of strings, but that’s about it - except for my favorite mug. It says “The little voices in my head keep telling me ‘Get more ukuleles.’”.

I fully embrace UAS and every other AS there is, from ukes, to bass ukes, to stuff to modify them (I have 3 preamp/pickup systems on hold), to a bunch of boxes for shipping ukes (which I rarely do), to camera gear, to Ryobi One+ 18v tools (I have about 16 and a bunch of batteries), and I just bought a Brother WiFi scanner only to scan reimbursement receipts. Never married, no kids (that I know of), therefore more disposable income.

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This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 9 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 34)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers

kvehe said:

I have a few extra straps, more tuners than I need, and lots of strings, but that’s about it - except for my favorite mug. It says “The little voices in my head keep telling me ‘Get more ukuleles.’”.

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Oh great, now I might have to take back what I said about avoiding the uke coffee mugs.

Yes, indeedy! Every time I get involved in something, I buy lots of stuff I've never needed and probably will never ever need. Then storage becomes problem: ukuleles, tuners, tools, straps, liquid for the fretboard, liquid for the strings, cleaning cloths, magazines, sheets of music. The list goes on. It is fun, though, isn't it?

kvehe said:

I have a few extra straps, more tuners than I need...

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I never leave a tuner in a case any more. I carry several in a briefcase I bring to uke events. I also carry a combo Phillips/flat screwdriver.

ubulele said:

No UCAS here. The only uke thing I've bought which isn't actually related to playing the ukes is a baseball cap with "Ukulele" printed on it. When I've worn it, not one person has asked me about ukuleles or if I play—they must think it relates to some junior varsity sports team, in the same way that a subdivision named "Pinelake Glen" is probably situated near Yuma, with nary a pine, lake or glen in sight.


Now you've got me craving a jar of nothing, too, and maybe a special atomizing applicator.

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I have a ukulele baseball cap too, and no one except my friend that I go to coffee with every week says anything about it. Every time I wear it he says, "you're wearing your ukulele hat, have you been playing your ukulele," like I wear that hat when I play the ukulele, and forget to take it off when I go to coffee. Then I start telling him about some open mic that I did on the weekend, or someplace I played, and within minutes his eyes glaze over, he looks out the window, and I might as well be talking to myself. But if I wear that hat, that's how it starts out.

Also, coffee cups have been mentioned, I have two of those. T shirts, yep, and I don't wear them. Last fall I bought a multi tool at a uke festival, handy if I didn't already have a couple laying around. I don't count all of my amplification stuff because some of it I actually use, just the stuff that I had absolutely no reason to buy, but I bought it anyway, because it was there, it was cheap, and I was weak at the moment.

Jerryc41 said:

I never leave a tuner in a case any more. I carry several in a briefcase I bring to uke events. I also carry a combo Phillips/flat screwdriver.

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I was down there in the basement looking at it all again. I have five tuners. I'm still using the one that came in the package with my very first uke. The others have never been used. I also have a pitch pipe that I have never used. Why would I, I have five tuners?

Rllink said:

I have a ukulele baseball cap too, and no one except my friend that I go to coffee with every week says anything about it. Every time I wear it he says, "you're wearing your ukulele hat, have you been playing your ukulele," like I wear that hat when I play the ukulele, and forget to take it off when I go to coffee. Then I start telling him about some open mic that I did on the weekend, or someplace I played, and within minutes his eyes glaze over, he looks out the window, and I might as well be talking to myself. But if I wear that hat, that's how it starts out.

Also, coffee cups have been mentioned, I have two of those. T shirts, yep, and I don't wear them. Last fall I bought a multi tool at a uke festival, handy if I didn't already have a couple laying around. I don't count all of my amplification stuff because some of it I actually use, just the stuff that I had absolutely no reason to buy, but I bought it anyway, because it was there, it was cheap, and I was weak at the moment.

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Funny. I have a hat and a mug - both made by a custom online company. Our group has pens, too - Vistaprint.

When I started, I quickly developed UAS, but once I found what I was really looking for, it stopped quite abruptly.

I never got side tracked into collecting uke junk, but I did buy, & read, various uke books, some where about the history of the instrument, but most are technique.

That's as far away from the actual buying of ukes as I ever got.

I have more ukuleles than I need, but I don't have much non-utility uke swag: no caps or coffee-mugs or keychains, and just about everything gets used.

Too many gig bags, mostly because several ukuleles have come with them. I have a hard case of each size I care about for actual travel.

Too many straps, but still fewer than instruments to go on. The plan was to to keep just a few and move the strap with the instrument. The practice is that I leave straps on instruments on hangers and take them off only to go in cases. Most of the time everything is out and available to play (three cheers for moderate temperatures and humidity!)

Too many picks, because I lose them. Mostly for other instruments, but yes, I sometimes use a pick with the ukulele. I blame the cats for these going missing - I've actually seen them carrying picks around.

Too many tuners, because I lose them. I try to keep a tuner on each music stand and one in my jacket pocket. Several instruments have full-time tuners (either built in or a micro always left on). I'm pretty sure the cats have a collection of these too. Somewhere.

Too many tuning machines, because I keep buying sets that look interesting for ukes or CBGs or such and then changing my mind or switching projects, plus sets that I've saved after upgrading an instrument.

On that note, too many projects under way (a StewMac kit, two experimental uke platforms, and a lap steel, all waiting for it to get warm enough to keep working, and wood for a few more queued up).

More music books than I have time to go through. "Too many books" is an impossible condition. I've at least skimmed them all and played something from each of those.

I'm amazed at how much stuff even the cheap ukes I've bought to chop for parts come with. Extra strings, tuners, cleaning rags, etc. Did actually buy a string gauge, but I've used it on my cookie tin and banjo uke builds. Kept some boxes just because, and have extra gig bags because I buy hard cases (I drive a moped so need the protection). No caps, mugs or the like. May get a Samurai Uke teeshirt just because it's cute.

I am all in on UAS including the crap version I have books, straps, tuners, cases, strings, leis and percussion and other equipment needed to run my uke group. I even have a ukulele license plate on my car. I love playing the ukulele as you can tell. The equipment is all stored on shelves in my laundry room hallway. It's amazing how many accessories you can acquire to support playing your ukulele. So fun and totally worth it! And the best part are the ukulele friends you acquire along the way

Guilty as charged

Thanks for making me think of this Rolli. Like I need something else to ponder

Just like George Carlin's bit on "stuff".......your house is just a place for stuff......just a container for your pile of stuff that has a cover on it. Then you move to a bigger house so you can have more room for more stuff

Not a lot here - just one more cheap tuner than I have ukes, 3 song/method books and 3 sets of new strings that will eventually be used. I'm still trying to keep the UAS in check. I'm currently up to 5 and that seems like a nice number I'm trying to avoid exceeding. What I'm wrestling with now is that I'd like another uke and I'm trying to decide if I'll exceed my 5 limit or sell one off to keep things at 5. I'm kind of leaning toward the latter if I can sell one off without taking too much of a bath on it.

I want to know what that "jar of nothing" is. I might need it.

I have lots of books that I'm not currently actively using, and a few extra straps, but mostly what I have, I use: ukuleles, of course, and tuners, (I keep them scattered around so there is always one handy), strings, and, yes, t-shirts, but I wear those all the time. No mugs, no amps or related items, no caps, no files or gauges, no liquid items, and not even a jar of nothing.
My $ went mostly to the ukuleles themselves.

I went on to do a painting about ukulele. Does it count?
https://www.instagram.com/p/Br2ywymHzIC/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1myd712kjpk6v

Bought seven ukuleles. Stopped once I found what I didn't know I was looking for. Can't bring myself to sell the four I rarely use. Extra straps, too many tuners(one per uke,) a stack of books, and a pouch full of strings. These are a few of my favorite things lol

Thankfully avoided NMUCAS(non-musical ukulele crap acquisition syndrome) almost completely. I could live with a mug and a tee shirt though, and maybe one of those blocky-head figurines with a uke for my desk at work... now look what you've done!