Enable my UAS.

Oh, I finally caught UAS.

I've been saving up for a new ukulele for a little while now. I've got one of the lower end Flea concerts and I've been wanting a tenor. Originally, I was saving up for the Kala KA-ASMT-C (solid mahogany w/ PU). But my wife said something to me the other night that made me pause and I've been questioning my soon-to-be purchase, she said "Are you sure you've been playing long enough to fully appreciate the sound of a solid wood instrument over a laminate?" Now, you might think she was trying to get me to spend less money but no, she thinks I should go with the Kala laminate tenor and baritone. Get two sizes, for the price of one and gain more experience with a different tuning at the same time. I've been playing for a few months now, play daily and really love it. Can someone who is still a relative newb appreciate a solid wood instrument or is it more important at this stage to get a feel for different sizes and tunings?

I'm really torn because I think she may have a point but we're not loaded and it'll be a while before I can save up enough to get the solid wood. Then again, I may find I prefer concerts and be happy I didn't spend a whole mess of money on a Tenor solid wood.

So, opinions? No music stores in my area carry Kala or any solid wood ukuleles (all laminates) so I'm relying and YouTube videos and UU.

There is a place in Arlington called Action Music that has a couple of Kanilea ukes. I haven't been there in a few months but thier site says they still have them. At least you could try out some quality ukes.

As for buying two less espensive ukulele over one "better" ukulele. You would get to try out some different sizes and might get a feel for which size you prefer. Then in the end you will probably want to upgrade to a solid uke and will have to save up for that.

You might think about a solid top instrument as a middle ground.

dnewton2 said:

There is a place in Arlington called Action Music that has a couple of Kanilea ukes. I haven't been there in a few months but thier site says they still have them. At least you could try out some quality ukes.

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A fellow Northern Virginian... Sweet! Much thanks!

The only stores I knew of in the area are Melodee, Guitar Center and Reston Music. I've been in each a few times and all they seem to carry are the really lower end brands of ukulele. Actually, Reston claims they carry Lanikai but they never have them in stock. Thanks for the tip, I'll be sure to take a spin out to Arlington and see if they have any Kanilea's in stock that I can try.

Even as a relative newbie, I think you should be able to appreciate the difference between a laminated uke versus a solid wood one. I started playing about 2.5 years ago and started with an all laminate super-soprano. I got a Flea and a solid wood Pono within a couple of months after that and have never bought another laminate uke (that would be 20+ more ukes ) until I got a Fender earlier this year to leave a my parents house. In my experience I have always preferred the sound of a solid wood ukulele. And since most of the time a solid wood instrument is "higher-end" compared to a laminate, you usually get better workmanship, playability, etc. that comes with that as well.

I think it's better to learn on a single tuning first, best quality you can afford. If you love it and you continue, THEN consider the baritone. Better to start with good stuff and not upgrade like mad (like I did).

Also, any reason you really need the pickup? If you can do without it, you could still get a solid wood uke and have some $$ leftover.

ukeatan said:

Also, any reason you really need the pickup? If you can do without it, you could still get a solid wood uke and have some $$ leftover.

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I have a little 15W tube amp that I use for my harmonica/blues stuff; it'd be nice to be able to use it for something else. There's no pressing need outside of that though... I've been toying with that idea too.

Go with the pickup. I have found that even though I may not always need to play with a pickup (actually, since I don't gig, I never actually NEED a pickup) but it's fun to play amplified and be able to use effects. And if you already have a pickup in one of your ukes and you decide to eventually start gigging, you don't have to worry about making an emergency purchase.

And yes, you'll be able to appreciate a better uke. I had been playing for only about six months when I decided to buy my first quality uke (and still my best instrument) a Kanilea K1-T. And yes, I could appreciate it, and you sort of grow into it. Go for it!

Pickup? You could always go for one of those removable stick-on soundboard transducers. They actually sound quite good with ukes - and will work with all of 'em.

+1 to buying one really nice uke rather than two mediocre ones.

I vote for a nice ukulele and get a pickup installed now. You'll want all that anyway so get it now and save yourself some money -- you'll just keep buying ukes until you get a good one. Everyone seems to.

I had a pickup installed when I got my KoAloha. I decided it was better to have that done with the purchase rather than later so it would be included in the warranty.

That said, give MGM a call. Tell him what you're looking for. He's the man!

I'm closing in on senior citizen status. Have relatively little musical experience. Will probably never play the Ukulele with anyone around other then my wife -and- wish I had gotten my Ukulele with a pickup.

Thanks everyone!

I'm definitely going to go for the nicer solid mahogany uke with the pick-up! I'll post some pictures once I get it.

And sukie, I'll definitely be talking to MGM. Thanks again everyone! :cheers:

There is also a shop around Richmond if you go down there ever. Here is he eBay store. He has some Pono, Kala, Fleas and Flukes and some more brands. You could probably find something and you would get to try it out first. I am pretty sure you can go to his place.

If you are looking to play before you pay, hit up deach. If there is a hidden uke shop in the area I bet he would know about it.

edit: MGM hooks it up too.

sound quality IMO is always going to be in the ears of the listener. i have an all solid mahogany pono and an all solid koa pili koko that both sound great IMO. but theyre nothing compared to the tone i receive from my $175 leolani with laminate sides. then again, my lanikai with a solid spruce top is not really on my top favs in terms of sound quality. when i was shopping for my first ukulele, i actually chose my leolani over a $400 ukulele that had almost as good a sound. but in the end the leolani won over.

my point is, just because its a solid wood instrument, it doesnt necessarily guarantee its going to sound better. ive been blown away by cheaper instruments. when i was shopping for a taylor guitar, i chose a $600 yamaha over the $1500 taylor i was eyeing because it had a sweeter sound to MY ears. and then again, there was a $200 washburn that i was just drooling over soundwise, but couldnt bring myself to buy because i just dont fit onto a dreadnought guitar.

in the end, if you have the means, look over what is available to you at your local shops. maybe one of those instruments is THE right one for you. as you are trying the different sizes and listening to the different sounds of each... remember DONT LOOK AT THE PRICE YET. a lot of times people associate quality with price and think that the more it costs... the better it must sound. let YOUR HEART tell you which sounds the best and feels the best TO YOU... then look at the price and figure out how much you need to save up. in the end, you cannot put a price on the bond between you and your instrument once you have found the perfect one.

Good advice, NukeDOC -- as always. +1

I would certainly recommend a nicer instrument with a professionally installed pickup and preamp. But one element that is often overlooked is playing ability. Someone with a lot more experience than me played my flea a few weeks ago and it sounded beautiful. Nothing like the clumsy sound I get out of it. There were many flukes at the Ukulele World COngress this past weekend and folks like Deach and RussBuss were getting them to sound beautiful.

Ask yourself if you have the skills to make a nice uke sound nice. I have a $400 Bushman Cedar Tone tenor that sits in its case now because I finally decided I really like the way sopranos play and sound. I carefully researched the quality and sound of custom ukes, found the maker that understood my needs and got in line. It was quite an investment, but I couldn't be happier. I also figure that as I get less clumsy the great sound will improve even more.

I think you should research it even more, listen to sound clips and play whatever you can get your hands on. I think you'll learn the woods, sizes and quality to the point that there will be no doubt in your mind what uke you want.