what ukulele should i buy?

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windchimetime

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i just started playing a month ago, i have a soprano makala, i can play quite a few songs because i already played guitar (& to be honest, i left my guitars for the uke, lol its so fun!)
anyways, im interested in either a soprano applause (i heard its electric to0?)
or a jenny concert bushman!

they are both around the same price so thats not a problem...
but what would be a good step up from my $40 makala?
also, ive been trying to learn jake's as my guitar gently weeps so can i play more with a concert since there are more frets?


...and how come there is only one jenny bushman on the site? im looking for the one julia nunes has (not copying, i just like the look better)
hers had the tuning pegs on the side of the uke instead of attached to the back and they were black not silver....was hers custom or something?





my budget is around 250 dollars....but im really stuck on picking one of these!
 
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Have a read on this thread, should provide you with additional info. What's your budget anyway? Makes a difference in choices.
 
windchimetime said:
...and how come there is only one jenny bushman on the site? im looking for the one julia nunes has (not copying, i just like the look better)
hers had the tuning pegs on the side of the uke instead of attached to the back and they were black not silver....was hers custom or something?
Click to expand...

What site are you referring to?
 
Having not played or seen either, I would go with the bushman. People that have them have a lot of good things to say about them. Plus I love concerts. But that is just my opinion. I am sure they are both fine instrments and both a step up from the makala.
 
dnewton2 said:
Having not played or seen either, I would go with the bushman. People that have them have a lot of good things to say about them. Plus I love concerts. But that is just my opinion. I am sure they are both fine instrments and both a step up from the makala.
Click to expand...

what do you think about acoustic/electric ukes, do they sound different?
the applause is acoustic and electric but its a soprano
 
windchimetime said:
what do you think about acoustic/electric ukes, do they sound different?
the applause is acoustic and electric but its a soprano
Click to expand...

It is really nice being able to plug in from time to time. Especially when you are jamming with larger instruments such as horns or guitars. Having the pick-up installed in the instrument is not going to effect the acoustic sound of it over much.

As for the quality of the ovation instruments, I like them. I don't own one of the ukes (I have played them and have a hard time not buying one), but I have had one of their guitars around from time to time. They are very good at the combo acoustic electric thing. If you shop around you will find you can buy one of their ukes in the concert size as well if that is what you want.
 
KC8AFW said:
To answer your Bushman question...they come with friction tuners (the ones on the back). If you order geared tuners from the accessories section at the same time...they will install them for you.

I wanted a Jenny until I discovered Mainland Ukes. I have this one: http://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/product.sc;jsessionid=72C4C534D832E2EE66208ABD913B8BF5.qscstrfrnt02?categoryId=3&productId=9

And the owner is a forum member. Super nice guy, too.
Click to expand...

thanks! thats the answer i was looking for! so if i buy geared tuners they will install it without me asking? and do you know if all jennys are the same model, because i noticed some also have the while border around it and some are really glossy looking.

and i really like that mainland uke but does it have that warm tone the bushmans have?
 
windchimetime said:
thanks! thats the answer i was looking for! so if i buy geared tuners they will install it without me asking? and do you know if all jennys are the same model, because i noticed some also have the while border around it and some are really glossy looking.

and i really like that mainland uke but does it have that warm tone the bushmans have?
Click to expand...

I'll answer your last question first...the Mainland I have has a really nice, warm tone. Here's a thread from when I got mine. But I don't have a Jenny, so I can't really give you a comparison. If you call Mainland Ukes, they can tell you how the tone compares to the Jenny. Based on the YouTube videos I've seen...I'd say they are comparable. There are lots of UU members that have Mainland ukes...so you should be able to find a video to hear how they sound. Here's a video I could find quickly.

As far as I know...Bushman only has the Jenny now, and they all have the white body binding and a gloss finish.

Hope this helps.
 
According to some sources, the Mainland and the Bushman are nearly identical for the most obvious reason possible - except that Mainland has more attractive binding and a more attractive price tag. As well as the awesome support of Mike and Tookta, who by all accounts are awesome people.
 
KC8AFW said:
I'll answer your last question first...the Mainland I have has a really nice, warm tone. Here's a thread from when I got mine. But I don't have a Jenny, so I can't really give you a comparison. If you call Mainland Ukes, they can tell you how the tone compares to the Jenny. Based on the YouTube videos I've seen...I'd say they are comparable. There are lots of UU members that have Mainland ukes...so you should be able to find a video to hear how they sound. Here's a video I could find quickly.

As far as I know...Bushman only has the Jenny now, and they all have the white body binding and a gloss finish.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
thanks for the help, i think im going to go with the mainland, sound to me like its the same as the bushman, they even look identical, & i really like the rope boarder
 
RevWill said:
According to some sources, the Mainland and the Bushman are nearly identical for the most obvious reason possible - except that Mainland has more attractive binding and a more attractive price tag. As well as the awesome support of Mike and Tookta, who by all accounts are awesome people.
Click to expand...

ahh, theres so many ukuleles around, its so hard to choose =(
how about those flea ukes? i was just shopping for ukes on this site and i saw a "denim flea" looked really nice, i think it has a pickup too
 
I have both a concert Flea and a concert Mainland. I like the Mainland MUCH better.

Flea: Pros
Don't get me wrong, I like the Flea, and it has its advantages. For one, it's mostly plastic, so I don't feel I have to baby it, and would feel comfortable traveling with it. I think it sounds good, though a "fatter" tone than you expect from a uke. It has a nice, harp-ish ring to it.

Flea: Cons
Well, it's mostly plastic. :eek:;) See, good and bad. The "bad" part here is the plastic fretboard. It's all one-piece molded plastic, and the frets blend into the fretboard. This didn't really bother me much at first, but it bothers me a little more as time goes on. Upgrading to rosewood is an option, but bumps it into another price range. Another thing is that the frets are farther apart than they are on my Mainland uke. This can be good or bad, depending on what you like. One other thing about the back being plastic is that it can be a little slippery to hold onto sometimes, but it can be managed.

Mainland: Pros
Solid wood at a great price. With Mainland, you get a choice between friction or geared tuners - no additional charge. Intonation is great. I honestly don't know if I could be happier with this uke. Plus, Mike and Tookta are a pleasure to deal with - answered questions quickly and it shipped fast too.

Mainland: Cons
Honestly, I can't think of any right off at the moment. I think I might like to lower the action a little, but it's actually about the same as the Flea. I wouldn't call this a flaw though. I'm just very happy with it overall.

Since getting my Mainland, I hardly ever play the Flea.

Let me say though that neither of mine are electric, so I don't have any experience with that.

Hope that helps!
Jason
 
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Jason Paul said:
I have both a concert Flea and a concert Mainland. I like the Mainland MUCH better.

Flea: Pros
Don't get me wrong, I like the Flea, and it has its advantages. For one, it's mostly plastic, so I don't feel I have to baby it, and would feel comfortable traveling with it. I think it sounds good, though a "fatter" tone than you expect from a uke. It has a nice, harp-ish ring to it.

Flea: Cons
Well, it's mostly plastic. :eek:;) See, good and bad. The "bad" part here is the plastic fretboard. It's all one-piece molded plastic, and the frets blend into the fretboard. This didn't really bother me much at first, but it bothers me a little more as time goes on. Upgrading to rosewood is an option, but bumps it into another price range. Another thing is that the frets are farther apart than they are on my Mainland uke. This can be good or bad, depending on what you like. One other thing about the back being plastic is that it can be a little slippery to hold onto sometimes, but it can be managed.

Mainland: Pros
Solid wood at a great price. With Mainland, you get a choice between friction or geared tuners - no additional charge. Intonation is great. I honestly don't know if I could be happier with this uke. Plus, Mike and Tookta are a pleasure to deal with - answered questions quickly and it shipped fast too.

Mainland: Cons
Honestly, I can't think of any right off at the moment. I think I might like to lower the action a little, but it's actually about the same as the Flea. I wouldn't call this a flaw though. I'm just very happy with it overall.

Since getting my Mainland, I hardly ever play the Flea.

Let me say though that neither of mine are electric, so I don't have any experience with that.

Hope that helps!
Jason
Click to expand...

yea thats why i was considering the flea, it looks more durable for me and i dont really need anything fancy or anything, i probably wont even take it out of my home anyway but i would be so afraid of breaking these nice mahogany ukes
 
windchimetime said:
yea thats why i was considering the flea, it looks more durable for me and i dont really need anything fancy or anything, i probably wont even take it out of my home anyway but i would be so afraid of breaking these nice mahogany ukes
Click to expand...

I don't think I'd worry that much about it. I'm not nearly as careful as I'd like to be...and end up banging my Mainland around. That's why I got the gloss finish. It's pretty durable as far a bumping it into chairs, doors and walls. I would not, however, recommend using it as a flyswatter.;)
 
KC8AFW said:
I don't think I'd worry that much about it. I'm not nearly as careful as I'd like to be...and end up banging my Mainland around. That's why I got the gloss finish. It's pretty durable as far a bumping it into chairs, doors and walls. I would not, however, recommend using it as a flyswatter.;)
Click to expand...

lol =D
kk, this site actually helped me out, i decided to go with the mainland, can't wait to play it!!
 
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