This both is and isn't a beginner's question. It is in so far that I don't have a clue as to what the real difference is, and it isn't in so far as this isn't a "what ukulele should I buy" thread. I have two, and they're fine. Ultimately, I may be questioning the value of an expensive ukulele when compared to the cheap alternatives. So, what do I mean by "cheap" and "expensive"?
For purposes of this thread, let's say cheap is somewhere between $100 and $400, inclusive. That covers most of the decent to very nice Kala's, Ohana's, and the like ($400's actually a little high). Also for purposes of this thread, let's say expensive is $500 on up. That seems to be where the inexpensive Kamakas, Koaloha, and the like, start (and $500 might be a little low). We all, of course, have our own definitions of cheap and expensive, depending on our personal budgets, but these two groups I've identified have some overlap in terms of what is offered for these amounts of money. For example, $180 will get you an all mahogany Ohana, where $1800 will get you an all mahogany Martin. That's an extreme example, but it illustrates the point.
The question, then, is, what does 10x the cost get me? I am a beginner, so I wouldn't necessarily know the difference, but I've been to Elderly Instruments several times and played around with some Martins (including 80 year old Martins, one of them absolutely beat to hell and back and still costing $500), and while I can hear a difference, I'm not convinced it's a difference worth the money.
Perhaps a little background to this question will help with the cogitation. As a beginner, I bought what I thought was a decent Ukulele at a reasonable price. The more I play it, the more I like it, the better I get, the more I think, someday I'll spring for a really nice one. Which brings me to the thought, what's so great about those really nice ones that I'd want to spend many times more for one?
For purposes of this thread, let's say cheap is somewhere between $100 and $400, inclusive. That covers most of the decent to very nice Kala's, Ohana's, and the like ($400's actually a little high). Also for purposes of this thread, let's say expensive is $500 on up. That seems to be where the inexpensive Kamakas, Koaloha, and the like, start (and $500 might be a little low). We all, of course, have our own definitions of cheap and expensive, depending on our personal budgets, but these two groups I've identified have some overlap in terms of what is offered for these amounts of money. For example, $180 will get you an all mahogany Ohana, where $1800 will get you an all mahogany Martin. That's an extreme example, but it illustrates the point.
The question, then, is, what does 10x the cost get me? I am a beginner, so I wouldn't necessarily know the difference, but I've been to Elderly Instruments several times and played around with some Martins (including 80 year old Martins, one of them absolutely beat to hell and back and still costing $500), and while I can hear a difference, I'm not convinced it's a difference worth the money.
Perhaps a little background to this question will help with the cogitation. As a beginner, I bought what I thought was a decent Ukulele at a reasonable price. The more I play it, the more I like it, the better I get, the more I think, someday I'll spring for a really nice one. Which brings me to the thought, what's so great about those really nice ones that I'd want to spend many times more for one?