Jonesin' to Buy Another Uke ... Already =/

the.ronin

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Wow I've been playing for just about a month ... whoa just checked the calendar and I think it was actually a month ago from this day that I picked up a uke at a shop in Maui out of curiosity. :D

Anyway, I'm already itchin to buy a tenor. I've got a concert right now and played a tenor at a local shop and really liked the lower tone. Am I going a little crazy here? And if I do happen to get one, is it always best to just spend a little more on a solid as opposed to a laminate? I definitely don't want to spend more than the $280 ish I spent on my concert.
 
Uh oh... Someone's been bit by the UAS bug! :D What kinda uke do you have now? Have you looked into Mainlands? I don't own one (yet), but have heard nothing but great things about them. All solid at a good price.
 
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Yes I've heard of this UAS you speak of. :D

I've got a Cordoba 25ck right now. Thanks for the advice!

I was also looking at the Makala Tenor Ukulele over at MGM although I could probably go a little but upstream in price if that's too much of a compromise.
 
Be very very careful

You might be aware that Toubisard had a lot to say about the dangers of UAS. Try to resist it. Look at pictures any thing to keep your mind off you next uke.
Let me know what you buy.
 
Don't fight it...it only makes it worse. :eek:

I had only been playing for about a month when I upgraded from my Lanikai LU-21 soprano to my Mainland mahogany concert. I would give Mainland some serious consideration for the price range you mentioned.

Post pictures when you get one. :D
 
im also looking to upgrade from my leolani. i first bought a soprano. then the c string broke. i went back to get another set of strings and this 1 tenor caught me eye. i ended up buying that one two. this was bout 2ish months ago. after extensive practice sessions with my buddies at work i think im ready for an upgrade. i got a few of my other friends interested in the uke so they wanna buy my old ones. im gonna sell them my tenor for cheap so they can jam out with me on down time. anyways, back to the subject at hand. i think i can be comfortable spending about 300, maybe 350 on a new uke. suggestions for brands are a go as of now. i heard mainland, but they are hard to find here in guam sometimes. i have to go back and check out what the uke store carries here. when i went last time i was a total noob and didnt bother paying attention. lol. let me know what to keep my eyes out for. thanx in advance.
 
I've got the bug too, lol. I love my Ohana concert. If I was to get another, I'd get an Ohana or Makala (possibly Kala) tenor. But I also want a Pineapple, Fluke, guitar.... :D
 
So I’ve got my eye on the Pono Ohai over at MGM. I really like the sound from the YouTube videos although I did come across one less than positive review here on UU.

As an aside, I’m curious why does he have the same ukes posted at different prices? Both are marked as new. Is it an eBay Jedi mind trick?

Anyway, I’m looking at that Pono and also the Lanakai mohagony. Not sure which. In either case, She Who Must Be Obeyed is not pleased. :( Although I keep trying to tell her that I could spend less now and just end up buying a more expensive one later or just buy the more expensive one now.
 
I picked up a Lanikai tenor with the solid spruce top over at Island Legends in Torrance (California). I was tossed up between that and a Kala spruce top - the "travel size" thin guy that looked and sounded really good too. Ultimately I went with the Lanikai cos it just felt better playing and sounded more like what I wanted.

It came with GHS strings but I strung it with some Aquila low G, C wound. Being a super beginner that's just started getting used to a Cordoba concert strung high G (Worth brown), this low G stuff is going to take a while getting used to. I'm gonna let the Aquilas break in but I might swap out to some Worths since I really like how those strings are sounding.

Ok time for some uke p*** ...

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:D
 
Wow I've been playing for just about a month ... whoa just checked the calendar and I think it was actually a month ago from this day that I picked up a uke at a shop in Maui out of curiosity. :D

Anyway, I'm already itchin to buy a tenor. I've got a concert right now and played a tenor at a local shop and really liked the lower tone. Am I going a little crazy here? And if I do happen to get one, is it always best to just spend a little more on a solid as opposed to a laminate? I definitely don't want to spend more than the $280 ish I spent on my concert.

You sound perfectly normal to me. Don't fight it! Resistance is futile. If you want to cool the fire, go to your local ukulele store and take a few on a test drive. Sometimes, I actually have cooled the symptoms of my UAS using that method. Sometimes I came home with a new uke. It's all good. There is nothing like seeing and playing in person to help you decide what is right for you. If you see one you love in person, go for it. If not, you can transfer that knowledge to online shopping.

–Lori
 
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Lori, another thing that works really good is I just balance my checkbook. :D:(

I'm pretty stoked on the Lanikai tenor but am on the fence about the Aquilas in low G. I think I can get used to playing low G but the Aquilas are just too "brite" for my taste. But I'm not sure if that's just because they are new, the sound of the tenor, my noob ears, or some combination thereof. The Worths on my Cordoba are really really starting to sound so nice. That's the sound I want on the tenor but in a lower range obviously. I'll give it a couple weeks before I put in an order of low G Worths.
 
ronin I don't like the aquilas either and am about to try the low g aquila set on one of my tenors. i prefer low g setting but it does take a little time to get used to the low g for first time hearers of the low g sound. Worths are great strings I have my koaloha strung with worth clears. Next set of strings for all my ukes will be worths.
 
Heh. I don't have any excess income yet still managed to upgrade from a First Act ukulele I bought at Toys'R'Us to a Makala Dolphin Soprano, after only a month.

It was hard, though. There was a concert neck flea in just the color I want at the shop that carried the Makalas… and the price was great. But alas, that powerful duo of the "balanced checkbook" and "hungry children" won out over UAS.

There is also a local shop that carries Mainland out here. Nice instruments. I wanted two…

I was sad to let the First Act go, but I had a friend who was interested and it gave me an excuse to get the Makala (which sounds Magical thanks to the Dolphin Bridge).

So UAS effects even those of us with only a single ukulele. It calls to you in your sleep. And when on the Internet. Or working. Or playing ukulele.
 
Lovely looking Ukuleles. Nice choice of quality good looking instruments. What did you think of the Kala travel uke? Have you got a favorite between the Cordoba and the Lanikai?
 
Lori, another thing that works really good is I just balance my checkbook. :D:(

I'm pretty stoked on the Lanikai tenor but am on the fence about the Aquilas in low G. I think I can get used to playing low G but the Aquilas are just too "brite" for my taste. But I'm not sure if that's just because they are new, the sound of the tenor, my noob ears, or some combination thereof. The Worths on my Cordoba are really really starting to sound so nice. That's the sound I want on the tenor but in a lower range obviously. I'll give it a couple weeks before I put in an order of low G Worths.

I like having both high G and low G ukes. I have different songs to play for each tuning (for melodic arrangements).

I prefer Worth Clear, but I might try out the Worth Brown strings sometime soon for the Zebrawood soprano. I just took Aquillas off of that one to try out the Worth Clear. But the sound might still be a bit harsh on the high end, and the Browns might be perfect for that one.

–Lori
 
That's a great looking uke. Have fun with it. I would leave the low G on for a while and see if it grows on you. Also, you may want to consider buying ANOTHER tenor so you can have one low G and one high G....just a thought.
 
I like having both high G and low G ukes. I have different songs to play for each tuning (for melodic arrangements).

–Lori

I have two high G and one low. Soon I will have three high. Every time I pick up the low G, something sounds wrong and I can't quite get used to it.

My tenors all sound a bit different from one another anyway. I have a Kala, Ohana, and Fender.

But when the occasion arises, I am not averse to changing back.
 
Thanks all for the great feedback. Well after some consideration, something was just not sitting right with the Lanikai. Suffice to say, I'm far too beginner to even try to articulate it. I had considered giving it some time to settle in but then I thought any chance, if at all, that the uke store I purchased it from would allow me to exchange it would diminish rapidly.

As luck would have it, they would allow me to exchange it so I took it back planning on giving the Kala spruce top "travel" uke another strum. But then the another Kala, an all solid lacewood caught my eye and then my ears as soon as I strummed it.

So without further adieu, uke p*** dart deux ...

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And I am not exchanging this one. :D
 
Ok I think I've rounded out my humble little uke collection for now adding a Lanikai LU-11 as my "daily driver" ... this will be the guy I take around with me surfing and leaving in the car now and then.

So now I've got my Cordoba concert, Kala tenor (low g), and Lanikai soprano ... all strung with Worth browns.

No more ukes.

For now.

Maybe. :D
 
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