Want to upgrade my Uke

brUKEman

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I currently have an Ohana Tenor which I have been learning on. It is nice, but then again it's the only Uke I've played. I'm looking to upgrade to a better quality tenor. The more I look the more confused I get. I liked the Koaloha which was about $1,000 and the Moore Bettah which was about $1700. I liked the idea of the side sound port on the Moore Bettah as I am getting up in years and the hearing isn't as good as it once was. I want to get by as cheap as possible but still have a quality easy playable uke that I can keep for years. I am not rushing out to buy anthing yet as I am only in the beginning stages of my search. Would I even notice the different going from $300 uke to a $1000. one. At what pricepoint are you paying for the bling and not the sound. Any input or feedback or other brands to look at will be appreciated.
 
there will be a massive difference between the ohana and a k brand or custom
 
If you have $1000 to $1700 to spend on a uke, go for it. I've got it stuck in my head right now, but a very fine luthier by the name of Dave Talsma quoted me $1000 for this martin concert replica this evening: http://www.davetalsma.com/concert3k.htm You can't go wrong with that, if you've got the money to spend. But if you really want something nice for less than that, you need to either buy used, or maybe downsize to a concert and look at some of the offerings there. Kiwaya has a nice concert for $695. Kamaka, a real beaut for $820. Koaloha $710.
 
Yeah, you can definitely tell the difference between 300 and 1000 dollar ukes. If you want to go cheap as possible with the best sound, probably just an off the shelf K brand tenor is the way to go. No bling, just their standard models like the Kanilea K1-T, Kamaka HF-3 with no appointments, Koaloha Tenor. And for that, you're looking at just under 1000 MSRP, although street prices may differ.

If you want to go a little lower, Mele, and Pono are also good brands to look at, especially in their higher end models.
 
If you're getting a custom, you're consulting with the luthier about what you want and having an instrument tailored to you. That's the difference between them. If you have up to 1K, you can look at one of the K's which IMO would still be a good buy. Is there a difference between a $300 instrument and one costing 3x or 4x as much? You'll have varying opinions, but I would say there would be in terms of sound, build and playability.
 
If you have $1000 to $1700 to spend on a uke, go for it. I've got it stuck in my head right now, but a very fine luthier by the name of Dave Talsma quoted me $1000 for this martin concert replica this evening: http://www.davetalsma.com/concert3k.htm You can't go wrong with that, if you've got the money to spend. But if you really want something nice for less than that, you need to either buy used, or maybe downsize to a concert and look at some of the offerings there. Kiwaya has a nice concert for $695. Kamaka, a real beaut for $820. Koaloha $710.

Thanks for sharing the link. I just looked at some of his custom stuff and was blown away by his creativity. Seems like if you can think it he can build it. That pineapple is one of the nicest I've seen next to the koaloha pineapple sunday.
 
Pineapple sunday is a bute, Cant go wrong there.... The thing with ukuleles at around 1k are that you are better off going big if your committing to that price range. UAS is a motha, lol, after you buy one, you will want another uke right after....
 
Very Helpful

Thanks for all the info so far. I guess the first thing I need to figure out is if I want a Concert or a Tenor. I own a Tenor but have never played a Concert as the few music stores I've been in have never had one. For me the benefits of the Tenor are the louder and deeper sound. I have short fingers so I am thinking that the Concert would benefit me in that area (or maybe I would find the frets too narrow for my chubby fingers).

For those of you who have gone from a Tenor to a Concert as your main uke, do you have any regrets?
 
I would go with the Moore Bettah, no question. I own one (a tenor) and am amazed at the sound and the quality. It's hard to find them available, as the ones that hit retail (whether stores, ebay, craigslist, etc.) seem to sell as fast as Chuck finishes them (and he has a long waiting list if you want him to build one per your spec). So if you know of one available, I recommend running, not walking, to go get it. Especially one with the side sound-port, which I think is magical - since it doesn't at all cut down on volume or sound quality for the listener (out in front) but does increase both for the player (and I have a/b'd this with two MBs: one with the side sound port and one without).
 
To keep you updated, I decided on a Koaloha Tenor ukulele which I found at http://www.acousticvibesmusic.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=170_180. It was pre-owned but dated January 2009 and is in mint condition. Price including shipping & hard case was $745. I thought that was a pretty good deal as a new Koaloha tenor goes for $950 if you can even find one. Should be receiving it in about 2 days at which time I can check it out and I then have 2 days to return it if I decide not to keep it.

Note: They still have a couple of Pre-owned Koaloha Scepters which are also reasonable.

I will give you the review of my new uke after I get to play with it. I also have to figure out a name.

The sad part is that I'll have to say goodbye to my 3 month old Ohana TG-35G.
Part of the deal with convincing my wife to let me get the new uke was that I had to sell the first one. It is like new and I will be posting it soon for $200 for the uke, case & extra set of Aquila strings. Anyone interested let me know.
 
Thanks for posting the link to Dave Talsma's site. I never thought of buying a custom uke before - and now I am intrigued.
 
If you have $1000 to $1700 to spend on a uke, go for it. I've got it stuck in my head right now, but a very fine luthier by the name of Dave Talsma quoted me $1000 for this martin concert replica this evening: http://www.davetalsma.com/concert3k.htm You can't go wrong with that, if you've got the money to spend. But if you really want something nice for less than that, you need to either buy used, or maybe downsize to a concert and look at some of the offerings there. Kiwaya has a nice concert for $695. Kamaka, a real beaut for $820. Koaloha $710.

Whoa! Only $1000 for that Talsma? I realize $1000 is not chump change, but I've always assumed Talsmas are a lot more than that. Hmmmm........:D
 
1k for a Glyph? Maybe Mahogany is cheaper? Dave's Koa builds start at about $1200.
 
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