UAS...my perspective.

mailman

mailman

Knit-wit
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I admit it. I have UAS. Most of us here on UU do. But I'm not sure it means the same thing to all of us.

I have decided that certain things just can't be argued with.

1) A great ukulele player can make an average ukulele sound good.

2) A hack ukulele player can make a great ukulele sound bad.

Put Jake Shimabukuro and I on the same stage, and have us exchange ukes. He'll make my $139 Kala sing, and I'll make his expensive custom Kamaka sound terrible, guaranteed. This is just reality. I know I'll never play like Jake, and that's okay.

The point is that I've finally decided that it's alright for me to want Kalas, or Mainlands, or Ohanas or the like. I don't have to aspire to a "big K" brand uke or a beautiful custom instrument. I can have five $300 ukes and be just as happy or happier than I would be with one $1,500 uke.

Whew! I feel better already. :D Remember, this is my perspective. Yours may be different, and that's cool, too....
 
:agree::agree::agree:
even though I do own one of the K's It has done nothing to make me a better player!!!!!
 
Last edited:
mailman said:
I admit it. I have UAS. Most of us here on UU do. But I'm not sure it means the same thing to all of us.

I have decided that certain things just can't be argued with.

1) A great ukulele player can make an average ukulele sound good.

2) A hack ukulele player can make a great ukulele sound bad.

Put Jake Shimabukuro and I on the same stage, and have us exchange ukes. He'll make my $139 Kala sing, and I'll make his expensive custom Kamaka sound terrible, guaranteed. This is just reality. I know I'll never play like Jake, and that's okay.

The point is that I've finally decided that it's alright for me to want Kalas, or Mainlands, or Ohanas or the like. I don't have to aspire to a "big K" brand uke or a beautiful custom instrument. I can have five $300 ukes and be just as happy or happier than I would be with one $1,500 uke.

Whew! I feel better already. :D Remember, this is my perspective. Yours may be different, and that's cool, too....
Click to expand...

:agree: But maybe that has something to do with my lack of funds. Your explanation sounds more philosophical though so I'm going with it.
 
I am a terrible player, but I want the biggest (figuratively of course, these are ukes we are talking about after all) and best ukes I can find, no matter the cost... That and I love electric instruments, so that is why I went for a Howlett Uklectic... and that is why I want a minimum of two more Howlett Uklectics.
 
I think you have a sensible attitude.
With so many things,including musical instruments, price goes up exponentially but actual improvement as far as the average user is concerned is only incremental.
Now, I make wooden pennywhistles that are well up there as far as price is concerned (although NOWHERE near what a custom uke, guitar, mandolin etc costs). I'll be the first to tell potential buyers that my whistles will NOT make them play any better. For those who really enjoy the hand crafting, the uniqueness of exotic wood and having something made just for them, the price is worth it. However, there are plenty of mass produced whistles that play perfectly well and lots of people are perfectly happy to stick with those. Different strokes...
 
I have to agree. Well said. I have a unique way of dealing with my UAS. I don't actualy Aquire on a permanent basis. I aquire temporarily to rebuild, refurbish, repair, and the like. It works for me. I make them as beautiful and as healthy as I can, and of course I have to strum to check my work. When I'm done, sometimes it's hard giving them back. It kinda feels like giving your adopted child back to the biological parents. I love every uke I touch as if it were my own.
 
I think you have a very healthy and wise perspective on it, for me, though it is the opposite. I can't let the expensive Kamaka and Kanile'a sit unplayed, so it actually forces me to play more, and therefore get better. I still have a LONG way to go before I consider myself a good player, but at least having spent that much gives me the motivation to continue. And probably, maybe just a tad, makes my bad playing sound a little more palatable.:eek:
 
i learned on a 30 dollar lanikai and when i knew i loved it i went out and bought a koaloha. it still is the most expensive thing i've ever purchased all on my own in my life....my reasoning was that i put so much time and effort into teaching myself this instrument that was so foreign to me and i came so far that i DESERVED to get the best (arguably, of course) uke i could at that time.
 
...

I can't even touch most ukulele's without thinking about how nice it would sound if i was playing my Da Silva instead. Most ukuleles now feel like toys compared to my custom.

Even if you aren't Jake, a fine instrument is worth EVERY penny. You WILL sound better and you will progress faster because of two reasons...

1. It is easier to play.
2. It sounds like heaven, encouraging you to play more.

If you can afford it, sell all you ukes and buy your dream custom. It will be worth it.
 
mailman said:
.....
1) A great ukulele player can make an average ukulele sound good.

2) A hack ukulele player can make a great ukulele sound bad.
....
Click to expand...
I agree 100%

mailman said:
....
I can have five $300 ukes and be just as happy or happier than I would be with one $1,500 uke.
...
Click to expand...
I thought this too until I played some $1500 ukes.
 
i agree, but you buy what you can afford. If you can afford a hawaiian K (and want one), get one. If you want afford a ohana, get one.
If you can afford it, and feel its worth the money, you should buy it. They'll hold their value.

I only played about for about 6 months when decided to purchase my tenor koaloha; never will regret it. And Definitely will be purchasing more K's. Why? because I can :) The way I see it, I've only been playing for 1 year so far. Unless I lose my hands or arms in a freak accident anytime soon, I'm going to still be playing with all my heart and learning to become better. And if I do happen to lose my hands and fingers.. or arms, I'll learn with my feet. And it it so happens that I lose all of my appendages that allow me to play the uke, by god I will learn how to play with my nose and tongue. The ukulele, I will not quit. So If I'm going to play for the rest of my life until I'm pushing up daisies.. well, I might as well satisfy my UAS with something incredible.. that way, it'll sty at bay for longer... :)
 
I hope to one day own a nice custom ukulele.But until then, I'm happy with my Kala.
 
I think there are good instruments in just about every price range. But I think you'd be short changing yourself if you don't at least try some of the best (usually most expensive) instruments that you can afford. There are usually some pretty good reasons why a given instrument is in a given price bracket. But it's hard to find out without getting your hands on one of them. Of course, after trying the stuff at the upper end of affordability for you, you might decide you can live without them, but at least then you would know for sure.
 
I actually agree with mailman, but in full disclosure, until tomorrow when my mainland gets here, I will have never played a solid wood uke. In all honesty it will likely be the most expensive and nicest ukulele I will ever play. A lot of us don't live in an area where ukuleles are common, and so playing before we buy is out of the question. If i got to play a K_____, I may change my mind and decide I want to buy one, but the only way I'd ever get my hands on a uke that nice is to first buy it online.
 
mailman said:
The point is that I've finally decided that it's alright for me to want Kalas, or Mainlands, or Ohanas or the like. I don't have to aspire to a "big K" brand uke or a beautiful custom instrument. I can have five $300 ukes and be just as happy or happier than I would be with one $1,500 uke.
Click to expand...

Absolutely!!

I think MGM's recent blind uke test is a very good illustration that one does not need to pay huge dollars, or even get solid wood, to get a good sounding instrument.

Most of us aren't in a situation where the subtle difference in sustain, highs, lows, etc. will be noticed, much less really matter.

So buy a uke whose sound you like, that is comfortable, at a price you can afford, try different strings until you find a sound you really like, learn how to tune it (Please!) , work on technique, build your repertoire, listen to music, listen to more music, practice, practice, practice. You'll have a blast (and so will others around you).

One day you'll wake up and it will dawn upon you that somewhere along the way you became a musician.
 
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