No More "Just By Sound Samples"

luvdat

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Recently a great thread about the need for better sound samples. Agreed. But have made a new resolution: no more "just by samples." Frankly, this early on I won't buy it if I can't play it first. Why?

Even in modest price ukes, quality control issues, "variances" that for me even in a $90 uke are unacceptable.

In upper end solid woods, there is considerable variance in tone projection between instruments...

I also think the whole sound sample thing perpetuates the sale of ukes which would otherwise be more critically judged and rejected.

I can understand that someone would putchase a Flea or a Kiwaya based on reputation. But I could not apply this approach to relatively new companies that experiment, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.
 
Enjoy your trip to Hawaii.

Believe me I get it. But I'm also not a huge fan of Hawaiian paternalism esp. in the sale and manufacturing (in China?) of modest priced ukes. Since the 1920's the uke has been played all over the world. It's time that in 2010 it's more readily available vs. distributors which have semi-monopolies with preorders and then bestow a seal of approval on what's good, etc.. Last time I looked Hawaii is also one of the 50 states. The fact that the uke is more popular in Hawaii than in the mainland as well as the distinctive history of Hawaiian luthiers, companies...I appreciate. I also appreciate the luthiers of Japan, Germany and yes, Martins of years gone by.

What this view perputates in particular is a relative trickle of options in stores and allows companies even of which I'm a fan of (Kala) to almost blind buy- sell some relative duds.

As an aside, I think the most particularly Hawaiian uke is a pineapple more than simply koa. In some ways there's more money to be made in the selling of modest priced ukes over the net because then things get less critical and people can easily "learn to love it."
 
Taking the risk is part of the fun :D
 
Frankly, this early on I won't buy it if I can't play it first.
If I had that attitude my choices would be 2 cheap Hilos or 1 decent Cordoba, all carried by Guitar Center. Their lack of knowledge is almost shocking.

Sorry, but I am extremely happy with the internet and that I have a choice to buy sight unseen & sound unheard (at least in person). Are my ukes set up like MGM would do it? I doubt it, but then again, I don't know the difference! :eek:
 
If I had that attitude my choices would be 2 cheap Hilos or 1 decent Cordoba, all carried by Guitar Center. Their lack of knowledge is almost shocking.

Sorry, but I am extremely happy with the internet and that I have a choice to buy sight unseen & sound unheard (at least in person). Are my ukes set up like MGM would do it? I doubt it, but then again, I don't know the difference! :eek:

My sentiments exactly. Too many ukes out there to limit myself to only those I can try first.
 
I would very much like to see manufacturers/sellers do good quality video/sound clips for comparison. Nevertheless, I have no prob with buying online.

If I don't like what arrives I send it back and try something else. OK, I take the hit on shipping costs, but that's fair. The seller shouldn't have to pay returns unless the instrument is faulty.

Playing before buying is certainly the best way. Unfortunately, it's not always possible and it can limit your choices, as has already been observed.

On the other hand, an excuse for a trip to Hawaii can't be a bad thing.

Er... except it costs more than returning a uke.
 
I have to agree - I don't really feel comfortable buying an instrument over the internet. I lucked out and there's a shop in NYC that has a good selection and I bought my Mainland there... but I guess the reality is that Ukulele's are still pretty niche to an extent, and that the internet is the only option for many people to get access to any kind of selection. I didn't buy from him - but from what I hear - it helps to have resellers like MGM, who people have confidence in his quality control and set up.
 
On the other hand, an excuse for a trip to Hawaii can't be a bad thing.
.

Depends on your perspective, and where you live, I suppose. I used to travel a lot for business and have been to Hawaii about 5 times for work, and once on a long family vacation. As nice as Hawaii is, I now have absolutely no desire to spend 8 hours in a long metal tube with stale air and peanuts, although I still do it for money occasionally. Now maybe if they made ukes in the Florida Keys or the Caribbean I could endure the 2 hour flight.
 
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I have a hard time with this kind of thing too... I've been lucky that all of the ukes I've ordered online have been great, but I can't help wondering if I would have chosen differently if I could actually play all of the ukes I was thinking about getting. I mean, I drove from NJ to CT over Thanksgiving break so I could try out Flukes and Fleas, which wasn't so bad, but I might have to wait until my family wants to take a trip to Hawaii before I could get all the way there. And then restrain myself from buying more than one or two once I get there.

The good news is that we have YouTube. I tend to research like crazy on there before I buy instruments, to get a feel for different people's playing styles and hear what different kinds of strings sound like. If I didn't have that, I probably would have a hard time deciding which ukes to get.

Maybe someday a few more stores out here will carry a slightly better selection of ukes. Until then, the internet is pretty much all I've got to go on.
 
I agree with the OP a little about samples. Sound samples don't really help me much, to be honest, unless I listen to a bunch of them in a row. And even then, not everyone uses the same recording equipment in the same room and sits the same distance from the mic, so anything could happen. If you use performers' YouTube videos to get the idea of what an instrument sounds like, you're definitely going to find one person with a Makala dolphin who recorded their sample under optimal conditions, and then another person with a $2500 Ko'olau custom who used a crappy mic that fails to capture the true sound. MGM does his best to make the sound samples under uniform conditions, but even then, you're not guaranteed to get the same sound in person.

I wholeheartedly agree with Tigeralum2001 concerning how sucky it is to have limited choices. Even the flagship ukulele at Guitar Center might have a dry fretboard and protruding frets that do to your hands what stepping on a Lego block does to your bare feet. Oh, and you'll have to tune it and retune it a few times in the store, because nobody else had bothered to break in the strings. ;)

Buying sight-unseen is iffy, but several internet resellers are fully aware of that and do everything in their power to make sure the customer will be satisfied. There's a chance you won't like the way it's set up, or maybe the color doesn't look the same in person, but that's why they have return policies. Should you settle for one of the two or three ukes in your local chain store, or take a chance on a reputable internet seller who will give you advice, set up the uke and restring it for you before you receive it, and will take it back if it sucks? I think I'd go with the latter. If you try to return a uke you're not happy with to Guitar Center, you'll have the choice of swapping it for the other uke on the wall, or taking your money back and then trying to find another dealer in your area (this is not easy for many people!).

If you live in a uke-deprived region, you're almost definitely better off buying from MGM or Uke Republic or Bounty or Elderly or someone else who knows ukes and wants you to be happy. If you're not satisfied, the minor inconvenience of return shipping and waiting a few days for a replacement is, for most of us, a lot easier than trying to find time and money to travel across the country to play some ukes in person!
 
If I don't like what arrives I send it back and try something else. OK, I take the hit on shipping costs, but that's fair. The seller shouldn't have to pay returns unless the instrument is faulty.

Do companies let you do this in the UK? I don't know if I would be able to do it without feeling like I've taken advantage of them.
 
I too have to buy sight un-seen unless I go to guitar center. My shop is literally 5 min from guitar center... but last I looked there was a few Oscar Schmitts and I forget the other one... it was that memorable. It was around Christmas though and he said they usually have more selection, but of cheaper ukes. And that would be cheaper than a sitka spruce top Oscar.

Anyway, if anyone has a Sam Ash close by : SamAshmusic.com , they had a lot more selection. They have some Kala, Makalas, Fender, Ibenez, and a few others in a variety of price ranges. And you can try them out. They must not be as common though because I hear Guitar Center spoken of a lot, but I was impressed by Sam Ash's selection. And they seem to always be able to tweak the price a bit.

That being said... I am unpicky and have yet to buy a high end uke... but when I do I am sure I will pour a lot of time and attention into the perfect sound and intonation.
 
I don't have the time or money to go to Hawaii (or even Seattle) to try out ukes. The only ones in shops around here right now are low-end Kalas, Makalas, and low end Oscar Schmidts.

But, as I've mentioned in other threads, I spent quite a bit of time talking on the phone with Music Guy Mike, and after he got an idea of what I was looking for in a uke, he helped me figure out what would be best. I was not at all disappointed in his recommendation.

Yes, I would like to be able to sit down and play a couple dozen ukes before I lay down my money. But it just isn't going to happen any time soon. So for me it's order something blind or talk to someone over the phone who knows ukes and can help me select the right one.
 
Okiedokie, I'll just wait for the big huge Ukulele Megastore to open in Helsinki...

I'll be waiting a long time, but at least there are some local builds to try in the meantime.

But at least I've gotten to play ukes I never would have otherwise by meeting other players. It has helped shaped what my preferences are, so I like to think that even if I buy one online, I can tell when I play it if I like it or not and am able to judge it based on the other ukes I've played.

I agree that ukes don't begin and end in Hawaii, but otherwise I can't really figure what the OP is on about, other than I think we'd all agree that distribution sucks and that we'd all prefer to audition ukes before buying.

I like the sound clips, but of course they're not the be-all end-all. They just give a VERY general idea, and yeah there's some hopeful listening going on, but as you gain experience with ukes you like and ukes you don't, you can use it as a bit of a guideline. I think we all accept that it's not a perfect science. You have variences in the ukes themselves, the style of the player, the quality of the recording equipment, and then your own audio setup coloring the sound.

But what else can we do? Still waiting for that Ukulele Megastore. Don't think it's happening anytime soon.
 
While I totally feel the desire / wish to be able to monkey around with a selection of ukuleles before buying, and possibly stumbling onto a surprise, for the most part I think that the online opportunity seems to fill the bill. I purchased my Kala via MGM and felt as though his (and his crew's) standards would be kept high. Sure, I would love to be able to pick out the exact ukulele, but I knew from everyone'e reviews and raves here that MGM would be a high quality purchase experience.

I do feel that when/if I am ever looking at a really big boy ukulele, I will want to play it first. For the time being, I imagine the process as if I have purchased a custom.

As a side opportunity, I would keep a close eye out for ukulele festivals. The one in NYC in the spring often has some beautiful instruments from all over and you can touch and play as many as you can get your hands on.
 
You can't really tell even from playing it in the store, you need more time, may have to try some different strings, etc. If you're really dedicated, as I used to be with clarinets, you go to several stores that have 10-12 of the same model in stock, and you try them all for minute differences. For ukes that might mean a trip to the factory.

I've done well on the internet, and non-favorites are resaleable on Ebay, so I say, why wait? Give it a shot and make your decision.

I also think sound samples are useful because it shows how the uke sounds recorded, played back on cheap equipment, which is how everyone but you will be hearing your uke.
 
I agree that you may not be able to tell in a music store, unless they have a quiet room where you play. Even then, I find that my favorite sounding uke changes over time. I might like one this week, and another next week. I sometimes find myself getting into a zone where I think my playing sounds really good to me. Then, I record it and find out it doesn't sound good at all.

I think your tastes may improve over time, as well. Your ear just gets better at hearing the good from the bad. I know I used to enjoy dropping by Sam Ash and playing all the ukes there. I did that a few days ago, and they all stunk. Granted, they are all low-end models, but they sounded pretty good to me a month ago. I think it may be unrealistic for a beginner to think he or she is going to buy the uke to last a lifetime on the first time out of the box.
 
Do companies let you do this in the UK? I don't know if I would be able to do it without feeling like I've taken advantage of them.
Don't feel that way. Many stores actually emphasise it as a selling point. The places I buy from are always fine about it. I cover the cost of the instrument's journey both ways - they lose nothing, but they make a friend out of me and I go back in the future and buy stuff because I know they are helpful.
 
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