the blind buy...a true great way to buy a ukulele.

MGM

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If you really want to get a uke that feels and sounds the best to you. Go to a place where there are many brands on ukes Have someone tune them all the same Close your eyes or blindfold yourself and have someopne hand you each different uke without teliing brand or model....Use you feel and easrs to pick it I bet some of you will be surprised at the resukt No fair feeling the heastock and body shape etc for hints....
 
Ah so! I agree with Dane.
 
I have a friend who went into a guitar store and started playing the high end guitars.
He started with the most expensive and worked his way down, when he got to one he did not like the sound of he went back up one.
Similar to the blindfold test. The key is to buy with your ears.
All good in theory, but I want that stunner of a uke and/or guitar.
 
I have a friend who went into a guitar store and started playing the high end guitars.
He started with the most expensive and worked his way down, when he got to one he did not like the sound of he went back up one.

The trouble there is that it falsely assumes price and sound are perfectly correlated. They're not, of course.

Maybe if your friend had gone down one more guitar, he might've liked its sound more then the previous one (or even the previous-previous one!).

JJ
 
The trouble there is that it falsely assumes price and sound are perfectly correlated. They're not, of course.

Maybe if your friend had gone down one more guitar, he might've liked its sound more then the previous one (or even the previous-previous one!).

JJ

Or that your ear (er, brain) does not get saturated and that there is no primacy effect. I recommend a random order and multiple trips.
 
Stereo stores (remember those?) recommended A-B testing. Compare only two, eliminate one and move on to the next comparison. You can do this randomly or by price, your choice, but don't stop until you've heard them all. Stopping short like the guitar friend did and you never know if the next one might be "The ONE"
 
if selliing perfume you can only smell 3 before the brain gets confused of sorts. you then need to smell some coffee to reset the brain so to speak is that similar with ukulele testing?
 
if selliing perfume you can only smell 3 before the brain gets confused of sorts. you then need to smell some coffee to reset the brain so to speak is that similar with ukulele testing?
Try to play a guitar in between?
 
Too similar. Best to play an accordion.

Also too similar, needs to be a wind instrument. Perhaps a kazoo.

The A B would work very well, that way you're able to test the sound of another guitar against one that you know you already like, if its better then you grab that one and test it. What a great idea, so simple, but I never thought of it.
 
I wonder how often people actually do a blind test in a store. :O Is it unusual to ask for assistance for a blind test?
 
Ah! If only I could find a store close by with a large number of ukes, I would love to do that. I could careless really about what a uke looks like, I'd play a pink one if it sounded good.
You're only 3 hours away from a very well stock uke store in Huntington Beach........
 
Also too similar, needs to be a wind instrument. Perhaps a kazoo.
Scottish bagpipes are ideal but many music stores don't carry them.

BTW: I did try the test. I liked a Kala Mango tenor. Too bad they didn't have a cedar-top or a spruce-top.
 
Try to play a guitar in between?
No a digeridoo...no wait...a bongo...no wait...listen to gangsta rap! Yeah, that's the ticket!:rolleyes:
 
Oh dear, I have wanted to play a banjolele so bad. I need to go to this magical place
If you ever go there, make it a Thursday night. They have jam night from 6:30-8:30. 50 to 60 uke players gather to play music. Mostly old stuff, but it's still fun to sit in a room with 50 fellow ukers. If you come, I'll bring this and let you play it.
 
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