Best Recommendation for Potential cash influx

SuzukHammer

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A friend of mine is gonna get enough money in about 50 days so that he could buy a dream uke.

Dream for him. What should he consider? Price range: $1,000 to $4,000.

A) A custom uke? A special luthier built uke? (perhaps this post needs to be asked in the Luthier section)

B) A Kamaka or Koalohas or perhaps some other fine ukulele from Hawaii? (Maybe he needs a reason to finally go to Hawaii)

C) Mya Moe, Moore Bettah, the Boat Paddle, a Pahooka(?), a Tululele, an Ohta - something along those lines?

D) He is not a collector. You can count on the fact if he owned a collector's item, then it would shortly become a noncollector's item.

I told my friend he should buy his wife a larger diamond ring first before buying a ukulele.
 
watch all the UAS sufferers come out of the woodwork Suzuk!!!

WOOOOOW!!!! up to $4000....where to begin...this calls for another "step" programme:

step 1: buy wife nice diamond ring (not too expensive though :biglaugh: definately not more than 500... )

step 2: buy a Kamaka, THE ukulele of Hawaii, maybe a soprano (there goes another 700)

step 3: order a Mya Moe mango tenor resonator (another 1200)

step 4: sort out some specs with Moore Bettah for a simple custom concert (not too lavish...maybe 1600)

step 5: with the next pay cheque, take the ukuleles on a weekend away at a simple beach shack (Oh, and bring the wife too I guess :eek: so you can all get to know each other better...)

ooooh....I'm starting to hyperventilate....time for my UAS medication again...
 
haha. I am surprised to see there are more ukes I had never seen before. Stunning too.

I'm thinking my friend needs to look into cubic zirconium rings for the wife. It means more fun.

Collings seems to have a large fan base.

That Akustic Jazz Uke just looks like it was meant for playing to a packed house.
 
I'd get a Kamaka and KoAloha to start. Play those for a few months before making any other decisions. It will give him some time to think about what else he might want in the future. He may realize he doesn't need anything else! Save the rest for a rainy day.

I would be hesitant to blow it all on ukes myself. Now if he was getting $50,000 I could see blowing $5,000 on ukes... Just my 2 cents.
 
I would ask GX9901, UU member and author of the Ukulele Ghetto blog (http://gx9901ukes.blogspot.com/). From reading his blog, I know he has experienced a lot of high end ukes, including consideration of a lot of custom builders. The last signature I found listing his ukes had the following:

William King koa/swiss spruce ls-tenor; William King ebony/adirondack ls-concert; Kamaka tenor; Koa Works tenor; KoAloha Pineapple Sunday; Dasilva Santo repro; Aaron Taylor milo/spruce tenor; Kiwaya KTS-7; Kanile'a custom SS; Kepasa Gypsy Rose; Bluegrass cigar box tenor; Collings UC-1; Bushman cedartone baritone; Ko'olau CE-1 Myrtle; Glyph Mezzo Soprano
 
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It depends on what your friend already has, and what he has learned from that experience. When I got some extra cash, I went for a custom concert Mya-Moe resonator ukulele in Myrtle wood. It should be ready in February! With that much money, he should get something special for his wife, and if she is interested in a vacation to Hawaii, that would be a nice trip, with a bit of ukulele shopping included.
–Lori
 
My vote is for a moore betah they are the most stunning ukes I have ever seen but I hear that they are all reserved for royalty lol or maybe they should be
 
The windfall he could receive is much higher than anticipated so, he's lucky he can dream. This is one of those once in a lifetime lucky breaks that could happen; so, that's the reason for the question.

I know me. I'd buy about 30 Makala and stand inside a park and let the kids choose one for themselves. I'd film it then go home maybe with a couple of Makala to paint. That would be my fun. The wife would come first though. She has to be happy first or the giveaway would be lacking. She doesn't understand giveaways -haha; so, she needs the practice.
 
I too thought of how many Makala dolpins he could buy to gift to others, but it's differant strokes for differant folks. I suppose we all have a dream uke but sometimes its better not to get what you crave and enjoy what you have....sometimes it's better the devil you know etc


(too many homilys in this post, lol)
 
Hands down -- get a Moore Bettah. Gorgeous instruments -- tone wise and art wise. Really.
 
Regarding the Collings doghair finish - I read that its a mahogany uke that they stain black, then they fill the wood grain with a white filler creating the "doghair" look. They carry them at Acoustic Music Works: http://www.acousticmusicworks.com/UT2299.html
That looks sooo cool, and with the haircut headstock too. Thanks for the info! Those Collings Ukes are pretty expensive.
–Lori
 
That looks sooo cool, and with the haircut headstock too. Thanks for the info! Those Collings Ukes are pretty expensive.
–Lori

Ah yes but I only need one, santa baby , slip a dog hair uke under my tree tonight.
 
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