1 or many?

ItsMrPitchy

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Do you like to have a big family of ukuleles. Or do you like to have a few which you get attached to. Personally i cant say since i have played for only 5 months and have 2 ukes. But my first one was a cheap one i picked up to get started with.
 
I dont really know how the brain works, but to be honest, I like to keep things simple. I would like to have just two, 3 tops believe it or not, but it seems ya just keep buying more and more of them. I have 6, and don't know how the heck that happened. I would like to have my favorite to play which is my "Iz", and my Banjo Uke "Bango" for that banjo fun sound. I have the Sopranino, which I bought because it was cool, and iddy biddy, but to be honest, don't play it much (I cant seem to hold the little dang thing). I have a few more, but tend to toss those to kids that show up at my door that want to play. So, I guess it's good I have a few. But, I really would like to simplify. Just recently buying a couple new guitars, I really need to have a string garage sale to down scale...
 
Right now, it's down to six acoustic and two electric/steel-string, with three others for sale. That's a comfortable number for now, until my UAS starts acting up again.
 
The more the merrier I say. Some get neglected for a while, but then get re-discovered. At the moment, my fave is a Korala solid mahogany Baritone, followed by my beautiful Kala Archtop Tenor.
Neglected in the corner is a little Makala SK/N soprano, but it's demanding some attention, as is the Stagg solid body electric.
 
Honestly I think two is the absolute minimum anyone can get by with. What if your uke has to spend a couple days at the shop?! You need backup!

That being said - I'm stopping at five. I've got four right now, each with a specific purpose:

Kamaka concert - my go-to uke
Kamaka soprano - for playing loud (has a pickup) and for travel
Ohana soprano - my beach uke
1920s Columbia - gets more use as a prop than as a player

The fifth one will probably be another koa concert that will be my dedicated low-G uke.
 
Ummm.... 16. With plans for more. Oh my... Well, they ARE small, and (as far as instruments go) relatively inexpensive.
 
The more the merrier....and the better you get as you learn to play different ones...and sooner or later you'll find the perfect one for you...Happy Strummings, MM Stan...
 
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I plead the 5th.......
 
My mango tenor is my baby & I couldnt love another....Its all I could ever need....Intonation is spot on....Tone is fabulous & the action is silky as heck!

However I do have a cheap soprano that I keep on the back of the toilet for longer than expected visits......
 
The more the merrier....and the better you get as you learn to play different ones...and sooner or later you'll find the perfect on for you...Happyn strummings, MM Stan...

I hope I never find the perfect one. I want to have a LOT of perfect ones!
 
I agree with those that said two is the minimum and probably 3 is more than enough for me. I have 7 now, mostly because they were on my road to figuring out what I really wanted, and most are cheap ukes that aren't really worth selling, so they just take up space.

Lately, I have been playing mostly my spruce top tenor with the pickup and my soprano with a high G. The tenor is my jazz and ballad uke. Its easy to play. I have it strung with a low G, so its easy to pick out melodies and even make it sound like a guitar if I want to. Its loud when I want to play with others.

When I want that "real" ukulele sound on songs, I reach for the mahogany Ohana soprano with the high G. The mahogany soprano is so much different in tone and character than my tenor that these two represent the extremes of ukedom for me. Other than vanity, I have no desire for a "better" tenor or soprano right now.

I still play my baritones occasionally , and their lower tone fits my voice, but I am learning to sing higher, so I could let them go without too much sadness. My dolphin, and banjo uke have really just become wall hangers.
 
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One. And I plan on playing it until the day I die.
 
um....what was the question again....eugenie, where's my medication dear?...... :eek:
 
I have only been playing for a couple of months and have been through 5. When I get into something I tend to jump all the way in. Like Sweetwater Blue said, I got these on the way to the one I like the best. I was thinking the Fluke and Flea would be it. But, now I know that there is nothing better than a solid wood Uke for me. I also agree with Tudorp about not knowing how the brain works, in the end, I can justify anything I do to myself and it makes perfect sense. I will keep the Pono and find a backup. Everything else will go by the wayside soon.
 
hmmm, I think I'm a serial ukulele polygamist. I have a big family, but I know I'm not the only one. I agree with sweetwaterblue in that, the act of buying a number of ukuleles is an inevitable step in the overall trajectory of UAS: you get addicted to the instrument, buy heaps, then start refining the collection down to a much smaller number of ukuleles that you really love and enjoy playing. The point being, you need to go through the process of acquiring many in order to reach the ultimate goal of a taut collection that is perfect for you.

We're all different but if really pressed, I think I need at least four: (i) a "banger" that is a travel, go-anywhere, sturdy uke that can take some punishment - perhaps a flea or a fluke fit this bill (ii) a soprano (iii) a concert and (iv) a tenor...of course the deeper you look arguments can then be made for another uke tuned differently - maybe to D or F - then still another resonator, oh, and then there's the banjo-uke, oh, and then you gotta have a plastic uke, a vintage uke, a handpainted uke, a baritone uke etc etc....weeeeeeeee...I'm feeling woosy again

There was a thread a couple of months back that you might find interesting in 'Uke Talk' under the heading "UAS: A Theory of Justification" where this stuff was also discussed :)
 
I have "many". But I have decided to concentrate on playing only the tenor scale in hopes of becoming a better player. I have sold all of my concerts except for one. I hope that by focusing on one scale length, there will be less time adjusting to my different ukes and more familiarality for my brain and fingers.
 
I have "many". But I have decided to concentrate on playing only the tenor scale in hopes of becoming a better player. I have sold all of my concerts except for one. I hope that by focusing on one scale length, there will be less time adjusting to my different ukes and more familiarality for my brain and fingers.

hey dk

that really makes lots of sense actually. I find that the brighter sounds of the sopranos lend themselves better to certain types of songs, as the richer, deeper and more resonant voice of the tenor suits others. Also the bigger bodied ukes are better for picking...do you have your tenor tuned to high G, or low? Or do you change between the two?
 
It's funny what I may plan now and say I have enough ukes, then ones comes along and catches my fancy...you never know what the future beholds..minds change quickly when temptation and oppertunity arises.
I have no control of my future actions...but then, that's the fun of it all...he he...
 
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