Give it time?

Just wondering if anyone has a uke that they think they should be happy with but can't quite gel with it. My Mya Moe custom is one such instrument. Have been thinking about selling it but it was such a journey (long story) getting to it that I feel like I should give it a bit more time. Anyone experience something similar?

what is it that you're not happy with France? The sound? Is it not comfortable to play? Bear in mind that the more use you have with it, the tone will mellow and become richer and more resonant.

Give it more time brother. I have a uke that I have similar feelings about but haven't yet sold for the reasons I just mentioned.

Gee that's a pretty uke though. But there's no accounting for tastes I guess. I bought a few really expensive ukes that I couldn't take to. If your feelings don't change then yeah, sell it on because there's no doubt someone will get a lot of joy from it and you can put the cash towards something different.

eugene ukulele said:

The sound? Is it not comfortable to play?

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Yeah i think it's both - the sound is sweet but not enough attack and punch for my favoured fingerpicking style. And the radiused fretboard...hmmm doesn't quite work for me and my fat fingers. I will give it more time but am still scouring the webnet for possible replacements.

I've felt like this about some ukes. Most I've sold, but I kept one I hadn't bonded with and now 7 months later it's my favorite. After some time had passed I realized that I hadn't bonded with it because I spent a lot of money on it and felt guilty about buying a pro instrument when I was only a beginner. Over time I've gotten better at playing: maybe even "advanced beginner" now. I've also played a lot of ukes now and find that the neck on this uke is super comfortable so I appreciate the workmanship that went into it in a way I couldn't at the beginning.

A Mya Moe is a substantial investment and it may be worth keeping for a couple more months to see if your feelings about it change. If you're sure it's not for you, though, sell it and move on!

Good luck - Mary

I say give it more time, and maybe try different strings on it. New instruments need some good playing time, and yours looks like it's date is pretty recent. I expect it will sound better as the finish cures too. My Mya-Moe is about 2 months older than yours, and I have noticed some changes in the sound recently. Even my husband noticed it when passing by. Right now, I have noticed some really pretty tones that are especially bell-like when playing high on the neck. Also, have other people play it for you, because it can sound different from the front than the top.
–Lori

If you're a beginner then yes, sometimes you need to get better before you can appreciate a high quality instrument to it's fullest. If you've already been playing for awhile, then I don't see a reason to keep an instrument you're not into. My experiences with instruments are more of the opposite. I fall in love quickly and as I improved I found that I wanted something better, not the opposite.

I'd say play it for a month or so, try a few different string types and if you still don't gel with it at that point, sell it and look for something that suits you better.

Aloha France,
This subject has come up alot with me and my friends...When you order an expensive custom ukulele, you are taking your chances with the builder and he/she has no real control how the ukulele
will sound like because of all the different building process and variances...yes it is a substantial investment...and you do put down a deposit too..if you try to return it, you may lose that too..
It is a big risk with that type of substantial investment and getting burned with something that isn't right for you for whatever reasons...remember personal perference... well I prefer to buy a
finished custom so I can make a decision right there if I like it or not...cuts the risk to zero... If you go to an overpriced ukulele shop like ....... and all the good custom builders have their ukes
in there...you may pay 30-40% more but you will know what you are getting at that moment...in the long run it is a safer way to go....most definetely... some builders have finished ukes made left around their shop too..and look into that too..If you live a place without these shops, it is a very big risk...relying on their reputation and consistancy....well sometimes it's how you explain to
them what you want too...sometimes it's not the builders fault too... being burned too many times to order custom stuff anymore.. try before you buy...custom rack stuff..

What Stan said - right down the line! - but here's another way.

We are in the midst of a big change from semi-custom ukes to standard line instruments. There are a lot of reasons, but one of the main ones was to figure out how to let people buy with no risk from a custom quality luthier. With true custom specifications, obviously, the instrument you order is yours, whether it ends up to your liking or not.

A lot of small shops don't want their instruments in other peoples stores. Costs us money - costs our customers, too. We realized that with standard line instruments, we could give people an evaluation period. Even if we send you a perfect Southcoast Hardtop Tenor Ukulele, for example, that simply may not be the instrument that works best for you. Send it back, and it will be someone else's treasure. I don't see why this practice isn't more common.

I think it all depends. I have instruments that didn't gel from the beggining. They took on the love as I spent time with them and formed attachments. But on the other hand, I had instruments that felt like an extension of my hands the minute I held them. Two of my less pauls were a good example. "Barnabas" didn't feel like me until I played it for awhile. "Hobo Ted" came to me in pieces, and felt like it was a part of me as I held the block of abused wood, and box of parts the day I got it.

I would give it some time. You may, or may not ever gel. But after some time, if ya still don't feel like it's you, then sell it, and move..

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. I guess I'm just so used to my old one that it will take some time to really get a good feel for it. I'm going to stash the Kala away so I can't see it and spend some quality time with the newie.
Here is the long story.
Ordered a Mya Moe last year - waited six months for it to start - another month for the build - received uke - soundboard was warped - sent back - they couldn't fix it - waited six weeks for them to build a new one - as it was in the post I broke scaphoid bone skateboarding - received new uke but couldn't play it - daughter stood on it and cracked the top - had it fixed - thoughtful repairer restrung it with soprano strings and chucked the never played ones out.
It feels like it has been such a saga that the magic has been taken out of it. Anyway I just wanted a whinge. boo hoo.

France said:

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. I guess I'm just so used to my old one that it will take some time to really get a good feel for it. I'm going to stash the Kala away so I can't see it and spend some quality time with the newie.
Here is the long story.
Ordered a Mya Moe last year - waited six months for it to start - another month for the build - received uke - soundboard was warped - sent back - they couldn't fix it - waited six weeks for them to build a new one - as it was in the post I broke scaphoid bone skateboarding - received new uke but couldn't play it - daughter stood on it and cracked the top - had it fixed - thoughtful repairer restrung it with soprano strings and chucked the never played ones out.
It feels like it has been such a saga that the magic has been taken out of it. Anyway I just wanted a whinge. boo hoo.

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Wow, that's a lot of history for such a young uke. It is a pretty uke though, so give it a chance. Time will remove some of the bad feelings, and the interesting story behind the uke will be more fun to tell a year from now.

–Lori

Wow. What a saga!

Hmm. I've heard from a few folks that their brand new Mya-Moe ukes needed to repaired/corrected upon delivery. I had similar problem with Mya-moe. My Mya-moe Mango super soprano came with lots of scratches on the top in November. Sent it back. They tried to fix and ended up sanding too much off (the uke started to sound a little like a banjo). Gordon was great to deal with and offered to build me replacement uke that I received in February.

It was near perfect, but it was a little quiet at first and the sound was a little off/different from the first uke. I struggled through playing it, for a couple months (was not crazy about it) then restrung with different strings and continued to play. The new Worth Browns sound much better that the original clears. The uke has opened up bit after 5 months. So now it has some volume. My Mya-moe Mango super soprano is now one of my favorites. I've even gotten use to the radiused fretboard. That really does take some getting used to. Glad I gave it a chance.

So give it time, play it, try new strings, check back in a couple months.

I'm going to play devil's advocate and say that if you are already scouring the internet for a replacement, then it might be best to find something you adore. I tend ot be a "love at first sight" kind of player. I immediately know when I see/play a uke whether it's going to stick with me or not. I've literally unboxed a couple of ukes, played a few songs, shaken my head, and packed them right back up. If you think it has the potential to grow on you, then I'd say give it time. If, however, there's something about it that bothers you every time you look at or play it, then by all means get something you'll love, not feel so-so about.

I say hold on to it, play something else, and come back to it in a few months. You spent so much time, money and energy on this thing, let it sit in a closet until the magic comes back to it. Then pick it up and see. Remember, you can sell it at any time, there's no rush to do it yesterday.

I've never played a Mya Moe, but have only heard good things about them. They seem to be on everyone's someday list. Since you have one, I would give it time before considering getting rid of it. You can make a cheap Uke sound awesome with a setup and new strings, maybe you just haven't found the right combination yet. Try different strings and really explore the ukulele. Sometimes when it takes a little longer to get into something, you love it more.

France said:

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. I guess I'm just so used to my old one that it will take some time to really get a good feel for it. I'm going to stash the Kala away so I can't see it and spend some quality time with the newie.
Here is the long story.
Ordered a Mya Moe last year - waited six months for it to start - another month for the build - received uke - soundboard was warped - sent back - they couldn't fix it - waited six weeks for them to build a new one - as it was in the post I broke scaphoid bone skateboarding - received new uke but couldn't play it - daughter stood on it and cracked the top - had it fixed - thoughtful repairer restrung it with soprano strings and chucked the never played ones out.
It feels like it has been such a saga that the magic has been taken out of it. Anyway I just wanted a whinge. boo hoo.

Click to expand...

that is some bad luck.

I traded a kamaka with curly koa for a custom ana'ole. I didn't gel with the kamaka even though it was pretty. I never gelled with the ana'ole either. It now sits at a friends house and we are waiting on a new nut so I can string it left handed for him. If i don't like a uke, I hang on to it for a little while and try to gel with it. if i don't, i send it out to the world to find a new home.

I think this is a tough one, because it's different for different people. For some folks, it's love at first sight. For others, it's "let's get to know each other." I do know that for my favorite instruments, they became my favorites because I spent some serious time with them and learned what it took to get the best sound of of them.

When I first got serious about uke last year, I fell in love with Peter Lieberman's Maui Music design, and wanted one bad. I finally ordered a long-neck concert from Gryphon in Palo Alto. When it arrived, it sure was beautiful, but when I played it, I went "eh". It was a good uke, but it wasn't the mind blowing experience I wanted it to be. Was that the fault of the uke, or the fault of me, for expecting the instrument to change my life? Or simply because as a relatively new uker (but longtime fretted instrument player), I simply didn't know how to get the best sound out of uke? We'll never know, because I sent it back to Gryphon (where it sold, instantly). A few months ago, I bought a similar Maui Music tenor here on UU. It's a lifetime instrument-- hands down, the best traditional tenor I've played. Is it a better instrument than the first one? Do I like the Tenor tone better than the Concert tone? Have I been playing long enough that I understand uke tone better? I honestly don't know-- I just know it's a killer instrument.

I guess my final though on the subject is: life's too short to play an instrument that doesn't give you pleasure. And speaking as a very satisfied Mya-Moe player, the Mya-Moe that ain't working for you may be a lifetime uke for someone else. My guess is that if you put a Mya-Moe on the UU Marketplace, it will vaporize on contact, so you'd be able to get the money to finance something that makes you happier. If I hadn't just received my Koa Mya-Moe, I'd probably be first in line to take it off your hands!

My $.02 is that sometimes you just don't bond with an instrument. Mine was a Martin 00-15. I had jonesed after one of those for several years. I love the sound of an all mahogany guitar. I traded a mandolin for an all mahogany 00-15 and played it way more than my other guitars for a few months - I just never felt good about it. Had it set up-continued to play it but never "bonded" with it. Traded it off for another mandolin. All in all - it was easy to play, was a comfortable size, had wonderful tone for fingepicking but there was just something there that didn't work for me.

So......................you may give it more time, but at the "end of the day", it may just not be the "right" one for you.

Finding your holy grail sounding ukulele is not as easy as it seems..we all have personal tastes..so no one uke will be perfect for everyone..that is why we keep buying and searching for the "right one"

I never bonded with the Kanile'a 8 string I had. Not sure why, it too had quite a back story to it and I thought maybe the issues I had with the uke were the result of the bad buying experience. I held on to it for awhile. I tried to love that uke, it just didn't happen. I traded it for a few lower cost ukes, one of which will stay...but I think the others will probably move along.

I've decided that you can't force love, but you can give it ample time to take hold of you. You'll know if it's time to release it into the wild. Sometimes things just don't work out.