New blog post: Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome

byjimini

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Hi guys, I just wrote a blog post about my view on UAS. Rather than just spam a link, as some like to do, thought I'd repost it here and see what everyone thinks. :) I've had some people get funny over me buying and then selling on ukes, saying I should have researched it more, but in my eyes it's just renting and seeing what you like.

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So we're in the midst of a ukulele comeback; it's been happening for the past 5 years now, which means newspapers are only just catching wind of the phenomenon (posting pictures of Sting playing a guitar when talking about the uke…). There seems to be a manufacturer for every corner of the market, from cheap and mid-range to the ludicrously expensive and wacky, to suit all needs and wallet sizes. This has been helped, no doubt, by the internet. Almost every uke player you meet will bemoan how every musical instrument shop has a full range of guitars and keyboards, yet only the cheap Mahalo ukes (or some other very cheap and not very cheerful make) sitting in the window soaking up the sun. People like to try before they buy, and you'd think this would have an impact on sales.

Instead, I keep reading articles from manufacturers, usually guitar builders, about how the demand for the uke keeps getting stronger.

When we introduce a new guitar, we find demand will taper off from our other products and onto that one – focus seems to shift. When we introduce another line of ukulele, we find more new customers coming to us. So we bring on another uke, and more people arrive. The focus doesn't seem to switch, rather it magnifies.

I remember a quote almost like that in a music magazine. So why is this happening?

Firstly, as instruments go, the ukulele is relatively cheap. Even for me, on minimum wage, a mid-range quality uke is a month's pay packet, so it's only a 4 week wait. It's not like we have to save for years on end; even a custom spec uke from Moore Betta or Mya-Moe weighs in at around £1500, which is only a few month's worth of keeping back the pennies, and those are considered "once in a lifetime" purchizzles.

Secondly, it's the ease of internet buying and selling. Lots of people bemoan having to buy "blind" on the internet, not being able to play before buying, but I look at it from a different view; in my mind, the best place to travel to for ukuleles is Southern Ukulele Store in Bournemouth. For someone like me in North Yorkshire, that's a day's train ride there and back, as well as around £100 for the ticket. So I've already spent a ton before even plucking a string. The same goes for driving to Leeds to go visit Hobgobblin, who love to push the dodgy Ashbury range – petrol isn't cheap, and it'll take an hour to get there.

You can do your research before buying – Ken Middleton posts reviews of ukes of Youtube, as do many others, so a quick search will tell you people's impressions. There's uke forums and websites to visit and ask questions or browse discussions. The information, Mulder, is out there. I've had my fair share of ukueles over the past 2 years – Lanikai LU21, Ohana 35SG, the cute Bruko no.6, amongst others – and I don't regret buying and then selling any of them. It was a great experience.

So here's what I do; I lust after a uke, I check for reviews and impressions, sound samples etc, then I look around (obviously) for the cheapest price. eBay is always the first visit, then I'll google search for forums such as Ukulele Underground's Marketplace. The money you'll spend on shipping and import charges is the same you'd shell out in time and petrol, except in this case you go about your daily business and the uke arrives by post. Have a few months of playing it, take it to singaround sessions, go busking and play some gigs – give it the full beans and a good work over, and if it then dawns on you that it isn't for your liking, or you're now lusting after something different, sell it. eBay may be the obvious place to sell, but you also have forums in which you can avoid paying eBay fee's (about 10% of the final price), and sometimes you'll even be able to trade.

This may seem obvious advice to a lot of uke players, but I'm still amazed how many people shy away from experiencing different manufacturers, woods and setups. The money you lose through shipping, import duties and selling fees is something you'd spend anyway on the petrol going to the shop every other week to try out another uke – and this way you get to keep it for as long as you like and give it a good thrashing. It's almost like paying to rent a uke (now there's a business idea…).

The reason for this post? I was always intrigued by the Flea, and eventually stumped up for one, in the surf design, And it's absolutely brilliant, a robust little thing with a loud sound, and excellent customer service from the makers. But I can't put a button strap on it, and it looks kind of novelty. I'm a complete bitch for aesthetics and the 'little things', and it just narks me on a daily basis. So it's going to have to go.

The same goes for my Lanikai Spalted Mango. It looks absolutely stunning, but acoustically it's dead. I'd already seen the warnings posted on forums about how much bracing was needed to hold the wood in place, and thus it killed the sound, but I still wanted to experience it.

So my conclusion to why ukulele manufacturers are seeing high sales is because maybe people are buying to try out, before selling on. What interests me is that when this bubble bursts, will we be seeing an influx of quality second hand ukes, barely played, turning up on eBay and at carboot sales for bargain prices? Here's hoping.
 
I like the honesty.

I find I bite my tongue because my taste may not fit other's taste. Another reason to hold my tongue is because I'm only a year into this UAS and ukulele wave and I think others know better than I.

but it is the honesty in the blog or the thread which makes a website worth reading.

I find it interesting why you think the Spalted Mango is dead. I want to play mad scientist to find a way to bring it back to life cause they do look good.

I do know I bought a dog of a uke about 4 months ago (when I was out of work living on severance pay) and I was just happy it wasn't expensive. It turned into a wall hanging piece of art.
 
Makes sense to me! I like your point about getting to try different ukes, like renting. I just bought a banjo uke off eBay while selling a concert uke on craigslist. Apartments are small here in NYC so that helps me stay at just a few instruments.
 
Ukes seem to keep their value enough for it to be worthwhile, it's not like buying a videogame or a car, both of which sink in value the minute they're bought.
 
Not to snipe, but I think your comments about the economics are true if:

No mortage
No kids
No uni debt

I'm a teacher, and on a fair bit more than minimum wage, but after the Direct Debits have all come and gone, I really have very few pennies. I bought a custom MP and could only afford it because I sold my flugelhorn. So, it was more or less a trade. Just with a third party.

I suppose I'm not complaining, but more saying

ENJOY IT!

You have a freedom right now in your life which you likely won't have forever.

I just wish when I'd had it, I'd been into ukuleles. But I do have 2 really nice guitars from those days...

:)
 
Yep, absolutely. What I mean is they're still more accessible than most other instrument, price-wise.

When I was in Scotland for the folk fest, I met a guy lugging a harp around to each session on the fringe. Wouldn't even like to guess how much a change of strings would cost him!
 
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