Pineapple or guitar style Ukulele

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976vanessa

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• Sep 5, 2011

• #1

HI There
Went to my first ukelele lesson on the weekend and loved it. now the question to pose.... the pineapple style or the guitar style to buy. In Australia pineapple styles are harder to obtain , I can purchase from OS, but the postage is a bit steep. any thoughts out there to which would be better , and also the make that is preferred.

 

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mizugor0

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• Sep 5, 2011

• #2

Its personal preference, I prefer pineapple, because its not the usual ukulele, go to the music store and tryout different ukes

 

gyosh

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• Sep 5, 2011

• #3

Welcome to UU. I hope you enjoy this site as much as I do. The members are a wealth of knowledge and very supportive of anything ukulele. I have no idea about the effects on sound by the different shapes, I'm new too, but I find that the pineapple shape is really growing on me the more I learn about the history and tradition of the ukulele. In my head the tone is warmer and I feel there's a little more volume to them as well. I own one pineapple shaped uke, but I play as many different ukes as I can. And by "play" I mean fumble around with ill freted chords, and sloppy transitions I'm sure you'll get a bunch of legitimate answers soon.

Again . . . welcome,

-Gary

 

Another Stephanie

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• Sep 5, 2011

• #4

Hi 976vanessa! I've only been playing for six months, so this may be the blind leading the blind.

I have a Makala MK-P pineapple, and I love it as an entry-level ukulele. I don't think there's much of a sound difference between it and its guitar-body counterpart. Perhaps there are more noticeable distinctions at higher price points.

For funsies, you might enjoy checking out this site as you decide: http://www.pineappleukulele.net/ The gist of the history is that the pineapple uke was invented/popularized in the 1920's during the mainland US uke craze. The pineapple shape cuts down on manufacturing costs a bit without sacrificing sound quality.

IMO, if the pineapple shape appeals to you, it might be worth it for you to order it. If your ukulele makes you happy, you'll practice more.

 

helric

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• Sep 5, 2011

• #5

take the shape that give you joy to play the instrument ! The only thing that is important when learning music is the pleasure you get when you pick up the instrument and begin playing it.

 

foxfair

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• Sep 5, 2011

• #6

Instead of looking, I recommend you close your eyes and listen to the sound. Every instrument has its own sound and you need to find the one you like, aka the sound actually sings to you.

 

mascompro

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• Sep 5, 2011

• #7

Both..........

 

PhilUSAFRet

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• Sep 5, 2011

• #8

Not a matter of "better" but of personal preferance. Not sure what is available locally. At the low end, Kamoa pineapple @ $99 US is a heck of a deal for a pineapple. My son has a little Ohana pineapple and a long neck concert Mainland which I think is awesome! See which feels better, sounds better, catches your eye quicker....then decide. Worst case scenario, you might just have to get the other one anyway.

 

Fliss

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• Sep 7, 2011

• #9

mascompro said:

Both..........

Click to expand...

:agree:

 

PoiDog

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• Sep 7, 2011

• #10

Seems like there is pretty much no difference in sound, so like others have said, you need to go with which style you like best and fits your personality best. In the end, it's all the same, because an 'ukulele by any other name still brings as much joy!

(sorry for the horrible paraphrase, Bill)

 

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mandrew

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• Sep 7, 2011

• #11

THERE IS A DEDICATED GROUP ON uu THAT FAVORS PINEAPPLES. VISIT THE PINEAPPLE PATCH. As for sound, we who favor the pineapple bekeive that there is a distinct difference in tone. The pineapple has greater interior volume, allowing for a louder and distinct tonal quality that the figure 8, or hourglass. The pineapple has a fuller sound, with a little more "ring" to my ear. Still, you should get what you like to play. One cannot say that one is better, just different.