I'm an indie-pop fan, and like the sound of ukes in indie-pop, they quite often have a similar sound to them which I would describe as "plucky", and I'd like to get this sound out of a uke.
So I've done a bit of searching on the forum, and it's kind of tricky, as whilst I would describe the sound I like as "plucky", other people's descriptions of "plucky" seems to be contrary to my understanding.
One person described "plinky" as being the opposite of "plucky", with plucky being "muted" (which doesn't really fit with my meaning). So I thought maybe "plinky" was what I was looking for. However, then in another thread someone referred to a ukulele as sounding "dull and plinky", but for me these two terms are contradictory, as I think of the sound I want as the opposite of dull.
The kind of sound I am looking for is crisp and bright and punchy with low sustain. Another good description I heard was "percussive".
I currently have a Makala Dolphin with Aquila NylGut strings, and I like it, but the sound is (as described by someone in yet another thread) quite "bell like". It has really quite a long sustain, ringing out for a long time after being strummed.
Anyway, it's hard to describe in words the sort of sound I am looking for, but luckily many sound samples are available from the excellent Yoyoyo Acapulco. To get an idea of the sound of the uke in their music, you can listen to them on Spotify or some videos on Youtube here and here and here. This is the sound I'm after, which may well disgust and horrify many of you, as fuller mellower, sounds with long sustain, seem to be what most people are after.
So, do you have any recommendations for ukes, string and maybe even just techniques (I'm guessing throwing in chunks and muting the strings helps with reducing the sustain).
In terms of ukes, I am looking to move onto uke #2, and would be looking at spending up to £200/€240/$310.
So I've done a bit of searching on the forum, and it's kind of tricky, as whilst I would describe the sound I like as "plucky", other people's descriptions of "plucky" seems to be contrary to my understanding.
One person described "plinky" as being the opposite of "plucky", with plucky being "muted" (which doesn't really fit with my meaning). So I thought maybe "plinky" was what I was looking for. However, then in another thread someone referred to a ukulele as sounding "dull and plinky", but for me these two terms are contradictory, as I think of the sound I want as the opposite of dull.
The kind of sound I am looking for is crisp and bright and punchy with low sustain. Another good description I heard was "percussive".
I currently have a Makala Dolphin with Aquila NylGut strings, and I like it, but the sound is (as described by someone in yet another thread) quite "bell like". It has really quite a long sustain, ringing out for a long time after being strummed.
Anyway, it's hard to describe in words the sort of sound I am looking for, but luckily many sound samples are available from the excellent Yoyoyo Acapulco. To get an idea of the sound of the uke in their music, you can listen to them on Spotify or some videos on Youtube here and here and here. This is the sound I'm after, which may well disgust and horrify many of you, as fuller mellower, sounds with long sustain, seem to be what most people are after.
So, do you have any recommendations for ukes, string and maybe even just techniques (I'm guessing throwing in chunks and muting the strings helps with reducing the sustain).
In terms of ukes, I am looking to move onto uke #2, and would be looking at spending up to £200/€240/$310.