Found this vid-Collings vs. Mainland...can you hear the difference?

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ejnovinsky

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Found this vid looking up Mainland sound samples.....The guy in it has a UU shirt on so it may have been here sometime before, but it was kinda sweet so I figured Id put it up. Can you hear the difference? Apart from the Mainland being slightly louder I think they sound shockingly similar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX_78z2DINg&feature=related
 
Yeah, the guy in the vid is a UU member. I think this just shows how compressed or distorted sound is through different devices. I listened through my phone speakers and the sound was just terrible but when I had my headphones it helped a little. I think that the sounds are pretty different though.
 
I can hear a distinct difference; the Collings has an extra note or two, a high overtone (to my ears) and a more interesting sound. Both are sweet, but there is definitely some kind of color that makes the Collings sound complex. However, the 4X price difference? I think it would come out that if you are an intermediate player, the Mainland is the best price/performance. If you are an advanced player and want a super Uke, I would take the Collings because at that level, a great player is going to get a lot out of that instrument.
 
The Collings eats the Mainland ukes lunch . But for the money , the Collings is a waste of it . I'd rather have a handful of the Mainlands over the one Collings anyday .But that's just IMHO .
 
I was listening to the video while reading this thread and wasn't paying attention to the changes of the ukulele in the video until I started hearing how different passages sounded - you can hear distinct differences between the two ukuleles. I prefer the Collings' sound - your mileage may vary.
 
Paul December said:
I'll admit it...
...I don't really hear too much of a difference between the two.
Click to expand...

Yeah me either. Certainly not enough to justify the price difference. Both are sweet though give me either or. But if I'm spending my own cash Id have to take the mainland
 
I can definitely hear a difference which actually says quite a bit about the relative sounds considering the poor audio recording. I would never rely on the built-in microphone in a simple consumer video recorder to evaluate the relative merits of musical instruments, though! You can tell by the change in background noise level when he begins playing that the recorder is using auto-leveling which completely invalidates any comparison of the relative volumes of the instruments - and the audio quality is certainly not good enough to evaluate the finer nuances of "tone."

That said I'll agree with many here that the Mainland probably represents the better "bang for the buck" for most players. Mainlands are quite tasty for the price. I think that the average player can easily distinguish between a Collings and a Mainland in person but whether that difference is worth the price multiplier comes down to budget. On my current budget there is no way that I can say the Collings is worth the price multiplier. If I had twice as much "disposable" income as I presently do, it might well be a different story.

John
 
Yeah, I remember that vid. It's night and day, and I even did a test on my husband where he doesn't have any uke preference and wasn't looking at the screen... even through the compression and the recording process and through crap macbook speakers, the Collings has it all over the Mainland. And I say that liking Mainland and feeling it can hold its head up proudly. My husband wasn't so kind to the Mainland after he heard the switch, but come on. Even though the Collings was better there's no shame in the Mainland.
 
ejnovinsky said:
Apart from the Mainland being slightly louder I think they sound shockingly similar.
Click to expand...

If by "similar" you mean that they both sound like ukuleles, then I agree. They are both much closer to the sound of ukuleles than bassoons, for instance.

Don't really mean to sound facetious, but they are about as different as you can get.
 
Ken Middleton said:
If by "similar" you mean that they both sound like ukuleles, then I agree. They are both much closer to the sound of ukuleles than bassoons, for instance.

Don't really mean to sound facetious, but they are about as different as you can get.
Click to expand...

I'm just quoting to say I love this post. And yeah that Mainland did well, but then it found itself in the ring with something with more complex sound, tone, just overall better...
 
Nice thread ejovinsky, thanks for it mate. Or, maybe I shouldn't thankyou because all it does is deepen my lust for Collings ukes which surely isn't a healthy thing ... :p
 
The Mainland is muddy compared to the Collings, which is bright and ringing. I could hear the difference without looking at the video. But I'm listening on Bose desktop speakers through a Creative SB X-Fi sound card.

I would guess that not hearing much difference between them is probably more about your computer and speakers than your hearing or your actual ability to differentiate between the two or hear the nuances. If you listen for the specific difference in characteristics of the two ukes, and know what you are listening for, then even considering audio recording source and YT compression factor, it's still comparing Ford and Ferrari. I have no lust for either a Collings or a Mainland, so I have no dog in the fight. I don't even understand comparing the two, better a Collings and a Kanile'a IMO.
 
Ken Middleton said:
If by "similar" you mean that they both sound like ukuleles, then I agree. They are both much closer to the sound of ukuleles than bassoons, for instance.

Don't really mean to sound facetious, but they are about as different as you can get.
Click to expand...

BWAAA-HAAAA! :) Oh...my...I am so glad I'm using one of those "spill resistant" wireless keyboards. I still need to go fetch a cloth to wipe down the monitor, though... There are a couple of folks whom I never read their posts with a mouth full of liquid -- I think I'm going to need to add you to that list, Ken - you completely snuck up on me with this one. :rofl:
 
I'll say it another way since the Masters is on TV. I drive the golf ball 270 yards but if I can get another 10 yards with a new driver, I would gladly pay the $500 and buy a new driver. It's the same concept with a uke except with a uke, you just keep both!!! LOL
 
Ken Middleton said:
If by "similar" you mean that they both sound like ukuleles, then I agree. They are both much closer to the sound of ukuleles than bassoons, for instance.

Don't really mean to sound facetious, but they are about as different as you can get.
Click to expand...

I think they both sound just like ukuleles. I can't decide which one sounds most like a bassoon. Perhaps if someone blew into them it would be helpful.
 
Its a fun experiment isnt it? I think weve missed the point here though....The reason I posted this was not to decide "which is best" but "can you hear the difference?". In no way am I saying the Collings is worse than the Mainland. It damn well better not be worse considering it costs about 4 times as much. The argument I make is is it 4 times better soundwise? From a build quality standpoint its probably no contest, I dont know Ive never held a collings (but once again it had better be). I still say the answer is no its not 4 times better soundwise. Thats my opinion though, and opinions are subjective. Thats what makes threads like this so much fun, in a discussion of something that is a sensory idea (how something looks, sounds, feels, etc) obviously anyones input will be an opinion, and its fun to watch the range of ideas and the different ways people hear it. When I watched this video on youtube I was reading through the comments, and they are all over the place. I wanted to see if that pattern (or lack thereof) would be recreated in a thread. I think for the most part it has. Good stuff! Now for everyone that will brand me as a uke heretic with a tin ear for my opinion, before you get the pitchforks and torches out think of it this way. How lousy would it be for the world musically if everyone heard everything the same way?
 
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