Is it possible I like the sound of a cheapo uke better than a good one?

JeremyR · May 19, 2012

OK, OK, I am not asking you to hazard a guess as to my personal tastes.

. But here's the thing: I have two tenor ukes. One is a cheap mahogany Makala; the other is a very nice high- end K brand. The K uke is obviously the superior instrument in all respects. It is much better built, has better woods, plays better, and has significantly more power and volume.

But... When I play them back to back, I find myself liking the sound of the Makala better. More often than not, at least. It has a light, dainty quality to it that the K does not have. Now, I plan on trying some different strings on the K to see if I can tame it a bit. But, if not, I am forced to conclude that either I am not really a tenor guy and should go down to a smaller size (with, hopefully, not too small of a neck), or I have cheap taste in ukes. It is also possible that I like the sound of mahogany over koa, but I doubt the $50 Makala really represents what a mahogany uke sounds like.

Anyone else have a similar experience or thoughts?

mikelz777 · May 19, 2012

My 2 cents say that maybe you prefer the more traditional ukulele sound and should try out a concert or soprano.

chris667 · May 19, 2012

You can spend thousands upon thousands and learn all sorts of music theory and practice, but the truth is if it sounds good, it is good.

It's your music, play your Makala and enjoy it. The best thing about ukuleles is you can try them out without losing much money; someone will happily buy it off you for a decent price.

Tudorp · May 19, 2012

I dont' see why not. I suffer from that in other instruments myself. We have a 1922 Player piano that is old, dusty, and out of tune, and sounds it's age. I LOVE the old rinky tink sound of it, and won't let anyone touch it to tune it. I like to play the old rag time scrolls on it, and it just sounds like an old horrible, out of tune ringy piano in a turn of the century saloon, and that's how I like it and like it to sound. So, again, why not? I see nothing wrong with diffent sounds and tones from all sorts of instrument.

drbekken · May 19, 2012

Many times, a cheapo can sound a lot cooler than expensive instruments. It all depends on what you want to play.

Tootler · May 20, 2012

Not quite the same level of contrast but I recently went for a new soprano uke. The local shop had several Kalas of various types and I tried them all. I came out with one with a solid acacia top and laminate back & sides which I preferred over the all solid acacia model costing £100 more. I have no regrets buying the cheaper model, I just liked its tone better and I am very pleased with it.

Doc_J · May 20, 2012

It is wonderful if you have the uke with the sound you love, cost and construction are irrelevant.

Yewkkk · May 20, 2012

Hey well you're the one playing the uke!! I don't see why it would be weird to find that a cheaper uke sounds better than a pricey one, that's how I felt about the two ukes I had to choose between - the Makai TK-55 and some Kala... Don't remember. Both were tenors, and while it is indisputable that Kala is the pricier brand here (the uke that I was trying was a koa tenor) I did not like the sound at all. In fact, I don't like the sound of Kala ukes in general (sorry, guys).

webby · May 20, 2012

so is the makala a concert and the k brand a tenor ?

kapahulu50 · May 20, 2012

If the tenor is strung low g, try changing it to reentrant tuning. I keep changing back to the high g on my tenors, the low g resonates in a way I'm not a fan of.

bazmaz · May 20, 2012

I agree - its more likely the fact you are comparing a tenor to a soprano - very different voices.

JeremyR · May 20, 2012

No, sorry if I wasn't clear. They are both tenors. The Makala just sound more " dinky" like what I would assume a smaller body sounds like. And they are both strung reentrant, which is what I prefer.

blue_knight_usa · May 20, 2012

If your ears like it better and you enjoy playing it more, then that's the one for you. Or, maybe your in a mood now that likes that sound but in a month you are wanting something else and pick up your K brand and say "AH yeah that's what I'm looking for". That's why I have multiple ukes as I like the different sounds in different genre's of music. Resonator for blue, soprano for 20/30's more traditional uke sounding tunes, etc etc. Then there are people that have just one and are perfectly happy, but the uke is like a Lay's potato chip. You can't taste it and then have just one!

Cheers!

JeremyR said:
OK, OK, I am not asking you to hazard a guess as to my personal tastes. . But here's the thing: I have two tenor ukes. One is a cheap mahogany Makala; the other is a very nice high- end K brand. The K uke is obviously the superior instrument in all respects. It is much better built, has better woods, plays better, and has significantly more power and volume.

But... When I play them back to back, I find myself liking the sound of the Makala better. More often than not, at least. It has a light, dainty quality to it that the K does not have. Now, I plan on trying some different strings on the K to see if I can tame it a bit. But, if not, I am forced to conclude that either I am not really a tenor guy and should go down to a smaller size (with, hopefully, not too small of a neck), or I have cheap taste in ukes. It is also possible that I like the sound of mahogany over koa, but I doubt the $50 Makala really represents what a mahogany uke sounds like.

Anyone else have a similar experience or thoughts?

pulelehua · May 20, 2012

Just to play Devil's advocate, the Makala is much more likely to have issues with intonation, amongst other things. I find I really love some cheap ukes (I have a bunch of Makala sopranos at my school), and I love them BELOW the 7th fret or so. Above that, many of them start to go a bit wonky. And you'll often have a big fall off in volume as you go up the neck.

But depending on what you're doing, these points might be pretty fussy.

If I'm sitting on the sofa, I'll often as not just grab my son's bright green Dolphin, which has as many bumps and scrapes as... well, my son. It's there. Its case tore to shreds ages ago. Maximum convenience. And it's fine for lots of things I do.

PhilUSAFRet · May 20, 2012

I've read an awful lot of "glowing" comments about inexpensive Makalas. First thing I'd do with one is replace the tuners with grovers and replace the plastic nut and saddle with bone (assuming they still come with the plastic ones, maybe some Freemont blacks on them........! Several folks have commented that after changing nut and saddle, they sound much better!

buddhuu · May 21, 2012

You like what you like. Our tastes are all different.

Your cheap uke produces a sound you like, so to you it sounds "better". Someone with a different preference will think that the K sounds "better". You'll see equivalent discussions about guitars and mandolins on Acoustic Guitar Forum and Mandolin Cafe.

The universe is not a simple enough place for us to be able to formulate reliable theories such as expensive=better. It would be dull if it worked like that.

Igraine · May 21, 2012

I feel very much the same, but in my case I am preferring my cheapee Mahalo soprano over my Kamoa Tenor. The tenor has a rich, warm sound and more space for my fingers. My partner thinks I'm crazy, like when I got my tenor I should have gotten rid of the Mahalo.......but it's just more "fun" to play.

I love my Kamoa and play it often enough, but my attitude toward the Mahalo is just different. What I really need to do is go uke shopping and find that middle ground we call a Concert ukulele.

Captain America · May 21, 2012

Some great comments here I can only second:

If you like it, you like it, and it's good. Matters not what its made of, its price, and so forth.

It's the sound that counts. First, the sound YOUR ears hear, and then the sound others will hear. (I believe one's own ears should count for more simply because you're going to be with it much more).

I'm happy that one can find a good-sounding inexpensive uke.

lambchop · May 21, 2012

I had spent an afternoon at Elderly playing ukes in the $500 to $2,000 range and then on a lark I went to Marshall Music (a Michigan ig box music chain) and found a cheap Kohala on the wall - $59, the budget line of Lanikai. They sold it to me for $49 and I love it. Intonation was perfect, it had a deep, well-projected tone - action was a bit high so I filed down the plastic saddle and now it plays like butter. So, yes, cheap ukes can sometime sound grand. Here's the link to my review of the Kohala:

All that being said, I am still hoping to get a Kamaka HF-3. Which K ukulele do you have as your point of comparison, if you do not mind my asking?

Uke Whisperer · May 21, 2012

Ref your question: "Is it possible I like the sound of a cheapo uke better than a good one?"

I would say that "it depends on who is playing them". (and what they are playing?)

In addition, I will say that, depending on how good a player you are, your favorite today may change the better player you become. I loved the sound of my SK-38 solid mahogany Soprano, then I preferred the sound of my KoAloha KOA LN Soprano, but lately I find myself playing faster stuff and liking the sound Mahogany more. Go figure!

Is it possible I like the sound of a cheapo uke better than a good one?

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