Am I Too Young?

ahgnuyen

ahgnuyen

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First, I'm 15 years old. Yes, a fair bit younger than most of the members here at UU. As of June 6, I will have been playing ukulele for a year and I plan to be playing for the rest of my life.

There's not really a way to exactly measure skill, but as a benchmark, I can get through Jake's Bohemian Rhapsody and Piano Forte with minimal error.

Lately, due to severe UAS, I've been window shopping and one question that has been on my mind is this. Am I too young to get a "professional" or custom ukulele (K brands, Collings, Breedlove, Mya Moe, instruments in the ~$1000 range)?
 
ahgnuyen said:
First, I'm 15 years old. Yes, a fair bit younger than most of the members here at UU. As of June 6, I will have been playing ukulele for a year and I plan to be playing for the rest of my life.

There's not really a way to exactly measure skill, but as a benchmark, I can get through Jake's Bohemian Rhapsody and Piano Forte with minimal error.

Lately, due to severe UAS, I've been window shopping and one question that has been on my mind is this. Am I too young to get a "professional" or custom ukulele (K brands, Collings, Breedlove, Mya Moe, instruments in the ~$1000 range)?
Click to expand...

Yes, you're too young. You should leave now before all of what's left of my self-esteem is destroyed.

Totally kidding . . . about the "too young" part. My self-esteem is rather bruised and I am supremely jealous of your talent.

I'll repeat what I've seen on UU time and time again because it makes so much sense. Get the best you can easily afford, or the best your parent's can afford if they're footing the bill.

With minimal error . . . really?!?!? :bowdown:

Good luck and have fun.
 
gyosh said:
Yes, you're too young. You should leave now before all of what's left of my self-esteem is destroyed.

Totally kidding . . . about the "too young" part. My self-esteem is rather bruised and I am supremely jealous of your talent.

I'll repeat what I've seen on UU time and time again because it makes so much sense. Get the best you can easily afford, or the best your parent's can afford if they're footing the bill.

With minimal error . . . really?!?!? :bowdown:

Good luck and have fun.
Click to expand...

Haha. You had me going there!

Minimal error, to an extent. I haven't learned the entire songs yet, but now that I'm out of school, I have more free time.

Ah, of course. I found a KoAloha tenor with pickup on Craigslist for $700. Hoping nobody else gets it before me!

Thanks!
 
ahgnuyen said:
First, I'm 15 years old. Yes, a fair bit younger than most of the members here at UU. As of June 6, I will have been playing ukulele for a year and I plan to be playing for the rest of my life.

There's not really a way to exactly measure skill, but as a benchmark, I can get through Jake's Bohemian Rhapsody and Piano Forte with minimal error.

Lately, due to severe UAS, I've been window shopping and one question that has been on my mind is this. Am I too young to get a "professional" or custom ukulele (K brands, Collings, Breedlove, Mya Moe, instruments in the ~$1000 range)?
Click to expand...

Go for it!! You are allowed to have fun, change your mind, have no regrets!! You are invincible cuz you are young!!
 
At your skill level, you're really going to want to try the uke before you buy it. Especially since each K-brand kind of has it's own unique sound or playability. They're all awesome, but you might prefer one over the other and to purchase straight away without playing the different brands first might leave you wanting something else. Search for stores that carry the K-brands and play them first hand. Then scour the ads if you're looking for used.

Just my two cents.
 
gyosh said:
At your skill level, you're really going to want to try the uke before you buy it. Especially since each K-brand kind of has it's own unique sound or playability. They're all awesome, but you might prefer one over the other and to purchase straight away without playing the different brands first might leave you wanting something else. Search for stores that carry the K-brands and play them first hand. Then scour the ads if you're looking for used.

Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

Exactly my thought. After extensive research, I've realized that what everyone hear says, and rightly so. However, here in Kenner, there are no shops that have ukuleles besides Guitar Center (shudder). However, I might go to Houston soon, and there are a few stores that have a few K's and higher end stuff.

Thank you for the advice, by the way. Very much appreciated.
 
You could also go to uke meet ups that may be near you. Most uke people are always willing to let you give their uke a test drive. Maybe some of them will have the K-brands. The other option you do have is to try out ukes with different top woods and/or wood combinations and see which one fits your ear. IMO if you're going to invest that much money you need to get what you really, really want. Maybe waiting to pull the trigger on a K until you know EXACTLY what you want may be the more prudent option. People will tell you that koa sounds like . . . and myrtle sounds like . . . . and so on and so on. You need to KNOW what you want. It'll prevent buyers remorse. Hope this helps. Good luck.
 
gyosh said:
You could also go to uke meet ups that may be near you. Most uke people are always willing to let you give their uke a test drive. Maybe some of them will have the K-brands. The other option you do have is to try out ukes with different top woods and/or wood combinations and see which one fits your ear. IMO if you're going to invest that much money you need to get what you really, really want. Maybe waiting to pull the trigger on a K until you know EXACTLY what you want may be the more prudent option. People will tell you that koa sounds like . . . and myrtle sounds like . . . . and so on and so on. You need to KNOW what you want. It'll prevent buyers remorse. Hope this helps. Good luck.
Click to expand...

I'll have to check if there are any uke fests near. Looks are also a big factor for me as well. For example, I love the look of Myrtle, but the only ukes I've seen that use Myrtle are Mya Moes. Slightly out of my price range. Haha. I've had to rely on video/sound samples, which actually help a lot. But I'm pretty much open to anything.
 
Dang, I have shoes older than you; wait a minute. And I'm wearing them now. Heck no you aren't too young. I've given many top end instruments to deserving youth like you. Keep it up and pay it forward. Means play forever and ensure others after you learn what is taught to you by we elders.

Hoping to hear of your new UAS acquistion soon.
 
Dang you youngsters are learning fast. I was that way a loooooong time ago. Congrats on your learning ability, keep it up.
As far as a uke, get what your heart desires, with your talent, you deserve it.
If your parents are helping you to obtain one, think of how proud they'll be when you become an accomplished uker, maybe even famous.
Good luck Keiki Kane..................................BO..........................
 
Figure out the most you think you can spend, then spend 20% more. Otherwise you'll be buying another in no time. The better it sounds, the more motivated you'll be to practice as 16-year old, then 17-year old, etc. distractions come your way. In a thread awhile back somebody calculated the cost per hour of a top $ no compromise uke, and for a full time player like yourself, it's the cheapest entertainment you can buy.
 
Wow. I love UU. Haha. Yall are just great, and so encouraging. A huge thank you to everyone who replied here. Your advice is priceless.

And fernandogardinali (I apologize; I don't know your real name), I've fallen in love with both of those brands. Collings are stunning and Mya Moe's are simply amazing. I don't think I'll be able to afford one for a good ten years! Unfortunately, my parents don't have a lot of money to spend right now, so it'll probably have to stay well under $1000. :)
 
You are at the perfect age to develop your musical skills. Get as many songs and techniques into your "muscle memory" now, because it is much easier to do at your age. Sounds like you are a dedicated musician, and that is who you will continue to be, I expect. So go for the best instrument you can get, and don't feel guilty. The KoAlohas are pretty consistent as far as tone and quality, but they do have a distinctive sound, so make sure you have heard them and like that sound. Hopefully you have played enough different sizes of ukes to know which one is the "right one" for you. That is the main thing you need to determine before spending the big bucks.

Happy hunting.
–Lori

PS– Bradford Donaldson makes myrtle ukes. You might check with him to see if he is available to make you one. http://donaldsonukuleles.com/
 
If you are budget minded, buy a second hand premimum uke in our marketplace or Flea Music Marketplace..that way you get a higher level uke for a better price..Good Luck...
if possible...try before you buy....in other words, Play it first if you can....Ukes all have their own voices like you and me..
 
You got the money, you got the passion, you got the desire? Don't matter if your 2 years old, get ya one you'll be proud to play little brudda...
 
If you are going to Houston, go to Rockin Robin. They are incredibly helpful and have ko'alohas. I agree with gyosh. play as many brands and varieties within the brand before buying. I played a couple a RR and learned that the I liked the concert best. Its all about personal preference. Good luck!
 
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I agree with what everyone else here says, go for it! Get the best ukulele you can afford, one that will last a lifetime. Another consideration you need to have is your age vs. money. At your age you don't have many bills. Your income in disposable. I used to be that way. Now that I own a house, have to make repairs on it and my car, pay for my own insurance, alarm system, gas, water and electric and all that good stuff I can't drop a grand on something like I used to be able to when I was a teenager or a younger man in my 20's. I still have some of those luxary items from my youth though and I'm glad I do :) It also sounds like your parents are very supportive and willing to help you out.
 
There are other builders worth looking into. BlacK Bear often builds in you price range and has some of the finest ukes around. I also highly recommend Covered Bridge, especially if you like myrtle. You will be able to pick one up for around 1/2 of you budget and will get a fantastic uke. Search my post and you find a video review of my myrtle/redwood concert. I recently got to play a large sample of "K" brand ukes. They were fantastic and there were a couple I would love to own, but I left there being even more impressed with just how good the covered bridge sounds and plays.

Two others worth worth considering are Loprinzi (check out Elderly Music) and MP Ukuleles (who currently has a BEAUTIFUL tenor available for $800).

You are on the right track and I'm not trying to make things more complicated. Just pointing out a few other options.
Good luck!
 
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