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bodhran

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Being very new to ukuleles and string instruments in general (I am a bodhran and pipe and tabor player) i have been carefully examining the various cheaper ukuleles available locally before deciding which one to buy. My budget is £100 for a ukulele and tuner. Must admit I am really impressed with the builds and finish of the ukuleles I have seen so far. For the money they are really good. Ok the cheap ones are 'plain' but they seem very well made for the money and look like they will last a fair while. As i can't yet play a stringed instrument myself i have been driving a couple of stores nutso asking for someone to play them so i can listen!

I want to learn the ukulele so i can play an instrument at home that will not result in our new neighbour shouting - they seem very sensitive to 'noise' and since they moved in I have been confined to practising bodhran at a local music project. A friend who plays guitar visits and plays and i have noticed that the neighbour does not seem to hear it so i reckon a ukulele will be ideal to stop me suffering music withdrawal syndrome. I have no desire to learn guitar but i love the ukulele sound.
 
Bodhran - see this link and review - http://www.gotaukulele.com/2012/05/bruko-no6-soprano-ukulele-review.html

For the money (£100) I cannot find anything that compares - solid wood, hand made, perfectly built, not made in a far eastern sweat shop. Brukos pricing speaks volumes about them, and about the eastern imports. It shows that Hubert who makes them doesn't choose to rip off, and raises questions about to me about similar spec instruments from the likes of Kala. I believe an all solid Kala of this sort of quality finish could cost 50 -100% more.

No brainer.

I ordered from Thomann.de, but you can order direct from Bruko too. Duke of Uke in London also stock them sometimes.
 
Thank you Sir

I will give the Bruko serious consideration.

Cheers
Jon
 
I'll 2nd bazmaz! Go with a Bruko! I love my Bruko. The sound is great (at least to me), the finish is as close to 100% as you can get and the look of the No. 6 is very striking (love the headstock). For the price it can't be beat. I like it much better than any East Asian ukes I've played. The only suggestion I can give you is put new string on it.
 
Yeah, the looks serve to give it a certain something that makes it stand out amongst other ukes
 
Thank you Sirs

I will follow your suggestions and order a Bruko.

Now what to do about the neighbour??????
 
when it comes to neighbours - its about being reasonable - banging away on a uke at 12 midnight would be unreasonable. Playing at 12 noon on a Saturday however... At the end of the day your home is your home and you are entitled to live in it without being completely silent all day.
 
I lived in a 3rd floor (top level) flat a while ago. I got a new neighbor in the unit below mine. She would come up and yell at me or bang on the ceiling with a stick for making too much noise when I walked on my floor. I invited her in to show her the old flooring that squeaked. She didn't seem to care. I couldn't just *not* walk in my own home. I told her off with a few choice words escorted her out of my flat and then I filed a complaint with the complex and she stopped being so unreasonable. I agree jamming out at midnight is a little much but during the day there isn't much someone can say. It sounds like you don't have a good relationship with them anyway so as long as it isn't at odd hours I'd say jam!
 
I make a point of never practising before 10am and never after 6pm. This new neighbour is just plain unreasonable about anything and everything and has upset just about everyone in the street. They seem to think that they bought the entire street along with their house! A while back they knocked the door and tried to demand the passkey to my hub/router so they could use my internet connection! They actually said they had no intention of paying for broadband when others in the street had already paid!
The day after they had been ranting about me playing the bodhran (For 15 mins at lunchtime) they demanded the right to park their 2nd car on my property.

Ah well - maybe one day they will move. Until then I just keep out of their way. I hate arguments and just want a quiet life.
 
Uh yeah thats not cool. All you need is for them to do some illegal internet stuff and then you have to deal with the police. No thank you. And to demand a parking spot on your property? What a bunch of loons! I would play your bodhran all day long lol.
 
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