UAS...more rambling thoughts on an incurable disease

hey gang,

well I've been laid up sick for the past week, unable to sing nor play. But the ol brain has kept on ticking...

Last few months I've mainly been playing my cheapo painted mahalo ukes, just occasionally getting out the mya moe soprano, and the collings a few times. Why you may ask? well, just to see if I enjoyed them as much as the others. Answer? yep, I sure do. I've bought lots and lots of ukes over the past 6 years from these cheapos, through the 200-400 price ranges, up into the 800-1000 bracket and above. The most expensive one I bought was around 2000 bucks. Then financial probs hit and one by one, I sold em all.

But the UAS in me has never been cured. As I've paid bills over the last months I keep scrounging pennies together to keep on buying...cheaper ones instead of expensive ones...but buying nonetheless. Now I have bought 3 more in the past 2 months, and been gifted 2 others through incredible generosity.

The thing is, it don't matter the price....I used to kid myself I was only buying in search of the perfect sounding instrument. But UAS aint about the tone either (after a while they all start to sound the same. My ear isn't flexible and dynamic enough to appreciate subtlety anyway), or even the maker in the end (as today's favourite will likely be tomorrow's forgotten luthier), it's just about the buying, the thrill of it, the anticipation of trying an unplayed instrument, the waiting for the delivery, the opening of the box....only to find out that this new 250 dollar uke sounds pretty much like that old 900 uke which sounds pretty much like that 180 dollar one which plays same as the 600 one etc. Then I'm left strumming a C chord on my painted blue 25 buck mahalo which is a little smile machine and thinking what was all the pain for...

Sure, one occasionally finds a uke where the bonding is instant and you just 'know' straight away. This has happened with 2 ukes I've owned, one which I still have and another which I so regretfully sold. But these are very few and far between. I've come to realise that UAS is simply an existential state of malcontentment. Never satisfied. Never will be. Embrace it. Salute. Cry. Smash the computer. Shake your head. Cuss. Buy a ukulele shop. Rejoice. See a therapist. Or a pastor. Just do what you gotta do and keep walkin...

Sorry you're feeling so poorly.

In testament to what you said above, I immediately wondered which uke was the one you loved but sold and then how hard it would be to track down the current owner and . . .

Aloha Eugene,
Sorry to hear your health issues and you are not feeling well either... I understand what you say about ukes...I have reached that stage too...I can play any ukulele and be happy....it's
funny that you get to a point where satisfaction out weighs cost...I too have gone through many ukes too as you know... I know one of your favorites is your Mya Moe Mango soprano...not sure what
the other is...Yes I've had regrets too selling some ukes as favorites don't come around much often and is usually by chance...I have more fun out of my 25.00 soprano rogue than ukes costing
over a 100 times ....yes satisfaction sums that up for me.... You know life is funny, we go through problems, then one day the suns shines again....I know your health will improve just as mine.
One day we will have that special surprise day....I promise... thank you for sharing you story....yes the thrill of searching, buying and waiting for it to arrive...Happy Strummings
Hope you get better and feel better soon too...sending the coolest get well vibes from waikiki to Delantys Road...

Yep I hear ya. I think (at least in my case) its malcontentment or boredom. I do the same thing with a couple of different hobbies I have (not UAS specifically for me). Just breaks up the monotony and gives me something to look foreward to I guess. You can be sure that the moment I'm feeling bored, I'm surfing ebay etc looking for the next pick me up.

Hi Jon, Wow, not singing or playing. You must be sick. Hope you feel better soon.

As far as UAS, of the few different instruments I've played, the uke has the most character. Each one is unique and special in it's own way and something as simple as different strings can change that character. In my case at least, if you add the fact that I have more time on my hands then brains in by head and it's a dangerous combination.

Hope to hear you singing soon.

luluwrites said:

Sorry you're feeling so poorly.

In testament to what you said above, I immediately wondered which uke was the one you loved but sold and then how hard it would be to track down the current owner and . . .

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hey Linda,

the other uke was this one:



I sold it to a fellow member here. Um...I think he likes it too...he he.

And sorry folks, didn't want it to be another sob story, just needed to get some thoughts off my chest about the ol' UAS compulsions. I do find it interesting sometimes to take a microscope to things, to coldly analyse what is actually going on within...sometimes it's not healthy but when you come out the other end occasionally with a clearer view then maybe it's been worth the effort.

Jon, you are not alone my friend.

Cheer up and feel better soon. My father used to say to me "each day you wake up on the green side of the grass is a good day".

mm stan said:

Aloha Eugene,
Sorry to hear your health issues and you are not feeling well either... I understand what you say about ukes...I have reached that stage too...I can play any ukulele and be happy....it's
funny that you get to a point where satisfaction out weighs cost...I too have gone through many ukes too as you know... I know one of your favorites is your Mya Moe Mango soprano...not sure what
the other is...Yes I've had regrets too selling some ukes as favorites don't come around much often and is usually by chance...I have more fun out of my 25.00 soprano rogue than ukes costing
over a 100 times ....yes satisfaction sums that up for me.... You know life is funny, we go through problems, then one day the suns shines again....I know your health will improve just as mine.
One day we will have that special surprise day....I promise... thank you for sharing you story....yes the thrill of searching, buying and waiting for it to arrive...Happy Strummings
Hope you get better and feel better soon too...sending the coolest get well vibes from waikiki to Delantys Road...

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hey mate, been missing you. Thanks for the clarity and insight Bruddah.

v30 said:

breaks up the monotony and gives me something to look foreward to I guess.

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So true mate, so true. I think the lesson of being content is a lifelong one, eh

vanflynn said:

Hi Jon, Wow, not singing or playing. You must be sick. Hope you feel better soon.

As far as UAS, of the few different instruments I've played, the uke has the most character. Each one is unique and special in it's own way and something as simple as different strings can change that character. In my case at least, if you add the fact that I have more time on my hands that brains in by head and it's a dangerous combination.

Hope to hear you singing soon.

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yeah vf, my daughter picked up a virus similar to whooping cough and I managed to grab it too. With my smoking history and insulin dep. diabetes it has hit me pretty hard. Could hardly breath there for a couple of days. But it's all good now...turned the corner yesterday mate and feeling much improved. Funny brother, I suffer from that dangerous co-existence of those phenomena too...too much time, too few brain cells. He he...cheers for the good humour J, blessings to ya!!!

Doc_J said:

Jon, you are not alone my friend.

Cheer up and feel better soon. My father used to say to me "each day you wake up on the green side of the grass is a good day".

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that's a great one doc. what is it with dad's and their laconic, dry wit...my dad has similar sayings like that. anyway brother, sure glad to be on top of it than under it he he

Brother Jon. I can relate entirely to your "affliction". I took up the uke in the middle of a long medical battle my wife was enduring. She almost died in the ER three times in less than 18 months, & sometimes the only solace I could find was the sweet sounds of "music self-made". In the still of the night, when the many blessed friends & church members left for their own homes, strumming my little ukes took me away from the dreadful weight of my soulmate's suffering. UAS was a release for some of the same reasons that you mention.

Now its not so bad, the wife is 1 year since her last surgery, I've got a "stable" of ukes that I think I might hang on to for a long while, & only occasionally am I really tempted to add another one.

This week my wife finally sat down at her long neglected piano & filled the house with her beautiful playing & voice! I silently sat in our den sobbing in joy for the restoration of HER joy in making music.

You sir, have blessed our souls with your music & your heart. And I think that C.S. Lewis might have an angle or two on that universal "longing" that manifests itself in our yearning for yet another beautiful sounding instrument.

Keep hanging on, bro. Mahalo!

I hope you feel better soon Jon

Sorry to hear you are not feeling well. Seems like you really struggle with UAS since you have posted about your issues with this several times. Hopefully you can get the help you need. Take care.

Amen, thank you for your most helpful post, and feel better.

Kathryn

eugene ukulele said:

it's just about the buying, the thrill of it, the anticipation of trying an unplayed instrument, the waiting for the delivery, the opening of the box....only to find out that this new 250 dollar uke sounds pretty much like that old 900 uke which sounds pretty much like that 180 dollar one which plays same as the 600 one etc.

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Get well soon, Jon. And thanks as always for sharing your thoughts on UAS. I think what you just described is pretty deeply ingrained in human nature, and definitely not limited to ukuleles - which is why we live in a world of big-box stores, massive consumer debt, and status symbols.

Sorry to hear you've not been so well. Get well soon and keep enjoying those ukes.

Jon,
I wondered why I had not seen any posts and/or videos, hope you fully recover soon.
I am really enjoying your cds. I believe we have similar taste in music. If you ever decide to put together a song book with chords and lyrics, let me know I will definitely be a customer.
Meanwhile, wishing you and your daughter a speedy recovery and look forward to more great videos.

Good to see you back, Jon - I'd been wondering where you were.

Life is a roller coaster ride, that's for sure. After having my arm surgery postponed twice, I went in Monday to have it done - and the surgeon decided that I didn't need it after all.

He wants to talk about "pain management" now - and I'm not terribly thrilled with what he is suggesting, so I'll be talking to my lawyer to find out if I can get a second opinion with Workers' Comp.

I understand about the UAS - mine has pretty much stabilized - especially after getting the Sceptre and the Vita Uke at the same time - but I still lust after different instruments, and interestingly enough they still don't all sound the same to me when I play - the same thing with my guitars, when I was playing them , although I only have 4.

There is, of course, always one more ukulele on the horizon... (g)

My best to you - I will be listening to the CDs and watching the DVDs this week.

Like others, I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling well, so definitely focus on getting better.

As for your (and others') UAS, I can kind of intellectually understand, but I have to be honest and say I just don't get it. I mean, I do understand the allure of the "other" and how one can covet that really pretty or interesting instrument we see in a shop or in a video or online. But I don't get that compulsion to continue to acquire. Mind you, this is not in any way a criticism or judgment of getting multiple instruments, just a personal thing.

When I had two ukes (the Kanile'a and the aNueNue), I ended up playing the Kanile'a almost exclusively. I justified having the aNueNue as well by telling myself that it would be the linear tuned one, and the Kanile'a would be the re-entrant. But I soon found myself feeling really guilty because I would have to force myself to play the aNueNue. Eventually I just thought that it was wrong to play a uke out of guilt, and I ended up gifting it to someone. Maybe I just don't appreciate the subtle differences among various ukes, or maybe I just am too much a musical peasant to understand how different situations call for different models/sizes, but I haven't had the slightest inclination to buy another uke.

Anyway, like I said, I don't mean this as a criticism, because if you have the desire, the appreciation, and the ability you should buy as many ukes as you want for whatever reason you want.

And yeah, for now maybe you should just concentrate on getting better so you can get back to playing and buying