Downgrading from expensive to still great but affordable ukes

NewKid

NewKid

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Dear Uke Friends,

For those of you who have acquired their dream ukuleles at premium prices of $1,000+ do you find yourself looking for something still nice but much less expensive?

I just saw this Kala Solid Okoume Tenor with a Slothead online at HMS and I have a Collings UT-2K, but the simplicity of the Kala and the affordability is very attractive. Plus it would get a great set-up at HMS.

http://www.theukulelesite.com/ka-smlt-new-lite-series-tenor-slothead-solid-okoume-wood.html
 
I have a few high-end ukes, but still take great joy in playing my Kala and my Mainlands. There are some very good reasonably-priced instruments out there.
 
I saw that Kala Okoume Uke at HMS's site too, and it looks Awesome!

I hinted to my wife that I wish I could get that for my birthday next month!...
 
I've had my taste of top end (a Kamaka $1000+ baritone), but I still enjoy cheaper ukes like the $219 Gretsch acoustic-electric tenor, and the $299 Luna Baritone..
 
I play my less expensive ukes way more than the more expensive ones. In fact, just last night I got out a Kala solid spruce/laminate spalted maple concert that I hadn't played in almost seven months. It sounded great, and was so easy to play! And, yes, I too have had my eye on that Kala okoume tenor.....
 
See no reason to downgrade when I can have both. While some ukes are better values than others, regardless of price range, you still pretty much get what you pay for. The trick is to have realistic expectations of what you are getting for the money. As a huge fan of the "law of diminishing returns", at what point are you no longer getting a dollars worth of improvement for a dollar? Ahhhhh, "therein lies the rub."
 
I've recently gotten into my head the idea of using some $$$ I've set aside for UAS to prowl eBay and pick up some pretty inexpensive old instruments and learn how to spruce (the verb, not the wood) them up myself and build up a little collection of older, lower end or rejected instruments. You know...see what I can make of them. Build up a kind of "Toy Story"-ish menagerie of monstrosities and retreads and mash-ups.

I've got my Martin S1 for when I want the pleasure of playing a decent quality new uke. I'd like to pick up a good concert or tenor (though I prefer sopranos). I'm thinking about a Martin C1K in the near future.

But I think it would be a gas -- and a great hobby -- to learn some minor repair/set-up skills while messing about with some inexpensive instruments that I can pick up on eBay, etc. I'm excited about this. And I'll learn quite a bit. I've got some little bit of space in the basement that can be set aside for a small workshop.

I'm psyched...for something other than high-end instruments! I still get to have UAS...but on the cheap. Anybody else do this kind of thing?
 
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It kills me to play anything but my best.
 
Nicko said:
I've recently gotten into my head the idea of using some $$$ I've set aside for UAS to prowl eBay and pick up some pretty inexpensive old instruments and learn how to spruce (the verb, not the wood) them up myself and build up a little collection of older, lower end or rejected instruments. You know...see what I can make of them. Build up a kind of "Toy Story"-ish menagerie of monstrosities and retreads and mash-ups.

I've got my Martin S1 for when I want the pleasure of playing a decent quality new uke. I'd like to pick up a good concert or tenor (though I prefer sopranos). I'm thinking about a Martin C1K in the near future.

But I think it would be a gas -- and a great hobby -- to learn some minor repair/set-up skills while messing about with some inexpensive instruments that I can pick up on eBay, etc. I'm excited about this. And I'll learn quite a bit. I've got some little bit of space in the basement that can be set aside for a small workshop.

I'm psyched...for something other than high-end instruments! I still get to have UAS...but on the cheap. Anybody else do this kind of thing?
Click to expand...

I don't buy ukes just to repair them but I do get a kick out of customising all my ukes to some degree: from changing the strings to replacing the saddle/bridge or the tuners, resoldering and shielding connections in the pick-up, etc. So much fun!
 
GKK said:
I saw that Kala Okoume Uke at HMS's site too, and it looks Awesome!

I hinted to my wife that I wish I could get that for my birthday next month!...
Click to expand...

It looks awesome and it sounds pretty sweet too. HMS did a great set up on mine with Low G. I'm about to do a belated New Uke for it shortly. :D

I know some people think the slot head is a pain to string or a fashion statement, but this wonderful tenor is feather light and a full headstock could make it feel out of balance so easily. Of all the ukes I've had the pleasure to hold or play recently the lightness and balance of this is quite wonderful.
 
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Wouldn't mind getting a less-expensive soprano sometime in the future. Being broke has desensitized me to high-end UAS, but something travel-worthy besides my Flea would be nice!
 
My "expensive uke" is an Islander Tenor laminate (expensive is such a relative term), which is my primary instrument, but I still take down my red Dolphin and play it VERY often. I just love the sound on it (Martin600 strings).
 
I've got some very premium ukes but I played that Okuome Kala at the local music store and was very impressed with it. I rarely take my most expensive ukes out of the house. My go to uke when I play out is usually my Koalana Concert. It's a fabulous uke at any price.
 
Nicko said:
I've recently gotten into my head the idea of using some $$$ I've set aside for UAS to prowl eBay and pick up some pretty inexpensive old instruments and learn how to spruce (the verb, not the wood) them up myself and build up a little collection of older, lower end or rejected instruments. You know...see what I can make of them. Build up a kind of "Toy Story"-ish menagerie of monstrosities and retreads and mash-ups.

I've got my Martin S1 for when I want the pleasure of playing a decent quality new uke. I'd like to pick up a good concert or tenor (though I prefer sopranos). I'm thinking about a Martin C1K in the near future.

But I think it would be a gas -- and a great hobby -- to learn some minor repair/set-up skills while messing about with some inexpensive instruments that I can pick up on eBay, etc. I'm excited about this. And I'll learn quite a bit. I've got some little bit of space in the basement that can be set aside for a small workshop.

I'm psyched...for something other than high-end instruments! I still get to have UAS...but on the cheap. Anybody else do this kind of thing?
Click to expand...

Yes, I've been buying cheap beat up and broken ukes to learn how to repair and restore them. Most of them are not great ukes, never were, but it is fun to work on them. A few have been surprisingly good, though.
 
Lets see...my first was a Hawaiian Ukulele Company concert. I also have a flea, Polk-a-lay-le, plastic Flamingo Uke, a Hilo I pulled out of my friends garbage can, a Lori Espanol concert which was a gift, and my Moore Bettah super concert. I sold my KoAloha concert the minute I got my Moore Bettah.

I will play my Lori's uke while I wait for new strings to settle on my MB. I hate changing strings, so I don't do it often enough.

I practice at least an hour a day. I'm kinda ramping it up right now getting ready for UWC. More like 2 hours. UWC is my recital. But I'm getting kind of old and I don't learn as fast as I used to. Colmes and I started lessons at about the same skill level. He is WAY past me now. And it drives me crazy and I can't do anything about it. Hence the hard work.
 
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