question about soprano ukuleles

nico

nico

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I've been playing ukulele for about half a year now, and I've gotten pretty good at it ;) So I'm thinking about getting another one.

My first and only ukulele is a Lanikai LU-21 Concert, and I love it to death! It's been perfect. But I really want to get a soprano ukulele too.

I kind of want to go a step up from Lanikai ukuleles, which are great, but cheap at the same time. I'm not ready to shell out hundreds and hundreds of dollars or anything (I am 17 and poor :() but I would like to go the next step or two up.

Thanks for your help :)
 
Ohana ukuleles and Kala ukes should be at the top of your list. They both have modestly priced solid-wood ukuleles that will be a major upgrade in terms of performance and tone.

Both are setup nicely, too.
 
nico said:
I've been playing ukulele for about half a year now, and I've gotten pretty good at it ;) So I'm thinking about getting another one.

My first and only ukulele is a Lanikai LU-21 Concert, and I love it to death! It's been perfect. But I really want to get a soprano ukulele too.

I kind of want to go a step up from Lanikai ukuleles, which are great, but cheap at the same time. I'm not ready to shell out hundreds and hundreds of dollars or anything (I am 17 and poor :() but I would like to go the next step or two up.

Thanks for your help :)
Click to expand...

What Pippin said sounds good. It might also be worth looking out for partially damaged high end Lanikais, they are solid koa and hand made in Hawaii by Kanile'a. I remember a post not so long ago about someone bidding on one, they are pretty inexpensive for such a good uke, I'd buy one if I saw one again!

Just out of interest why do you want to go from the concert to the soprano?
 
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You might think about a Koa Pili Koko. I have one, a soprano, and love it. You should be able to find a new one with a case for $200 or so.

They are solid acadia (not koa) but very close to koa.
 
Haven't seen any of the blemished Lanikai LK's offered on Ebay for a while. I think I just got really lucky. That was a hell of a deal considering what I actually got.

And I'll second the Pono PSO deal. I was looking at those myself (but pulled the trigger on his blowout for a Pono PKS-2e when those came back up. Another too good a deal.)
 
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Pippin is right!!

personaly, highest i go for soprano is kala.
 
This is such a big help!!! Thanks everyone! :)



Just out of interest why do you want to go from the concert to the soprano?
Click to expand...

I'm definitely not going to stop playing my Lanikai, but I just think it'd be nice to have both sizes.
 
That weird UU aversion to soprano rears its ugly head again. I agree with Nico. It's nice to have more than a bunch of the same thing. I'd add that you may want to keep an eye on the Tangi sopranos MGM has as well. That Pono PSO should also be really sweet.
 
Plainsong said:
That weird UU aversion to soprano rears its ugly head again....
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't get it either. It usually based around some sort of tenor snobbery. Over compensation, perhaps?

Some of us are just secure enough in our musical equipment and our prowess with it, I guess. :nana:
 
Plainsong said:
That weird UU aversion to soprano rears its ugly head again. I agree with Nico. It's nice to have more than a bunch of the same thing. I'd add that you may want to keep an eye on the Tangi sopranos MGM has as well. That Pono PSO should also be really sweet.
Click to expand...

MGM told me that Tangi ukes are not being produced now, so, the supply will be steadily dwindling.
 
That Pono is a steal!!!!!

I LOVE mine!!!!
 
Lanark said:
Yeah, I don't get it either. It usually based around some sort of tenor snobbery. Over compensation, perhaps?

Some of us are just secure enough in our musical equipment and our prowess with it, I guess. :nana:
Click to expand...

well for me specifically the soprano size is just too small for me, I cant play it without sitting and hunched over it. Now, dont get me wrong, I like the sound (I own a cheapo soprano) but, my tenor is just way more comfortable. I recently bought a baritone, and im starting to feel the same way towards my tenor now too, but I suppose thats what happens when youre switching between big and small. My drumset is huge (Im a drummer), I could say it about equals Mike Portnoy's set in girth, so going from that to a sporano could be why the soprano feels so damn small :p
 
I think what we were talking about were past comments like "graduating to a tenor" or "tenor is the size you want" - stuff like that. Then here you see "I only spend X amount on a soprano." - it gives this impression that sopranos are cheap little toys or something, when uke players of all the size scales have to battle that mentality.

You don't see that happening with wind instruments. Flute players don't look down on piccolo players. Bari sax players don't look down on tenor sax, who look down on the altos, who LOL at the soprano sax players. Trumpet players don't tell soprano trumpet players not to spend much on their instruments.

But in the uke world it's somehow OK? I don't get it.
 
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