Am I crazy?

I told my friend today that I almost dropped 500 bucks on a ukulele (a tenor electric Pono) the other day...He looked at me like I was crazy.

Am I?
I thought the price was reasonable for what I was looking at.
Plus, this ukulele sounds absolutely beautiful and I immediately fell in LOVE with its sound...I almost felt unworthy of playing it, since I'm only a novice at this whole ukulele thing.

I don't know. I'm torn.

I need some second opinions and some more convincing.

Thanks.

Or, for $500 you can buy a fraction of the inlay in my avatar.

Actually, you're friend probably thought you're crazy spending $500 when you should spend at least twice that amount to get a good Kamaka or KoAloha Tenor off the rack, then save up for the eventual Ko`olau.

What's wrong with being crazy?

$500 isnt that much on a uke... go crazy and spend $5000

Yeah, you're crazy. You found a uke you really liked and didn't buy it on the spot.

Other than that, your friend just doesn't understand the actual price of things. They don't need to. It's not their money.

Either of my acoustic concerts cost me nearly that much. And they were well freakin' worth it.

Not that I've spent that on a uke yet... I certainly think it's more than reasonable for a decent instrument. You're not going to get much guitar or violin etc. for $500. It's not much for a uke which is probably of better quality comparitively.

If you go with it I hope you thoroughly enjoy and get more than your money's worth of playing out of it.

You think that's crazy?!?

I used to play the shakuhachi - Japanese flute. A solid shakuhachi costs $2,000. A true pro instrument can go for $5,000 - $10,000.

Now we're talking crazy.

And let's not even mention violins. From where I sit Ukuleles are true bargains for what you get.

In my mind, if you love an instrument and really play it (as opposed to letting is collect dust) you should spend whatever you want and whatever you can afford with no guilt. Playing music is one of life's greatest pleasures. And it is a unique pleasue in that it is good for you and the people listening and doesn't do no harm to know one. Investing in music is probably one of the single most sensible ways one can spend money.

In short: ENJOY!

We're all mad here... Muahahaha!

*ahem* Sorry. Can't help it.

You guys are mad... I have to fight with myself to purchase anything over $20.

If you can afford it and you really want it,there's nothing crazy about that. Money is for spending.

hoosierhiver said:

If you can afford it and you really want it,there's nothing crazy about that. Money is for spending.

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Very well put. Quote of the day.

durrin said:

I told my friend today that I almost dropped 500 bucks on a ukulele (a tenor electric Pono) the other day...He looked at me like I was crazy.

Am I?
I thought the price was reasonable for what I was looking at.
Plus, this ukulele sounds absolutely beautiful and I immediately fell in LOVE with its sound...I almost felt unworthy of playing it, since I'm only a novice at this whole ukulele thing.

I don't know. I'm torn.

I need some second opinions and some more convincing.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Just imagine what it would be like if you were living in the 808.

I never understand why people think cheap when it comes to smaller instruments. It takes the same amount of steps to build a good uke as it does a guitar. And the smaller the instrument the more mistakes are amplified in the end result. Mmost folks will tell you that a decent guitar usually is over 500$ and a 100$ guitar is crap, and a 250$ crafter is OK but not great.

A pono is like a toyota camry, a middle of the road car with decent amenities and a fair track record. You could pay a lot more or a lot less but this one spoke to you.

Most importantly, if you liked the way it sounds then be happy and enjoy it.

durrin said:

I told my friend today that I almost dropped 500 bucks on a ukulele (a tenor electric Pono) the other day...He looked at me like I was crazy.

Am I?
I thought the price was reasonable for what I was looking at.
Plus, this ukulele sounds absolutely beautiful and I immediately fell in LOVE with its sound...I almost felt unworthy of playing it, since I'm only a novice at this whole ukulele thing.

I don't know. I'm torn.

I need some second opinions and some more convincing.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

If you're crazy, I probably belong in a mental institute for life!

Which model were you looking at? Is it the spruce top & mahogany back/sides model? If so, $500 is reasonable for it especially if you really like how it plays and sounds.

I'm of the opinion is that you're worthy of whatever uke you can afford, so I wouldn't worry about not being able to live up to a certain ukulele.

If you can afford it, $500 is not too much. If you have to eat peanut butter sandwiches (cuz they're cheap, not because you like them) because you spent all your money for it, then it's too much.

I always wanted to buy a bassoon, but at over $10,000 it's not gonna happen. Ukuleles are way cheaper -- and just as much fun to play.

And really if you think about it -- how much money have people spent on cheap ukes and end up with LOTS of them? They never seem to like the ones they have and end up buying more. One "good" expensive one may end up being cheaper in the long run than a lot of cheap ones.

sukie said:

And really if you think about it -- how much money have people spent on cheap ukes and end up with LOTS of them? They never seem to like the ones they have and end up buying more. One "good" expensive one may end up being cheaper in the long run than a lot of cheap ones.

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I agree with sukie. I bought an Hawaiian Ukulele Company ($70), an Oscar Schmidt OU5 (about $140), then a Kala koa laminate (about $200), then a Kala solid cedartop (about $300), and none of them were the right fit for me. They were not too expensive but if you add up the money spent on all three, they were not that much cheaper than when I finally bought my Kanile'a K2 tenor for $900. I fell in love with the Kanile'a and have never looked back. I should have bought that to begin with, and saved the money spent on the other four.

If the Pono is the ukulele for you, you are better off buying it rather than spending money on ones that will leaving you longing for the Pono you "should have" bought. Good luck to you...I'm sure you will make the right decision for you.

GreyPoupon said:

And let's not even mention violins. From where I sit Ukuleles are true bargains for what you get.

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Any classical instrument, I played a cello in a concert once that was worth more then my house.

Crazy is 500 bucks on a spin of the wheel hoping it comes up red...
Crazy is 85 bucks for a bottle of rum...
Crazy is paddling a kayak off a 100ft waterfall...

I didn't spend 500 on my new Koaloha Soprano but the other half thinks I'm crazy!!!!!

wickedwahine11 said:

I agree with sukie. I bought an Hawaiian Ukulele Company ($70), an Oscar Schmidt OU5 (about $140), then a Kala koa laminate (about $200), then a Kala solid cedartop (about $300), and none of them were the right fit for me. They were not too expensive but if you add up the money spent on all three, they were not that much cheaper than when I finally bought my Kanile'a K2 tenor for $900. I fell in love with the Kanile'a and have never looked back. I should have bought that to begin with, and saved the money spent on the other four.

Click to expand...

The other side of that coin is that if you hadn't tried the cheap ones you may not have known what was right for you.

there is absolutely nothing wrong with spending that much on an ukulele. especially if that is the going rate for that particular model. comparing prices to other instruments is in a way irrelevant. people and retailers will find different values in different things depending on their quality (or perceived quality) and their demand.

personally, i can truly appreciate a quality instrument. i didnt say expensive, i said quality. i own instruments ranging from $50 to a somewhat custom taylor 614ce (you can look up the pricing on these). i have chosen less expensive instruments over more expensive based solely on its performance (my acoustic gigging guitar was a $700 piece that i chose over the others that i was initially looking at that were twice the price).

then you get to the DIY stuff. and the amount of work you personally put into a certain piece. i own a mexican strat... with some work done to it. if i were to put it up against any american standard strat off the shelf, i would choose mine anyday. and because it didnt cost me that much, compared to some others, i can gig with it no problem. useability divided by cost equals value. to me, this is my most valuable guitar. some of my ukuleles are the same way for me.

hahaha long story short, i agree with the person who said that the only thing you are crazy for is the fact that you found an instrument that you could afford that sang to your SOUL... and you left her.