Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome Stories!

YogenFruz · Jul 9, 2014

Hi all!

Recently, I went on a spending spree and picked up four(!) more ukuleles in addition to the ones I already had! (Pictures coming soon) I have ranked them below from my favourite to not so favourite, and if you guys notice my sig, the collection is quickly growing...

1. KA-ASAC-T-C-SP/MM (Kala Solid Acacia Body, Spruce Top Marcy Marxer Tenor Gloss Cutaway with EQ)

2. KA-ATP-CT (Kala Acacia Tenor, Cedar Top Classic headstock)

3. KA-ASAC-S (Kala Solid Acacia Soprano)

4. KA-TG (Kala Mahogany Gloss Tenor)

With that being said, I want to know if anyone else had something snap inside of them and just go on a spending spree one day! I want to hear your UAS stories, maybe just to tell myself that my bank account isn't suffering alone

KohanMike · Jul 9, 2014

After deliberating for a few weeks, I ordered two custom ukes from Vietnam, a mahogany mandolele ($290) and gypsy jazz style curly maple/Indian rosewood ($780), and now I'm getting a price on an all black tenor solid koa with pearl binding all around (about $350). I also traded in three of my lesser ukes for the Kala in my signature, I really like the sound and feel of the Kala.

DownUpDave · Jul 9, 2014

Two weeks ago I went in to buy some Worth Clears, they were out of stock. So I left with a soprano.........a soprano, I don't even like sopranos. Guess what, I like sopranos now and am in the middle of talking with one of the vendors here for two more. One is a super soprano and one is a super cheapee for kicking around. I have been waffling but I think your post just pushed my over the edge to pull the trigger, Thanks.....I think.

jcarlos · Jul 10, 2014

My UAS comes and goes, right now I'm doing good, just trying to get one commissioned, but I have an eye open for strange ukuleles,like cigar boxes or tin can ukes. I really want to get one of those. There was a resonator concert at Pohaku that I was about to order but the day my check came in, the uke was already gone :/. So yea my total is currently 11, 2 mandos are in that count but I tune them and play them as ukes so I consider them ukes

.

YogenFruz · Jul 10, 2014

DownUpDave said:
Two weeks ago I went in to buy some Worth Clears, they were out of stock. So I left with a soprano.........a soprano, I don't even like sopranos. Guess what, I like sopranos now and am in the middle of talking with one of the vendors here for two more. One is a super soprano and one is a super cheapee for kicking around. I have been waffling but I think your post just pushed my over the edge to pull the trigger, Thanks.....I think.

How do you think I feel every time I walk into the local music store?

Icelander53 · Jul 10, 2014

My story is about flailing around willy nilly making mistakes, getting lucky, slowly learning, saying dumb things about my ukes when I get them that I don't agree with at all two weeks later, feeling proud, feeling stupid and never saying die.

I now own 7 and three of them are keepers.

Teek · Jul 10, 2014

Icelander53 said:
My story is about flailing around willy nilly making mistakes, getting lucky, slowly learning, saying dumb things about my ukes when I get them that I don't agree with at all two weeks later, feeling proud, feeling stupid and never saying die.

I now own 7 and three of them are keepers.

You are AWESOME! It's the journey, and we're supposed to learn along the way.

I got a bucket list uke, a Collings tenor and was lucky enough to get a 2M for the price of a 1M concert. Within 24 hours I let my other half mess with it and he accidentally smacked the top bout with a heavy ring, denting it and putting in a crack. :/ I didn't know it but heard the thunk, looked it over but without my glasses or a very bright light so missed it. Good thing I decided to keep it instead of sending it back to the dealer (before I did find it and was heartbroken), who would have said "HEY!". So that has cured me of the expensive uke bug, I hope forever. To have it dinged out of the gate and I didn't even do it, it made me think of earthquakes and car wrecks and house fires and the complete unfairness of life as a general rule and of course my own mortality. Perspective. The good side though is he paid me back for it, so then I bought a crunched vintage Martin Style 3M off Craigslist and had it repaired and it's a nice little player even though I'm not a soprano person. But it was a deal.

VegasGeorge · Aug 9, 2014

I was excited to see the UAS described as a recognized condition. I've been worried about myself, and feel so much better now that I have a name for it. I should have figured as much. I have 12 instruments, including a Yamaha Guitalele. And, I just ordered a Gretch resonator that hasn't arrived yet. It's like any other addiction. I keep telling myself that each one will be the last. But it never is. So many Ukuleles, so little time!

KohanMike · Aug 10, 2014

Just to add to my story, I decided recently to learn bass after seeing the many bass ukes being released, I never wanted to deal with a large electric bass so these smaller ones I like. I decided to have a custom bass made by my guy, but while in a store getting bass lessons, I saw a Gold Tone MicroBase and decided to buy it too, just in case my other one has to be repaired or something, always have a spare, good UAS excuse, don't you think?

This is an image I put together that compares the Kala U-Bass, my custom and the Gold Tone I bought. The gig bag is also custom for my bass, and I'm having another made for the Gold Tone (it comes with a bag but I want more pouches).

Kyle23 · Aug 10, 2014

I'm very content on the uke I have right now and I haven't even thought of getting a new one and it's been about 8 months. But lemme tell ya, my first year was rough. I ordered a uke like 2 months after I got my first one and I used my sisters bank account on accident because we both have them linked to my paypal, and she got charged and an overdraft fee because ebay made a mistake with the payment method. It was just a mess.

surfaday · Aug 10, 2014

Hi all,

I've got a good excuse. My daughter's fiance wanted a uke, so of course being the nice guy I am I gave him mine. Finding myself uke-less, I naturally had to go out and buy a much better one.

Rllink · Aug 10, 2014

Well, I had one ukulele and I was getting along fine with it. Then I saw a ukulele that I really liked at a ukulele festival, but because I already had one I wasn't going to buy it. The lady who owned it was very nice, and even went down on the price, but I still didn't think that I needed two ukuleles. So in the end, the lady told me that she was going to just loan it to me for a while and was pretty insistent about it, so I relented and brought it home. My first thought was that I would put the loaner in the family room where it would be handy if I wanted to play the uke while I was watching TV. So I convinced myself that maybe it was a good idea. It just got confusing. Quite often I'm messing around with the loaner in the family room, and for some reason I will need to go upstairs, and I end up hauling the loaner up and leaving it in the living room, where my original ukulele is sitting. So then I have two ukuleles sitting up in my living room. Or the opposite will happen, and I will carry my ukulele down to the TV room for some reason, and both of them will end up down there. They just can not stay apart.

Now, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get the loaner back to the owner. I'm not in a real hurry, because it is a nice uke, but I don't really need it. So that is my UAS story.

Jim Hanks · Aug 10, 2014

Rllink said:
Now, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get the loaner back to the owner. I'm not in a real hurry, because it is a nice uke, but I don't really need it. So that is my UAS story.

Um, how long have you had this "loaner"? I would think the "owner" would be getting nervous by now.

Rllink · Aug 10, 2014

I've had it a while. I don't think she is worried about it at all, because when she gave it to me I asked her when she wanted it back and how I would get it to her, and she told me not to worry about it. She also said something to me, that I'm not going to share here, that made me think that she didn't care if she got it back or not. Just the same, it is borrowed and whether she is worried about it or not, she is a very sweet lady and I want to get it back to her before the summer is over. Eventually that will mean long road trip unless I can find someone headed that way.

coolkayaker1 · Aug 10, 2014

I bought a Kiwaya Master Koa Tenor, which I loved. I sold that instrument. I regretted it and cried.

I bought a KoOlau CE Tenor, which I loved. I sold...

Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat....x20.

Shorebird · Aug 10, 2014

When ordering my first auks I changed the order three times,stepping up I price on each call. thenI saw a Martin C1Kbefore the first was delivered and bought that too,

Stevelele · Aug 11, 2014

I have bought and sold so many ukes...so many great ones. I think in total I have owned probably 35-40 ukes total at one time or another. Currently, I have 9. I'm finally getting to the point where I really know what I like and know what I want, so I'm hoping some day to get my collection down to 5 or so. I still have my very first uke that I acquired. I traded a gibson les paul guitar for a martin 2m, which is still one of the best trades i've ever made, bc as it turned out, I didn't really like the guitar, but I love the uke

peanuts56 · Aug 12, 2014

The syndrome is very common with many different instruments. Not all however. I majored in music on trumpet and trumpeters also suffer the syndrome. At one point I had six horns. I don't really play much anymore and am down to two. I do have five ukes and plan on many,many more.
I read a story about a well known jazz trumpeter named Lou Soloff. Apparently he once brought 21 trumpets and flugelhorns with him on a plane as carry on while touring with Blood Sweat and Tears in the early 70's!!!!!! Would have loved to see the look on the flight attendant's faces.

Andy Chen · Aug 12, 2014

I've no excuse and I hang my head in shame: one week after buying a Collings tenor, I saw a Mya-Moe going for a great price at the UU Marketplace and I took the plunge.

KnowsPickin · Aug 12, 2014

Why couldn't I have picked a nice inexpensive hobby like cocaine!

Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome Stories!

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