Howie1947
Well-known member
They seem very nice, but kind of pricy?
They seem very nice, but kind of pricy?
They seem very nice, but kind of pricy?
They seem very nice, but kind of pricy?
Noticed that myself. I've always thought the artistic value of these ukes must have a lot to do with the price. Not my style but I must admit I'm completely wowed by them. The maker is an artistic master imo. Now as to how well they sound I think that's well established that they sound very good indeed. My only curiosity is do they play easier by far than most other ukes?
'Tis the only uke I lust for, now that I have my Compass Rose. How to explain it............................. Toyota makes some fine cars. Go to the dealer and take a test drive. Nice car, right? Now go right over to the Porche, Jag or Mercedes dealer, and give one of their new cars a whirl. Just a different level.
Except you can't get a Moore Bettah test drive.
True, but if any uke has resale value it is a Moore Bettah.
Why do I want one? I have never heard one - in person or in videos - that did not sound wonderful. Second (and this is subjective), I think they are beautiful works of art. Chuck uses beautiful wood and has intricate, stunning inlay - if you like that, which I do. I recognize everything is subjective, there are people on UU that refuse to buy a KoAloha because they don't like the headstock - just as there are those that won't buy a glossy (or satin) uke because they don't like the appearance. Third, if you are able to get your hands on one of his custom ukes, they are like snowflakes - no two are alike. The same man that did the tiki uke did the coconuts one and the dragon one -- all different but all striking in their own way.
I would never advocate someone going into debt for any uke, even a MB. But my grandfather used to always say, "how many U-Hauls have you ever seen in a cemetery?" You can't take it with you. And if you have the money to afford a beautiful looking, gorgeous sounding, one of a kind work of art, why not?
As to why they cost what they do..they are handmade by one man in a solar powered workshop, and they often involve many hours of intricate work. Like all handmade things, that is going to cost more than anything factory made will. And frankly, you are paying for his expertise and time. I bet there are a lot of folks around these parts that would be happy to pay him to make them a uke. And others that wouldn't - different strokes for different folks.
I have a relatively "bling free" Moore Bettah (the wood is beautiful, of course, and there's a nice rosette with matching inlay on the bridge, but no fancy fretboard or headstock inlay), and it's worth to me what I paid for it because it's easy and great fun to play, it's impeccably built, and it has a very noticably richer tone than any other ukulele I've played that isn't a Moore Bettah. I can's say that it's x times better than an ukulele for which I paid x times less, but I do feel like I got a bargain. My point is that the value of this instruments goes well beyond the visual artistry of them. They're incredibly well designed and built to produce awesome sound.