So Where are the Ukes?

70sSanO

70sSanO

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Whenever my wife and I go on a trip or when I have to head somewhere on business I always set aside time to search out some local ukulele/acoustic shops. Over the years I've stumbled upon Dusty Strings in Seattle, Tejon Street Music in Colorado Springs, Gyphon, McCabes and Buffalo Brothers in California among others.

At one time it was almost certain that one of these shops would typically have something that would send me wandering around in a serious discussion with myself on yes-no-want it-need it-maybe-etc.

Over the past few years it seems that the selections are pretty much limited to mainstream low to mid level ukuleles with maybe a token Kamaka or Martin. I happened to recently stop by Acoustic Vibes in Arizona and found the typical selection, and a lot fewer than I had expected.

I have nothing against less expensive ukuleles as I have not spent a lot on my ukes. I'm just wondering if I'm just hitting the wrong shops, or are the selections at most stores less than in years gone by?

John
 
Youll be happy when you visit oahu. Waikiki northshore etc. has most high end ukes to try freely. From devines to ldfm kinnards custom k brands
 
I actually went to Gryphon last summer specifically to check out higher end ukes, and found a real nice assortment - Martins, K brands, Collings, Maui Music and others.
 
McCabe's in Santa Monica still has a good balance of low to high end. The lower end ukes hang in easy reach on the walls of a hallway; the higher end ukes are hung overhead in the main room (out of reach of shorties like myself, for which my bank account is thankful!). There's usually a decent selection including Kamaka, Koaloha, Collings, a few vintage Martins, and so forth. Not a lot in terms of customs, but I suspect that's true of any retailer - retailers stock brands and models that they know will sell. This is where I've bought all of my Kamakas.

Last time I was on Oahu (3 years ago) I was rather disappointed in the uke selection at the shops I stopped in - didn't make it to HMS unfortunately, but the selection at most of the shops skewed toward the lower end, with a few K-brands thrown in for good measure. I was specifically on a mission to bring back a Kamaka pineapple, and there were none to be found! I ended up buying mine a couple months later at McCabe's.
 
greenie44 said:
I actually went to Gryphon last summer specifically to check out higher end ukes, and found a real nice assortment - Martins, K brands, Collings, Maui Music and others.
Click to expand...

That is good to know. I went by there a while ago and didn't find that much of a selection. Must have hit it at a bad time. I would have like to have tried a Maui Music.

John
 
Here in the Twin Cities, Willie's carries Collings, Martin, Kamaka, Blackbird, Flea, and probably a few others. Guitar Center has lower end ukuleles, and Groth Music has low and mid range ukuleles. There are many music stores around, so there are probably many others that I have not visited with an eye on ukuleles yet. I continually hear that ukuleles are selling very well these days around here. There is somehow a "magic" to the ukulele that puts the fun back in music, and I think those new to playing a musical instrument as well as those with prior experience are becoming aware of this, just as I have. I know the ukulele has had its "fad" periods in the 1920s and then in the 1950s, but I think maybe this time it may have a bit more staying power. It seems to me there are more of the "hobbyist" types as we culturally shed that stupid myth that "some gots it, some don't" and replace it with the truth that EVERYBODY can learn to play something. The ukulele is a great candidate for that "something" for all of us.

Tony
 
I can tell you that Gryphon has a nice selection of my Compass Rose ukes right now, but they tend to put the higher end ukes...mine and Collings...in with the high end acoustic guitars near the back counter, so if you were just looking in the uke room, you would not see everything.

Here is Gryphon's current stock of ukes...and it's a lot:

http://gryphonstrings.com/inventory/instrument_page.php?I=6
 
Thanks Rick....I wish I hadn't seen that Favilla...darn it....:drool:
 
I always like to stop at Victor Litz in Gaithersburg, Maryland when I visit my family. They have a great staff.

Last time I was there, every ukulele I picked up was clean and in tune, which is kind of litmus test for me.
 
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If you're in the Los Angeles area, U Space in Little Tokyo is an ukulele/coffee shop. Really great people, good selection and great service.
 
Don't know how many high end instruments a local shop sells by walk-in business. The overhead costs of maintaining a significant inventory could be more than a lot of shops are willing to invest/spend. If the stock does not turn over in a reasonable time frame, then it's tpugh to justify the business expense.
 
I don't know whether this is germane to the thread, but i actually find going to music stores to check out ukuleles to be a frustrating experience more often than not, as they tend to be way out of tune and are not set up.(And I'm not just talking Guitar Center here, but many local music stores). It's a wonder that anyone would want to take up the uke after trying out some of those instruments! As a result, I order my ukes online, but that means that I don't have an opportunity to try them out first. Or perhaps, I'm just going to the wrong music stores.
 
If you are in Michigan, worth paying a visit to Elderly. A decent selection of ukes, but I really enjoyed their mandolin and guitar selection :D

Yeah ukes don't hold their tune well, especially the new instruments, but personally I bring my Snark tuner, haha.
 
chikon2000 said:
I don't know whether this is germane to the thread, but i actually find going to music stores to check out ukuleles to be a frustrating experience more often than not, as they tend to be way out of tune and are not set up.(And I'm not just talking Guitar Center here, but many local music stores). It's a wonder that anyone would want to take up the uke after trying out some of those instruments! As a result, I order my ukes online, but that means that I don't have an opportunity to try them out first. Or perhaps, I'm just going to the wrong music stores.
Click to expand...
The one and only local music store here in the town that I live in has three ukes, two Cordobas and a Fender. All three are way out of tune, and no one there is ever very interested in getting them tuned up to play them.
 
I went to Gryphon in three times this spring. Nice selection: Kamaka, Martin, Kremona, Collings, Compass Rose, and more. All were set up and close to in tune. One of the Martins jumped off the wall and wrestled me to the ground so I bought it.
 
Just thought of something else on this topic - the buyer at my local store has told me that some of the higher-end companies place a cap on how much a dealer can order from them at any given time. So for example - if a dealer can order X-amount of X-brand, and X-brand sells out quickly, then it can be several months before that brand gets restocked. This seems to be especially true with K-brand tenors - they always sell the fastest, I'm told. So if a one-time visit coincides with this happening, a store can appear to not stock a good selection of X-brand ukes at any given time.
 
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Music Emporium near Boston has Collings, Martin, Pono and Kamaka ukes hanging on the wall in most sizes and woods. But they seem to have dropped Kiwaya. I can't find any stores with a good selection higher end ukes anywhere on the east coast south of NYC.
 
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If I want to try ukuleles, I will be driving to Atlanta, to Uke Republic. Totally worth the drive, though I still haven't made the pilgrimage.
 
Ukejenny said:
If I want to try ukuleles, I will be driving to Atlanta, to Uke Republic. Totally worth the drive, though I still haven't made the pilgrimage.
Click to expand...

You should go. Not that far and Mike is a heck of a nice guy. Lots of ukuleles and assorted accessories
Cliff
 
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