Greetings from Long Beach, CA

jon_s

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Long Beach, CA USA
Hi everyone-
I've been lurking here for the better part of 2 months & thought I finally ought to register if only to voice my thanks for the wealth of information I've found on these pages which has been extraordinarily helpful as I embark on my ukulele odyssey.

Small bit of background-
I used to play varied flutes, tin whistles & the like - then strayed altogether from music. I have a couple of acoustic guitars on hand but always had trouble getting beyond the initial pain, a few chords was all I could ever muster - probably would have been a better idea in hindsight to start out with a nylon stringed guitar.

Anyway, fast forward a bit - about 6 weeks ago I decided to buy a Ukulele pretty much on a whim ( the Donner concert in my sig line), stupidly cheap so a low risk transaction + I was guardedly hopeful that my fingers would soon both harden up & become more dexterous with that instrument.

A couple of observations a few more weeks into the experiment -

I'm playing the ukulele(s) ummm... they multiplied... A couple hours a day. My only limitation is not pain on the fretting fingers but rather when they get tired. The Ukes get a lot more attention than the guitars but certainly all 4 get played at least a little daily and the Guitar has also in fact benefited by getting over the hump with the uke.

I'm enjoying the journey so far; the Donner was a purchase made on a whim (~60 incl bag, tuner & extra "strings"), but as it turns out after the fact Baz had reviewed that same ukulele & on balance didn't think that badly of it. It is a decent starting point, much improved by Aquila Nylgut strings & even more improved by a set of Aquila red strings, at least as my ear is concerned. Why yes spending over 10% of the initial cost of the instrument on strings is absurd it does make a difference at least to my ear.

Then I had to get a tenor- Cordoba in sig. I like it a lot too, the difference in build & tone quality is apparent vs. the Donner since the Cordoba's MSRP is well over twice that of the donner & it shows.

...Yeah I get I'm totally entry level / laminate instruments here but ya gotta start somewhere. I also will use the Donner as a setup guinea pig (what's to lose?). Her intonation is pretty close actually but I'd like to lower the action a bit & as noted better to mess with low $$ things to learn with when if you really really screw it up - no great loss .

Then of course I decided I needed a soprano & one from Mim's ukes should be here in the next day or so - an Ohana referenced in my sig line that should at least in theory be a step up from the Cordoba etc. which I'm very excited about because setup! & also that laminate willow is darn pretty. The irony of that Ukulele being shipped from China to Long Beach (where Ohana is headquartered) to VA & back to Long Beach is not lost on me either. Sheesh I live about 10 minutes from Ohana's facility. Maybe I should try to talk them into a walkthru sometime...

There is a method to my madness- I'm learning 15 chords or so at the moment that I want to apply to a few songs I like- that's right just chords, getting them clean, transitioning between them , some arpeggio, some strumming but mostly just teaching my fingers & ear as I go.

Having multiple sized instruments helps- I just practice on the smallest until my fingers get a little tired, then move up a size - rinse / repeat and pretty soon I end up with a couple hours practice a day easy peasy.
SO why yes- I'm having fun,

Thanks everyone for this resource, I'm looking forward to becoming a part of this community.
 
Hello Jon, welcome to the forum.
Sounds like you played a little ITM?
Ever been to the Old Dubliner session on Pine St.?

I've been on much the same journey as you, ukulele wise. I too have a Donner, its actually pretty nice for the money.
Though I did sand down the bottom of the nut to lower the action and I changed the strings to martin m600.
There are a ton of strum alongs in Southern California, if you want to play with folks.

Welcome, again.
 
Welcome Jon, I think you will like it here. A lot of good information and ukulele talk, but more importantly a lot of good people. Enjoy the journey.
 
Hello Jon, welcome to the forum.
Sounds like you played a little ITM?
Ever been to the Old Dubliner session on Pine St.?

I've been on much the same journey as you, ukulele wise. I too have a Donner, its actually pretty nice for the money.
Though I did sand down the bottom of the nut to lower the action and I changed the strings to martin m600.
There are a ton of strum alongs in Southern California, if you want to play with folks.

Welcome, again.

Hey thank all for the Welcome. @Maki166 why yes ITM is in my background. I'll PM ya for local stuff.
 
I too am new here Jon......welcome! I like you started to play a guitar after a lifelong want to do so when I was near my mid 30's. Just too old I believe to master the 6 strings or might I say, I was just not progressing like I wanted. Maybe my expectation was more. I saw your flute mention. I also play the Native American styled flute and have 4 on hand, two of which are custom made.

I too am looking to begin fresh with the uke in the hopes that patience as I near 50 years of age may be the key! Glad to have you here as a newbie like me.
 
Welcome Jon, I think you will like it here. A lot of good information and ukulele talk, but more importantly a lot of good people. Enjoy the journey.

@ jjfn - I do already like it here hence my multi week lurking- seems like a great community here & I hope to positively contribute to it someday.
 
Are there any uke jams (small groups) going on in Long Beach?
If so, not that far for me. Let me know!
 
Welcome to the UU Forum Jon. There seem to be a number of ukers in your area. Have fun.
 
Welcome Jon! One of my most favorite Ukulele makers/brands is there in Long Beach. Check out Ohana-music.com if you haven't already. I'd sure like to visit them one day, and there you are right in the same city! Anyhow, glad to have you here.
 
Old thread From 2018
 
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