Sven-Uke
Well-known member
My most expensive uke is a 17 fret Ken Timms style 0.
Unworthy for sure, because it is worth twice what I paid for it
Unworthy for sure, because it is worth twice what I paid for it
Having re-homed a half-dozen or so higher-end ukes over the years, I'd have to say this is probably the case more often than not. Every uke that I've bought sight unseen has been re-homed - not because it wasn't worthy of the price, necessarily, but because it ended up not meeting my expectations of the brand (or perhaps not living up to my perception of the hype).
I don’t see the purpose of bad mouthing a product that wasn’t right for someone in particular but might be right for someone else. If you don’t like a product express it to company that produced it as constructive criticism. Bashing it in public doesn’t downgrade the instrument it downgrades you as a person. Why not ask a positive question about the most expensive uke you bought that was worth every penny, that one I’ll happily answer....my Beau Hannam custom Selmer Mcaferri Tenor
This..
I do think in ukulele festivals semi prof players should offer a paid service where they play your uke to let you know the additional mileage in ones instrument that one had not tapped into.
It's a good idea, but even that does not always work. When I was going to buy my first 'expensive' uke, I spent some time at HMS and Music Guy Mike (RIP) gave me the 'backwards' test. I picked out a few candidate ukes, turned my back, and he played each of them. One of them stood out, and I ended up buying one used a couple of months later.
But I never really connected with that uke. It played well, it was beautiful, but it did not make my heart sing when I picked it up. I eventually ended up getting another uke that did inspire those feelings.
I was going to sell the previous uke immediately, but, for some reason, I decided to try a different string combination, changing it from re-entrant to linear. ZING! It was a completely different uke.
I eventually ended up selling it because I like my other uke(s) more, but it was a journey. Now I have a few ukes which I am wild about.
- Rick G.
coincidence... and I might get flak for this...but I was at a shop today and I got really excited when I saw they had three brand new Kamakas: soprano, concert, and tenor. I took each one down and played them for a bit, gave them each a good tryout.
With luthier-built instruments (often unique models) and expensive ukuleles you're unlikely to have a chance to play them before you get them (sometimes from around the world). There is no good way to predict how they'll feel or sound to you when you play them in your own home, using your own fingers. You can make a guess about size and wood, and some features you might value (radiused fretboard, side soundhole, etc), but sound and feel are hard to evaluate in advance.
Did they have the stock black strings? Not flak but just an FYI in case you weren't aware - Kamaka insists on using black nylon strings that (IMO and I know others here will agree) really do not bring out the best in the instrument. Putting on fluorocarbons or even Nylguts will make it sound like an entirely different instrument.
That being said, as I think others have noted, each instrument will have a unique voice. When I've had the opportunity to try two or more Kamakas side by side, there was always one standout and one that, while it wasn't bad per se, just didn't do it for me.
This is a very unfortunate post. Worthy or unworthy is so very subjective. It's hard to give a balanced view because of this.
This is a very unfortunate post. Worthy or unworthy is so very subjective. It's hard to give a balanced view because of this.