Your summer vacation...with ukes

Ukecaster

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So, what uke(s) do you take with you on summer vacation? I'll be taking my Kiwaya KS-1 soprano, and an Ohana tenor, strung low G, when we go away this summer. No problem taking the laminate Kiwaya to the beach or boating, with reasonable precautions (not using as a boat
paddle). I'd like to take a reentrant tenor too, but it might seem excessive...at least to my wife :rolleyes:, even though all 3 would still take up less room in the car than an acoustic guitar in a hard case.
 
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I go to Colorado every summer for about a month or so to visit family and take a break from the heat. I usually take my Kanile'a, Martin and Islander for a "loaner" if someone wants to try ukulele. This year, think I'll leave the Islander home. I was thinking of taking the 8-string, but it's extra luggage, and the car is pretty full as it is. I've also been invited to play at our 50th High school reunion!
 
My Ohana Soprano is my travelling ukulele, it is smaller. I only have two ukuleles, so it isn't a big decision.
 
My only time away from home will be two or three uke events, and I'll bring a couple of smaller, less expensive ukes. Sitting in a room with a group of people, a soprano is easier to manage than anything larger. I don't want to be playing dueling ukuleles - literally - with the person sitting next to me.
 
Last year, I took the Koa Flea. Great choice. Easy to transport, doesn't need quite as much TLC as an all-solid instrument, but still sounds terrific.
 
I'll probably bring my Kiwaya KS-5 to Minnesota, though as I'll get there before heating season, I might bring the Tiny Tenor. I'm flying, so more than one isn't practical. I wish they made nesting ukes, like those Russian dolls. Last year, in October, I brought the HPL Enya soprano that Uncle Rod bought. For camping, boating, and day trips around home, I bring the Flight Travel uke, as it's pretty bomb proof.
 
We went to a family reunion (camping) last week, and I brought four instruments with me. It was overkill, I admit. I brought my Outdoor Tenor, my Outdoor Soprano, my Orca Tenor Prototype, and my Baton Rouge 8 String.

The Outdoor models are self-explanatory. The Orca was designed for ruggedness—and I won it on the UU Forums. I recently changed the tuning mechanisms on the Orca, as I couldn’t get the original friction tuners to hold with consistency (even when tightening the mechanisms). So I wanted to see how it would do with the new tuners, and it did great. It is much louder than the Outdoor Ukuleles. I brought the Baton Rouge because our family does a Sunday morning worship service at reunion, and last year I was asked to play—and had only brought my Outdoor Tenor. I was playing with 2 acoustic guitars last year...I might as well have not been playing. I figured the Baton Roughe would be heard—but I was not asked to play (believe it or not, being involved in Sunday worship music in the family is a power struggle issue), so I could have not brought that.

Last summer I traveled with my Outdoor Ukulele Tenor and a Caramel Sopranino.

I bought a Kala Pocket Uke rather recently (for a heck of a price) and a Ohana Sopranissimo—When I travel to speak at conferences, I bring these along. I fly by Spirit whenever possible, and space management is an issue.

At my last sessions last week (driving my car by myself), I took my XS Soprano and the Ohana Sopranissimo.
 
OK, will be traveling to HNL this Friday the 6th, Lord willing.

Ziret, I'm planning on bringing the Enya Soprano that you 'customized'.
It's been my go-to uke for a while now and I really enjoy it... although
it is sometimes a bit understated (read quiet) when leading a song circle :)

I've begun stuffing the personal sound hole with tiny, squeaky rubber duckies
that I hand out to parents of toddlers to 'make their day'. [Fellow UUers, please
remember to see me at the Ukulele Festival Hawaii, Sunday the 13th, at the HMS
tent for your very own Uncle Rod Rubber Ducky :) [PS the Enya can hold more
than 30 tiny rubber duckies]

I like the idea of having a loaner uke, but I'm not sure I want to carry around
2 ukes. I prefer to have my hands free as I take 'Da Bus'. and the Enya, in a gray
Martin gig bag, is small and thin enough to fit into the backpack. I am considering
purchasing a used moped/scooter for the month that I am there. If I do,
I will try to rig a milk crate to the back to hold the aforementioned backpack
and other items [like food, snacks, water and the extra uke]. )

I might still have my Aloha Stadium Swap meet Zebra wood soprano, unless I gifted it
last Summer... I can't remember. That would be my loaner :)

So, It's the Enya (HPL) Soprano and possibly the Zebra wood Soprano (already in
HNL) as my daily carries.

keep strumming your ukes, everyone! :)

PS on second thought, getting a used moped/scooter for one month may not be a good
idea or investment. it will be another 11 months before I return, then another 11 months
before my wife and I 'retire' and move back 'permanently'. I really don't have anyone
who would use it for the remainder of each of the next 2 years, so If I still want a scooter
and can still use one in a couple of years, that might be the time to invest in getting one.
for now, this trip, I suppose it will be 'Da Bus' on a Senior Pass (Great deal for just $5 a
month!), and possibly long waits at the bus stops for the next ride. Oh well, at least I'll
be in 'Paradise'!
 
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We have been away twice this year for a week at a time and I have brought my Koolau CS Spruce-myrtle tenor. It might seem crazy to bring an expensive custom uke on vacation but it is a very well built, stable instrument. I have been travelling with this uke extensively for a couple years. They are meant to be used and played, mine are not museum pieces, they musical instruments to be enjoyed.

We are leaving this week for a week long camping trip. The Koolau is coming along with a Enya X1 pineapple soprano, Kala super soprano and an all plastic Korala concert. We do an annual neighborhood camping trip with about 25 people. There are a bunch of children and I always let them play and bang away on the plastic ukes.
 
I have a couple of ukuleles made by Keith Ogata (ASD Ukuleles) that are 10+ years old. Doubt anyone has heard of him. Keith is a small builder in Hawaii, but I don't think he builds anymore. His website is gone. I have taken one or the other on just about all of our trips. For a while, they were the only 2 ukuleles I had so there wasn't much of a decision process. The point is, they are solid koa, and I've had no problems with either of them, including trips to Arizona.

I'm hoping the KLOS tenor, that will hopefully get here sometime this year, will be good enough to take on a trip. I have a problem taking a ukulele that doesn't sound or play as well as I would like on a trip where I'm surrounded by nature and away from the hustle as bustle. Seems to me to be the best place to play; especially a well liked instrument.

John
 
We have been away twice this year for a week at a time and I have brought my Koolau CS Spruce-myrtle tenor. It might seem crazy to bring an expensive custom uke on vacation but it is a very well built, stable instrument. I have been travelling with this uke extensively for a couple years. They are meant to be used and played, mine are not museum pieces, they musical instruments to be enjoyed.
I don't think it is crazy to want to take a nice ukulele with you.
 
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Since I've retired, everyday is summer vacation. On Sundays I "travel" to the park to play with an acoustic group, I rotate between my eight ukes. When I "travel" to my nephews house, I play the Mahalo uke I bought my grand-niece on her second birthday (going to do the same for my grand-nephew on his upcoming 2nd birthday).


8 tenor cutaway ukes, 3 acoustic bass ukes, 8 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. http://www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: https://www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/videos
 
934FFFFF-9BCC-4DCF-B9F3-00C204E884FE.jpg went to Oahu and took my Fluke koa. Came back with a Tiny Tenor from The Ukulele Site that I gave to my granddaughter. The only thing better Than taking a uke to Hawaii is bringing one home!
 
Whitewater rafting & sea kayaking ....... Islander Soprano. Great sounding laminate uke in a smaller size but wider nut for my chubby fingers. Having a uke to take on my adventures is why I got a uke to begin with.
 
i used to take my fluke with me to Thailand, camping in UK and other adventures but these ukes are expensive these days, so i bought an electro acoustic caramel tenor that had some slight cosmetic damage, its loud enough for a sing song and cheap as chips
 
I carry my Outdoor Ukulele tenor with me everywhere. I have a Fusion F4 gig bag and can stuff it with clothes and toiletries for overnight if space is tight while traveling. I took it to a conference this spring and asked my colleagues if they could hear me in the next hotel room, and they could not.
 
Bill,

I couldn’t disagree more. If you sound like a dead cat, and you want to play—PLAY. You can still be aware of where you are playing and have some discretion if people start acting annoyed. I also won’t tell a student not to sing in a choir, even if they struggle with pitch. The only road to improvement is being willing to do the task without having people tell you not to play/sing. I feel quite strongly about this, and would be happy to debate you in Australia over a can of Fosters (or any other Australian beer of your choice) if I ever get there.

The other week I was the leader of a ukulele jam as the leader was out of town. In the session, I talked about personalizing the playing experience, and doing what worked for you. Then, out of my mouth came the following statement:

“Ukulele...it’s all about you.”

I’d revise that to say, “Ukulele...it’s all about ‘U’ and ‘US.’”

On a family trip, there is going to be down time where there is nothing going on—or a need for a break from family for a while. Those are great moments to take out a ukulele (“ukulele meditations” with a nod to Daniel Ward), regardless of your level of playing. It isn’t as if most people playing ukulele are like a high school student with a electric guitar and amp in their bedroom.

Incidentally, at our family reunion, one family member did bring an electric guitar and amp, and that teenager was 500 times louder than my ukulele playing at my own campsite. We also had one year where one family brought 10 trumpets to share a special number during the Sunday worship service.

As for beaches here in the US, people bring all kinds of noisy things with them...a ukulele is the least offensive of the things that could be brought to a beach here. I brought a sopranino with me to Florida in April of 2017, and stood in the shallow waters playing as my boys played in the water. The water was generally louder than my playing—and that will be a fond memory of mine for the rest of my days.
 
I live near the beach and I take my ukulele down there all the time to play. Maybe the kind of beach Bill is thinking of is those manicured beaches at resorts where people are elbow to elbow sitting in lounge chairs, and I probably wouldn't take one there to play. But our beach is a bit off of the beaten path and we often go down there with our neighbors and friends to swim in the evening, sit around a fire, drink wine and beer, and sing songs. I've run into guitar players down there all the time and most of the time they want to jam together. I've certainly never had anyone complain.
 
I live near the beach and I take my ukulele down there all the time to play. Maybe the kind of beach Bill is thinking of is those manicured beaches at resorts where people are elbow to elbow sitting in lounge chairs, and I probably wouldn't take one there to play. But our beach is a bit off of the beaten path and we often go down there with our neighbors and friends to swim in the evening, sit around a fire, drink wine and beer, and sing songs. I've run into guitar players down there all the time and most of the time they want to jam together. I've certainly never had anyone complain.

That sounds awesome Rolli, I was going to mention guitar players as well. Most people gravitate toward the sound of music as long those playing it are considerate of volume............and have some talent:p
 
Surely the correct answer to this question is...don't take a uke with you on your holiday. Buy another one while you're there.
 
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