What was your starter uke? Do you still play it?

Gmontema

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Sorry if this theme has already been discussed. Newer members may appreciate the thread.

Mine was a Córdoba 15cm @ $99. I stopped playing it when I upgraded. I even contemplated selling it. Then I changed the strings to Worth clears and I had it strung low G. Now it is back in the rotation. I guess, much like my playing, the instruments themselves have their own journey.
 
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I started on a Kala exotic mahogany tenor. I migrated to concerts and eventually found a new home for the tenor.
 
It was supposed to be a Luna $99 concert laminate mahogany, but they accidentally sent me the solid cedar top version with a pickup. I played it for a couple years, but my cousin has been using it for awhile for practice. Not a bad little uke.
 
I am revising this a bit. My first ukulele was a Kamaka 8 - String Lili'u that I purchased at the Kamaka Factory from Sam Kamaka in 1979. I still have it, but seriously, it was not the ukulele to learn on. It was a challenge. There was no internet or youtube. There was nobody to show me how to play it here on the East Coast. So, it sat for over 30 years. I would take it out occassionally, dust it, play it a bit, (I could play only two songs on it), but it was basically unplayed.

Then in 2011, I visited Hawaii again and purchased a Kala Thinline travel concert with Aquila strings. This is the ukulele that got me started playing. I purchased three books of Hawaiian songs with CD's at PuaPua Ukulele and just played those books over and over and over along with the CD's until I could keep up. I do not play it now, but use it to collect autographs (Jake, Daniel Ho, Led Kaapana, Uncle richard Ho'opi'i, George Kahumoku).
 
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Risa solid concert - did not keep long
Second was Ohana TKS-15e which has just recently been traded off
 
Mine was a 1968 Kamaka soprano. I broke the neck going down a slide during 5th grade recess in 1969 (I’m a military brat, then stationed at Pearl Harbor). I still have my Mom’s Kamaka tiki though!
 
Lanikai LU-11, $45, it hangs on the wall by my music stand and strum it every once in a while, plays and sounds pretty good! I'll probably keep it forever. My 2nd was a Kala KA-CEM, I sold it when I got a Martin C1K, always wish I still had it.
 
The first uke, a concert Islander, got sent back with many minor build issues. Number two, a fine Mainland concert, got sold 'cause I never bonded with it. The third "starter" was a keeper and is still running strong (Martin OXK).
 
My "first" ukulele was a Mahalo cheapie that I bought just to see if I could buy them for my school (about $26 each, which was a bargain at the time--2015). I allow my children to play that one, and they even broke the headstock in half (upon the recommendation of people here on UU, I used wood glue and put it back together...and it is still working). MK1 series.

My first personal ukulele was a Makala CE, which I still have, and am running DR multi color strings on it for tutorial videos. I don't like the instrument with anything but fluorocarbons on it, but needed an instrument to use for tutorial videos with colored strings, so they went on that one. I had DR strings on hand, I like the Aquila KIDS colored strings better--but both take a LONG time to settle.

I'm at a stage where I like to acquire ukuleles and not sell them. Most of mine are very inexpensive, such as the Flight TUS35 that I just picked up for $24 and change, shipped. I have sold or given away 3 ukuleles, a Pono (sold) that was gorgeous, a Cordoba CM15, and an Aklot Concert. That said, there are at least 36 ukuleles in the house, and I'll have to do something about that sooner or later. Still...all the instruments together don't add up to half the value of my tuba (I am a classical/operatic tenor and a tuba player by training).
 
My first was a Hilo. I can’t even give it away. Believe me I’ve tried, it always seems to find it’s way home.
 
Mine was a 2009, concert, Pineapple Flea, signed by Tiki King��. Love it. Will always keep it. I did send it back to Magic Fluke and had the rosewood fretboard added to replace the original plastic one. It’s a great ukulele.
 
My first over 5 years ago was Mahalo Telecaster style A/E for $60, only because I had recently bought a Fender Telecaster guitar and I was going to hang the uke next to it. A few days later I received a postcard announcing the next Los Angeles Music Center Summer Play-Along, but instead of guitar, which I attended previously, it was for ukulele. Hey, I thought, I have one. I learned the three chords required and joined in, but found it was difficult to make the chords, then I discovered sizes, mine was a soprano, so I went to Sam Ash in Hollywood and bought a Lanikai quilted ash tenor cutaway A/E for $185.

I then joined The CC Strummers in Culver City and put up the Mahalo for sale to the group. One of the members bought it for $35. She used it for about a year, but a tuning peg broke, so she bought a Kala. I never saw it again. I even added a Tele style pickguard.

Mahalo tele pick guard.jpg



8 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 10 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. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video
 
My first uke was a vintage (1920's I think) Hawaiian soprano that might be worth something today had I not been a kid when given it and not decided to use it for 'punk' uke. That was followed by a couple of cheap plywood ukes ($25 in the mid 80's) and then a used Martin style 0 which I also seriously beat up. Still have the Martin and the Vintage one but neither ever get played, I don't play soprano anymore.

John
 
My very first uke was a Makala soprano, bought about 10 years ago. It didn't get much play time and gathered dust quickly after a couple months as I never really connected to the sound.

About two years ago, I decided that I really wanted to learn ukulele after seeing a Kimo Hussey video. My first "serious" uke was a Kala all solid mahogany baritone. It never really spoke to me either in terms of sound, so I followed up a few months later and bought my Kanile'a tenor. I sold the Kala shortly afterward. I guess I really consider the Kanile'a to be my first learner uke, as it was the instrument that really made me want to take lessons and learn how to play.
 
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My first uke was the Makala MK-C.

After getting my Fluke tenor I didnt play it that much. After getting my Cort concert even more rarely, but it still had more bark than the others.
When I got my Ohana long neck soprano, I sold the old Makala. I felt that I had the sound covered with better ukes.
I try to den being a collector, so I try to have a lean collection.
 
Lanikai concert. I bought it at a local music shop. I paid more for it than I could have online, but it had a lovely sound and I was afraid they wouldn't all sound that good. That was 6 years ago.

I still play it. It is my only concert uke. That thing stays out (not in a case) and stays in tune no matter how long between playing! I thought about selling it once, but so glad I didn't.
 
My starter was a no-name soprano I bought in an ABC store on the Big Island in 2002. I was impressed by the popularity of ukuleles on Hawaii, and I thought I should have one. Unfortunately, I got nowhere learning how to play it on my own. I found the local uke group in 2014 and bought a KoAloha soprano in 2015. I still play the no-name occasionally.
 
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I need to hear what a cedar uke sounds like. Cedar guitars are fantastic to my ears.

It was supposed to be a Luna $99 concert laminate mahogany, but they accidentally sent me the solid cedar top version with a pickup. I played it for a couple years, but my cousin has been using it for awhile for practice. Not a bad little uke.
 
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