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

My first ukulele was a £29 makala (I think) that I picked up on a whim from the music shop when I went with my niece to buy her a metronome.
I don't have it anymore, I gifted it to a friend of mine :)
 
Well, as a newbie here, I've only been playing my Stew Mac tenor for about 5 weeks. Finished the build on OCT 10. It's funny that some mention the extra stretch on a tenor, because after years of playing guitar, I found the fretboard of a tenor uke to be cramped. I still play guitar frequently, and am really just beginning to feel comfortable switching back and forth between the instruments. Am building tenor uke #2 right now. Would love to add to the collection an Ovation Applause like the one shown in an earlier post, only in the tenor size. Unfortunately, they seem to be rare and go for big buck$.
 
My first uke was my Pono deluxe mahogany baritone, 2 years ago. Yes, I still play it. It's a nice baritone!

bratsche
 
Mahalo.jpg
I still very much love this Mahalo. It has personality, it's resonant and sounds good. The friction tuners are amazing. They hold a tune for a long time. I wish I knew what vintage it was because they don't make them like this anymore. It is my beater uke and came to me that way. Well played with indentations on the fretboard, fret wires filled smooth, little nicks all around.

I had no intentions of playing the ukulele. I went to visit a friend who was very weak from cancer. After I picked it up, she said "Here, I bequeath this to you." I took a how to book out of the library and learnt to play two Hawaiian songs I knew. Played them for her the following week, and she died a few days later. I then had a few weeks to practice before her memorial. I didn't intend to play but a year or two later the flea bit and now ukulele is the only instrument I play. I still pick up the Mahalo often to strum a few songs. It doesn't play as easily as my good ones which are better suited for longer practice and playing. I love the pineapple shape, and the dark vintage look. It changed my life in so many ways. So glad to have this moment to reflect on this.
 
Luna Concert Tattoo.

No.
 
rubykey said:
View attachment 113717
I still very much love this Mahalo. It has personality, it's resonant and sounds good. The friction tuners are amazing. They hold a tune for a long time. I wish I knew what vintage it was because they don't make them like this anymore. It is my beater uke and came to me that way. Well played with indentations on the fretboard, fret wires filled smooth, little nicks all around.

I had no intentions of playing the ukulele. I went to visit a friend who was very weak from cancer. After I picked it up, she said "Here, I bequeath this to you." I took a how to book out of the library and learnt to play two Hawaiian songs I knew. Played them for her the following week, and she died a few days later. I then had a few weeks to practice before her memorial. I didn't intend to play but a year or two later the flea bit and now ukulele is the only instrument I play. I still pick up the Mahalo often to strum a few songs. It doesn't play as easily as my good ones which are better suited for longer practice and playing. I love the pineapple shape, and the dark vintage look. It changed my life in so many ways. So glad to have this moment to reflect on this.
Click to expand...

What a great story.
 
Brian Griffin's #5. I played guitars for 52 years by then so basically knew what I wanted in a 4 string instrument. I placed an ad in our classifieds local newspaper looking for a solid wood instrument. He rarely reads the classifieds but did that day for some reason. The rest is history.

Eight years later, I've owned 6 of his wonderful instruments and presently have two of his tenors and one of his concert pinecones with space for another when the time is right.
 

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rubykey said:
View attachment 113717
I still very much love this Mahalo. It has personality, it's resonant and sounds good. The friction tuners are amazing. They hold a tune for a long time. I wish I knew what vintage it was because they don't make them like this anymore. It is my beater uke and came to me that way. Well played with indentations on the fretboard, fret wires filled smooth, little nicks all around.

I had no intentions of playing the ukulele. I went to visit a friend who was very weak from cancer. After I picked it up, she said "Here, I bequeath this to you." I took a how to book out of the library and learnt to play two Hawaiian songs I knew. Played them for her the following week, and she died a few days later. I then had a few weeks to practice before her memorial. I didn't intend to play but a year or two later the flea bit and now ukulele is the only instrument I play. I still pick up the Mahalo often to strum a few songs. It doesn't play as easily as my good ones which are better suited for longer practice and playing. I love the pineapple shape, and the dark vintage look. It changed my life in so many ways. So glad to have this moment to reflect on this.
Click to expand...

What a great story. Thanks for that.
 
rubykey said:
View attachment 113717
I still very much love this Mahalo. It has personality, it's resonant and sounds good. The friction tuners are amazing. They hold a tune for a long time. I wish I knew what vintage it was because they don't make them like this anymore. It is my beater uke and came to me that way. Well played with indentations on the fretboard, fret wires filled smooth, little nicks all around.

I had no intentions of playing the ukulele. I went to visit a friend who was very weak from cancer. After I picked it up, she said "Here, I bequeath this to you." I took a how to book out of the library and learnt to play two Hawaiian songs I knew. Played them for her the following week, and she died a few days later. I then had a few weeks to practice before her memorial. I didn't intend to play but a year or two later the flea bit and now ukulele is the only instrument I play. I still pick up the Mahalo often to strum a few songs. It doesn't play as easily as my good ones which are better suited for longer practice and playing. I love the pineapple shape, and the dark vintage look. It changed my life in so many ways. So glad to have this moment to reflect on this.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing this, quite something to reflect on and what a loving bequest - a gift that’s life changing and keeps giving. You might like to check the label in the sound hole but I think that this is Mahalo U320P, they are still made today but now have geared tuners. It’s hard to put an age on yours but I’d say upwards of fifteen years. With your particular Uke being sweet sounding and with the friction tuners working I suspect that the or some previous owner had a good look at it, and maybe selected the best one in the store too - I’ve worked on similar and got great results. Whatever, enjoy. My beater gives me great pleasure too; I can take it outdoors, on travels and to say the ‘Pub’ without worrying about it getting damaged and it sounds just fine for those (rough) places.
 
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I bought my first uke 8 years ago, from Costco. There was a huge palette of Lanikai Kohala concert ukes, Model KK-C. Koa laminate, gig bag and tuner included, for $100. Good intonation at the 12th fret and stays remarkably in tune. Whenever I take it out of its gig bag (infrequently) I remember the first time I played it and got hooked on this lovely little instrument.
 
My first uke was a mahogany soprano from Pono. I loved it and it sounded great but as I progressed I discovered that it was very quiet and some frets were sharp which really hurt when strumming. I sold it, but only after buying a 1960s Martin style 0 soprano which I will never sell. It sounds and plays great. I have since bought a Kaka tenor uke which is lovely but nothing sounds as good as the Martin.
 
My first uke was a terrible cheap blue thing which was impossible to keep in tune. Sold my Mexican Fender Strat to fund an upgrade eventually.

Ditch the guitar and pick up a uke!
 
I've been playing guitar since I was 11, and wanted to get a uke to try out for years, but never got around to it.
Then way many years later I had a daughter. On her 6th birthday she asked for a ukulele.

I ended up just getting her a Luna "vintage mahogany" laminate soprano.

Loved it so much that it made me finally take the plunge.
I still play her laminated Luna almost every day since it stays in the living room.

I'll probably step her up to something a little better in a year or so if she stays interested in it.
 
Funny story. I played guitar for decades. My daughter used to sit in my lap and strum my guitar. I decided to get her a uke. It was a Fluke tenor. She never touched it. 10 years later I converted it to left-handed and took it for my own. Eventually I came to hate the plastic fingerboard, so I sold it to a guy at work who I had given a few lessons. Currently have a Pono bari which is my main axe.
 
My first uke was a Kala solid acacia concert uke that I bought from an online store in Quebec. I eventually gave it to my wife when she showed interest in joining in on the uke fun. She is still uber content with that ukulele while I have bought, sold and kept a number of good ukes as I traveled along this musical path.
 
My first was a tenor cedar top Kala. Loved the sound but couldn't stretch for a lot of chords to save my life. Almost gave up. Got a Mainland concert that at least got me on the road to actually playing. Some nice person did a straight trade concert for my tenor on the Kala. I play it all the time now, low g! I love the deeper tone of the cedar. Have the Mainland for when I want high g play.
Next I'm making a cookie tin banjo uke. Just waiting for the last of the parts.
 
2000 Soprano KoAloha. Got it new in 2000. I still play it every now and then. Even the past few nights. Sounds incredible, awesome tone. 100% koa wood--even the neck and fret board. Makes me sound better than I really am.
 
I bought a Pono MT-E tenor maybe 7 or 8 years ago. At the time I couldn't play it very long as it was so small it seriously cramped up my left hand. I was used to long scale classical guitar—664mm scale—and 430mm scale seemed impossible. Eventually my brain remapped the fingerboard—took about 6 months—and I now can instantly and comfortably switch between, tenor, baritone, guitar and bass. I rarely play the Pono anymore but it lives on as my backup and loaner ukulele.
 
I bought a used Lanikai (LKP-T) off Craig's List. I eventually gave it away. It was only later, when trying out much expensive instruments that I realized it was actually a very good uke. I must admit, while the family I gave it to enjoys it very much, I regret not having it. It had a very nice ring to it. I can't understand why some of these companies that make successful models discontinue them. I'd get another one like that in a heartbeat.
 
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