Has UU influenced any of your ukulele buying?

Joyful Uke

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 17, 2014
Messages
3,506
Reaction score
2,571
I was thinking that if I had never checked out UU, my ukulele buying might have been different.

I didn't know anything about ukuleles, and had only one friend, (RIP), who was into ukuleles, and the local shops are just low end, poor quality ukuleles.

My first attempt at buying a ukulele was at a local store, and I hated the ukulele. Put it away, then gave it away.

About a year later, my friend was still encouraging me to give ukulele a try, and I got a better quality ukulele, and fell in love with ukulele.

But, if it wasn't for UU, I might never have been infected by UAS, and had the opportunity to enjoy some amazing ukuleles. UU not only made me aware of what great ukuleles are out there, but also places to "window shop" (on Windows), like HMS and Vimeo. And, the UU marketplace is a great place to pick up some great ukuleles, too.

I probably would only have heard of Kamaka, (thanks to Jake), and not some of the other great ukuleles out there.

Some ukuleles that were introduced to me, thanks to UU, (some of which I have, some of which I don't), are Flea, LoPrinzi, Anuenue Moon Bird, Collings, the K brands, (other than Kamaka, which I had heard of), Martin, (I knew they made guitars, but didn't know they made ukuleles), Ono, Kinnard, Hoffman, Moore Bettah, and on and on.

I own only 4 "brands", and haven't yet even tried all of the above, but finding out about all the options, listening to sound samples, and learning about what is out there has been a lot of fun. Some I tried and resold, because they weren't "the one", and some I know I'll never even see in person, (like Moore Bettah), and some may yet make their way to me to try at some time in the future, but I wouldn't even know about them if it wasn't for UU.

So, thanks, UU. Maybe I shouldn't be thanking UU for infecting me with UAS, but considering how much I hated that first ukulele I bought, and how much I enjoy ukulele now, I do thank UU. :)

Edited to add:
And strings! I never would have heard of strings like Living Water, (my current favorite), along with all the other options if it wasn't for UU.
 
Last edited:
Yes. Of my 5 ukes, 2 of them were bought in spite of mixed responses from UU members and one was bought on the recommendation of a UU member. As for strings, I wouldn't have heard of any strings other than Nylgut if it wasn't for UU, and I have been having loads of fun trying all sorts of strings that were recommended by UU members.
 
Not so much for me, but a lot of my connections with the ukulele are online:

1. I started on the ukulele because I saw a video from a music store in New York--named Bernunzio's or something--and the girl in the video was gorgeous, so I got a ukulele. Weird logic!
2. I was talking to Peter Forrest and he suggested that I should get a long neck Kamaka, so I did.
3. While on Sam Muir's website, I saw that she had a Rob Collins ukulele, so I got one.

So I love coming here and living vicariously through other people's fussiness, but none of my purchases have been directly linked to here.
 
UU greatly influenced my ukulele buying and selling. Where live, you cannot find a Hawaiian ukulele, or Pono, or Islander, etc. The only ukulele here are Makala, Kala, Cordoba, Lanikai, and Kohala. So, in order to try, I had to buy, and then re-sell in order to get money to try others. Not only did I learn about ukes by reading the threads, I learned that most people here are knowledgeable and honest. That an ukulele will be priced fairly and the condition fairly stated, and if not, someone will set about to make a correction to the op. I learned what to look for and what to note. I learned how to price fairly. I also learned that there are fads-- the popular ukulele may not be popular next year. However, the one thing that is common to just about everyone, and really helps make this place a decent place to visit is that almost everyone here suffers(ed) from UAS at some time or another, therefore, nobody is stuck on just one ukulele as "The Best." It is a very open environment and most everyone is interested in learning about something new, and if a question comes up about one of the 50 ukuleles you previously owned, people are more than willing to share their experiences. Truly, a great place to visit and contribute. To be sure, I don't think I would have owned and sold 8 ponos, or three Islanders without UU. I am sure I would have still tried Kamaka, KoAloha, Kanilea, and Martin, but not the others.
 
Bwahahahaha...of course! :D:shaka:
 
I was thinking that if I had never checked out UU, my ukulele buying might have been different.

I didn't know anything about ukuleles, and had only one friend, (RIP), who was into ukuleles, and the local shops are just low end, poor quality ukuleles.

My first attempt at buying a ukulele was at a local store, and I hated the ukulele. Put it away, then gave it away.

About a year later, my friend was still encouraging me to give ukulele a try, and I got a better quality ukulele, and fell in love with ukulele.

But, if it wasn't for UU, I might never have been infected by UAS, and had the opportunity to enjoy some amazing ukuleles. UU not only made me aware of what great ukuleles are out there, but also places to "window shop" (on Windows), like HMS and Vimeo. And, the UU marketplace is a great place to pick up some great ukuleles, too.

I probably would only have heard of Kamaka, (thanks to Jake), and not some of the other great ukuleles out there.

Some ukuleles that were introduced to me, thanks to UU, (some of which I have, some of which I don't), are Flea, LoPrinzi, Anuenue Moon Bird, Collings, the K brands, (other than Kamaka, which I had heard of), Martin, (I knew they made guitars, but didn't know they made ukuleles), Ono, Kinnard, Hoffman, Moore Bettah, and on and on.

I own only 4 "brands", and haven't yet even tried all of the above, but finding out about all the options, listening to sound samples, and learning about what is out there has been a lot of fun. Some I tried and resold, because they weren't "the one", and some I know I'll never even see in person, (like Moore Bettah), and some may yet make their way to me to try at some time in the future, but I wouldn't even know about them if it wasn't for UU.

So, thanks, UU. Maybe I shouldn't be thanking UU for infecting me with UAS, but considering how much I hated that first ukulele I bought, and how much I enjoy ukulele now, I do thank UU. :)

Edited to add:
And strings! I never would have heard of strings like Living Water, (my current favorite), along with all the other options if it wasn't for UU.

UU hasn't influenced my ukulele buying, but it has influenced my string buying as I've tried Living Waters and Fremont Black Lines after hearing about them here. It has also influenced my book buying and my signing up for Ukulele Hot Springs and the LA Uke festival. There is a lot of information here even for those of us who don't suffer from UAS.
 
Yes, I have came here to research all but two of my ukes.
 
It's hard to overstate the influence UU has had on my whole ukulele experience. It is the uke community for me. I hope to get more involved someday with the local scene but it's not in the cards for a few years! Thanks UU
 
Pretty much all of it except for my initial stupid Luna purchase. How my ukulele love survived that thing is still a mystery.
 
I arrived here between my first and second, and my second one is made by someone who I don't think has ever been mentioned on here. But I appreciate reading the community discussions anyhow. :D
 
I arrived here between my first and second, and my second one is made by someone who I don't think has ever been mentioned on here. But I appreciate reading the community discussions anyhow. :D

Perhaps you should mention them then ;)
 
I've learned a lot about ukuleles in general here on UU. Pros and cons of different strings, builds & accessories. Thoughts about playing techniques and music.

Most of all I learned about a terrific community. Full of friendly people willing to lend their expertise and offer advice. I think I'll attend some festivals next year and meet some other members if I can.

And I've purchased several instruments from members plus a few accessories and books. Some of which I could not have afforded or known about without this forum.

I'm truly thankful that I found the forum and been able to participate on it.
 
The buying influence UU had on me was via the Marketplace, a great uke for a great deal, a Godin Multiuke sunburst for $400.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 9 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 34)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
When I got interested in ukes, I did a search online, UU came up, tried it, & signed up.

Great community, & always happy to enable you with your next purchase. :D

Yes, other peoples opinions on here about various ukes, woods, strings, etc, helped with my UAS, until I found the uke for me. :music:
 
No never:biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:
 
I'm a couple blocks from Kamaka and TheUkulele Site's Honolulu shop, so I have more influence than probably I need! However I enjoy hearing what UU members think about various models, woods, strings, etc., but I seem to be largely self propelled in my instrument buying habits.
 
Mostly, UU has influenced my buying by providing a steady stream of second-hand ukes for me to buy and try.
 
I’m not influenced, but really more of willingly infected with all sorts of NUD posts. When I read enough of NUD on the same uke, I’m able to convince myself to buy that uke. That’s what happen to my Martins and recent Kamaka.
 
Ha, of course it has! This is where I learned about Hawaii Music Supply and K-brand ukes. The rest is UAS history! :rolleyes:
 
Top Bottom