Should I get a travel uke or not?

AustinHing

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I’m planning a holiday trip to Tokyo, Japan in December and the temperature is around 50F (10 deg Celsius) during that period.

Plan to visit the Kiwaya museum and some uke shops as I heard that Japan is the second home to ukulele other than Hawaii. So, Yeah!

So of course I need to have my ukulele with me for daily practices. And here’s the problem, all my ukes are full solid wood. Granted that the uke is only played indoors in the hotel. The only outdoor exposure to between airport to the hotel and it’s in a gigbag.

So is there really a need to get a travel uke such as the flight travel uke, a solid top uke with everything else ABS plastic? I would most likely not use it after the trip and is such a waste of money. I’m thinking of bringing my Eddy Finn (solid Mahogany) soprano uke for the trip. Would it be dumb to do so?
 
My understanding is that prices for non-Japanese-made ukuleles are quite high there due to import costs. You could buy an inexpensive Flight or Enya and if you find a ukulele to buy whilst in Japan you could sell or donate the travel uke to make space for the one you buy. Or maybe the dealer will take it for a reduction in the purchase price.
 
Blackbird Clara! I’m loving mine!
 
Well, if to buy a new uke while in japan, it would be an obligation to get the kiwaya! Haha, wifey will not allow this to happen.. that would be a dream for me.

I really wish to justify the need of the travel uke but I’m not playing outdoors at all. I’m a complete noob of handling solid ukes in extreme cold weather.
 
To buy a travel ukulele or not to?
The answer, to me, lies in another question:
Given the hustle and bustle or travel,
Can you afford to experience damage to any of your current ukuleles?
And if so which one?
If you can’t, purchase one you can afford to have damage occur — a ‘beach’ ukulele.
I travel with an inexpensive, which, if it gets crushed in the overhead bin, my tears would be significantly less than the loss of any of my other ukuleles.
 
I’m planning a holiday trip to Tokyo, Japan in December and the temperature is around 50F (10 deg Celsius) during that period.

Plan to visit the Kiwaya museum and some uke shops as I heard that Japan is the second home to ukulele other than Hawaii. So, Yeah!

So of course I need to have my ukulele with me for daily practices. And here’s the problem, all my ukes are full solid wood. Granted that the uke is only played indoors in the hotel. The only outdoor exposure to between airport to the hotel and it’s in a gigbag.

So is there really a need to get a travel uke such as the flight travel uke, a solid top uke with everything else ABS plastic? I would most likely not use it after the trip and is such a waste of money. I’m thinking of bringing my Eddy Finn (solid Mahogany) soprano uke for the trip. Would it be dumb to do so?

Absolutely no need to get a travel uke for playing indoors, especially for playing in a hotel room. Better to have that money for something else.
 
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To buy a travel ukulele or not to?
The answer, to me, lies in another question:
Given the hustle and bustle or travel,
Can you afford to experience damage to any of your current ukuleles?
And if so which one?
If you can’t, purchase one you can afford to have damage occur — a ‘beach’ ukulele.
I travel with an inexpensive, which, if it gets crushed in the overhead bin, my tears would be significantly less than the loss of any of my other ukuleles.

Agreed here. If you are definitely not going to get a Kiwaya, then for travelling, get a laminate, low cost, but one that you can enjoy without anxiety for the trip. This may not be your last trip so you can use it again. All you need is a fretboard to practice really, you are not performing. And depending upon how long you will be gone, your fingers may get the itch to play. Be careful of the plane trip though, you may have to stow in overhead bin. I have travelled with a uke on the plane before, and when people know what it is, you may get requests to play!
 
No need for a dedicated travel uke for what you are doing. I travelled many times with a Pono pro classic tenor, all solid cedar and macassar ebony. Flights internationally as well as week long car camping trips and weekends away with no troubles. Make sure it has a good hard case
 
I’m planning a holiday trip to Tokyo, Japan in December and the temperature is around 50F (10 deg Celsius) during that period.

Plan to visit the Kiwaya museum and some uke shops as I heard that Japan is the second home to ukulele other than Hawaii. So, Yeah!

So of course I need to have my ukulele with me for daily practices. And here’s the problem, all my ukes are full solid wood. Granted that the uke is only played indoors in the hotel. The only outdoor exposure to between airport to the hotel and it’s in a gigbag.

So is there really a need to get a travel uke such as the flight travel uke, a solid top uke with everything else ABS plastic? I would most likely not use it after the trip and is such a waste of money. I’m thinking of bringing my Eddy Finn (solid Mahogany) soprano uke for the trip. Would it be dumb to do so?

I have some good laminate Ukes and some cheap laminate Ukes. The cheap ones are robust enough to travel with so I don’t worry about damage to them, however that robustness also robs them of some sound quality (they’re tolerable, good even for what they are, but not a patch on my better but more fragile laminates). Travel with any Uke is a bit of a gamble, but by your actions and choices you can change the odds and you can decide how much you’re prepared to loose. Change the odds by the type of Uke you take and the care it is subject to, only you know whether you can comfortably (should the worst happen) write-off the replacement costs (should your choose to replace).

I can’t find the EF solid mahogany Soprano on their website but EF’s usual aren’t that expensive and are replaceable with something similar. Rather than go to the expense of buying another Uke I’d keep that money and gamble on the EF being OK. The EF will likely sound satisfyingly better than a cheap travel Uke, the risks are probably overstated and with a bit of care you’ll come out the right side of the ‘gamble’ - save yourself the upfront expense of a new Uke.
 
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Thanks for all the suggestions. Guess there’s 2 camps of thoughts and I’m equally torn between the two!

But I didn’t thought of squeezing the uke into the overhead cabin part though. I’m now imaging some some bulky luggage crushing into it. ‘Shudders’

The Eddy Finn I have is no longer in production and its about a decade year. I don’t have a pic of it but here’s a pic from an online link:
screen_shot_2017-03-22_at_13.40.40.png

https://www.theguitarstoreonline.co.uk/ukuleles/eddy-finn-o-hole-solid-mahogany-soprano-ukulele.html

Perhaps a nice hard case or a very very well padded bag could be the solution..
 
Buy an "anything" uke when you get there, and leave it in the hotel room when you head home.

Carrying a full size uke can be one more thing to worry about, but if you're not going to play a travel uke when you get home, why waste a lot of money on one? My first requirement for a travel uke would be small size. Ideally, it would fit into a suitcase. It would also have to be inexpensive and somewhat tough. A Waterman or Outdoor uke might be good choices.

Travel ukes -
https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/7-best-travel-ukulele-on-sale-for-backpackers/
 
But I didn’t thought of squeezing the uke into the overhead cabin part though. I’m now imaging some some bulky luggage crushing into it.

With airlines now charging for putting luggage in the hold, overhead storage fills up quickly. Depending on when you board the plane, you might not have room overhead, and the uke will have to go somewhere else.
 
Well, if to buy a new uke while in japan, it would be an obligation to get the kiwaya! Haha, wifey will not allow this to happen.. that would be a dream for me.

I really wish to justify the need of the travel uke but I’m not playing outdoors at all. I’m a complete noob of handling solid ukes in extreme cold weather.

You're going to Japan "and" visiting Kiwaya. It would be very economical to buy a Kiwaya there. The lowest cost Kiwaya soprano is a high quality laminate that rivals many solid wood ukuleles. Bring a hard case with you, buy the laminate Kiwaya and you will have a great travel uke at a cost close to what you would pay if you bought a brand "X" before you left home.
 
To buy a travel ukulele or not to?
The answer, to me, lies in another question:
Given the hustle and bustle or travel,
Can you afford to experience damage to any of your current ukuleles?
And if so which one?
If you can’t, purchase one you can afford to have damage occur — a ‘beach’ ukulele.
I travel with an inexpensive, which, if it gets crushed in the overhead bin, my tears would be significantly less than the loss of any of my other ukuleles.
I think I will need to beef up my gig bag as I think I going to bring my solid wood uke after all. I will try to stow beneath my seat if possible.

Absolutely no need to get a travel uke for playing indoors, especially for playing in a hotel room. Better to have that money for something else.
Thanks, Aquatopaz. I guess I’m not going to get a travel uke after all. More fund to the ramen and sushi!

I am actually on a 4000km road trip into the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. Living in a tent and car, with the opposite, high temperatures and dry weather. I am travelling with a laminate instrument. Not because I am worried about my solid wood instruments but because it takes a lot less effort. I can leave the instrument in the car and only need to worry about it when I want to play it. Its there now probably under the folding chair and card table.
When looking at a travel uke its horses for courses. Its always good to take a nice sounding uke with you, but how much effort do you want to put into looking after it. Also, what about the people you travel with? Often it can be a good choice to just have a holiday from playing your uke so you can go with the crew on the adventures and do a lot of things you can't do at home. Obviously if you are going to a uke festival or are going to play a concert or lead a group, you need to take a uke. You do not have to take a uke everywhere.
All valid points! I most probably would only pull out the uke for a quick 15-20 min daily routine run in the hotel room. It’s not a uke focused holiday, although I wish it to be.


Agreed here. If you are definitely not going to get a Kiwaya, then for travelling, get a laminate, low cost, but one that you can enjoy without anxiety for the trip. This may not be your last trip so you can use it again. All you need is a fretboard to practice really, you are not performing. And depending upon how long you will be gone, your fingers may get the itch to play. Be careful of the plane trip though, you may have to stow in overhead bin. I have travelled with a uke on the plane before, and when people know what it is, you may get requests to play!
They would start look else where when I start playing. Haha. Well, my fingers can only resist the itch for a day. I think I would get a nice padded gigbag instead of getting the travel uke.

No need for a dedicated travel uke for what you are doing. I travelled many times with a Pono pro classic tenor, all solid cedar and macassar ebony. Flights internationally as well as week long car camping trips and weekends away with no troubles. Make sure it has a good hard case
Thanks for your affirmation, DownUpDave. I do see plenty of performers using really nice solid wood Martin guitars for gigging in very cold weather. They don’t seems to give a damn.


I have some good laminate Ukes and some cheap laminate Ukes. The cheap ones are robust enough to travel with so I don’t worry about damage to them, however that robustness also robs them of some sound quality (they’re tolerable, good even for what they are, but not a patch on my better but more fragile laminates). Travel with any Uke is a bit of a gamble, but by your actions and choices you can change the odds and you can decide how much you’re prepared to loose. Change the odds by the type of Uke you take and the care it is subject to, only you know whether you can comfortably (should the worst happen) write-off the replacement costs (should your choose to replace).

I can’t find the EF solid mahogany Soprano on their website but EF’s usual aren’t that expensive and are replaceable with something similar. Rather than go to the expense of buying another Uke I’d keep that money and gamble on the EF being OK. The EF will likely sound satisfyingly better than a cheap travel Uke, the risks are probably overstated and with a bit of care you’ll come out the right side of the ‘gamble’ - save yourself the upfront expense of a new Uke.
My eddy finn definitely sounded just like a well made solid wood ukulele. You won’t be able to find it on the eddy finn website as it is no longer in production. Check out the link in my earlier post for the specs if interested.

Perfect excuse to get a RISA solid/stick uke, (plus an ear/practice amp or belt clip amp).......you know you've always wanted one. :D
Thanks, croaky Keith! Have not consider a risa stock before as I prefer non amped ukes.

Appreciated all inputs! I think I’m getting a well padded gigbag to hold my existing solid uke. Thanks again!
 
eBay sometimes have second hand hard cases available for comparatively little. Just be careful to check any case’s internal dimensions before buying.

If you’re taking a suitcase could it just be a larger one with your Uke in it. As far as I know holds are typically heated now but there have been threads on air travel with Ukes.

I have a couple of soft cases and they work for most things but a bulky pocket on the side isn’t always helpful (makes it difficult to pack) and unlike a hard case they don’t support any weight on them .......

More of a U.K. thing but if your Uke is like new then remember to take your sales receipt with you just in case the customs man has any questions .....
 
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Buy an "anything" uke when you get there, and leave it in the hotel room when you head home.

Carrying a full size uke can be one more thing to worry about, but if you're not going to play a travel uke when you get home, why waste a lot of money on one? My first requirement for a travel uke would be small size. Ideally, it would fit into a suitcase. It would also have to be inexpensive and somewhat tough. A Waterman or Outdoor uke might be good choices.

Travel ukes -
https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/7-best-travel-ukulele-on-sale-for-backpackers/

With airlines now charging for putting luggage in the hold, overhead storage fills up quickly. Depending on when you board the plane, you might not have room overhead, and the uke will have to go somewhere else.
My uke is a soprano but a full bodied soprano. So it’s not going to fit a luggage. I’m thinking of getting a good padded gigbag with compartments for putting other traveling stuff. Double it up as a hand carry luggage. Possible to stow under the seat?

You're going to Japan "and" visiting Kiwaya. It would be very economical to buy a Kiwaya there. The lowest cost Kiwaya soprano is a high quality laminate that rivals many solid wood ukuleles. Bring a hard case with you, buy the laminate Kiwaya and you will have a great travel uke at a cost close to what you would pay if you bought a brand "X" before you left home.
This option is not exactly out of the window. But is highly dependable on wifey mood. I would still need an uke with me in case I don’t get the Kiwaya.
 
eBay sometimes have second hand hard cases available for comparatively little. Just be careful to check any case’s internal dimensions before buying.

If you’re taking a suitcase could it just be a larger one with your Uke in it. As far as I know holds are typically heated now but there have been threads on air travel with Ukes.

I have a couple of soft cases and they work for most things but a bulky pocket on the side isn’t always helpful (makes it difficult to pack) and unlike a hard case they don’t support any weight on them .......

More of a U.K. thing but if your Uke is like new then remember to take your sales receipt with you just in case the customs man has any questions .....

Noted on the custom interrogation, but uke smells like a grand old dame. Just kidding. Hope no offence taken. No way on putting uke in the suitcase unless hand carry. I won’t be able to sleep while on flight.
 
I like to relate the story of my brother in law and his Martin D28. It is solid spruce and rosewood and retails today for over $3000.00. Starting as a teenager he hitchhiked around the USA for 10 years with that guitar. He busked for a living and lived mostly on the streets with guitar in tow in the elements. He still performs on stage with that guitar 45 years later.

I travel with my Koolau which is about the same price as the Martin D28. No problems, no issues, no worries. Get a hard case or pro level gig bag, Mono or Fusion.
 
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