Am I the only one with just one ukulele?

Jarmo_S said:

Yes Keith, I forgot to mention that I have besides the basic diatonic harmonica also a chromatic one, but that is one instrument I never could figure out, with the pushing thing.

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The slide raises the note by half a tone, & the layout of the 4 holes is repeated for each octave, once you understand that you should be OK.

Me. Just one. A cedar topped, acacia backed Kala tenor. It's the third uke I've owned. The others were sold. I suppose I could buy more, but I really really really like the sound of this one so why bother.

I also have an acoustic guitar (Taylor) and a bass guitar (Hofner).

That I of course understood. It was just so hard to grab, when with guitar I had no limits in soloing, or even say with a recorder, though limited to some keys.

Chromatic harmonica is a bit unnatural one for me and I don't think it is not for me. I am not one to learn melodies, then it would work. I always want to improvise and that I could not get to work..

Sorry to OP about sidestepping, just I think many ukers do play other instruments too.

I set a 4 uke limit for myself but I'm up to 5 at the moment. I'd really like to settle on 2 (maybe 3) at some point. I really only "need" one nice one to keep as my main player at home and one for keeping at work and travel.

I think sticking with one instrument is really beneficial to learning. Once you've mastered something adjusting to different instruments is pretty easy, but during the learning process working on the same or at least similar instruments (at least in terms of neck, scale, and feel) is helpful.

My problem is everyday I seem to get excited by a different uke. I keep wanting to downsize or at least sell something but than I change my mind. I have a couple ukes for sale in various places right now, but I haven't bothered to promote or bump them because really I don't know how badly I want to sell them. I just put my Bruko up last week and then was playing it the other night thinking that I might want to keep it. I've put my Takumi up TWICE and pulled it back down TWICE. I just bought a KoAloha soprano and I'm already thinking about selling it because I kinda want a Martin (or Martin copy) soprano.

I don't have this problem with other instuments. I've managed to stick to two 5-string banjos. My Deering Goodtime that I started on and keep at the office and my expensive one at home that was made by a small custom maker. Then again, I'd love a fretless, and a half fretless, and I'd like to learn 4-string banjo, so I guess I could go down that rabbit hole too if I had the time and money.

I think part of what makes it easy to acquire ukes is that compared to other instruments they are generally relatively inexpensive, even among the higher end brands. And man there are some really really nice import ukes out there now that are insane values.

Anyway, I doubt I'll ever get down to one, but hopefully someday soon I'll at least get back under 4.

I think having one is great though. My uke teacher/club leader really only plays one uke. They keep a couple others around for student and uke club use, but pretty much just play their very nice 1920s style 2 Martin.

You've inspired me to downsize more. I just listed my last tenor ukulele a Kala cedar top acacia back and sides to my uke clubs facebook page. It was the first tenor I ever owned and the only one I've kept but I just don't ever play it anymore and 5 ukes is too many for me!

tomthebaptist said:

You are a wise man, and your wife is even wiser. The most dumb ass thing I’ve ever done was to buy a second ukulele.

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I kind of feel the same. I got lucky choosing a Kala KA-SLNG as my first uke and should have stopped there. It's gone now, but I'm paring down. I could get down to one soprano, but I'd need to get a guitar before I ditch the bari.

I am sure a lot of people have just one uke.
But among poeple who are active in this kind of forum, you will find few of them.

I think that the optimal number of ukuleles is... Just one more! Just kidding, I think that two ukuleles would be a good number. That way you can play the other when one has just had a string change. And you can have multiple tunings, and perhaps the one can be more percussive and the other have more sustain.

I think that the best reason for not buying the second ukulele is that it will start an interested in getting even more ukuleles.

I have 6 ukuleles. I hope to reduce the number some day, but not to just one. Two or three would need to stay.

If your just one ukulele is a Kiwaya Concert, I would guess that it is fit for purpose. A medium scale that allows for both some ukulele sound and for playing a bit up the neck. One that is high end enough to be awesome, but still not so much that it needs to be "babied", reducing the need for a "beater" ukulele.

I have only one Martin; only one Gibson; only one Timms; only one KoAloha. I could go on, but I'll stop there.

I still have eight that I made myself. If I had to choose just one ukulele, it would be one of those - that would be a difficult choice, but probably the one made from Iroko wood, that was a shelf in a friend's home - or the one made from Cuban mahogany supplied by Pete Howlett - or my beloved Cigar Box uke. Hell! I don't know.

John Colter.

Hmm, if I could only have one of my ukes.....

......I guess it would have to be my KoAloha Opio acacia long neck concert.....

......there's just something about its tone that none of the others have.

mikelz777 said:

Re: your wife's logic. You can only wear one pair of shoes at a time so why have more than one pair? With few exceptions, you only wear one (insert any article of clothing here) at a time so why have more than one? This could go on and on. Sometimes variety is nice. Sometimes they serve a different sound or a different purpose. Sure, you only need one but more than one can be more fun!

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My thoughts *exactly*. At worse, ukes are just a relatively inexpensive, innocuous object, especially when purchased used (&/or made in as low-impact of a way as possible). At best, in the hands of the right player, they are practically living objects of audio & visual beauty. Even not in the "right" hands, they can be inspiring.

There are a zillion things in this world that are way, way more harmful to oneself & the environment we all share, than having multiple ukuleles.

I definitely have "objects" that I purchased but then didn't make use of, sometimes heavy use of, until years later. I am 1000% for the Patagonia way of thinking about "stuff". And sometimes people can go a little overboard, in which case things will likely course correct when they are ready.

If one wants to only have one, if ukulele-austerity is their thing, that's great for them.

If one wants 20 & truly ENJOYS having them for personal reasons & they are responsible enough to keep the wood ones properly humidified, then why not live & let uke. x 20. And when the need or desire arises, pass some of them on...

I think my UAS has been cured. I did a fair amount of experimenting when I was younger, but I think I'm all set now. I have 2 ukes, one for high g and one for low g (Koaloha concert and Opio long neck soprano). I have a banjolele, and I've ordered an Enya travel uke. Done! Finite!

I have 3 sopranos and 4 tenors made from Koa.. they all have very distinct sound profiles and preferences in what songs they like..
I am into ukes mostly for experiencing the sound. Unlike a piano or a guitar it is easier to have more than one uke.
Telling me own one uke is like eating only one cuisine and just one dish in different ways..
I have dabbled with the idea is starting a sampling club for ukes.. or a rental service..

kissing said:

I consider myself a bit of a minimalist too.
However, it is still hard to consolidate down just to 1 ukulele.

My reasons are mainly to do with tunings.

Most of the times I play in low-G (tenor), but sometimes I require high-G (concert).
But I also want a low-G soprano for portability. And also a beater uke for taking on camping and beaches.
And also a baritone for when I want a lower toned sound. And a guitalele for when I want to play an ukulele like a guitar.
And a bass ukulele for when I want to play bass... and also I require an electric ukulele for silent night time play and using effects/amps.

Oh dear.. and I haven't even mentioned my guitars, flutes, violins, harmonicas and ukuleles I require for collectability and tonewoods..

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That's what happened to me and how I ended up with over a dozen ukes/banko ukes... the three Ts of UAS .... tuning, tonewood, and travel. Now that I have tried over 2 dozen ukes, I am currently selling off and tryin to get down under 10 that I truly love. Then I need to do the same for my drums and v-drums....

I just started playing six weeks ago and I already have three! But it's entirely justified (I tell myself).

I come from a keyboard and percussion background; I've never played a stringed instrument. So first I bought a cheap (US $60-ish) Amazon-exclusive concert, figuring I'd see if I was really interested.

But I quickly found the concert a bit uncomfortably small for my hands. So I bought an almost equally cheap tenor of the same brand, that also had a built-in pickup, so I could "rock" (kind of) out. That was a lot of fun.

But as much as I was enjoying learning the ukulele, I also was getting all kinds of string buzzes and unmusical notes, and I wasn't sure if it was my playing (entirely possible) or the lackluster quality of the instrument.

So just a week or two ago I purchased another tenor (low G this time) from a more upscale (or mid-market, at least) company (US $150 range). It's been a revelation. As much fun as I was having before, this is a comparative joy to play; it not only sounds better, but I play it better, and everything just feels much more natural, even to a beginner like me.

So now I should be all set, at least for a while, right?

(Although my birthday isn't that far away... and I have my eye on a few things... )

So, I have more than one (dozen, but not many more). However, with two exceptions, I don't have more than 1 uke in any "slot". So one low G tenor, one re-entrant tenor, one six string, one eight string, one semi-solid body electric, one bass, etc.

The two exceptions are not completely open. I have a few laminate ukes which I leave out within an arm's reach of the places I spend time - office, living room, bedroom. Traditionally, these are older, less expensive ukes that I started on and still like. The only other exception was a second low G tenor, which I got a better uke, but it turns out that my father-in-law loves ukes and did not have one, so he has it on permanent loan.

And I have been a devoted player for about 9 years, so this did not happen over night.

There - am I excused now?

(And if I were to be totally, absolutely honest, I would have to count the Enya carbon fiber that I just ordered, but that's for a specific rafting trip, and it was cheap. <g>)

I have one and wil probably stay that way. I stumbled upon it in a small music store a couple of years ago. Only uke choice there was my current soprano Flight and a concert one. Tried them out, liked what I heard and saw, and went back for the small and maybe "traditional" one. Think the most important thing was to get an instrument with four strings, then it's about to discover its potential. And there is a lot.

And I don't really have room for more than one . But in my heart my uke becomes many, it's very versatile!