- Joined
- Sep 6, 2011
- Messages
- 965
- Reaction score
- 1,189
The other day I was talking with a person who is totally new to ukulele and stringed instruments. He was "fretting" (pun intended) over which first ukulele to purchase. He has never played a stringed instrument. He has been researching ukuleles on this forum and many others, reading, and watching videos and the data is overwhelming, almost to the point of paralysis, especially if you never played. He found me on here and saw that I distribute Alvin "Pops" Okami's Wow and Star Spangled Banger ukulele. He asked about them, and although the price is really reasonable for a high quality instrument, he asked if "they are too good for a first ukulele."
That got me thinking to my first purchase back in 2008 and the experience that I had. I will share that now and I wonder if anybody else had the same Kind of experience as me.
2008 I was in Waikiki and went to Pua Pua Ukulele and wanted to buy an uke to bring home from Hawaii, but so many ukuleles and which one to buy. There were the K-brands, Kala, Lanikai, Cordoba, Makala, and Kohala. They all seemed expensive to me. I loved the look of the K-brands, especially the Kanile'a but what I found was that because I never played a stringed instrument, when I strummed, the $2000 ukulele sounded as bad as the $100 ukulele which really sounded bad. My fingers dug into the strings. Flopped between the strings. Every uke I played sounded dull. The Kamaka sounded like a Makala in my inexperienced hands. I even took 4 free lessons at the store (they did that to get people playing so they could sell an ukulele). By the end of the lessons I knew that Kohala and Makala were not for me but maybe a Kala.
I ended up buying a Travel Kala-concert with Tenor neck. Went home and played 30 minutes minimum every night and sometimes for hours and within a month, I wanted something better-- more musical -- easier to play, more volume and sustain, better tone. I joined UU and started buying everything I could, just to try them. Well not everything -- every K-Brand and offshoot like Pono and Islander, even Koalana.
I am wondering if anyone else had that experience and although the general rule is to purchase the best ukulele you can afford-- my question is "are there limits?"
That got me thinking to my first purchase back in 2008 and the experience that I had. I will share that now and I wonder if anybody else had the same Kind of experience as me.
2008 I was in Waikiki and went to Pua Pua Ukulele and wanted to buy an uke to bring home from Hawaii, but so many ukuleles and which one to buy. There were the K-brands, Kala, Lanikai, Cordoba, Makala, and Kohala. They all seemed expensive to me. I loved the look of the K-brands, especially the Kanile'a but what I found was that because I never played a stringed instrument, when I strummed, the $2000 ukulele sounded as bad as the $100 ukulele which really sounded bad. My fingers dug into the strings. Flopped between the strings. Every uke I played sounded dull. The Kamaka sounded like a Makala in my inexperienced hands. I even took 4 free lessons at the store (they did that to get people playing so they could sell an ukulele). By the end of the lessons I knew that Kohala and Makala were not for me but maybe a Kala.
I ended up buying a Travel Kala-concert with Tenor neck. Went home and played 30 minutes minimum every night and sometimes for hours and within a month, I wanted something better-- more musical -- easier to play, more volume and sustain, better tone. I joined UU and started buying everything I could, just to try them. Well not everything -- every K-Brand and offshoot like Pono and Islander, even Koalana.
I am wondering if anyone else had that experience and although the general rule is to purchase the best ukulele you can afford-- my question is "are there limits?"
Last edited: