House Ukuleles

I play them all regularly, but none leave the house because I never play publicly. That makes it an easy decision. :)
 
I don't bring my Donaldson Custom Concert, or my KoAloha Sceptre out when temps are under 50° F. Everything else is subject to what I feel like playing, and where.

It isn't a cost issue; I've got several ukes that cost more than the Donaldson, but they aren't as precious to me as something that a) was built specifically for me (the Donaldson), and b) was half paid for by my mother-in-law, who felt that if the ukulele spoke to me that much, then I should have it (The Sceptre).

I don't take the Timms uke with me, because friction tuners and I don't get along very well.
 
Sharing your best uke with new friends is one of the great pleasures of owning a nice ukulele. Obviously you need to be careful, but you should try sharing your best ukes with new friends and see how much better it works for you. There are times when the weather or conditions where there is a high risk of too much sun or snow and you would not take your best uke. But most uke events are indoors, and set up so you can easily look after your instrument. Also if you are in a group where people share their ukes, you get to play and feel all the other ukes.
A second consideration is that often you will eventually want to sell your uke. The best market is among the people who you have shared it with. They don't need photos or sound files, they have played the instrument. The more people who know about it, the easier it will be to pass on to a new home without a lot of effort. Keeping a uke at home under your bed just creates a suspicion that there is something wrong with it in the eyes of prospective buyers who are every where.
Many makers like to see their ukes out and about and being played. They are happy to repair a nice uke that has some road damage incurred while using the uke to play music as opposed to fixing a crack caused by hiding it under your bed without humidification.

A uke that has been around the block, and been played by countless hands is bound to have at the least, nail scratches and strum marks, and at the worst dings, so it's resale value would plummet, making sharing to facilitate a future sale an abysmal idea. Someone posted not long ago who had a ding in a uke they wished to return after owning and sharing for only a few weeks. There is also the great possibility that the owner, like myself, would prefer not to have damage caused by others on their uke. When you cause it, the damage is wear from your enjoyment. When others cause it it is just an annoyance which you are reminded of every time you play. The best pleasure of owning a nice ukulele is playing it and listening to it.
 
Glad I wasn't at that uke festival.

It was actually a great festival, with small attendance, so intimate. I just walked on over to the Craig Chee workshop where everyone was seated and happy playing their own instruments.
 
No, but at the Antelope Valley Uke Fest last weekend I popped into a Uke Fun workshop for a peek and everyone was standing in a circle and Daniel Ward and
Heidi Swedberg were telling everyone to remove their straps and rotate their ukes around the circle on cue so that everyone got a chance to play everyone else's and I wondered about dropped ukes.

Funny you should mention that. Shortly after I got my first good uke, a KoAloha soprano, I went to a local workshop. The instructor had us pass our uke to the person on our left. I was shocked. When it got to her, she said, "Wow! This is loud!" Fortunately, I got it back in one piece. Depending on what uke I had, I would think twice about passing it around again.
 
Sharing your best uke with new friends is one of the great pleasures of owning a nice ukulele.

Good point, but do you offer, or do they ask? When I bring a new uke to our Saturday jam, I offer it to the instructor. I also offer it to one or two others whom I trust. I wouldn't like someone to ask me to lend it to them. Refusing would be rude, but it could save an instrument from damage.
 
So far, I haven't been brave enough to take my aNueNue Moonbird Tenor out of the house.

I've brought mine to jams, but I'm very careful with it. If I'm going to put it on the table, I put a cloth under it. A friend has a Moonbird tenor, and that's all he plays now, wherever he goes. I have a James Hill tenor and a Collings koa concert that I haven't brought anywhere, yet.
 
No "House Only" ukes for me. My most expensive ukulele gets played at church every Sunday, and they all go to monthly club meetings. I do have a Blackbird Clara now, so that has become my uke festival/outdoor/camping/travel ukulele. If someone I know & trust asks to play one of my ukes, I'll let them. Passing them around in a circle of strangers........I'd pass on that.
 
Instruments that make music are meant to be heard. I only own three ukulele's. I have have taken them all out to play to various venue's, a couple across the country, one to the woods with some regularity. I do take weather into account a little bit it gets as it stays below zero degree's Celsius in my location for weeks on end. I don't take my Koaloha or Godin to the woods. I put some of this into perspective with my spouses violin and hardingfele and my son's violin. Instruments with much greater value. Heck one of my spouses violin bows in worth the cost of a higher end uke. The value of making music transcends the value of the instrument. I might get a little twitchy with a big circle pass around if I had my Koaloha with me but if a person sitting next to me asked if they could play a tune to try it out I'd likely pass it over.
 
On the other side of it, does anyone have one that is so crappy that they wouldn't get caught in public playing it? I've had three of those.
 
On the other side of it, does anyone have one that is so crappy that they wouldn't get caught in public playing it? I've had three of those.

That's funny. Fortunately, no, I don't. My original uke is a cheapie I bought in Hawaii - the one that got me started. I also have an old (1940) Roy Smeck and a Wabash (1950), but they're in good condition - and not shameful. :)
 
I agree with kohanmike. Part of the fun and enjoyment is showing my favorites to others, letting them hear them get played and watching them when I offer to let them play them myself!
 
I have a James Hill tenor and a Collings koa concert that I haven't brought anywhere, yet.

Correction Jerry, you brought that James Hill to camp one Saturday and you let me play it. Remember, I said, if you ever want to sell it, please let me know first? :drool:
 
My rule of thumb is to have one uke and one banjo uke for playing exclusively in my home and another cheaper one of each for travel primarily. This way I can limit the ukes I have in my house at any time to four. Whenever I decide to get a new and more expensive one, I sell the cheapest one and the next cheapest one becomes the new travel uke, which also means that even the travel uke is usually of decent quality.
 
On the other side of it, does anyone have one that is so crappy that they wouldn't get caught in public playing it? I've had three of those.

I have a couch uke, a $200 Gretsch which is the first I ever bought. I use it to play while watching TV because I don't care if it gets knocked onto the floor or whatever by the kids. Wouldn't be embarrassed by it, but I have better ukes to play out with that I use. But I'd say the Gretsch gets more playtime than any other.
 
I purchased Ukes on the cheaper side to take outside, but I just end up missing my high end Ukes. Passing a nice Uke around a circle would simply NEVER happen. You can play my nice uke if you are an experienced player... and you are on a memory foam football field ;)
 
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