What Uke Would You Choose to Buy Again?

If I had to pick just one, I think it would be my Kremona Coco Concert -- cedar top, Indian rosewood back and sides. With 14 frets to the body and a slimmer neck profile, it feels so comfortable to play and sounds great.

That said. I'm positive UAS would quickly set in and I'd be back out looking for my next Martin.
 
All my favourite ukes have stories that aren't really about the money.

I'd be happy if my only uke was a Brueko no.5 with an arched back and a thin body. I have other ukes that mean more to me than my Bruko, but that's more to do with the people and places behind them. A little plain Bruko is all the ukulele I would ever need if I could only have one.
 
Definitely Ken Timms Cuban mahogony soprano, Maurice Dupont 5-string Gypsy style tenor, Anuenue Moon Bird Tenor and National Resonator. If I have to choose one, I star crying. Mission impossible.
 
Many of us have many instruments. Some might even argue that some of us (I'm looking at me) have too many instruments. As such, I often find myself thinking, if I could only keep one, which would it be? This answer changes from time to time, but I wanted to alter it slightly.

Consider the following hypothetical situation: due to the work of a nefarious ukulele hater, all of your instruments have been stolen. They are gone forever, with no hope of recovery. Your insurance company, due to unspecified reasons, will give you a blank check to buy one, and only one, instrument, with the following catch: you have to buy the exact same make and model as one of the instruments that was just stolen.

To ask it a different way, and closer to the title, which of your current instruments would you buy again, and why that one?

To be clear, you can buy other instruments later if you would like, and you could just use the insurance company's money to buy the most expensive one you want to replace, if that is the way you want to go. But I guess what I am driving at is, if you had to start your collection all over again, what is the first one you would get?

What's your answer to the question?

I own an Ohana CK-50MG and a Beansprout. I'd replace the Beansprout, of course.
 
Well I'm down to 2. I love them both, but if I had to pick one, I'd go with the Pohaku, if for no other reason than I like the very thin t-frets better than the bar frets on my Weymann. I would have another Pohaku on order long before the insurance payment came through.

I'm only counting ukes here. If I lost my banjo and guitars too that's a tougher call.
 
What's your answer to the question?

I have been afraid someone would finally ask me to answer my own question. I had been hoping that reading other's responses would help with my own thoughts on the subject. My problem is that the instrument that means the most to me (my Beansprout alto), the instrument I think sounds the best (either my Moonbird or my KoAloha silver, depending on the day, who both just barely edge out the Beansprout), and the instrument that I enjoy playing the most (also changes with the day, but is usually my mango Rebel) are all different instruments.

But if I could only have one, and I were really pressed on the issue, it would probably be my Blackbird Clara. It has the best overlap of sound, playability, and durability. I live in the midwest (Michigan) and the weather here is too often too dry to take most of my good instruments all the places I want to go. Everyone is safe and happy at home, where I control the environment, but if I want to play while camping or traveling, I leave the really nice solid wood ones at home and take Clara with me.

I like other instruments better, but for pure practicality, I would have to go with Clara.
 
I'll buy the Kala long neck soprano since it works great for strumming... but it's not very good with finger style.
If I can start all over, as in never having owned a ukulele, I'd just get a Kamaka long neck soprano. That way, I don't have to worry about not liking it.


Ah! A blast from the past!

I've now changed my choice. I will buy the Kamaka HF-1 again.
Currently, I have a strong preference for the standard soprano size over the others.
 
Sorry to call you out but every time I notice this thread I wonder what you'd say... I think your answer is very thoughtful.
 
Fun question. I actually did get rid of all my ukes and just restarted with a Kiwaya KTS-7 soprano.

If I could have one I had before it would be a Compass Rose Tenor Jumbo by the legendary Rick Turner. He has them on his website but they don’t seem to be making any new ones at the moment. I have been checking in with them the last two years.

I like the Compass Rose Tenor Jumbo for it’s unique shape, cantilevered fretboard, use of local wood like Walnut and Sycamore, and that it’s an original from the Master himself. Rick likes to say that ukes take just as long as guitars to make but sell for 75% of what a guitar would. I always believed he could sell his ukes for more than that.
 
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Oooo! That would be a painful decision between my Anuenue UC200E Concert Moonbird and my Kamaka Ohta-San. Probably the Moon Bird. Love the way the birds sing!
 
Fun question. I actually did get rid of all my ukes and just restarted with a Kiwaya KTS-7 soprano.

A year or more ago, I sold my Kiwaya KTS-6. I bought another this summer, and it's my most-played, most-loved uke. As it was when I sold it. I don't know what gets into me sometimes, but I think I've learned my lesson. It has brought me back to sopranos. I suspect it sounds and plays identical to a KTS-4, except the extended fretboard, which I don't care that much about, but I don't want to take any chances, although if I had insurance money, I might by a KTS-7 if they were ever for sale used.
 
My Mainland soprano. . . it just outperforms others. I've compared its volume/tone to Martin and Kiwaya and it competes well. Just as loud, great tone. My Koaloha is a sweeter voice, though, but the build is harder to hold, for some reason.

Mainland is a good brand.

I think also my Kala La Salle is a real winner as a tenor. Never cared to think about buying any other tenor.
 
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