Buying a Uke for International Travel

richntacoma

richntacoma

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I know that pieces of this what I am exploring been discussed before, but not exactly as I am presenting it--I did do a search.

When this crazy pandemic winds down, I am going on three, one month-long trips around the world(lucky me, when, if...). I will be spending a month in SE Asia in the fall (super hot, super humid), West Africa in the winter, and in Latin America in the spring. In Latin America, I will be in the mountains some--cooler weather, maybe the beach a bit too, but not a ton.

I will play a good deal in my hotel, but will play also some in parks to meet people, an open mic or two, and in the early morning on the beach--I will have a good hard case. I am not a backpacker by any stretch, but crossing borders it may be inspected, others may want to play with it in public spaces, it may get bumped a wee bit.

I want to have something that I really want to play--this will be my sabbatical year, and I am practicing an hour a day of uke now and really am getting my chops to play the kind of music I enjoy (all strumming, no finger picking). This trip will be special to me, and I just don't want to buy a "beater"--I want it to sound good and feel good--that is subjective, or course, but playability is very important to me. As said, it does need to be stable and can handle some licks and humidity. I am not sure how much the last point matters for trips of those durations. How much does humidity impact an instrument in the short term?

What would you recommend? Is a solid top stable, strong and "bang proof" enough in case there are some "bumps", or should I get a "nice" laminate. I don't need/like a travel size/thinness, and don't really care about weight so much. Also, I want a really "good" quality instrument--I prefer the neck thickness and size of KoAloha and Ohana. I actually really like my Ohana ck-60 Mohogany, and while they don't get much love here, I was thinking about one of the nicer, more "interesting" Ohana special edition laminates, or, if it might hold up, one of their solid tops.

Thoughts? Any ideas? Price only a concern in that there is a chance it can be stolen, so a $1300 carbon uke might not be what I want. $500 and under, I would say, and I am a concert guy.

Thanks for all opinions!

Rich
 
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If you're at all worried about humidity and durability I would recommend getting a high quality laminate. Something like a Kiwaya KS-1 or KS-5 would do you nicely regarding durability and sound quality. If you don't want a soprano I think Kiwaya do concert versions of their high quality laminates under the Famous brand, so FC-1 would be the one to go for. I've no idea if they do tenor size at all. You could also go for the Chinese-made laminates which are almost as good as the Japanese-made and probably better value for the price, so KSU-1 or KCU-1 would be the models you want depending on the scale size.
 
I think any ukulele you already own should work.

I'd put the ukulele inisde a hard case, then that inside a hardsided check-in bag.

Just a reminder, these large bags, when packed to capacity with regular stuff can easily exceed airline weight limits. So, take care in what/how you pack.

Is traveling this fall wise? I wonder. We've put off traveling until next year, at the earliest.
 
This is trip will start fall 2021--I have time, but am needing to think about it a bit now--hope is needed :)
 
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A carbon uke still has a plastic look so, unless a thief knows ukes, they'd probably see it as a toy and look for something else to steal. Given the wide range of types of places you will be visiting, I think the carbon uke is your best bet, but I don't thing Klos has an all carbon concert.
 
Right up until you said concert, I was thinking of the Martin 0X HPL sopranos, which are small, durable, play well and sound great. A bit heavy, but you said weight doesn't matter. Would probably handle humidity better than wood.

If you want solid wood, another that comes to mind is Brüko. They're known more for their sopranos, but they make concerts. They are solid wood, good value, and looking at mine, they seem particularly durable, though I haven't really tested that out. Maybe someone else can comment about that.

But depending on the kind of travel you do, it seems like a laminate or non-wood uke might serve you better. A Blackbird Clara would fit just about everything except the price.
 
Dohle said:
If you're at all worried about humidity and durability I would recommend getting a high quality laminate. Something like a Kiwaya KS-1 or KS-5 would do you nicely regarding durability and sound quality. If you don't want a soprano I think Kiwaya do concert versions of their high quality laminates under the Famous brand, so FC-1 would be the one to go for. I've no idea if they do tenor size at all. You could also go for the Chinese-made laminates which are almost as good as the Japanese-made and probably better value for the price, so KSU-1 or KCU-1 would be the models you want depending on the scale size.
Click to expand...

I could be mistaken, but I feel like the Kiwaya laminates are not especially durable. I'm not sure where I got this impression from.


clear said:
I think any ukulele you already own should work.

I'd put the ukulele inisde a hard case, then that inside a hardsided check-in bag.

Just a reminder, these large bags, when packed to capacity with regular stuff can easily exceed airline weight limits. So, take care in what/how you pack.

Is traveling this fall wise? I wonder. We've put off traveling until next year, at the earliest.
Click to expand...

Depending on the kind of travel, carrying a hard shell case can be an ordeal, even for a small uke. If it's mostly going to sit in hotel rooms, a hard case might make airline travel easier. But if it's going to be carried a lot, I would look into gig bags or a uke-carrying backpack.
 
If you like the style a Magic Fluke---concert Fluke......solid top or laminate is up to you......my Spruce top Fluke is my travel-cabin-woods uke. If planning such a trip rather than buy new I would take my trusted Fluke along for the journey.

As per your own thinking and others, a quality laminate would also do......I am partial to solid tops but that is my bias.....

I have handled a couple of KLOS uke's very nice all around....tenor size......

You have some time to investigate and find something that will work for you....that is a plus....

Sounds like a wonderful three months once one can travel more openly........
 
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snowdenn said:
I could be mistaken, but I feel like the Kiwaya laminates are not especially durable. I'm not sure where I got this impression from.
Click to expand...

To be completely honest, I have to agree that Kiwayas aren't the most durable ukes when it comes do dents and bumps and such. In that sense, they might not be the best choice.

mjh42 said:
.
Click to expand...

I've no idea why I didn't think of Magic Fluke in the first place myself. If you want a durable but quality uke just go for Magic Fluke. Case closed. If you don't mind the unconventional design then it's probably the best you can get regarding your needs. They have quite a few different designs as well so you'll have lots to choose from.
 
snowdenn said:
Depending on the kind of travel, carrying a hard shell case can be an ordeal, even for a small uke. If it's mostly going to sit in hotel rooms, a hard case might make airline travel easier. But if it's going to be carried a lot, I would look into gig bags or a uke-carrying backpack.
Click to expand...

I agree with you that the hard case wouldn't be very convenient and that a soft case or no case would be good for local traveling.
The hard case is mainly for protection against airline baggage handling when the OP is flying.
 
I second the flea/fluke from magic fluke company. I’ve had mine for years and it’s been to Australia, Europe, Iceland, and all over the us with me. I’ve carried it on and put it in the overhead countless times. For travel, you can’t go wrong with volume, price, and stability. I have a flea because I prefer that shape. I upgraded to peghead tuners and put living waters strings on it.
 
It doesn’t meet your $500 budget, but I’d highly recommend a Blackbird Clara. Sturdy, stable, well made, and sounds fantastic. Keep your eye out for a used on for sale.
 
Thanks everyone for their feedback--super helpful and fun to have various ideas bat around.
 
If you like concert size, look at the Enya Nova U.
 
richntacoma said:
I know that pieces of this what I am exploring been discussed before, but not exactly as I am presenting it--I did do a search.

When this crazy pandemic winds down, I am going on three, one month-long trips around the world(lucky me, when, if...). I will be spending a month in SE Asia in the fall (super hot, super humid), West Africa in the winter, and in Latin America in the spring. In Latin America, I will be in the mountains some--cooler weather, maybe the beach a bit too, but not a ton.

I will play a good deal in my hotel, but will play also some in parks to meet people, an open mic or two, and in the early morning on the beach--I will have a good hard case. I am not a backpacker by any stretch, but crossing borders it may be inspected, others may want to play with it in public spaces, it may get bumped a wee bit.

I want to have something that I really want to play--this will be my sabbatical year, and I am practicing an hour a day of uke now and really am getting my chops to play the kind of music I enjoy (all strumming, no finger picking). This trip will be special to me, and I just don't want to buy a "beater"--I want it to sound good and feel good--that is subjective, or course, but playability is very important to me. As said, it does need to be stable and can handle some licks and humidity. I am not sure how much the last point matters for trips of those durations. How much does humidity impact an instrument in the short term?

What would you recommend? Is a solid top stable, strong and "bang proof" enough in case there are some "bumps", or should I get a "nice" laminate. I don't need/like a travel size/thinness, and don't really care about weight so much. Also, I want a really "good" quality instrument--I prefer the neck thickness and size of KoAloha and Ohana. I actually really like my Ohana ck-60 Mohogany, and while they don't get much love here, I was thinking about one of the nicer, more "interesting" Ohana special edition laminates, or, if it might hold up, one of their solid tops.

Thoughts? Any ideas? Price only a concern in that there is a chance it can be stolen, so a $1300 carbon uke might not be what I want. $500 and under, I would say, and I am a concert guy.

Thanks for all opinions!

Rich
Click to expand...

There have been some really sensible proposals already so there are lots of good and suitable alternatives for you to choose from.

The perceived wisdom is that an all solid instrument will not cope with the changes in climate that you intend to try but might you care to ask Ohana whether your Uke will cope with the intended trip, might you take an informed chance (what are the odds on it breaking, when might it fail and can you live with the risk) and just use what you are happy with and what you have?

Having a laminate seems to be the minimal risks option and folk here almost always have multiple Ukes some of which they are happy to use in more demanding environments. If you like the Ohana brand then why not contact Mim and similar well thought of dealers to see what features of your CK-60 they can match with a laminate model. I’m not one for bling and am looking for sound but Ohana do do some lovely looking instruments and a good dealer should be able to tell you what the benefits and draw backs of each model are.

I read that you’re a Concert player, a long neck Soprano might work for you too and they’re much easier to transport than a full body Concert Uke.
 
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I had the chance to take my ukuleles all around for a few years and found that you can bring whatever uke you feel comfortable with (think mainly theft) and, with some basic precautions, it will survive.

Hard cases are fantastic. Let them take the knocks and dings. They suck to drag around, don’t get me wrong, but I’d rather risk the case than the uke.

A case humidifier is also good to have.

Leaving it in the case when you aren’t actively playing it controls exposure.

And I’ll echo that a long-neck soprano might be a good idea. They fit in most soprano hard cases which drastically cuts down on space required when you’re traveling.

That said, I usually brought a tenor and stuffed it under the seat in front of me on the planes and just put my feet on the case. There were zero questions from the flight attendants.
 
Graham Greenbag said:
There have been some really sensible proposals already so there are lots of good and suitable alternatives for you to choose from.

The perceived wisdom is that an all solid instrument will not cope with the changes in climate that you intend to try but might you care to ask Ohana whether your Uke will cope with the intended trip, might you take an informed chance (what are the odds on it breaking, when might it fail and can you live with the risk) and just use what you are happy with and what you have?

Having a laminate seems to be the minimal risks option and folk here almost always have multiple Ukes some of which they are happy to use in more demanding environments. If you like the Ohana brand then why not contact Mim and similar well thought of dealers to see what features of your CK-60 they can match with a laminate model. I’m not one for bling and am looking for sound but Ohana do do some lovely looking instruments and a good dealer should be able to tell you what the benefits and draw backs of each model are.

I read that you’re a Concert player, a long neck Soprano might work for you too and they’re much easier to transport than a full body Concert Uke.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. A few things here are super helpful. First, you are giving a slight challenge to the conventional wisdom that an all wood instrument would be thrown off by the elements. I am sure that this is true to some degree, but in practice, how at risk would a solid top instrument really be? If I am willing to risk a couple of hundred bucks (each trip is going to cost a ton more than that!), than perhaps that is the answer. There also may be a huge difference between a month of travel where I am indeed storing it in a hard case verses longer periods of time when a uke would be exposed daily to heat and humidity. I won't be roughing it by any stretch, and having a hardshell is not going to be a problem.

Great idea about asking Ohana about their opinions regarding the real impact of the elements on their instruments. Also, asking Mim or other deals about matching is wise. I just ordered another Ohana concert--the CK-50G--Solid Cedar and Rosewood, so I get to play with that too.

You and LukeulelesStrings both suggested a long neck soprano--that is a through. I have a 2003, one piece , Koa neck KoAloha long neck soprano. I have only had it for a month, and I like it, but don't think I really love the soprano sound. I will see over time.

Thanks for the response!
 
LukuleleStrings said:
I had the chance to take my ukuleles all around for a few years and found that you can bring whatever uke you feel comfortable with (think mainly theft) and, with some basic precautions, it will survive.

Hard cases are fantastic. Let them take the knocks and dings. They suck to drag around, don’t get me wrong, but I’d rather risk the case than the uke.

A case humidifier is also good to have.

Leaving it in the case when you aren’t actively playing it controls exposure.

And I’ll echo that a long-neck soprano might be a good idea. They fit in most soprano hard cases which drastically cuts down on space required when you’re traveling.

That said, I usually brought a tenor and stuffed it under the seat in front of me on the planes and just put my feet on the case. There were zero questions from the flight attendants.
Click to expand...


Thanks for responding. This is just what I was looking for--time tested experience if your Uke survived. Not sure I want to keep my uke under my feet during 24 hours of flying to Africa or 18 or so to Asia, but I am going to at least travel premium economy, so I should not have a problem keeping my uke in the overhead :).

Did not think about the long necks fitting into a Soprano hardshell--that might be something to think about, even thought I prefer the concert sound.
 
RafterGirl said:
It doesn’t meet your $500 budget, but I’d highly recommend a Blackbird Clara. Sturdy, stable, well made, and sounds fantastic. Keep your eye out for a used on for sale.
Click to expand...

Those look really wild!! Not sure I love it or not, but would love to find a dealer and play one one of these days. It seems like, in some ways, the best option out there, IF I would be comfortable risking having a $1200 instrument stolen, which will be a real risk. Will need to check it out though!!!
 
Jordana said:
I second the flea/fluke from magic fluke company. I’ve had mine for years and it’s been to Australia, Europe, Iceland, and all over the us with me. I’ve carried it on and put it in the overhead countless times. For travel, you can’t go wrong with volume, price, and stability. I have a flea because I prefer that shape. I upgraded to peghead tuners and put living waters strings on it.
Click to expand...

A couple of you mentioned the flea/fluke. Perhaps foolish vanity, but I hate the looks of those. I think I would feel like a court jester playing one :). Maybe I will net to let to and check it out!
 
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