Sound of a $1000 uke

kidlowell

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I have a question about the sound of decent mass produced solid wood ukes vs ukes built in small shops. There have been other threads on this topic and they are helpful, but the answers often come down to “some people think it worth spending more for quality”. I agree quality workmanship is worth paying for, but if it doesn’t sound better and play better then that’s a different decision.

I appreciate the workmanship, but what do they do in small shops that make ukuleles sound better? I have an Ohana mahogany TK-35 which I love, but I’m thinking about getting a more expensive all-mahogany. My Ohana has some minute flaws in the finish, some glue showing on the inside, but why would $1000 ukulele sound better, assuming same strings?

I could try expensive ukes at my local music store, and I will, but I don’t want to rely on my ear in a store. I’d like to have some objective reasons for better sound as well.

I’m not looking for a justification for my less expensive uke, I’m actually looking for a justification to buy a more expensive one. I love the beautiful hand-made ukes, but if they don’t sound better than my Ohana I can’t justify the purchase.
 
It is not just the workmanship making the instrument looking better (in fact, many $1k ukuleles don't look any better than a $300 Kala). The more precise workmanship of $1k ukes allows for a tight control on the tone so you can say "this is a Kamaka sound" and "this a KoAloha uke" with more confidence than "this is a Kala" or "this is a Ohana". Precision in workmanship means: correct locations on frets, nut, saddle, fret level, uniform wood, bracing, and finish coat, aligned tuners, in pretty much all aspects of the uke; these would contribute to the sound (and more consistent than a uke built with more tolerance); not just for looks.

I'm pretty new to the ukulele and consider myself a slow learner when it comes to playing musical instruments; but I can judge what is good and what is not fairly easily. (I think this isn't a special skill I have; it's like I can tell a good movie from a bad one, but I can't make any decent movies.) It took me a while to decide to take a leap of faith and jump from my Kalas (which I love) to a Kamaka; I didn't think the Kamaka would be noticeably better than the Kala in sound, but it was noticeably better.

Recently, I did an experiment here on UU. If you go to this thread and play the 2 samples; let your ears determine which you like more.

https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?146803-Which-Track-do-you-like-more

All the UU members who voted liked the more expensive uke. In fact, I played the cheaper uke better (because I gave it 3 takes; leaving only time for 1 take on the more expensive uke). Later, I replayed the piece on both ukes again in the video. Try to listen beyond my poor play and beyond the basic tone wood. You'll find one uke has more color/dimension. (If you like this uke, you'll love a Kamaka; it blows this one away.)
 
I will see if I can fill in some of the blanks for you. First of all, you need to understand that wood is not an engineered material. Instrument factories crank out large amounts of parts produced by CNC machines to very tight tolerances. Those tolerances were picked to produce the largest number of nice sounding instruments. But in every batch, most will be fine instruments, some will be exceptional and some will be junk. It depends on the quality control of the factory and vendors whether the bad ones reach the market.
On the other hand a typical koa top for me may be anywhere from 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm thick, depending on what my experience dictates what it should be. The individual building method of luthiers vary greatly, but the truth is most of develop a distinctive sound over time. A custom ukulele offers many choices not available in stock instruments. I can tailor the nut and fretboard width, the fret size, the fretboard radius, the scale length and the action height to the customers specifications. Whether any these things matter is largely dependent on the sophistication of the customer.
Whether an individual feels that any given instrument is worth much more than others, is a totally subjective issue.
Brad
 
Whenever I hear sound comparisons between mid-range / lower mid-range and expensive ukes they are often close in sound with the high-end expensive uke sounding a bit rounder and more rich. There's often enough difference to tell them apart but it usually isn't a dramatic difference. You have to ask yourself if the marginal improvement in sound is worth the additional $500 - $700.
 
I think most, if not, all small scale production luthiers, or at least the one I know of, does the following to ensure a great sounding ukulele worthy of the price tag.

1. Wood for Soundboard, back and sides are properly dried naturally for years. This helps with the stability of the wood.
2. Soundboard, back and sides are hand picked for straightness of the wood grains to produce a bigger sound. Of course, in these days, the curvier the grain, the higher price the uke can fetch.
3. The bracing for each soundboard is carefully shaped/ chiseled to produce the voice and volume by the luthier. I saw that he would tap repeatedly on the soundboard close to his ear while chiseling on the bracing.

And there are other things going on for the workmanship which is not just about finishing I.e. messy glue droplets here and there or rough fret edges etc. It is more on making a tight neck to body joint to prevent future warping, the break angle of the head, Radiused fretboard (which not everyone can agree is a plus point).

So.. I have doubts that a mass production factory would be able to spend this much effort and time for a cheaper ukulele. However with all that said, I have played one or two mass production ukuleles out of many, which sounded just as good as my kamaka. I would said that the stars have aligned for that ukulele and it’s like one in a hundred or even thousand.

Hope the above is enough reasons for you to get a $1000 uke.. haha

Disclaimer: I’m no ukulele making expert and don’t claim to be. Do correct me if falsely represented anything.
 
Whenever I hear sound comparisons between mid-range / lower mid-range and expensive ukes they are often close in sound with the high-end expensive uke sounding a bit rounder and more rich. There's often enough difference to tell them apart but it usually isn't a dramatic difference. You have to ask yourself if the marginal improvement in sound is worth the additional $500 - $700.

When I bought my Kala tenor solid cedar top, acacia body, cutaway for $379, I also played a few of the K brand ukes that were over $1000. I absolutely did not hear a big difference in sound quality and that convinced me that for almost 3 times the price, they were not worth it. I played guitar for almost fifty years before I took up the uke, and went through 16 ukes before I bought the Kala. Even after having custom ukes made, I still find the Kala to be one of my favorite ukes and go to it often for gigs, even on Zoom.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
When I bought my Kala tenor solid cedar top, acacia body, cutaway for $379, I also played a few of the K brand ukes that were over $1000. I absolutely did not hear a big difference in sound quality and that convinced me that for almost 3 times the price, they were not worth it. I played guitar for almost fifty years before I took up the uke, and went through 16 ukes before I bought the Kala. Even after having custom ukes made, I still find the Kala to be one of my favorite ukes and go to it often for gigs, even on Zoom.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers

Your statement about going through 16 ukes before settling on the $379.00 Kala proves how much variability there is between mass produced instruments. You could play 4 identical specimens of your Kala and maybe only love one of them.

To the OP buying a $1000 or $2000 or $3000 uke will not guarantee you will like the sound better then your Ohana. Tone preference is a very personal thing. Luthier made instruments are usually crafted with attention to every detail, always striving to achieve a certain tone. You have to decide if you like that tone.

I will say that every Koaloha I have played ($1000 instrument) sounded better to “me” then any Kala, Ohana, Gretsch etc. But I like a full bodied, resonant loud tone, more guitar like. That is what Koaloha gives. You gotta figure out what tone you like then play everything you can
 
[Deleted post because it left off the 2nd half of what I wrote...I replied again later on in the thread]
 
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There are probably as many opinions on this as there are people on the forum. And those opinions are all correct - for that person.

Do you strum while you sing? Or play finger style? Do you just play for your own enjoyment, or do you record, perform, or take part in groups? Do you play up the neck a lot, or rarely/never go there? Do intonation problems really annoy you, or are you a bit less picky about that? Can you afford the higher end ukulele easily, or would it take a lot of saving up for it? Do you like bling, or don’t like or care about some of the intricate inlay work that add to the cost of some of the super high end ukuleles? Do you spend a lot of time playing ukulele, or is it something that you do from time to time?

I think those are some of the things that shape our opinions.

I personally play as much as I can, play fingerstyle, enjoy a beautiful sound, don’t care about bling, (and dislike some of it), am bothered by intonation problems, play a lot up the neck, have hands that are very picky about the neck or I can have pain...and until COVID hit, was working 2 jobs, so had some spare money to spend on a hobby. So, for me, the enjoyment of a higher end ukulele was worth it.

But, depending on your own situation, it may or may not be worth it.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your ukulele. ��
 
I think kohanmike has a good point and, if I may, I'd like to expand on it a little. Even the big name ukuleles have some variability in how they sound. A high price and or the "ideal" build volume is not a 100% guarantee that you will like the sound of any particular ukulele.

That said it is very important to audition the ukulele before buying. More so if it's an expensive one. (You can burn through more than 4 or 5 Kalas for the price of one "K" brand.)

I got my Kamaka while visiting family in Hawaii. Had to drive all over Oahu trying every Kamaka I could find before I found "the right one".
 
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Thanks for all the great input. My takeaway is that: 1. Quality can affect sound, and you gave me some concrete reasons for this. 2. I may or may not like that sound, so play before you buy. 3. Four times the money does not mean four times better sound.

Number 1 above gave me enough information to at least get excited about moving up.

I have no problem with number 3 because just the beauty of the craftsmanship can be priceless (as long as it sounds better too)

The play before you buy advice makes me wonder how anyone can buy an expensive ukulele if they don’t have access to it. I’m limited to Martin and Kanile’a because I have loyalty to my local music store and those are the only two high end brands they carry. Well, Kala Elite is a possibility too because I live in N California and can drive to their factory (so much for loyalty to my local music store).
 
There have been several great points made in this thread. I am going to try to summarize a few of them and add my own two cents. (My wife and I own many ukuleles, from very inexpensive mass produced to high end "K" names, to custom luthier built. )

The first thing to realize is that we are talking about a "diminishing returns" scenario. A $200 instrument is likely a much larger jump over a $50 instrument than a $800 instrument is over a $200.

The second thing to note is that you can get some real amazing gems if you find just the right one from a mass production line. There may be a particular model that punches well above its weight or there might be one specific instrument out of a whole shipment of the exact same model that just sounds better than the rest.

So, just what do you get by spending all that extra money for the "good stuff"?

1. Consistency. There is a great deal of variance with the mass produced instruments. If you buy from a reputable name, and a reputable dealer, you are unlikely to find a truly terrible one, but you will mostly find ones that are just OK. With the higher end lines, and the smaller shops, the average quality is usually higher. Sometimes much, much higher. This doesn't mean that there won't be any difference within individual instruments at the higher end, just that the spread tends to be narrower.

2. A "voice." A lot of the mass produced stuff just sounds... kinda the same? I don't mean they sound bad, just not really unique. With the higher end folks, they have a unique sound. It is sometime subtle, but they sound different. I am pretty good at picking out a Kamaka vs. a KoAloha vs. a Kanilea, even if they are all made of koa. I am not nearly as good at telling the difference between a Kala and an Ohana (when they are the same wood.) I suppose it is the difference between thinking, "that sounds like a ukulele" and "that sounds like a KoAloha."

3. Where your money goes. This doesn't matter to everyone, but it does matter to some. Do you want your money going to a smaller shop, of true artisans, or do you want your money going to a company that farms out production to a big factory someplace (a factory that probably makes the exact same thing with a different headplate for several other companies)?

One of my most expensive instruments was hand crafted by Aaron Keim. I gave him input on what I wanted, and he built it, just for me. It looks, sounds, and plays exactly how I wanted it to. It is the single most beautiful physical object I have ever held in my own hands. He, the very guy who made the instrument, made a video of himself playing it. The entire experience was incredible, and the instrument means a lot to me. I have several much cheaper instruments that I regret buying (because they don't get played much and don't mean much to me) but I do not regret a single cent I spent on my Beansprout.

My alto Beansprout kind of encapsulates all three of the points above. It is incredibly well made. It feels great in the hands and sounds great to my ears. It is only an alto, but the magic of Aaron's craftsmanship gives it a volume and sustain of a much larger instrument. And it sounds very different than any of my other instruments. And I know exactly where my money went when I paid for it; it went to support Aaron and his family and not to some faceless company.


Please don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound like I am knocking the more modest brands. There are some great instruments down in the $200-$400 range and there are a *lot* of people who are overjoyed to be playing their first $100+ instrument. That's great. I love that. The best instrument is the one that you play. But given all the instruments that we own, the ones that I come back to when I want to really play are all over $600, and most are above $1000. (The only exception to this is my "beater" that I take camping. It is a concert scale Makala shark...)

EDIT: Fixed a typo. I'm sure more remain...
 
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Sometimes it takes buying experience just to learn what your soul yearns for in a Uke. Once in a while one may get lucky and find an instrument that speaks to them without spending a lot. Often times folks trudge through and find they prefer differing ukulele shades depending on their mood. It all depends on your means.
 
I used to own a mahogany Ohana TK-35. A lovely uke, in looks, sound, and playability. Only sold it because the tenor scale didn’t work for my arthritic hands. My KoAloha koa concert qualifies as a $1000 ukulele. It is vastly different than the Ohana. I could feel and hear the quality of the instrument the moment I picked it up and played it. But I might not feel the same way about another $1000 uke. Only you can decide whether that much of an upgrade is worth it. If you look around and try other ukuleles, might you find something that speaks to you in ways your Ohana doesn’t? Absolutely. Will it cost you $1000? Maybe. But it could just as easily be $500 or $5000. There’s only one way to find out. :) Best of luck with your search!

Jan (who used to live in Walnut Creek in the early ‘90’s)
 
I would always trust my own judgement(ears) than someone a million miles:) away that can listen to the same uke...i think the shop should take you to a quiet room if they want to show their high end instruments..a good setup helps

btw get ahold of Tony Graziano Ukulele in Santa Cruz he sounds like a good builder for you one man shop and has tons of knowledge
 
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I am probably out of step with others, but here's my take on expensive ukes, of which I am an enthusiast. It isn't about sound quality. Let's be honest; ukes are ukes. A decent $300 uke probably sounds--objectively--as good as my $2000 ukes. So what do I get out of it? I get the satisfaction of knowing that I am supporting small businesses. I get a ukulele that is unique and hand-crafted for me. I have never ever stepped inside a Walmart. I support small businesses. My ukulele choice is just a part of that philosophy. So for me it is more a matter of weltanschauung rather than sound quality. Don't get me wrong. My custom ukes have unimpeachable quality, but that isn't what propels me and my decisions.

That's my personal take on expensive ukes. I hope no one perceives my post as an attack or a rebuttal; I'm just describing me.
 
So many great posts here regarding the difference in consistency, quality, and acquiring the "voice" of higher end ukes. I started with a factory made Kala, moved to a Pono, then to my Koaloha before really starting to acquire ukes that suit my taste...but I still like playing my mother's mahogany laminate Fender...

One other aspect about going with a small builder is the experience of watching an instrument be made specifically for you. Aside from picking the tone wood, body, and all the other bells and whistles, it is really an experience to have a ukulele that is YOUR ukulele (as opposed to discovering one online or at a store). If you can find a good small builder, you will land a great instrument that plays above its price, and you get a say in every facet of its creation.

Excuse me while I go play my Jupiter uke, now...
 
I understand, but you're being rational. Looking over my list of ukes, not one of them was bought for the sound. I bought virtually all of them because of the appearance or the brand. If the only uke being made was a mahogany soprano, I might have three ukes. With so many sizes, shapes, and special features, I have trouble resisting them. I don't record or perform professionally, so unless a uke sounds awful, they're all acceptable to me.
 
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