cheapo ukes...

drbekken

drbekken

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Ok. I am a player who actually seeks out the low-end instruments. I have a tendency to like those super trashy ukes...no-name brands such as 'Reno', 'Falcon', 'Vintage' and 'Richwood' (that last one is pretty good, once you manage to do your own set-up and find real strings). Am I normal, or do i have to learn to like the more upscale, expensive ones....? Would like to hear opinions on this....
peace,
docB, www.youtube.com/drbekken
 
Aloha DrB,
I'm with you..ha ha I'm a secret closet cheap uke fan too..for it's non complex traditional sound...mine is a rogue soprano...24.95 Musicians friend..Happy Strummings, MM stan
 
I do too. I have taken some really crap cheap ukes and re-worked them into some pretty amazing playing little ukes. Those are the ones I take, rebuild and give away to kids in my area. Some have been being played for years now, and still going..
 
Been thinking of getting a "cheapo" or two to learn setup skills. Who knows how good they'll turn out. Alway intrigued about the possibility of "making a silk purse out of a sows ear." Sounds like some of you have done that. Those Mahalos are tempting.
 
Nearly everybody in my town who plays uke has a mahalo soprano,geat wee things,sound bright and chirpy and all for $40 NZ.
 
I get a catalog from a Chinese instrument distributor/manufacturer. They have a six pack of "genuine" soprano ukes for $69.99. That's less than 70 bucks for 6 ukes and it even comes in a card board 6-pack carrier. Cheaper than the ABC Store.
 
I love all ukes!!!! Cheap or expensive. We have a handful of painted mahalos on hangers in the kids playroom that we and our friends play often. Some we've decorated ourselves, painted on,. put stickers on, written messages... For $25 they're hard to beat! My first uke was a sky blue mahalo and I still play it heaps.
 
Mahalo banjo/camp uke

http://www.amazon.com/Mahalo-UB-30RC-shaped-Ukulele-finish/dp/B0032FOI12/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Kinda curious about this cheapo...

41OLPax4qxL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
 
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Check out "GUGUG" on YouTube. Gus and Finn play vintage plastic "toy" ukes mostly, and seem to have an awful lot of fun.

I prefer a uke with really stand up tone, but I've thought about snagging one of these "toys" and setting it up just to annoy some guitar playing friends... :)

John
 
Aloha Huna,
Mahalo has nice cheapo ukes that sound good...with a little tweeking the setup, strings, and tuning..they are fun...I'm sure if worked on this one.. it would be fun.....Stan
 
I bought a bunch of mahalo ukes last summer to give to a bunch of kids that visit each summer. We were going to be having a Northwoods Luau, so each kid got one in their favorite color. I must admit, I had a blast playing them to get the strings stretched before the kids arrived. The also made excellent photo props with their vivid finishes. I am thinking of picking up a few more to have around for visitors this summer. Yeah, and maybe one for myself.
 
mm stan said:
Aloha DrB,
I'm with you..ha ha I'm a secret closet cheap uke fan too..for it's non complex traditional sound...mine is a rogue soprano...24.95 Musicians friend..Happy Strummings, MM stan
Click to expand...

Another vote for the little Rogue's! I take mine flying all over with me. I've got several other cheapies that I really like, a Sunlite Bari, an old Hilo Bari, and of coarse my 50's Harmony soprano. My first uke, a Makala tenor, is still one of my favorites to play.
 
I was at the music store today, and they stock quite a wide range of ukes compared to normal stores.

What does it mean if one of the cheapest ukes there (Makala Pineapple Soprano - $40 AUD) sounds the best and brightest out of the bunch?
And mind you, there were quite a lot of expensive ukes there.. Fender, Anueue (did I spell it wrong).. even the Fleas, which are almost $400 in Australia. All these fancy, expensive ukes, ranging from $200-600..

It was kinda shocking that the $40 Makala Pineapple outperformed them ALL. I bought the Makala Pineapple. It was simply too good to let go. It sounded better than ukes that were more than TEN (10!) times its price!!
And this was with GHS strings, not even Aquilas.

It didn't come with a bag, and when I asked for one, the shop assistant was like "But realistically speaking, it's just a $40 instrument".
I said right back at him "Yeah, but it sounds better than all these expensive ones".

The laminate top is very thin. It's well constructed. Truckload of value for money.
 
The Ukulele Club at the elementary school I teach at only use the inexpensive entry-level ukuleles such as the painted Mahalos (the pink ones are the most popular), Rogues (sopranos & bari's), Lanikai, Makalas and Leolani. With some quality strings (Aquilas & Worths) and some set-up time, they can stand up to some daily use by the little ones and keep going strong!
 
mm stan said:
non complex traditional sound.
Click to expand...

mm stan, that's a great description. I can certain appreciate complex sounds. but sometimes, the cheap uke can be just the right tool for the job. I just got a Kala-KA-15s soprano...for certain songs, it is just the sound I was looking for. i actually liked it more than a K-brand uke I tried at the store which was more than 10x the price. Not saying the Kala is "better".

When I was in art school, we would use toy cameras (has been popular for their artsiness for many years) and experiment drawing with all sorts of unexpected materials like feather, twigs, eye droppers...When I pick up the kala-ka-15s, it brings back this light-heartedness.

-p.s. i wish they had the dolphin at the store. I would've gotten that instead.
 
Another advantage of the underrated cheapo is that you can take it anywhere, or leave it laying unprotected and uncased around the house, not have to worry too much about it, doesn't matter too much if you scratch it, etc...

They keep all the fun of what picking up a uke shoud be about!
 
I always look for cheaper brands in instruments; like I want a Squier bass, not a Fender, because I find it more interesting to mod a cheaper instrument to make it exactly your own. If that makes any sense. Hehe.
But yeah, I have this Savannah soprano ukulele and it plays like a dream.
 
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