Is it worth the extra cost?

I've read wonderful things about the scepter and been listening to it online - but that's beyond my reach. Frankly, the rarified air in which I'm looking at now is a little nutty for a beginner. But I feel it's the right choice, given what motivates me by sound. (Like the original poster - sorry - don't want to hijack!)
 
Thinker said:
Frankly, the rarified air in which I'm looking at now is a little nutty for a beginner...
Click to expand...

Not at all...that is wisdom, pure and simple.

<soapbox mode="favorite rant">
An instrument must justify your playing of it, not the other way around! A better instrument will result in your becoming a better player, faster. Practice will be easier and more pleasing so you will be encouraged to practice more. You will spend less time hung up on "difficult" fingerings. Best of all, you will know that it is not the instrument holding you back and that will encourage you to work through problem spots instead of buying another uke!
</soapbox>

None of the above is meant to disparage lesser instruments. If truly all you can afford is a very cheap instrument then try to find someone to help you set it up to play as easily as possible and then wear the frets plumb off it! :)

But...if you can afford better then buy better. Think about it this way - you are probably going to spend hundreds, even thoushands, of hours playing the ukulele - shouldn't you have one that makes the best use of your precious time?

Also, lets say that over a period of five years you are going to spend 1000 hours playing ukulele (for some of us it's more, for others, less, but this makes the math easy). When looked at that way a $100 uke costs ten cents per hour. An $800 uke sounds expensive but it's still cheap at eighty cents an hour - name almost any other leisure activity that is that cheap! (In comparison, watching cable TV is a much higher hourly rate unless you watch tons of TV and have very inexpensive cable service.

John
 
OldePhart said:
Not at all...that is wisdom, pure and simple.

Also, lets say that over a period of five years you are going to spend 1000 hours playing ukulele (for some of us it's more, for others, less, but this makes the math easy). When looked at that way a $100 uke costs ten cents per hour. An $800 uke sounds expensive but it's still cheap at eighty cents an hour - name almost any other leisure activity that is that cheap! (In comparison, watching cable TV is a much higher hourly rate unless you watch tons of TV and have very inexpensive cable service.

John
Click to expand...

So true. I don't even have a TV because just the cost of cable puts me at $600+ annually. Over 5 years that's $3000. Instead I subscribe to Netflix and Amazon prime. Minus the cash I usually spend on upgrading my shipping, it comes to me spending around $100 a year. So I end up around $2500 in the positive after 5 years. That buys a pretty damn nice uke or two or three.

You can get a really nice Pono for $600 or one of the standard K brand ukes for around $1K. For the price of cable, you can buy a nice uke and take nice little vacation. What will you appreciate more? Vegging out in front of the tube or a trip for two to Hawaii for a few days to pick up your new uke? And you can still veg out every night. There's an endless amount of TV shows available for download.
 
So what if a nice "K" uke seems--and I stress the word seems--above your pay grade? If you can afford it, get one. Like Mr. Moonlight mentioned, it's possible to find a way to scrounge up the bucks. Like, shouldn't you be practicing uke instead of watching TV, anyway? Scrap the cable and put the monthly bill into a jar. At the end of the year, go buy yourself the best uke your cash can buy. Try a custom 100% koa build from KoAloha. Paul Okami would love to love putting the LUV into that project!

I have three K ukes and they all sound terrific and one of them in particular does make people sound better than they really are. I'm so honest about that. My GF can't play, but that soprano KoAloha does sound real good when she's doing nothing more than dinking with it. The right one might even motivate you to work harder, you know? That's what my soprano did for me! No glass ceiling when it comes to motivation.
 
OldePhart said:
Not at all...that is wisdom, pure and simple.
Also, lets say that over a period of five years you are going to spend 1000 hours playing ukulele (for some of us it's more, for others, less, but this makes the math easy). When looked at that way a $100 uke costs ten cents per hour. An $800 uke sounds expensive but it's still cheap at eighty cents an hour - name almost any other leisure activity that is that cheap! (In comparison, watching cable TV is a much higher hourly rate unless you watch tons of TV and have very inexpensive cable service.

John
Click to expand...

absolute genius
 
etf said:
OK, cards on the table here people. As you may know from a previous post I am looking to get a high end Tenor. Thing is I am never going to be a star player on the stage. At 53 and a begginer thats not going to hapen lol. So, question is this. If only playing for friends and to make me a happy man. Is there any point in spending a huge amount on a K brand or custom. To my untrained ear, will I spend big and then think to myself, I cant tell a huge difference in sound quallity? I have a Kala KA-ASACS Acacia Concert at a cost of £240 as my first ukulele. So not a cheap end model. I am now tending to lean towards getting the same model in a tenor at a cost of £270. So honest answer here, if your only playing for your own pleasure is there a huge difference in sound to justify spending big money?

Thanks for looking,
ETF :cool:
Click to expand...

But, will a $2000 uke make you five times the player and give you five times the pleasure of a $400 uke?
 
I have been debating this very issue for a couple months. The argument that you will play an instrument that you love more than one that doesnt sound quite as good was a winning argument with me. I bought a Ko'Aloha on wednesday. I love phart's $.10/hour v $.80/hour theory. Its brilliant and so very right!!!!
 
So, etf, some time has passed since you started this thread...what did you choose? Concert or tenor? Same brand or a higher price? Inquiring minds want to know how it's working out.
 
mr roper said:
But, will a $2000 uke make you five times the player and give you five times the pleasure of a $400 uke?
Click to expand...

More importantly, will a $2000 uke give you five times the enjoyment of a $400 uke?

I love my Sceptre. ($1200, MSRP). I love my Vita Uke (around $279, MSRP, I think.) My Kala had an MSRP around $500, and about $250 MSRP for the Cordoba.

All are great players, and I enjoy playing them. However, the resonance, tone, and the feel I get playing the KoAloha Sceptre, not to mention the joy it brings, makes it my favorite instrument. Hands down.

The Vita Uke is tied for #2 with the Fluke tenor, and those two are about as different from each other as night and day. But they are still loads of fun. I still like the Kala and Cordoba, and still play them - but the other 3 I listed, along with my FireFly, are the most played instruments I currently have.

Worth the expense? Oh, yeah. For me, it certainly was.

Could that change in the future? Perhaps - watch this space.


-Kurt​
 
I wouldn't argue against the theory that a better instrument will help you to become a better player. I just think that too many people rationalize that they need a better instrument to get better.

I think it's cool to try out different brands and models, rarely does a beginner even know what they like until they have tried different things. If you know what you like in a ukulele, spend as much as much as you can afford to get exactly what you want. But don't just go out and buy a high end ukulele because everyone says that it is great.

I think that if you have to rationalize or convince yourself and or family that you "need" a particular instrument, then it's probably not a good idea. If you "want" one and can afford it, buy it.

Just my opinion.
 
coolkayaker1 said:
I have more than one high end tenor.

And, I suck pond water.
Click to expand...

I startled my kids I laughed so hard when I read this!! (not at you, but I say that same thing about my playing and even more on my singing) With that said, I don't own any high end instruments it's not in the budget however even as a scourge of pond water, and I don't even like to play for my family and friends and I will buy the best I can afford when I can...
Best of luck with your decision!
 
gyosh said:
but it's not as simple as a math problem.
Click to expand...
But to some degree, it is! Unless you have bottomless pockets, of course! Someone said on a thread here the other day, that this forum is constantly grooming its readers to buy more ukuleles, and more expensive ukuleles - and I think there's truth in that.
 
I am waiting on a Custom Tenor right now and just the thought of it has got me playing more and more. I am not one to really have a lot of Ukes in fact I sold my starter as soon as I got my Mainland. Once my custom gets here I will be done. The Mainland for travel and beat around and the custom for daily playing. But I figured I may as well drop the $$$ on the best I could do and be done with it.
 
I've been meaning to post on this thread.

I think the extra cost *can* be worth it. For 99% of us we will never be more than hobby strummers. That doesn't mean we want to aspire to mediocrity but just that life hasn't dealt us pro-ukulele status. The way we get past the mediocrity is a lot of practice. Where the value of higher end instruments comes in (at least for me) is that they inspire us to pick them up and play them. A higher end instrument (most of the time) sounds better and is more forgiving of our errors. That same wiggle room that forgives us also allows us to be more creative if we have the skill. An example is a guitar my father gave me.

Dad gave me his old Ovation guitar he's been playing for years. He's always made it sing. He recently upgraded to something else that is much nicer. My girlfriend and I have been trying to learn guitar a little on the old Ovation. I'm not that good on it. When I go see my Dad and I pick up his new guitar I can play it better than the Ovation. I sound better. When I go to the Guitar Center I pick up some of their higher end guitars and suddenly I sound really good compared to my real skill level. My girl is the same. I could play some of those nice Gibsons and Martins and Taylors all day long. They are all way out of my price range. As for ukuleles I've found the same to be true.

Now that I have a Martin (ok it's an S1 but still I love it) I practice far more often than I ever did. In fact I play almost daily and have a hard time putting it down. I've even been scolded by the GF because she doesn't want it in the bed with us lol. But to be honest my playing ability has improved greatly in the past 6-9 months compared to the 10 years I've been playing an ukulele. Maybe it's just the headstock logo that inspires me? I dunno but the nicer instrument (more complex sound, better finish, nicer shaped neck, etc.) tells me to pick it up everytime I pass by. On the other hand...

I also have some laminate beater ukuleles all over the house, including the bathrooms (don't judge me). In their own way they inspire me to play, too. They're just sitting there and the inspiration I got from the nicer ukuleles carries over and makes me want to work out some rift or chord progression on the beaters, too. So my take on it: buy the best ukulele you can afford in the size you play the most as a muse, then also buy some cheaper ones that sound ok (I really like my Bad Aax... sounds much better than the $50 price tag, I like it better than all the the dolphins I've played) you can hang around in different rooms.

Btw, barefootgypsy I think you are right this place does inspire us to purchase more expensive ukuleles. I'm not sure if it is grooming us, but it sure does make you want one of those nice K-brands. The trouble is we get to hang out with people that seem to have unlimited ukulele funds and they share their awesome toys with us and makes us want them, too. I need to figure out what some of these folks do for a living because I want some of these awesome ukes!
 
I've played guitar for 52 years. A person usually ends up with some pretty nice instruments by then and many stories of the ones we let go. I knew when I was buying my first uke it would be in the mid to upper range. Mainly for the action and fretboard and I knew I would play it.. I feel as a person starts doing barre chords and up the neck stuff, they realize the need for a higher end uke for the better neck action.

A luthier can only do so much as far as set up. As long as first position chords sound good, any uke is great.

For me, If I was just starting out with little or no string experience, I would go with an entry level or one I could afford and get it setup properly. You'll know when it's time to upgrade. For me it was when I learned barre chords.

I think we are more apt to change around an entry level one ourselves and learn how to do it rather than always sending it off to a luthier.

We probably talk more expensive ukes because we are old(er) and feel we deserve it; which we do lol.
 
Last edited:
ChrisRCovington said:
I've been meaning to post on this thread.

I think the extra cost *can* be worth it. For 99% of us we will never be more than hobby strummers. That doesn't mean we want to aspire to mediocrity but just that life hasn't dealt us pro-ukulele status. The way we get past the mediocrity is a lot of practice. Where the value of higher end instruments comes in (at least for me) is that they inspire us to pick them up and play them. A higher end instrument (most of the time) sounds better and is more forgiving of our errors. That same wiggle room that forgives us also allows us to be more creative if we have the skill. An example is a guitar my father gave me.

Dad gave me his old Ovation guitar he's been playing for years. He's always made it sing. He recently upgraded to something else that is much nicer. My girlfriend and I have been trying to learn guitar a little on the old Ovation. I'm not that good on it. When I go see my Dad and I pick up his new guitar I can play it better than the Ovation. I sound better. When I go to the Guitar Center I pick up some of their higher end guitars and suddenly I sound really good compared to my real skill level. My girl is the same. I could play some of those nice Gibsons and Martins and Taylors all day long. They are all way out of my price range. As for ukuleles I've found the same to be true.

Now that I have a Martin (ok it's an S1 but still I love it) I practice far more often than I ever did. In fact I play almost daily and have a hard time putting it down. I've even been scolded by the GF because she doesn't want it in the bed with us lol. But to be honest my playing ability has improved greatly in the past 6-9 months compared to the 10 years I've been playing an ukulele. Maybe it's just the headstock logo that inspires me? I dunno but the nicer instrument (more complex sound, better finish, nicer shaped neck, etc.) tells me to pick it up everytime I pass by. On the other hand...

I also have some laminate beater ukuleles all over the house, including the bathrooms (don't judge me). In their own way they inspire me to play, too. They're just sitting there and the inspiration I got from the nicer ukuleles carries over and makes me want to work out some rift or chord progression on the beaters, too. So my take on it: buy the best ukulele you can afford in the size you play the most as a muse, then also buy some cheaper ones that sound ok (I really like my Bad Aax... sounds much better than the $50 price tag, I like it better than all the the dolphins I've played) you can hang around in different rooms.

Btw, barefootgypsy I think you are right this place does inspire us to purchase more expensive ukuleles. I'm not sure if it is grooming us, but it sure does make you want one of those nice K-brands. The trouble is we get to hang out with people that seem to have unlimited ukulele funds and they share their awesome toys with us and makes us want them, too. I need to figure out what some of these folks do for a living because I want some of these awesome ukes!
Click to expand...
That's a great, detailed post, Chris - very interesting. And I'm sure you're right in everything you say! The most important thing with the ukulele is the sound. I think I'm lucky with my little £50 Greg Bennett - It sounds really good. It's mahogany; I guess it's laminate but it's very THIN. Makes for good sound. I put Aquilas on it a few weeks ago and now I take it into shops to compare with new, prettier ukes. I'm finding that it's hard to find a uke that really sounds better. I found one yesterday, (tenor) but it cost £350. Solid cherry wood. I didn't find the sound on any other tenors impressive for the money - all laminates, and my little concert uke sounded as good or better. So whatever you do, I'd say try everything you can, and enjoy that journey.....
 
barefootgypsy said:
But to some degree, it is! Unless you have bottomless pockets, of course! Someone said on a thread here the other day, that this forum is constantly grooming its readers to buy more ukuleles, and more expensive ukuleles - and I think there's truth in that.
Click to expand...

I agree, but don't you think it gives the economy just a little boost?
 
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