Are $1000 plus ukes worth it?

I have this Pono Pro Classic. I drive a 1997 Dodge that still runs fine, so that's representative of my income level and priorities, LOL. I don't have ego tied up in my car and I love ukes. This Pono was worth it to me because it is totally what I wanted in a tenor regarding qualities that were important to me; a ringing sound and great sustain, a radiused fretboard and a cedar top, volume and a slender neck with a truss rod, geared tuners and fatter rounder frets, and I love the look of slotheads. Also I don't like a lot of inlay or shell, but I do like nice wood. It's one of the few I have bought new. I don't feel the need of anything more expensive, and the only problem with it is that I like it enough to attempt to sell off others in my herd to finally really downsize, but I am fond of those ukes so it's psychologically difficult.

I have a custom long scale concert made by Brad Donaldson that has intricate beautiful woodwork and gorgeous sound which is my other best uke, and a Risa Les Paul tenor that is meticulously crafted, so I can say that I really appreciate the quality of build and sound in these three, and all of them were worth their price to me. I got the Risa used and recommend buying a good brand name used if possible if on a budget, because the resale doesn't go down as much as when buying new.

Also I have an old used Kala Watermelon pineapple soprano uke I got off eBay that is a quick grab wallhanger. I sanded the bottom of the saddle and set it up to where it plays so easy and well it is a delight. It's mahogany laminate so does not have a lot of richness to the tone but it sounds nice and is a super little uke that I got for well under $100. It's also for now a keeper as my travel uke because it is a laminate. The first three are inspirational in that they sound so good to me I want to keep learning and practicing so that I can make better use of them. If all I had was the Kala I'd be grateful to have a uke, and still play it as much as possible, even though I prefer to have more than 12 frets.

I think having a uke you really enjoy that fits how you play and feels good in your hands is more important than what it cost. I still get a kick out of my Dolphin.

Bill1 said:

It is amazing that this materialistic concept that purchase price is a useful measure of how good a uke is or isn't keeps surfacing. Firstly you need to make sure you can afford a purchase price, then you pay it, then it is over and it is time to play the uke and forget how much it cost. Maybe if you need to sell it or find you want to get rid of it you will need to use the purchase price to help set a resale value, but that is really it's only use after you have paid.

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One way that the dollar figure is not just a "materialistic concept" is in the case of UAS. I know the final push to get a more expensive uke is the thought that it has resale value. So a $1000 uke that could be resold for $700 is actually a $300 uke, so the initial purchase seems less daunting. Of course, after you get it, you may decide you would rather have the uke than the money indefinitely, so win win.

The first relatively expensive uke I bought hinged on this type of logic. I then got one I liked even more and was planning on selling the first uke. But I used different strings and a different tuning and it is now worth it to keep it.

greenie44 said:

... a $1000 uke that could be resold for $700 is actually a $300 uke ...

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Hope I'm not straying too far off topic here, but I can't resist. I bought my first ukulele for $118 and sold it after a year for $80. My husband said, "So, for $40, you rented a ukulele for a year! Not bad!"

It's another way to think about it.

Worth is what anyone is prepared to pay.

nquarrie said:

Okay. I confess. I too, suffer from UAS. Recently, I watched a video where a UU uker played a series of Mya Moe ukes. They sounded fabulous! (of course the musician was way more talented than I, and could probably make any uke sound good).
So here's my question to you all: are $1000 plus ukes really worth it?

I own both a Martin 2S and an Ohana SK38. I like them both. They are easy to play.I think the Martin resonates better up the neck. But is it worth the extra bucks? Maybe, I just love the Martin for the sake of owning a Martin.

I now want to start saving for a Mya Moe, but wonder if it is worth it. Just think, for the price of a Mya Moe I could perhaps satisfy my UAS with 3 less expensive ukes that UU players have reviewed and raved about. What are your thoughts? I would think that owners of upper end ukes will say it is well worth it. But how about those of you that do not own upper end ukes but have played more expensive ones?

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Depends on what $1000 means to you. I've played on only one uke over a grand and I didn't find it much if any better than a uke I have that cost one fifth of that. It's really hard to be objective about such things. Our mind can make mountains out of molehills when we are emotionally invested. So really logically judging an instrument fairly can be quite difficult for most of us from my experience.

I looks like you're having some second thoughts yourself but I doubt if what we say is going to have an effect on you unless it's what you want to hear on a subconscious level. Robert Anton Wilson said something really profound. What the thinker thinks, the prover proves.

When I first touch a ukulele, I did not have the proper knowledge to find the quality difference. I was ok to find the difference between $50 uke and $300 uke, but all ukes above the $300 were not so different to me. Because I wasn't ready to tell, I wasn't up to that level.

Now I found some ukes are worth because of the handcraft quality, sound quality, playability, wood quality, design details & features, etc... But not all $1k ukes worth the price tag, you have to find.

Worth or not worth, it is subjective. It is also about which level I am ready for, which time to time is changing.

Of course some ukuleles are exceptional that most people could immediately tell those are high quality and worth. Those from very well known builders.

I wouldn't buy anything over 700 without holding it first. When you get to that price range, and especially 1000+, the instruments start having a lot of care and attention paid to that particular ukulele. The necks often feel really good, finishes are very nice on the hands, intonation is fantastic, etc.

So yes worth it, but if you can afford. Also, I could never see myself collecting a multitude of higher end ukuleles. A few yes, but for those that like to collect, maybe the 250-500 range is a better idea, again, unless you can afford.

Most K-brands are near or over 1,000 currently and Collings are closer to 1,500. A Kinnard will cost you less than and the Collings and is a perfect build. Boatpaddle have many innovations and tend to be less than the K-brands. I think all of the above mentioned are well worth the money. I have not played a factory import than can compare to a K-brand or a well done custom.

So how are you all doing on resale values for the following items most likely in your possession:

That TV set you got ten years ago...or five years ago
The computer upon which you're reading my words
Your home stereo...with that nice Nakamichi cassette deck
The chair you're sitting on right now
The new car you just drove off the lot and immediately lost 20% on
The bottle of wine you drank with your lovey-dovey recently
That Encyclopedia Brittanica set you got 20 years ago
The sofa in your living room
How's your refrigerator doing these days?

But if your grandfather left you a Martin 5K...well, that's another story.

So why not leave your kids or grand-kids something that might actually appreciate in value while being used daily and truly enjoyed. Something that might even look nicer on the wall than a poster of a real painting. Something that brings joy to all who hear it.

And meanwhile, just pray that your job doesn't get outsourced to the cheapest place in the world that can do it.

Asking why anything expensive is expensive.. well.. Honda's do the job just fine and intact hold up incredibly well.. so why buy a McLaren? Sometimes its about how you feel when you play it, sit in it, look at it. Its luxury, its craftsmanship, its uniqueness. its any quality that would motivate a person to spend more then functionally required to get the task done.

Is there something technically better about a McLaren then a Honda? Most certainly, but is that technically something a necessity? Highly doubt it. Only a rare few in the world are good enough drives to even use the features most high end sports cars have that are of any use, as I am sure the same could be said for Ukulele's of the 1k-5k price range. Then there is the leather interior imported from Italy, might be compared to the the quality of the finish or the rarity of the material of the fret board.

There are reasons professional musicians play the best they can get, instruments are tools, the best tools for the best performers. Some will play a Spinet piano, others prefer the Steinway. Is one better than the other? You bet. Is a $1000 uke better than a $200 uke, yes again. If you can't hear the difference or feel the difference, then by all means, please don't waste your money.

Some would say that you can't truly play the blues on a thousand dollar instrument.

Pundabaya said:

Some would say that you can't truly play the blues on a thousand dollar instrument.

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"Some" would be wrong. Anybody wanna go tell BB King he can't truly play the blues?

RichM said:

"Some" would be wrong. Anybody wanna go tell BB King he can't truly play the blues?

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or robert johnson who played a beat up piece of crap parlor guitar.
Its the player not the instrument if you are rich and can shell out
2 k for a kamaka good for you, but if your not a good player you will
just have a really nice uke you play poorly on. I play very well sadly
i cant afford anything above 200 bucks. when i play on my 'low end' ukes
it still sounds good, you don't need to spend 1000 or more to sound nice playing(if you can actually play if your bad than it sounds bad even on a 2k ukulele).

*sigh* it was a joke based on the idea that if you're truly playing the blues, you'd have hocked that instrument to buy cheap liquor and beans...

And to be fair BB King's first Lucille was a $30 guitar... thats why he named it Lucille, to remind him to never rush into a burning building to save a $30 guitar. Sure he played expensive instruments when he became famous... he probably didn't have to buy them then.

iamesperambient said:

or robert johnson who played a beat up piece of crap parlor guitar.
Its the player not the instrument if you are rich and can shell out
2 k for a kamaka good for you, but if your not a good player you will
just have a really nice uke you play poorly on. I play very well sadly
i cant afford anything above 200 bucks. when i play on my 'low end' ukes
it still sounds good, you don't need to spend 1000 or more to sound nice playing(if you can actually play if your bad than it sounds bad even on a 2k ukulele).

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Actually, Robert Johnson is pictured with a vintage Gibson L-00, worth about $3500-$5000 in good condition in today's market. They were not cheap guitars in their day. I sold a "piece of crap parlour guitar" like that several years ago on eBay for $3500. Wish I had a garage full of them.

I say get the best you can comfortably afford....whether it is a 70.00 uke or a 7000.00 ...it is still fun

The question is "Are $1000.00+ ukes worth it?" If not, they wouldn't be $1000.00+.

BlackBearUkes said:

Actually, Robert Johnson is pictured with a vintage Gibson L-00, worth about $3500-$5000 in good condition in today's market. They were not cheap guitars in their day. I sold a "piece of crap parlour guitar" like that several years ago on eBay for $3500. Wish I had a garage full of them.

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well either way if he was playing
a cheap or expensive guitar it would
have sounded good. point being
no matter how expensive your
instrument is if you play poorly
it will sound poor. I think a good player
on a 150-300 dollar uke still sounds good
you don't need a 1000 plus uke to
play and have it sound nice. yes kamaka
is amazing but more for it's historic value
rather than anything else at least to me
but to put players down who can't afford
high end ukes is just snobbery to me.

mm stan said:

I say get the best you can comfortably afford....whether it is a 70.00 uke or a 7000.00 ...it is still fun

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best answer my two most expensive
ukes are the most I can afford and
when I play them it sounds nice
and that's all I can ask for