Why do we accept such cheap junk ukes on the market

bazmaz · Mar 17, 2014

One for beginners to read. Who is buying the flood of ultra cheap ukes on the market?

I decided to look closer at those awful examples and found one so badly built it would never play accurately. Ebay is awash with this sort of thing. It's a real shame.

Take a look at the pictures and video on this post

http://www.gotaukulele.com/2014/03/why-do-we-accept-cheap-junk-ukuleles.html

Ukejenny · Mar 17, 2014

I've been dealing with this for years in the wind band field. I've had kids walk in with some "instrument" that has pot metal keys and you can't even adjust it without breaking the keys off. Reputable technicians won't touch these horns. And the instruments don't even play. It's been going on for years. There are a ton of junk ukes out there, too. If you buy something like that, you are setting yourself up for failure and frustration. It won't play, so therefore you can't play, and you'll want to give up. This is especially true for a kid who may not understand that the instrument sucks, not them.

Condor · Mar 17, 2014

Baz, I guess we "accept" them as we have no choice over who sells what and for how much - as long as people buy truckloads of junk, it will be produced. Like everything else, its personal choice really. And we don't all make identical choices, thank heavens. I know you say that Mahalos for instance, are dire, but my first little uke, a U50G, is nicely made and finished and sounds good restrung with Aquilas. And it had a decent setup from the box. So they are not all junk even if they are cheap. I think we do run the risk of developing Snooty Ukulele-itis with some of the budget brands and wild comparisons to ukes costing £1000s of ££££. In the same way a Nissan Micra being compared to a Ferrari is simply not sensible and the buyers concerned probably want different qualities in their cars.

I think that dooming all ukes costing less than £100 in the UK as being junk is also a bit harsh - Omega have a few nice ukes under £100 and I would not call them rubbish. I have an Aria concert from them which cost under £100, is solid wood all round and sings like a dream. Definitely sub £100 and definitely not junk.

So while I agree in part with your rant. (The uke you described was the worst of the worst!) I don't think I agree with all of it - people should be free to spend their money as they wish and if quality is not something they recognise or want, or if they couldn't be bothered to spend some time looking for a reasonable uke, then they will continue to buy cheap junk. Happens with everything, not just ukes.

bazmaz · Mar 17, 2014

Thanks both.

Condor - I didn't say that all ukes under £100 are junk, just that I think things start to get sensible above £100. I did say there would be exceptions.

Of course people can spend their money on what they like. Think it is helpful though to alert new buyers to the fact that £10 doesn't buy you a uke!!

OldePhart · Mar 17, 2014

@bazbaz I agree with your sentiment wholeheartedly but as long as we aim to live in a free society then we can't stop people from spending their money on crap if they want to...and as long as people are willing to spend good money on bad rubbish there will be those who are happy to fill the "need."

The real issue for me is I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of these things are bought by parents for their children when their children begin expressing interest in music and there is a very real chance that the unplayable junk will put the kids off music forever, convincing them that they have no talent or ability. For many years I've had people ask me what kind of guitar they should buy for a child and I always ask them: "Do you want your child to learn to play and risk that someday they may choose to be musician or do you want them to get over such nonsense quickly so they can become doctors or lawyers?"

When the parents finally realize that I'm serious I'll explain that if you want your child to learn to play successfully then get them the absolute best instrument you can afford. If you want them to do something sensible then buy them the cheapest piece of crap you can find on eBay...usually described as "perfect for beginners."

The bottom line...as long as people are willing to buy crap...and especially as long as people think so little of their children that the first thing that comes to mind when the child wants something is "how can I appease them without spending too much money" this kind of crap will be on the market.

That doesn't mean you have to buy a 5-year-old a Kamaka to be a good parent - but it does mean that you need to put in the research to figure out what they will need and then provide it if at all possible.

(And I've raised three kids and have umpteen grandkids in the process now...so I'm not just talkin' out my backside about the kids.)

John

bazmaz · Mar 17, 2014

well said dude.

OldePhart · Mar 17, 2014

Ukejenny said:
I've been dealing with this for years in the wind band field. I've had kids walk in with some "instrument" that has pot metal keys and you can't even adjust it without breaking the keys off. Reputable technicians won't touch these horns. And the instruments don't even play. It's been going on for years. There are a ton of junk ukes out there, too. If you buy something like that, you are setting yourself up for failure and frustration. It won't play, so therefore you can't play, and you'll want to give up. This is especially true for a kid who may not understand that the instrument sucks, not them.

I knew the owner of the only music shop that handled band instruments in the last small town we lived in. He got to the point that he wouldn't touch any of the cheap eBay crap for repairs. The last straw for him was when a woman threw a complete hissy fit when he explained to her how much it was going to cost to fix the POC horn she had bought her kid...she'd bought it on eBay and actually expected him to fix it for nothing...ranted about how her husband was a lawyer and she'd have his store for not serving the community...then flounced out the door to her luxury car and burned rubber out of the parking lot. All in front of her 12-year-old kid. A real parent-of-the-year candidate, for sure.

John

bazmaz · Mar 17, 2014

I am interested in pinpointing the era this junk problem began. Going back to the original 'toy' ukes - TV Pals and the like, they actually sound ok, and at least they fulfil basic build requirements.

Condor · Mar 17, 2014

@oldephart - I guess my parents obviously failed me miserably in the music arena then, as I ended up a doctor

However, I know that it simply is not true that in order to steer kids to a non-music related career, that parents should buy rubbishy instruments to put them off . Mine bought me the best instruments they could afford and paid for the best teaching they could afford. When the choice finally came - and it did- as to whether I would become a professional musician or study for a career in medicine, I made that choice. And it wasn't based on rubbish instruments either. I am a senior doctor now at the height of my career in medicine but I still love playing my guitars, piano, French Horn, ukes and mandolin........they might not all be worth 1000s, but they are in tune and sound good to me.

I don't think elitism should be dragged into discussions like this, I agree the cheap, nasty ukes like Baz showed in his video /blog are a sad travesty, but people can buy whatever they want and as long as they buy junk, more junk will be available. Ukes do not have to be ultra expensive to sound good though and a Lanakai can sound as good as a top K brand depending on who the player is - old computer saying goes "rubbish in rubbish out" !

Condor · Mar 17, 2014

bazmaz said:
I am interested in pinpointing the era this junk problem began. Going back to the original 'toy' ukes - TV Pals and the like, they actually sound ok, and at least they fulfil basic build requirements.

Baz, cheap mass market mandolins flooded the market in around the 50s and 60s, and even before then - loads of the old taterbugs lying about, mostly unplayable junk - while cheaply produced banjo ukes and banjo mandolins were mass produced in the Formby era from the 20s onwards- lots still pop up on ebay and if carefully examined, are just cheapo mass market instruments albeit slightly better than that 7.99 uke you bought! Its not a new thing, just the old law of supply and demand - everything seems to drop to the lowest common denominator in terms of quality. If really rubbishy stuff sells at insanely low prices, why should those churning it out bother to improve on the quality?

pootsie · Mar 17, 2014

See, the problem with that uke is that they did not use lag bolts to hold the bridge in place properly.

BTW, diamonds are also small, so they should be cheap, too.

RichM · Mar 17, 2014

pootsie said:
See, the problem with that uke is that they did not use lag bolts to hold the bridge in place properly.

BTW, diamonds are also small, so they should be cheap, too.

Now that's just silly, apples to oranges. What you meant was that violins and mandolins are also small, so they should be cheap, too. I'll give you ten bucks for that Stradivarius. If you can't break a twenty, you can throw in that 1924 Lloyd Loar F-style, too.

bazmaz · Mar 17, 2014

I've had a few comments back elsewhere claiming that this is a toy and was never meant to be played - like that is some kind of excuse.

In that case, why does the box say 'comes with how to play guide' and inside there was this little chord chart and how to tune up leaflet!!?

Icelander53 · Mar 17, 2014

bazmaz said:
One for beginners to read. Who is buying the flood of ultra cheap ukes on the market?

I decided to look closer at those awful examples and found one so badly built it would never play accurately. Ebay is awash with this sort of thing. It's a real shame.

Take a look at the pictures and video on this post

http://www.gotaukulele.com/2014/03/why-do-we-accept-cheap-junk-ukuleles.html

IMO this brings us into the realm of psychology. Humans in general are an ignorant lot and not necessarily any fault of their own but how they are educated in the home and in our schools and society in general. If one is not able to think critically then one will be prone to fall for wild advertising claims. Any material field/hobby etc. can show the same things going on. Cheap telescopes that make wild claims to magnification but the optics are so poor you can't tell what you are magnifying and I could go on and on endlessly with examples. It's amazing to me that humans survive as well as we do. Thanks mostly to the few who do the thinking for the rest.

So I'd say don't worry about what others do but make sure you don't get duped too badly yourself. :2cents:

Skinny Money McGee · Mar 17, 2014

bazmaz said:
One for beginners to read. Who is buying the flood of ultra cheap ukes on the market?

People have an inherent belief they can get something for nothing.

OldePhart said:
When the parents finally realize that I'm serious I'll explain that if you want your child to learn to play successfully then get them the absolute best instrument you can afford.

In addition, parents should also realize a quality instrument has resale value, and also a good lesson for Children to respect and care for an instrument, which lesson carries on to other things throughout life.

katysax · Mar 17, 2014

I think cheap instruments in childhood are at the root of my Instrument Acquisition Syndrome. I had a cheap, but playable clarinet, and was much better on my friend's Buffet. People who don't play instruments really don't understand the differences.

When I was 14 my parents bought me a Zim Gar guitar. It was awful. The neck bowed about an inch and a half by the time I threw it out. I saved my money for a year to buy a Gibson.

A few years ago I decided to learn flute and bought a cheap $100 flute off of Ebay. It was OK for about a week, then one day I was playing it and something went "sproing". Keys literally went flying off the instrument. I threw it away and bought a Yamaha.

fynger · Mar 17, 2014

Just looked at them in our local discount shop...£7:99.....needless to say they didn't sell one to me.

peaceweaver3 · Mar 17, 2014

I don't think the point is whether junk exists and/or whether it continues to do so. "Junk" is always a matter of opinion. I think the point is whether buyers truly know what they're looking for. Many times they don't, especially if they're beginners, or a non-musical parent is buying for an aspiring child. So, it's up to us--assuming people listen--to demonstrate quality instruments and musicality.

People will still buy what we think are junk ukes. All we can do is be there to pick up the pieces, as it were, and do our best to keep the number of pieces to a minimum. But they say experience is the best teacher, and I'd have to agree...

Also, not everyone wants the same thing in a uke, physically or musically. Some people do want a toy, and we know there's an abundance there. Others want a playable uke. And still others, as they progress, want a higher quality, better-sounding uke. What that is, varies from person to person. Again, I think the best we can do is be available to people.

seneystretch · Mar 17, 2014

bazmaz;1494128 Who is buying the flood of ultra cheap ukes on the market? [/QUOTE said:
Innocent sheep who don't know any better.

I bought a cheap junk guitar, at a premium price. Sold to me by my music teacher, I relied on his judgement. Hey, who was I to contradict the expert?

Action way too high at both the 1st and 17th frets, intonation off, fret ends sticking out, other problems. I thought this was the way it was. How or why he expected me to continue paying for lessons after my fingers hurt so much I couldn't type or hold a pen, is a mystery to me.

I own one of these low end ukes, but now I know what makes for a playable instrument. The internet is a treasure trove of information and is why I made a second try.

bazmaz · Mar 17, 2014

Interesting comment re the internet that was put to me earlier on Facebook in response to this.

The likes of ebay and online shopping makes it so much easier to find junk like this uke and hit 'buy'. This guy pointed out that people consider nothing wrong with spending 100's on a smartphone, laptop, iPad to do just that, but then assume that a 10 quid ukulele is normal. Would those people expect a $50 dollar smartphone or tablet to work as well as the top end ones?

Why do we accept such cheap junk ukes on the market

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