Acoustic Guitar sales taking away from Ukulele sales?

JustinJ · Dec 9, 2015

I noticed that several music stores in my area have let their ukulele stock dwindle. I was just in a privately owned large music store and they had very few ukuleles in stock. They had about 5 Dolphins on the wall. I'm thinking these were orderd for Christmas. There were no tenors or concerts. Before they had different brands and even electric ukes.

One trend I've noticed in my area is the growth of acoustic guitars and acoustic electric. There were many more different size acoustic guitars. There were many crossovers, 1/2 size, 3/4, and etc.. I would say that the store I referenced above had a 100 acoustic guitars in stock. This is not guitar center or corporate owned. I was surprised at the number of acoustic guitars.

The acoustic guitars seem to have doubled in the amount they carry. I've noticed this in other stores that I visited. The electric guitars do not seem to be growing from what I've noticed.

Are the ukulele players moving to acoustic guitar?

Are people picking up acoustic guitar instead of the ukulele as a first instrument?

Is anyone else noticing this trend in their area?

I also thought that perhaps many ukulele players are no longer purchasing as many ukuleles or they're having customs built.

70sSanO · Dec 9, 2015

I haven't really been following any current trends. But trends follow the music that is most popular at the time. In the mid-60's electric guitars pretty much dominated music stores and acoustics made a return to some extent. And it has gone back and forth from there.

As for ukuleles, except for certain periods of time, such as the 20's and possibly the 50's, they have not been a dominant instrument. There has been the obvious ukulele explosion through the 2000's but I think there has been some decline or at least a leveling off for a while.

As for a first instrument, I was born in 1951 so I went through the folk, surf, british, hippie, and hard rock trends. Trends are what influences kids and I don't think that has changed. I don't see the ukulele really being mainstream. It is what it is.

John

UkieOkie · Dec 9, 2015

Since Oklahoma and the middle of the country in general seem to lag on trends I am not seek that much here. As a matter of fact some of the stores around here are just getting more serious about Ukes.

JustinJ · Dec 9, 2015

I live in the North East. You make a good point. I was not sure if it was something that was happening in certain regions of the U.S.

UkieOkie said:
Since Oklahoma and the middle of the country in general seem to lag on trends I am not seek that much here. As a matter of fact some of the stores around here are just getting more serious about Ukes.

janeray1940 · Dec 9, 2015

My local non-corporate shop has ukes galore - pretty much always has. Sales in general on all instruments are down but I haven't seen much evidence that players are ditching the uke in favor of guitar - I certainly have no plans to! At the shop, guitar classes are still more popular and always have been, but the uke classes are going strong too.

spookelele · Dec 9, 2015

if only they made "Ukulele Hero" maybe it would be more popular.

Rllink · Dec 9, 2015

When I started playing the ukulele, and it wasn't that long ago, absolutely no one I knew played the ukulele. I had several friends that were playing guitars, but no ukes. And in the almost two years that I have been playing ukulele, I've met very few other ukulele players. They are out there, but I'm not finding them. I'm always amazed at people who have hundreds of ukulele players in their clubs. I have found only one other ukulele player who is willing to get together with me to jam. But, I have several guitar players who like to get together, and welcome me to play with them. And, of course, they always try to convert me to guitar, which they are not very successful in doing.

My local music store, the only music store in the town where I live, has lots of guitars hanging on the wall, but not much for ukes. And they never have had much for ukes. They used to have one of the lower end Lanikais in each size hanging on the wall, and a concert size Fender. That was it. Now they have replaced the Lanikais with Amari ukuleles. They have a couple of method books, and they carry some cheapie strings.

Booli · Dec 9, 2015

I plan to visit my local shop either later today or tomorrow. They are both a Kala and Cordoba dealer. The last time I was there, about 6 months ago, they had at least a dozen different Kala, and about 6 different Cordoba ukes on the wall, and can order anything from either maker, and it takes about 2 weeks to get. I bought my first uke (Kala KA-T) from them back in April 2013.

So, once I go in there, I will survey the current offerings and talk to them and report my findings back here. Hopefully this can add a data point of some value from here in Northern NJ, USA.

RichM · Dec 9, 2015

I don't know the actual numbers, but I'd wager shops sell 100 guitars for every uke they sell, maybe more.

Edit to add: I stand corrected! I reviewed the NAMM Report for 2014, and according to NAMM, about 1.4 million acoustic guitars were sold in North America, versus about 900K ukuleles. That's much, much closer than I would have guessed.

Also interesting: The NAMM report shows a steady growth in Ukulele sales until 2012, when they began declining slightly; based on the number provided, uke sales were about 450K in 2007, grew to about 1 million in 2012, and decline to about 900K in 2013.

Conversely, acoustic guitar sales (in units) declined slightly until 2009, and been increasing slightly since then.

So the numbers seem to bear it out; ukulele sales are declining, and acoustic guitar sales are increasing.

Digging deeper: the 1.4M acoustic guitars represent about $600M in revenue, while the 900K ukes represent about $65M in revenue. That works out to about $428 in revenue per guitar versus $72 in revenue per uke. Seems that the uke volume is strongly oriented towards lower-priced ukes. In market share terms, that means that even though there is not a huge difference in units sold, acoustic guitars represent nearly 35% of dollars spent, while ukes represent only 4%. Seems like acoustic guitars provide quite a bit more value to a shop.

KohanMike · Dec 9, 2015

I went into Sam Ash recently in Hollywood, CA and they have more ukuleles then ever, including Kala U-basses, conversely, the Guitar Center right across the street has fewer ukes. In fact, Sam Ash has more of everything than Guitar Center. But for ukes, I go to either U-Space in Downtown LA, or McCabe's in Santa Monica.

Nickie · Dec 9, 2015

Thanks Rich!
Very enlightening comments. Numbers talk, don't they?
Seems like a lot of guitar players won't even dream of touching a "baby guitar", or a "toy instrument".
But I talk to someone almost every week who used to play, or whose parent or grandparent used to play, but have no inclination to pick it up now. Lots of people raise an eyebrow or chuckle when they find out I play, but still others go "Wow, that sounds so cool."
I recently met a classical guitarist who wants to take up the uke because I showed her how it can rehabilitate her injured hands.
Our local Sam Ash Music store has moved the ukuleles to a less visible part of the store, from the guitar area to the violin area. The banjos and mandolins still live with the guitars. But they have low end (Makala) to Cordoba to Martin ukes. The only strings they sell are Aquila. They have a few ukulele song books, I think they need more.
Last year I met a boy, age 8, whose Mom I was taking care of. I showed him the uke, which he showed no interest in, and his grandparents bought him an electric guitar, which he took right to. I think a lot of kids still have no idea what the uke is all about, but will jump right into guitar.
I wonder if a band like the UOGB could ever become as famous as the Beatles?

JustinJ · Dec 9, 2015

It's very interesting to read what others are seeing. I've not found a lot of uke players in my area. I'm like Rlink in this regard.

*slightly off topic

I use to think of the uke as a small guitar. But since starting guitar 3 months ago, I have had to change my opinion. The uke is its own unique instrument. I've grown to appreciate the uke even more now and it offers a unique sound and is a very versatile instrument. Unfortunately, people think of Tiny Tim when they hear about a uke.

Likewise, the guitar offers the bass strings. You can play fuller chords but there's something about the singing voice of a ukulele that a guitar does not match in my opinion.

I was thinking today that the uke would be a good first instrument for children learning music in elementary school. I remember the recorder but the uke seems like a better instrument. The kids could make chords and do melody. With the recorder, they are only playing the melody.

janeray1940 · Dec 9, 2015

JustinJ said:
I was thinking today that the uke would be a good first instrument for children learning music in elementary school. I remember the recorder but the uke seems like a better instrument. The kids could make chords and do melody. With the recorder, they are only playing the melody.

If you're not already familiar with it, you might be interested in reading about the Canadian school ukulele system. I agree completely with you - and even though uke was my first instrument as a child, a couple years before recorder, for the most part all I recall doing with it was picking out melodies - and soon abandoning it for failed attempts at piano, guitar and bass... until I came to my senses and picked up the uke again in my mid-40s!

Croaky Keith · Dec 9, 2015

Unfortunately, ukes look a bit too similar to a toy guitar for comfort, in a lot of peoples perception.

I used to associate the ukulele with George Formby & Alan Randall, neither of whom did anything for my music taste.
(Corny lyrics & comic performances made the thought of playing one just so naff!)

Having re evaluated this little instrument, I now know that it can handle serious music, & I am enjoying learning to play mine.

Regarding guitars, I have always found them to be a handful & rather unweildy, probably why I never got very far with mine.

(The harmonica was another instrument associated with childrens toys, but is also a serious instrument, & difficult to play well.)

70sSanO · Dec 9, 2015

Some peolple may not agree, but the ukulele is the best first instrument and... last instrument. All the reasons previously given make it a great first instrument. And it really is easier to learn and master than a guitar.

As a last instrument, it fills a potential void when playing the guitar is no longer fun or has become too difficult. Guitar instrumentals require so much more to cover all the strings effectively with more difficult stretches. With the exception of John King's technique, working through a popular ukulele instrumental is not that difficult. Being proficient enough to play it at a high standard may be a different story, but being able to play it "well enough" is possible for a lot of people. This is what leads guitarists who never quite mastered the instrument, or wore out their hands out to where they can't play the way they want, to the ukulele. There comes a time when we realize that not everyone can be Guitar Hero.

But for a teenager looking a first real instrument with visions of stardom...

John

TBB · Dec 9, 2015

Interesting thread

I wonder what the more specialist ukulele sellers are finding as regards a decline in ukulele sales. I bought my first uke from our local music shop, the selection was tiny, nothing bigger than a concert and none of the brands that I'd come across on this forum. And the staff knew nothing about ukes. Every ukulele I've bought since (and there have been a few, obviously!) has either come from the marketplace here, or online from one of the few UK shops that actually know about ukuleles and do proper set ups. I guess I'm just wondering whether people are still buying ukes, but fewer of them are buying from general music shops.

Here in the UK Southern Ukulele Store now stock Kanile'a, KoAloha, and Kamaka, none of which were available when I started playing, which would at least suggest that there is now a market for the higher end brands (bearing in mind we pay a lot more for them on this side of the pond). Of course that might just be because we're lagging behind the US uke-wise.

SteveZ · Dec 9, 2015

It's all about the marketing,especially the indirect marketing.

When one goes to a concert or views a concert on TV, how often does one see a ukulele played seriously versus how often is the same true for guitar? In fact, other than an occasional beer commercial, I can't recall seeing a uke on TV at all, and that was a humor pitch. The closest I can remember of a uke being viewed seriously among other instruments was when Jake S. used to perform with Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, and Jake was credited and treated as a peer among a bandful of darned good guitarists and others.

Folk need to see an instrument being used seriously to regard it as a "real" musical instrument. That viewing gets the biggest bang-for-the-buck when the uke player is one (or more) in a group with a bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums and, if possible, a horn or two. A uke played solo or as part of a uke-only group is still seen by many as a novelty. Until that changes, the on-the-shelf market will remain limited since stores usually display what sells the fastest.

johnson430 · Dec 9, 2015

70sSanO said:
Guitar instrumentals require so much more to cover all the strings effectively with more difficult stretches. With the exception of John King's technique, working through a popular ukulele instrumental is not that difficult. Being proficient enough to play it at a high standard may be a different story, but being able to play it "well enough" is possible for a lot of people. This is what leads guitarists who never quite mastered the instrument, or wore out their hands out to where they can't play the way they want, to the ukulele.

John

John, you bring up some great points. I started out as an acoustic guitar player then moved to uke. After almost a year of uke I thought I had the guitar bug so I waited for a good deal on a scratch and dent classical...
and here it sits.

More often than not I find myself grabbing one of my ukes instead of working on my classical guitar though, for the very reasons you have stated.
(and the fact that my 2 year old takes up quite a bit of my 'free' time)

I am glad I have it and I put some good strings on it but I am honestly more interested in perfecting my uke skills at this moment.
Perhaps I can start to work in more time for guitar when the new year starts.
But we all know how that goes.

BTW, JustinJ, this is an interesting topic and I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts.

Rllink · Dec 9, 2015

If the subject comes up, when I tell someone I play the ukulele, I seldom get much of a reaction at all. Most people just don't say anything. Most of my guitar playing friends are studying classical guitar. They like to talk about it a lot. It seems that the studying is as much of the experience as the playing, and it seems to be a solitary activity, as close as I can tell. None of them have every expressed any interest at all in my ukulele. Often times they ask me if I am going to take up the guitar, and I usually say no, and ask them if they are going to take up the ukulele. The rest of my guitar playing friends are into folk music, blues, and bluegrass. They are more into putting their heart into their music and are quite a bit more social with their music. They seem to be less concerned with the technical aspects of the instruments, and tend to just see my ukulele as a different voice. None of them have given my ukulele much more than a passing interest. I do have one friend who plays guitar and ukulele. He plays a baritone. But really, I'm not seeing very many people who are interested in playing the ukulele.

Dejekt · Dec 9, 2015

JustinJ said:
Unfortunately, people think of Tiny Tim when they hear about a uke.

Why is that a bad thing?

While a lot of his music was comedic in nature, the man was amazing.

Acoustic Guitar sales taking away from Ukulele sales?

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Los Angeles, Beverly Grove West

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

TheBathBird

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Member

Similar threads