Dying for a uke fix

[RuckMonkey]

So, I ordered my uke from Hawaii Music Supply a little over a week ago and it is still in the queue waiting to be processed. I'm TOTALLY ok with the wait, I'm just SUPER impatient and I know it'll take a bit on shipping too once they get my Makala set up all nice and pretty like, so, in the mean time I think I'm gonna do something silly.

The big problem with trying things out in the music store here is the guys really don't take any of the ukes seriously at all. Even the over priced Famous ukes. Plus I have a bit of a language barrier to deal with since they're Japanese and about all I can say is "thank you", "yes", and "how do I get to Tokyo Train Station?" I know they don't take ukes seriously because, well, as I'm sure you all know, instruments in the store are never kept tuned. Well, when I went in to try them out, the guys "tuned" them for me and they weren't even close. Then when I said they were wrong and tried to retune it myself they got all uppity with me.

Now is where I need you guys. Which silly, brightly colored, horribly and wonderfully gaudy cheap uke should I get? The local music store has a couple of ukes to choose from, a super duper dead sounding Aria, some nice enough but WAY overpriced Famous ukes, and then the ukes that I'm thinking of. An awesomely purple Gypsy Rose or some super bright Mahalos. What do you guys think? Which is the best of the worst? The Mahalo or the Gypsy Rose?

 

[RuckMonkey]

Also, I've totally been trying to satisfy the craving by playing my acoustic, but man. When the Uke bug bites ya, it bites hard!

 

[Plainsong]

I love the orange burst Makala dolphins. Many an Internet window shopping session has ended in me telling myself I don't need it.

I hit a big pothole in my road to saving up for the last big uke too. Waiting is hard. Like I said in my thread, there should be a siren that goes off in the forums when we cave in to UAS. You know you'll get it anyway.

 

[RuckMonkey]

Oh, I know I'm getting one, it just isn't here yet and I don't know when it is gonna get here. Not to mention that whole, it is shipping to my APO box in northern Japan from warm sunny wonderful Hawaii and I just don't know how long that is gonna take. Maybe a cheap uke will hold me over till then. They have some of the Martin strings at the store too so I think if (though we all know I mean when :drool: ) I get one I'll just not even bother with the fishing line "strings" that it comes with.

 

[Uke Republic]

Oh, I know I'm getting one, it just isn't here yet and I don't know when it is gonna get here. Not to mention that whole, it is shipping to my APO box in northern Japan from warm sunny wonderful Hawaii and I just don't know how long that is gonna take. Maybe a cheap uke will hold me over till then. They have some of the Martin strings at the store too so I think if (though we all know I mean when :drool: ) I get one I'll just not even bother with the fishing line "strings" that it comes with.

We ship to Japan APOs and it seems like it's pretty quick even from Atlanta. I'd say something like a week.

 

[mm stan]

Yes the martin M600 strings are awesome...did you try Kiwaya...yet??? It takes time from Hawaii to Japan...and they probally are setting up your uke...may take 2-3 weeks to arrive
in Japan depending on how fast they work on your uke and how they ship it...they are good....and so is Uke Republic, Mike...a Pleasure to do business with both of them...good luck..and
happy strummings..

 

[RuckMonkey]

@mm stan, I tried out one of the "lower end" Famous (from what I can tell from online research they are the same as the Kiwaya ukes) and I really wasn't impressed with it. Though, I'm honestly willing to bet it was because the guys at the shop that I tried it at really didn't care all that much about ukes. It wasn't even close to being in tune and from the amount of crud I could see built up in the sound hole it had probably been hanging on its peg for at least a few years with the factory strings on it. Now, while I know that isn't a fair assessment of the sound of the uke, it just didn't quite speak to me. Not to mention, for what it was I know it was far too over priced. Ukuleles are a hugely niche market here in Northern Japan and they were charging Y18600 for a wood laminate uke with friction tuners and no set up at all. Factor in the terrible conversion rate right now of Y76 to the US$ and I'd be looking at paying nearly $240. Not worth it to me. So, to satisfy the bug I just went and picked up one of the "Gypsy Rose" models because they sold out of the Mahalos.

I did already order from MGM at Hawaii Music Supply for my actual "serious" beginner uke, but, I'll keep Uke Republic in mind for later purchases as I've heard nothing but good things here on the site. HMS has a little bit of an advantage with me though, because even though for the time being I'm buying online from them, it feels more like I'm buying from my neighborhood shop with them since I used to live ten minutes up the road.

I'm really excited for my uke to get to me, and I know it is coming, I'm just more impatient than a kid on Christmas Eve sometimes. Good news is that I'm having a blast plucking away on this cheap little purple uke. I think my guitar is turning green with envy in the corner actually...