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| Moderated by: Richard Hefner | Page:   1 2 |
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| Which ukulele to buy? - Beginner Questions - Ukulele - Ukulele - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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Alba Approved
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I love my flea as well and am very glad that I bought it (including £40 extra for rosewood) but I would not have spent that much on an instrument without being sure that it would not be just a fad. Having reread my earlier post it may have been taken that I was being critical of flea.What i meant was that the gap between it and my mahalo was not chalk and cheese and that with a mahalo with good strings you could buy an instrument that if you dont take to it you have only spent £18 ,if you do take to it then you can upgrade when you can afford it,but the mahalo will give you a real feel for ukulele cheers
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sano Approved 
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Well, I'll give my penny's worth. This very evening I spent $15 on a used mahagony Mahalo model UK-221. A young man had lost interest in it and I felt sorry for it I guess. I figured it would be a good garden uke, or a loaner, or a distraction for a visiting friend's child (better than her running through my flower beds). But I've been playing it for over an hour and I've gotta say that I like this little feller just fine. I can happily play it. Sounds pretty good and intonates well. And who knows what better strings might do. I don't have a tin ear. I can hear the difference between this and my koa Tangi, but I see nothing at all wrong with this.... (and I'm not suggesting my Tangi is high-end, but it is my high-end) I mean, when I take a walk in the back forty, I don't wear my best shoes. I've got a grubby old pair that serves quite well for that, and no one can tell me I'd enjoy the walk more if I wore expensive ones. I've had similar conversations in audiophile forums with guys who just can't enjoy music unless it's on their own outrageously expensive systems. But I remember loving all that Motown and early Beatles on a cheap transistor radio, and I sure wasn't the only one. Along the way I acquired some audiophile inclinations (and some equipment along with it), but I'm somewhat over that now. Give me a cheap uke and I'll make some noise on it, or throw on a scratchy 78 and I can handle that too! Someone in this forum once suggested that he wouldn't even be motivated to play without a high-end uke. I don't know, John Lee Hooker said that his first guitar was a wire nailed onto the side of a shack. Or maybe it was James Jamerson's first bass. Anyway, you get the drift. Play on! Last edited on Thu Aug 7th, 2008 05:59 am by sano ____________________ sano |
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scrooner Approved
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Yeah, my first was a Leolani soprano I got for $25 in a uke shop in Waikiki. It hangs on the wall next to my computer, and I strum it a little bit daily, usually when I just want to play something quickly without pulling a nicer uke out of its case. No humidifier, no case, it sounds good with Aquilas, and I don't have to worry about my 3-year-old hurting it. Just grab it, strum it, have fun. Frankly, it's an amazing piece of engineering at that price.
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ukepimp Approved 
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Well, it's been a while since I've posted or replied, but I decided to log on and have fun again. As a sales manager of an ukulele shop, I've learned that laminates can have its ups and downs. I deal with entry level ukuleles from Leolani, Kala, Hula, and recently, Oscar Schmidt ukuleles. And what I've found is that people have very, very different tastes as far as what sounds good. There are some ukuleles that I find okay, and there are some that sound, and feel horrible. But, some people find those ukes that I find horrible, very nice. Although laminates aren't the best of quality, it's how much fun you have with the instrument. So long you try out the ukulele BEFORE you buy it (if you're buying it from a retail store), you should try to judge if it's comfortable or not. Don't compensate for comfort for price. As far as sound is concerned, just find something that you can tolerate and listen to. It's all about you and what you like. But that's only my opinion. haha.
____________________ http://ezfolk.com/audio/Dennis_Kaieamakoa_Nakamoto http://www.myspace.com/dennisnakamoto http://www.myspace.com/ukehutguam DON'T THINK.......JUST PICK!!!! |
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playwellMike Approved
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That's great. I've found that if you put a nice set of Aquilla nylon strings on almost any uke, it will really sound nice. Enjoy! Mike (http://www.hhtmp.com)
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sano Approved
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ukepimp wrote: Although laminates aren't the best of quality, it's how much fun you have with the instrument. So long you try out the ukulele BEFORE you buy it (if you're buying it from a retail store), you should try to judge if it's comfortable or not. Don't compensate for comfort for price. As far as sound is concerned, just find something that you can tolerate and listen to. I agree, especially about having fun, but also about not trading off comfort for price, especially since it's not necessary. I played my new Mahalo for a couple hours last night and found it very comfortable indeed. It's also very light. And it stays in tune! Some cheap (and from what I hear many vintage ukes) can be hard to play, and that's discouraging for a learner. But it's also intimidating for a newbie who can't play a thing to go into a music store and plunk away on instruments. So I think ukepimp and others with this wisdom might do a good service by suggesting a shortlist of decent laminates for under $100. My Mahalo is my first laminate (I was once prejudiced) so the UK-221 is the only thing I can recommend. A google check that comes up dry on this model suggests that it is rare and is maybe only sold in Canada. It has open geared tuners that work well enough and a well-dressed wide (1 7/16") fretboard (looks like ebony but must be rosewood) on a thin profile neck. The frets are brass but well seated. This is an aside, but can anyone tell me how many ply a laminate top usually has? Is it always 3 or can it be 2? I'm asking because my Mahalo top is very thin like a solid top and yet my dental mirror in the soundhole reveals the grain is the same direction on the top and bottom. This means it's a 3 ply or else it's a solid top. Now I know Mahalo does make solid tops, but I don't imagine this one is. This means the plys must be very very thin. So we should distinguish quality laminates from crappy laminates. They're not all the same. I hear the Kiwaya laminate sounds wonderful, and I recall certain laminate disparagers singing the praises of their Flukes and Fleas. If a plastic bodied laminate called a Fluke sounds so wonderful, why dump on every other laminate? A thin quality laminate could easily sound better than a cheap thick solid top, no? I've got a friend who's deaf in one ear. If we go to a concert together, is he going to enjoy it only half as much as me? 
____________________ sano |
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scrooner Approved
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Fleas/Flukes are not laminate. They have a solid pine top. I love my Leolani, but I certainly wouldn't recommend the brand without seeing the particular instrument in person. I tried to find a playable Leolani for my brother on my last trip to Hawaii, and most of them were bad. Mine is slick, with okay intonation, low action & smooth frets, MUCH better than most of the Makalas, Hilos, etc. that I've tried. I don't know if it was setup at the shop or if I got lucky. I got a Hilo for my brother from this site (http://www.akulele.com/playuke/index.html) and did the setup on it myself (despite what the website says, mine needed some work). Lowered the action, restrung it with Aquilas, smoothed the frets. $35 and he's up and running. That's a pretty darn good way to get started too.
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hrlarson Approved 
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I agree with Sano, Scrooner, Playwellmike and Ukepimp. Try the the uke before you buy it, put on a set of new strings and have fun. My somewhat limited experience tells me there is cheap ukulele that sound good, expensive ones that sound as good or better and a lot of ukulele not worth the buck, especially the inbetweens. But that's me. You might find and fall in love with a uke that I dislike. And my suggestion is that you go for it if you like it and can afford it. Don't let anyone tell you that the instrument you like isn't good enough. The unfortunate ones who can't enjoy a beating of a less than really expensive ukulele can only be pitied. Now I'm not saying that inexpensive ukes are better than expensive ones, just that an expensive instrument isn't necessarily the way to go when you are starting out, or when you want a backyard uke/camping axe. I remember when I got my first 10 geared bike. I was really dissapointed. The damn thing had to be pedaled just like any other old bike. The tool will never do your work for you, or play in your place for that matter. (I couldn't stay away, Sano) 
____________________ I'm not addicted. I can stop playing anytime I want. |
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sano Approved
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scrooner wrote: Fleas/Flukes are not laminate. They have a solid pine top. I think there may be "high-end" solid top flukes, but the generic description I often come across is "Laminated Australian Hoop Pine " That and the plastic back is what makes them so durable. Not that there's anything wrong with laminates As I play my Mahalo this evening, I'm thinking that "feel" in the full sense is more important than "sound" for me. What I mean is an instrument has to feel right in my hands. It won't hurt my fingers or cramp my wrist, and I can fret hard chords with little effort. And it makes me feel good playing it so that I want to play on and on. The sound it makes isn't irrelevant. I hate buzzing, muddy tones, and lousy intonation, and although my Mahalo's sound won't suit a professional (understandably), it doesn't buzz, the tone is not muddy and the intonation is pretty good. And although I can easily hear the difference between my Tangi and Mahalo (my benchmarks), once I'm a few chords into a song, my feeling takes over, and I find my laminate can make me feel pretty happy all the same. I'm not about to start a laminate collection, but at least now I'm open to them. (hrlarson, good to see you join the fray!)
____________________ sano |
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scrooner Approved
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sano wrote: scrooner wrote:Fleas/Flukes are not laminate. They have a solid pine top. My mistake. Most Flukes/Fleas are indeed "3 ply", per the manufacturer specs. They are not advertised as laminates http://www.fleamarketmusic.com/store/scripts/pageView.asp?ID=111
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ezmember Approved
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My Kala laminates sound really good. And I have the best ears in the whole wide world.
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ichadwick Approved 
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Well, I still stick by the "buy the best you can reasonably afford" rule. That doesn't mean start with a $2,500 instrument, but certainly something better than a $50 one. I tell people the same when I advise them on buying computer equipment. I should have done it myself, but when I wanted to learn to play the shakuhachi, I bought an inexpensive PVC one first, around $20-$25 on eBay. It was crap. Hard to blow, reedy, unpleasant sound. I was frustrated trying to learn and getting nowhere. It almost made me give up. But at the very last moment where I was thinking of trying something else, I bought another PVC model. I spent $100 on one from Nelson Zink, who had a good website about making shaks. Wow! A world of difference. Then I invested in a wooden one at $250 and was stunned by the sound, ease of play and looks. I was headed towards a $750 bamboo shak when I was sideswiped by a ukulele and lost all interest in wind instruments. Had I invested in the $100 shak first, my playing experience would have started out much better and I wouldn't have been so frustrated and angry about not progressing. When I decided to buy a uke, I remembered my experience with the shakuhachis. I looked above the entry level ukes and started with a modest solid-top Kala at about $200-$225. The sound is wonderful, build quality is great and the intonation lovely. It wasn't a huge investment, but it was a serious one and a reasonable expense for something I expected to keep, not just sell in a yard sale a year later. I now have seven ukes and enjoy every minute with each one. I have since gone into music stores and played with their $30-$50 ukes and shudder. I may have given up had I gone that route. Another thing: when I show my ukes to other local musicians - pros who make a living at it, not mere string whackers like myself - the better ukes get respect and admiration. They recognize quality in build and sound. It makes it easier to get them to take me and my ukes more seriously. I'm reading a bio of Elvis Presley right now, and I just read how he struggled to play a cheap guitar that had bad action and worse intonation. He finally bought a used Martin he really couldn't afford, but it helped make his stage performances significantly better and allowed him to play in more professional venues. His old guitar, as beloved as it was, ended up in the trash in a hock shop.
____________________ Ian ------------------------------------------- Ukulele reviews: http://www.ianchadwick.com/essays/ukuleles.htm Harmonica reviews: http://www.ianchadwick.com/essays/harmonicas.htm |
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ichadwick Approved
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sano wrote: scrooner wrote:Fleas/Flukes are not laminate. They have a solid pine top. I don't think they make solid tops. I too had originally thought they did but as I was writing my uke review page, I did some digging and it is a three-ply laminate. very thin plies, mind you, but it is a laminate. So are Applause tenor ukes, although their sopranos are apparently solid top. I think you can get away with using laminates on these plastic-backed ukes because they provide an entirely different model for projecting sound. But I also think a solid top would sound even better. And a solid top will age better, as it 'breaks in' with playing in ways a laminate never will.
____________________ Ian ------------------------------------------- Ukulele reviews: http://www.ianchadwick.com/essays/ukuleles.htm Harmonica reviews: http://www.ianchadwick.com/essays/harmonicas.htm |
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byjimini Approved
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My first ever uke was a V-shape Mahalo from eBay. I got it just because of the looks, but I was hooked after a few days. My second uke was £12, another Mahalo, but this time a more conventional design as the V was hard to hold. 6 months later, a Richwood pineapple-shape for £25. And as of the 21st of this month, I got a Greg Bennett UK-60 for £50. My advice would be to start off with the lower end models. Yes, they don't sound great but then if you've never played the uke before then neither will you (I certainly didn't), you'll also learn to appreciate the workmanship of the higher priced models. I had a bash on a Bushman Jenny before I got the GB, absolutely stunning.
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Neal Approved 
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My advice would be to start off with the lower end models. Yes, they don't sound great but then if you've never played the uke before then neither will you (I certainly didn't), you'll also learn to appreciate the workmanship of the higher priced models. Sorry man, poor advice.
____________________ http://ezfolk.com/audio/NealPaisley http://www.indiependencemusic.net/paisleylawler http://www.myspace.com/nealpaisley |
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Yoik Approved 
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Sorry man, poor advice. Depends... Judging by some of my other hobbies, there's nothing wrong with starting at a higher end, unless insisting on starting there means you just don't start. If I had to pay more than $50 for my Ukulele, I still wouldn't have one. Not because I am poor (er...not ONLY because I am poor) but because if I didn't have a chance to play for a few months first, I wouldn't have chosen to pay much more than that for something I knew absolutely nothing about. Now - I know I like it, will stick with it, and can actually get somewhere with it - now I can justify throwing $300 at it. I know that for many people, spending $300+ on what may be a passing fancy is not a big deal, but I wouldn't want to leave Ukulele enjoyment as the sole province of just those people.
____________________ __Ukulele Villian__ My other instrument is a pipe My homemade ceramic pipes A forum about simple flutes |
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Neal Approved
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You misunderstand. Spend what you can afford, but if you can afford a few bills, do it. Don't like it, sell it. If you spend 30-50 on a cheap uke, the chances you won't like it are greater, and you really have no place to turn it. If all you can afford is 50 bucks, well...good luck in your musical endeavor. As a generalized piece of advice, it's not sage advice. It's a musical instrument, if you want to buy one on a whim, yeah, spend 25, there's a list on ebay. There's always crappy ukes for 25 bucks on ebay. They'll look good on the wall with your Hawaiian decor. Folks that play guitar NEVER would recommend a 50 dollar guitar to a beginner, unless it was that one in the antique store with Gibson on the headplate, and in all good conscience, neither could I. Edited to say that if all you can afford is 50, and you have a real jones for a uke, then it matters more who you buy from, and not so much the model. Setup is extremely important at that price point. If all you have is 25, then nothing matters. Pick one out, make it shiny and with happy colors.  Last edited on Sun Aug 24th, 2008 04:22 am by Neal ____________________ http://ezfolk.com/audio/NealPaisley http://www.indiependencemusic.net/paisleylawler http://www.myspace.com/nealpaisley |
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| ezFolk Forums > Ukulele > Beginner Questions - Ukulele > Which ukulele to buy? | |
