Any advice on a Ukulele?

[Dr. Jazz]

Much sad news here. *sigh*

Originally Posted by blue

Well that's sad news...

However, I have to concur with all the advice offered re: Fluke / Flea.
And if you can't find an old Martin the Kiwaya instruments offer a pretty darned good substitute. They impress the heck out of me.

I might point out that very very very few uku-aholics have only one ukulele. Most of us have a dozen or more. Buying a fluke will give you a great camp/travel/kid's uke anytime you need one. :-)
Note: There is no 12 step program for uke players.

[Neal]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jazz

Much sad news here. *sigh*


However, I have to concur with all the advice offered re: Fluke / Flea.
And if you can't find an old Martin the Kiwaya instruments offer a pretty darned good substitute. They impress the heck out of me.

I might point out that very very very few uku-aholics have only one ukulele. Most of us have a dozen or more. Buying a fluke will give you a great camp/travel/kid's uke anytime you need one. :-)
Note: There is no 12 step program for uke players.

Mike, I have a Kiwaya KTS-6, probably around 6 or 7 hundred (US) nowadays, have had it for about 6 years now, and it's a perfect copy of what Martin's new Style-2 looks like. Actually, the Martin is a copy of the Kiwaya, and a poor one. Love that uke.

[DLeeWebb]

Just got a Kamaka HF-3 (tenor). It's nice. I'm having fun with it. I thought that it would be louder, a little more "muffled than I expected. Most likely my lack of technique. Got "Low G" strings, Have to experiment...any advice out there?

[Neal]

Originally Posted by DLeeWebb

Just got a Kamaka HF-3. It's nice. I'm having fun with it. I thought that it would be louder, a little more "muffled than I expected. Most likely my lack of technique. Got "Low G" strings, Have to experiment...any advice out there?

Yeah, dump the low G. Tenors are quieter than sopranos or concerts for the most part. Big body, lotsa room, not a lot of "oomph".

Try the re-entrant tuning of the uke, you may like it.

It's ALL in your right hand. (if you are playing a right hand uke)

[blue]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jazz

I might point out that very very very few uku-aholics have only one ukulele.

I have a soprano and a concert, and everyday I check the usual suspects for a deal on a National... I don't know why either. It's not a "Oh they're small, it's not like a real instrument" attitude. You see one, you have to pick it up and play it. I only pick up perhaps one out of 20 guitars I see. But every darn uke gets picked up! Heaven forbid it sounds good! The temptation is great!

[Lacking Talent]

Originally Posted by blue

There's cool. There's expensive. And there's just plain works. The Magic Fluke company ukes just plain work! Check the reviews online and on Youtube. One of these at $180 will give all the performance, and accuracy of intonation you will ever need. Your next uke purchase will be for Aesthetic or UAS (uke acquisition syndrome) reasons, not because this one wan't enough of an instrument. As a National Player I have frequent bouts of UAS for a National Uke! But my two flukes keep me happy as a player.

Had a Fluke exactly like the one pictured above for about eight years -- picked it up on a whim at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, CA -- and am happy to join the others in this thread and highly recommend one to the OP as a first uke.

[spock]

I got hit with the uke bug about a month ago. Since then I have picked up two very nice ukes for very reasonable prices, a Kanile'a tenor and a Gibson tenor. Love them both, the koa and mahogany giving a nice variation in tone.

[AronW]

Originally Posted by Neal

Yeah, dump the low G. Tenors are quieter than sopranos or concerts for the most part. Big body, lotsa room, not a lot of "oomph".

Try the re-entrant tuning of the uke, you may like it.

It's ALL in your right hand. (if you are playing a right hand uke)

I've never thought Tenors were quieter. I've played uke now for 13 years. My Kamaka is really loud, no soprano I've ever played have been louder.

Strings really make the difference with ukes. Some strings are very warm sounding, and have a lower volume.

Congrats on the Kamaka DLeeWebb! I use D'Addario Pro Arte strings on mine, J71 is the set I believe.

As far as Mya Moe, they are built very nice but they aren't very loud or clear sounding. A lot of pro ukulele players have them, but you never see them playing them, or recording them. Personally I think they are a fad brand. Great people there though, I hope their ukes open up and sound better, I just have never played one that I was really impressed with.

I would look for a Kamaka or KoAloha. Collings ukes are VERY hit or miss, but when you get a good one you have a great uke

[Neal]

Originally Posted by AronW

I've never thought Tenors were quieter. I've played uke now for 13 years. My Kamaka is really loud, no soprano I've ever played have been louder.

Strings really make the difference with ukes. Some strings are very warm sounding, and have a lower volume.

Tenors in re-entrant tuning tend to sound thinner, less volume, than a good soprano. Don't know why, but it's been my experience with Martin, Pono, Kala, on down the line. I've owned, tenor-wise, Glyph, Martin, and Pono, played dozens of others, and my soprano Martin, Kiwaya, Favilla, Gibsons (2), and a Glyph Mezzo Soprano, have all had a more projected voice than the tenors I've had or played that were in re-entrant tuning.

In low G, the tenors have all projected well. Not saying that's a bad thing, loud does not equal good tone. I have a Martin style 0 from the '50s that is really loud, the Favilla ('40s) comes in next, but I prefer the tone of the Gibsons over all of the other sopranos.


So, in my experience, a tenor in re-entrant tuning is weak. Best to put a low-G on those if you're chasing volume.

[Bazmaz]

If money is no object, go for a K Brand (ie handmade Hawaiian ukes, specialising in Koa woods). I play both Kanile'a and Koaloha, and both are sublime. But below that there are hundreds so it depends on budget.

[fullsmile]

Thanks for all the input. I am not very patient and already ordered a mya-moe tenor and a William King soprano. Now I have to wait since both had a waiting list. Oh well hopefully they sound pretty nice.

[Uncle Pauhana]

Aloha,

Congratulations on your new ‘ukuleles! Since you probably won't stop with two, I'll go ahead with my kind-of-too-late post:

The classic ‘ukulele sizes from most builders are soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone, although with so many new builders now there are some variations.

I think most players would consider the tenor to be the most versatile body size.

The Kamaka brand is not just highly regarded in Hawai‘i, it's considered a national treasure. Kamakas are usually simply styled (no binding or rosette) - it's all about the beauty of the koa wood and the sound. It's true that there are a lot of good choices out there now, but if I were only going to have one ‘ukulele, it would be the big K... or at least one of the other made-in-Hawai‘i brands. If you happen to be in San Francisco, the Aloha Warehouse in Japantown has all the Hawai‘i-made brands.

[Bazmaz]

Uncle, I'd agree that most players would have to accept that the Tenor is the most versatile scale, but in my experience, those who really want a ukulele sound prefer sopranos and concerts. The concert in particular is the nice trade between uke sound and size.

I love my tenor instruments, but it depends what I'm playing.nfor strumming, and certainly for anything Hawaiian in sound the tenor is too guitary for me, and I go for the Sop.

[blue]

I am a newbie with only a few years under my belt, but I would agree. For shredding, the Tenors I've played are the bomb. But for Classic 20's to late 30's stuff a Soprano or Concert is what sounds right to me. Especially the more Vaudevillian style amped up songs.

And I will confess, that even with guitar, that's the stuff I prefer. I get a lot of abuse for liking the "spongebob" style hawaiian music. Other players keep pushing the more modern steel and uke stuff on me, and I appreciate. I have a vast collection, and do play it. But for fun, or when I just instinctively noodle, give me the old school jumpin' stuff! If you're more into current (as in after 1970 ) stuff, YMMV.

I am in the market for Tenor by the way, so I do appreciate them, but my soprano and concert will probably still see more time.

[Matt McGriff]

I just bought a cheap Makala tenor. It needs a serious setup but is nice for the $73 it cost. First step is some Aquila strings and to sand down the saddle.

I'm thinking of getting a nice hawaiian soprano. Probably a Koaloha. The k brand ukes are beautiful works of art.