Uke help!

[OM-Will]

I bought a KALA tenor new and was very disappointed with the fit and finish, neck was a mess very poor workmanship IMO. Purchased on-line and the seller told me I had to go through Kala customer service, they were worse than the the quality of the uke, very indifferent to my problem, to make a long story short, I live with the problem but every time I play I think to myself how poor a company KALA was to me. Mine is an all solid higher end (for KALA) model and I would not recommend the company.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Mickey_C

I just found this thread - hope it's not too much necromancy!

I was in Hawaii and decided I wanted to buy a Ukulele, and I bought a Mele two hole tenor. It's a great Uke. That's the good news.

The bad news is I learned after playing with it more and more, that I really wanted the Concert. The Soprano, Concert, and Tenor are all tuned at the same pitch as a previous poster said.. the fine print being the longer the scale is at the same pitch, the more pressure is required to fret the notes. The concert is about the perfect compromise between fret spacing and finger pressure, meaning easy to finger complex chords for longer periods of time. Maybe that's why they call it a concert Uke.

Another brand that was not mentioned is the Islander brand, by Kanile'a (hope I spelled that right). They're laminated, but super-good quality, great sounding, great playing, great intonation, for a lot less money! I went into a shop called Scotts Music along the road to Waimea and met the owner there, who had the best all around selection of all - representation from every brand was there. I played them all, and without question the Islander was a great Uke for the money, so much so that I regretted having paid twice as much for a Uke that I like only half as much. The Islander concert maple Uke is next on my list!

The size issue for tenor is interesting, I decided that I wanted to start playing uke so I built a tenor. I made my decision after checking out my favorite players on YouTube and reading a bit that most "pro" level players were gravitating to or using tenors. I come at uke after being well versed on guitar and mando family instruments, and the tenor couldn't be any easier to play. Perhaps the instrument that you purchased had manufacture or setup issues, but the action on the tenor uke is very light and responsive from my limited experience.

Here's my tenor:

[darylcrisp]

i've been loving some Tenor Ukes for a while now. The things i've learned are:

If you are serious and want to have an excellent time and have a nice sounding and playing Uke, check into some quality names. Based on how much you can spend, $400-800 can get you a real nice Uke.

I like a Uke that has low and excellent action. From everything i've tried, i really like the Breedlove American series-if they are still making them. New around $1200, used around $750. They have excellent necks, low action, excellent fret work, sustain and tone out the wazoo. Projection is top shelf. Build quality likewise. Radius fretboard, and carbon rod reinforcement so the neck stays straight. Nice hardshell case. I have a custom Kanilea slothead all koa Tenor-love it too, but for the $, the Breedlove makes me extremely happy. They used to be sitka top and sapele back sides-all solid wood, with some binding.

The Breedlove truly reminds me of a Santa Cruz guitar, with its neck, build quality and voice.

good luck and report back when you find the right one
d

[mountainjack]

I would throw another shout out towards the Fluke. I like how its bulletproof tough, can stand up (Easy to put away out of harms way, while still being out and playable) and I like how loud and clear it is compared to many others I've played. If you want a tough, great sounding instrument then the fluke or flea is, in my opinion, the way to go. I would also say that it is not the traditional looking ukulele, so if that bothers you, look elswhere. However, I have yet to find a ukulele that projects as well and is as tough in the same price range.

[Tony Done]

Originally Posted by mountainjack

I would throw another shout out towards the Fluke. I like how its bulletproof tough, can stand up (Easy to put away out of harms way, while still being out and playable) and I like how loud and clear it is compared to many others I've played. If you want a tough, great sounding instrument then the fluke or flea is, in my opinion, the way to go. I would also say that it is not the traditional looking ukulele, so if that bothers you, look elswhere. However, I have yet to find a ukulele that projects as well and is as tough in the same price range.

I like the Fluke, but I would advise anyone planning on using a low (ie wound) 4th to get the version with metal frets. I don't think the plastic frets would survive very long.

On the Kala, mentioned a couple of post up. I have one, and agree that fit and finish is not very good, and the sound of my all-solid one isn't as good as many laminate ones I've tried since. Some of the all-laminate tenor Eleukes I've tried just recently have sounded very good, but you get a pickup/preamp whether you want it or not.

[joeguam]

I've been a professional and gigging ukulele player for about 14 years now, my recommendation to start would be the Islander MT-4 tenor. This uke is built to very similar specifications as my custom Kanile'a tenor that Joe Souza (owner of Kanile'a and Islander Ukulele) built for me.

I don't work for Islander, but just to prove how good the all-laminate MT-4 mahogany tenor sounds, I used it for a gig, then admitted it was a $140 uke right before my last song of the night and there was about 10 people who approached me for info on how to purchase one to start learning.

I am not associated to Islander ukulele by business in anyway.

[palolowarrior]

the big "3" kamaka, koaloha, and kanile'a are perhaps the most chosen by hawaii's finest. and they prove their reputations everyday. they basically stick to koa tonewoods.

the martin uke was once revered as the uke of choice. if you can find vintage one, it will still ring like a bell. today collings and martin make nice ones that are over priced.

the big three are all similarly price from $800 -$1200 depending on uke size.
a bargain can be had be purchasing a factory second. quite simiilar to buying a pair levy's. from their outlet store.

the kaohana ukulele is a rising star in the gphawaiian market. a former kanilea and kamaka builder has recently created his own brand. you could buy for $300.

ukuleles are like anything else. you pay for what you get.
start with a concert sized uke. i'd go after a gupood used one in the beginning...

[Neal]

Old thread and all, probably found what you're looking for at this point..

But a few things, you want a uke or a small guitar? Yeah, it's sort of a sticking point with some, this notion that some ukers play it like a guitar, when there's so much more. Not a bad thing, it's music, it makes you happy, no big deal. Opinions abound, mine is slanted away from guitar technique, yours may be otherwise. And yet, you'll still make music. Funny how that works. The uke is a fairly limited instrument with some very strong points, one being the high g, the others, it's percussive effects, easy 5-7 fret stretches, chords are simpler when you have 4 strings, there's more, but that's a good start.

There are a few strums that you'll find, using your right hand to exploit those strong points on the uke is a long time lesson, but a rewarding one.

It's a nylon strung instrument, best in re-entrant to retain those strengths. You can go low G, and still make nice music though. Plastic plectrums sound bad, though a few really good musicians use plastic fingerpicks, they would sound much better with fingers. Plastic on nylon is just.. well, personal opinion I s'pose. Even Brozman's playing with fingerpicks sets me on edge.. and he's a great player. Same with Del Rey. Love that woman's playing, but for the fingerpicks. But they ain't out to please me, and they're THERE, and I'm here.... well, Bob's gone.. but you know what I mean, I hope.

Size-wise, they're all good. You'll find a size you like, mine is soprano. Started on tenor, but found soprano to be more challenging.

Some good inexpensive ukes have been named but I'll throw in the new Gretsch ukes. They're nicely done and play well up the neck, what more could we want? You can also find a decent vintage-y Martin Style-0 for under 500 if you want a soprano. Favilla for under 250, soprano. Baritone, look for a Favilla, usually under 400. Otherwise, really cheap I've played one of those blue Mahalo 35 dollar ukes and while they weren't "perfect" up the neck, would be ok to teach kids on.

Just a Sunday morning ramble. Hope you found what you were after, and have fun, even if you decide to go Low G and use picks!

[Earl49]

If you are looking n the $1K range, take a serious look at Mya Moe. They are made in Oregon and have a strong regional following. In our uke group in Boise we actually have seven of them (out of about 25 members). Mya Moe seems to be the go-to upgrade instrument when people outgrow the Kala, Lanikai, Fluke/ Flea, etc.

I can also speak highly for Pono, the import version of Ko'olau.

[franchelB]

I also know nothing about ukuleles, but I've been itching to buy one. And I found a Kala A/E concert that has been (supposedly) discontinued. It's on layaway at the moment...

[joeguam]

Originally Posted by Earl49

If you are looking n the $1K range, take a serious look at Mya Moe. They are made in Oregon and have a strong regional following. In our uke group in Boise we actually have seven of them (out of about 25 members). Mya Moe seems to be the go-to upgrade instrument when people outgrow the Kala, Lanikai, Fluke/ Flea, etc.

I can also speak highly for Pono, the import version of Ko'olau.

I don't own a Mya-Moe but I did watch ALL their 90+ "unscripted youtube videos" that Gordon posted. Although I'm partial and prefer the Hawaiian made models and brands and would never buy one, I love their concept and what they're doing with their business. There's a bit of a wait to get an instrument built, but that just proves that they have done great quality work to date. They use some very different tone woods, like port orford cedar, and I'd love to hear what those sound like someday!

[Tony Done]

I have couple of ukes, concert size. With the wisdom of hindsight, I think tenor is the best choice all round for a guitar player. Soprano, concert and tenor are all tuned to the same pitch, but the tenor has the longest scale, and feels more comfortable to me as a guitar player. I also think that the longer, higher tension strings of a tenor sound better than concert or soprano.

Also I prefer a low-tuned 4th string to a high-tuned one. - because it is more guitar-like.

[blue]

Originally Posted by Neal

Even Brozman's playing with fingerpicks sets me on edge.. and he's a great player.

Bob didn't always play ukes with picks. They sounded dead wrong for some things for him as well. A lot of Bob's use of picks was directly related to trying to preserve the vintage Nationals he played on. He believed that playing Nationals bare fingered was very bad for the instruments and lead to buzzes and such. So he had a reason. And in general I agree with you.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by joeguam

I don't own a Mya-Moe but I'd love to hear what those sound like someday!

Joeguam, I don't know where you are located (Guam perhaps??) but Mya Moe usually exhibits at the Reno Uke Fest coming up in late April, along with at least a dozen other vendors. Gordon and Char are wonderful folks. There will be at least a couple hundred ukes available for sale from various vendors, and roughly 350 uke players running around the casino that weekend.

Tony: As for size, I CAN play any of the four main sizes. Soprano is pretty cramped for my large fingers. Concert works, but I strongly prefer the tenor size. It is the most guitar-like fret board for my taste. I have an inexpensive baritone, but only to teach others with if THEY have a baritone. it is unnecessarily complicated to transpose back and forth in an instructional setting. Either I play my baritone with them, or I ask the baritone player to capo on the fifth fret to match my tenor.

[Neal]

Originally Posted by blue

Bob didn't always play ukes with picks. They sounded dead wrong for some things for him as well. A lot of Bob's use of picks was directly related to trying to preserve the vintage Nationals he played on. He believed that playing Nationals bare fingered was very bad for the instruments and lead to buzzes and such. So he had a reason. And in general I agree with you.

Hey Blue, good reading you. Brozman had his reasons, I'm sure the others do as well, but it can be a fingernails on chalkboard moment sometimes with the plastic on nylon.... personal opinion only folks!

As with any instrument, be it slide guitar and using your index finger for the bottleneck, or fingerstyle and planting the pinky, or uke and playing it like a guitar with a pick and low G, whatever floats someone's boat is a boat-floating moment, and why would anyone to interfere with that?

There are people that see (or think they see..) different instruments as individual, and different vehicles for expression, and suggest they be played to emphasize the inherent strengths of the instrument, and there are those that really don't care, "just make music". Although if the advice is asked, or the teacher is teaching, it would be a very bad thing not to convey the "proper" way of going about something, according to the one asked, of course. Up to the listener if he feels the advice/teaching is respectable.

You'll see the uke as a solo instrument used by folks to back up the voice, but not many mandolins will be used the same way. And the mandolin is used extensively as a solo instrument for percussion as well as melody in bands, but not many are able to use the uke in the same way.

It has it's strengths, and they're pretty cool in the right hands, but in regard to the way some play it, what they're playing would sound better on the guitar. There are some videos on Youtube where the guitar player is using a uke and blazing away, shredding on the uke. Cool, but.. really would be better on the guitar.

Edit: BTW, it's weird to try to post and try not to offend people regarding "how a uke should be played.." There is a right way that emphasizes the inherent positives of this lowly instrument, but not a lot of people understand.