Comments on: 10 Things I Wish I’d Known About Ukuleles (Before I Bought One)

By: Woodshed

Woodshed — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:12:40 +0000

Krener: Might be a bit of both. Some brands definitely make easier to play ukuleles.

Emilio: Thanks for the advice!

By: EMILIO!

EMILIO! — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:50:26 +0000

Hi! I’m here to leave a few advises. I wanna start by pointing out that I’m really amateur when it comes to ukuleles but I’ve been messing around with a guitar for years now.

My fist advise is: if you have kids that want to play (with) your uku don’t push them away. Be patient and explain to them what a sensitive instrument a ukulele is. After a few minutes you’ll find them enjoying it as a ukulele and not as a ‘small guitar’.

My second advice: be sure to put it away in a visible clear place and tell people where you have it. You don’t want anyone to put and old T.V. on top of your precious instrument. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE.

EMILIO!

By: Krener

Krener — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:56:50 +0000

I’m still very much a beginner at 60 years old. Started with a cheapie $30 Uke from a music store, then upgraded to a Lanikai LU21 which was infinitely better–easier to keep in tune, better tone, etc. Recently bought a Cordoba 15CM concert ukulele, and was astonished at the difference. Chords I was struggling with were much easier to make, and the tone was amazing. Is this because of the brand or the size of the instrument? Amazing difference and ease in playing!

By: Chelsea

Chelsea — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:03:33 +0000

That’s pretty much what I thought. But the abalone trim was calling to me. Thanks for talking sense into me. I’ll go with the pickup.

By: Woodshed

Woodshed — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:40:13 +0000

Chelsea: If it were me, I’d go for the LU-21. But it really depends on how much you value the koa look and your confidence installing a pickup.

By: Chelsea, aka Guitareste

Chelsea, aka Guitareste — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:25:18 +0000

I’m looking at two similarly priced Lanikais as my first uke. (Really my second, but the first is a cheapy Mahalo.) Any opinions on the Lanikai LU-21CE (that’s the concert acoustic-electric) versus the Lanikai Concert Koa pack (which is prettier, but I would have to install a pickup myself later).

By: Christina

Christina — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:34:41 +0000

Just because it looks like a pineapple uke, it may not be… especially if it is smack in the middle of the three stringed Japanese sanshin instrument section. Had two met strings and two nylon, and turned out to be something between a guitar and a ukulele, of Asian inception… no way to even purchase the G string I popped on Christmas Eve, before I was even s’posed to open the present. Sheesh. It was a lovely instrument, but not one I could pronounce the name of, tune, learn chords to or purchase replacement strings. So… we took it back and searched the island until we found a cute little “aNueNue” piece. Played it on the way home in the car. :)

By: jon

jon — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:04:37 +0000

I am 58 and have been an avoid guitar hack for many years. I played in three bands back in the 1970s, playing stuff like Allman Bros, Stones, Jethro Tull, and some original stuff. I just moved to the island of Hawaii in September and decided to order my first ukulele a few days ago. Lately I have been playing about half slide guitar (but in standard tuning) and still enjoy that.
The research I did led me to order a Cordoba CM15 concert ukulele, as it is supposed to have a sold top (which will be a step up from the laminated top acoustic guitars I have owned), bone nut and bridge, Aquilia strings, and decent tuners. This should keep me from being discouraged with a unit that goes out of tune even after the break in period is over. The reviews of this ukulele were all 5 stars from several different websites I checked at (Amazon.com and musiciansfriend.com plus others).
I am looking forward to playing this 4 stringer very much.

Jon in Keaau, Hawaii

By: Z

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 09:12:42 +0000

I’d have to say, if you really want to invest in this instrument, do not buy a ukulele that comes in a box. I took it up a couple of monthes ago on a whim, (realizing that ANYTHING that comes out of a Uke makes you feel good), and went to my local music store and bought a Uke off the shelf that came in a box…now it got me started, no doubt…but the sound quality and tuning is just aweful. I am looking to soon upgrade from this tiny Soprano to a $300 Tenor and hopefully jump into some SUPER commitment. Also, if the Ukulele was crack, your site is like a subliminal advertisement for crack…I cant get enough.

By: Marc

Marc — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:21:36 +0000

Profanity makes things funny.

Also, the fact that I watched Back to the Future JUST LAST NIGHT makes this article really very funny…