Satisfaction and perceptions of sound quality

[Graham Greenbag]

I’ve been playing a few years now and firmly believe that it’s the player that makes the music and not the instrument BUT I also feel that lesser sound quality reduces my satisfaction and can go unnoticed. Of course a better player can use their skills to make cheap instruments sing, but the rest of us are going to struggle.

How is it that satisfaction levels change over time? Well I can only relate to my own journey so far. Like many other folk I started off with cheap starter Ukes fitted with basic strings and needing a darn good set-up. Those original ukes are long gone, they made music but I found slightly better entry level / intermediate instruments which gave me more satisfaction. Sometimes you play two of your instruments side by side and (via your better educated ears) the differences really hit you, and so the journey of steady upgrade commences. At first that’s better strings and laminates and later it’s solid tops and bodies - and there’s lots of quality variation in laminate, string and solid too - it’s a process of luck, misadventure and expense.

My best Ukes, Ohana 35 series, aren’t anything that folk here would think special but they are better than most folk in a Uke Club would use. What I’ve noticed though is that playing any of my other instruments is now less satisfying than it used to be, and that the better sounding the instrument the more that I choose to practise - perhaps because I’m getting more back from playing.

What have others found? What now sounds relatively dull to your ears and, without breaking the bank (not everyone can afford a Timms), what’s moved you up a level in terms of playing satisfaction.

 

[KohanMike]

Interesting observation. I played guitar for almost 50 years before I moved to the ukulele in mid 2013. In the first year I went thought 16 under $200 tenor cutaway ukes, some with preamp/pickup. Then I thought I would check out the next level and called Mim for a recommendation. She said a good choice would be the Kala solid cedar top, acacia koa body cutaway, slotted headstock, paduk binding and electronics.

Since she didn't take trade-ins, I went to McCabe's in Santa Monica and tried out the Kala, $369. It certainly felt and sounded better than any of my previous ones. I then did a side-by-side with an $1100 Kamaka and Kanile'a and honestly felt that the Kala held its own very well, so I bought it. It became my go to uke since then, until a few months ago when I found that the nerve damage in my neck from radiation treatments made it difficult to play standard depth ukes. I kept picking my Lanikai Thinline over the others.

In the last 10 years, I accumulated 8 ukes, all but the thinline were standard depth. I decided I'll replace them with thinlines and tried to find a Kala Traveler, prompted by how good they sounded from members of my uke group, but could not find one. Instead I bought another Lanikai, and also found a Hricane, which for all intents and purposes, is equivalent to the Kala.

Being a reveler in UAS, I had my luthier in Vietnam, Bruce Wei, make me a thinline using the same specs as the Kala. When it arrived, it did not have quite the projection of the Hricane or even the Lanikai thinlines. I replaced the strings with Aquila Super Nylgut, which helped a lot. I then actually did find the Kala Traveler and bought that too. Giving Bruce another shot at it, I had him make me another and asked to thin the top more. He did and that one is much better, especially after adding worth Brown strings.

I rotate through them regularly, playing with my uke group every other Sunday, and with an acoustic group on the alternating Sundays.

 

[chris667]

The only thing that will make your ukulele playing more satisfying is doing it and not perpetually thinking about buying a new ukulele. The satisfaction is being able to join in with other people and make a good sound.

Your Ohana is a fine instrument. Well, most of them are. 1/10 of a given batch of any mass produced instrument will be an absolute dog. If you've got a good one, it doesn't really come any better than that. If you see something you like, go ahead of course - but you will be disappointed if you buy a ukulele expecting it to make you a better player or that it will make you play more. You're merely a collector if you have a lot of instruments you don't play.

 

[UkingViking]

I have some more expensive ukes, like MyaMoe, a vintage Kamaka, an aNueNue AMM etc.
But I can still find joy in playing my Ohana SK30M, which is a rather cheap solid wood uke.

Yes, some of the more expensive ukes have a sweeter sound in some ways. Also some have better playability with radiused fretboards etc. And I do play those more often. But the Ohana is still a good sounding fun uke, and with the nice big frets the playability is not bad either. I definitely think it is a uke worthy of performing on.

So while there are always ukes out there that sound better in some way for some of purpose, or has that thingymajingy you heard should be good to have, I imagine that your Ohana is a perfectly good uke to just keep playing. Good enough that you will be happy if you can heed Chris's advice and play it without thinking about buying other ukuleles

 

[DownUpDave]

It is very much like wine or scotch or steak once you have tasted something superior you can then notice a difference in a lesser product. Usually stepping up to an all solid wood, well built instrument is where you really hear a difference. Going more expensive from there doesn't necessarily mean it will sound WAY better, it's all personal preference.

I have a few rules to avoid dissatisfaction : play my cheap ones first or exclusively that day. Don't play a baritone or high end low G tenor before a high G soprano (I like resonance and projection). Never ever ever play guitar first, everything else sounds dull and flat afterwards.

 

[Graham Greenbag]

It is very much like wine or scotch or steak once you have tasted something superior you can then notice a difference in a lesser product.

^^ That pretty much captures the spirit of what I was trying to say. Of course I can still enjoy the lesser products and do, and a skilful user can do much with lesser materials, but one of the downsides against trying much better things is that it makes you aware - sometimes too aware - of shortcomings in the ordinary.

The only thing that will make your ukulele playing more satisfying is doing it and not perpetually thinking about buying a new ukulele. The satisfaction is being able to join in with other people and make a good sound.

Your Ohana is a fine instrument. Well, most of them are. 1/10 of a given batch of any mass produced instrument will be an absolute dog. If you've got a good one, it doesn't really come any better than that. If you see something you like, go ahead of course - but you will be disappointed if you buy a ukulele expecting it to make you a better player or that it will make you play more. You're merely a collector if you have a lot of instruments you don't play.

The SK35 is the last Uke I bought and - mostly now gone beaters excepted - the CK35 the previous one from about three years or so back, I’d been looking for both for a while but aren’t feeling any need to look for anything else.

Yep satisfaction in playing comings from various places and certainly group playing is one and making a good sound is another. I’m working on making a better sound; I think that the biggest factor there is skill - hard work to improve - and behind that is not being capped or held back by a weak instrument - can’t say I was held back before the Ohanas but they help to push me forward.

The Ohana‘s I’ve got aren’t the best that ever left the factory, but they’re pretty good; I’m happy with the bang per buck (what I paid second hand) and they’re sufficiently good that I can’t foresee me ever outgrowing them. Fortunately I’ve never really had UAS and plan on selling some of the Ukes that I have - bar one expensive disappoint they’re not valuable and it frees up some space. I’ve also ignored a few recent bargains on eBay, very much a case of that’s a good price but what do I need it for?

Collecting Ukes? Those that want to can, and in some ways that’s socially valuable because history is secured, but it doesn’t appeal that much to me. I’ve some that I’ve accrued - though nothing of much merit - but basically agree that instruments, particularly good ones, should be really be played / enjoyed rather than hidden away.

 

[kkimura]

It’s important to have at least one ukulele in your collection that is noticeably less than the other ones. It serves to accentuate the quality of the other ukuleles.
A sort of wabi-sabi philosophy applied to the enjoyment of your collection.

 

[oldjazznut]

Am I strange that I don't discern most any uke as sounding bad or inferior? Some members can practically write a PhD thesis on the subject. Not me. My wood ukes were from $35 to $250. They all sound different, but none are "better" than any other one. One is more treble and crisp, one is more bassy. One has more sustain, one has less. None of their qualities are better, none are inferior, just different. It's just personal preference.

I don't include my banjo uke or resonator, by their design they can't be compared to standard ukes, but I like their unique sound quality.

My ukes are laminated ( the Lanikai koa is a probably ) but I've heard / played some solids, and a National resonator. I wasn't in awe of their sound.

You won't hear me imply that a $1000 Whizbang's sound is better than a $200 Twanger. If you were blindfolded, and listened to three different ukes from ten feet away, could you pin the names on the right donkeys?