Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome (UAS): The Course of the Disease

[ailevin]

I was somewhat surprised that I found myself ordering a new ukulele last week. I will save that story for the NUD when it arrives next week. In the mean time, I have been looking at the progress of the disease by the numbers. In the first six months, I bought six ukuleles: a Donner DUC1 concert from Amazon, a Pono ATD tenor from the marketplace here, an Anuenue C4 concert, a KoAloha KTM00 tenor and a Kamaka HF3 tenor from TUS, and a Pops Okami Soprano from UKESA. In the following six months there was a degree of remission and the only purchases were the Pops Concert from UKESA and a couple cheap Enya Nova U sopranos from Amazon. In the last six months I've purchased a Pops Okami Tenor from UKESA and then just this week an Oli concert from TUS. Overall, I would say that in terms of UAS my condition has moved from raging in the first six months, to fairly stable in the following year.



The only instrument that I would call an impulse buy was the Kamaka. We just wanted to own a Kamaka and play a Kamaka. The Pops Soprano was an experiment that seemed worthwhile because the cost was quite reasonable for a custom build, I wanted to try a first-rate soprano, I loved our KoAloha tenor, and I was fascinated by the Pops Okami Wow! story. The Pops Concert was good fortune, plain and simple. I loved the Wow Soprano, but I dreamed of it in a concert. I was slightly amazed, but absolutely thrilled when Pops agreed to build one. The Pops Tenor wasn't quite a impulse buy, but I certainly was not looking for a tenor. Though I was mostly playing concert, I could not resist the Pops Tenor--I knew it was a rarity and I did not want to pass it up. I am not playing it as much as I play the Pops Concert, but perhaps I will some day grow into it someday.

My money has mostly gone to TUS and UKESA with a fairly even split between them, and I am very happy with the products and my relationship with the people at both of those companies. I will have more to say about the wonderful folks at TUS in my 'Oli NUD. The 'Oli is intended as an upgrade to my Anuenue C4 which serves as backup for my Pops Concert. I am looking forward to to trying out the lattice bracing and overall Oli design concept. It will also be my first mango ukulele.

 

[efiscella]

For years, I had UAS really bad, sometimes buying and then selling just after opening the box and trying the uke. Is it just a matter of impulse buying? I am not sure. After a few years of working with Pops, and having owned, tried, or stored so many Ukesa and KoAloha ukes, I thought I had UAS conquered. I own Martins, Kamaka, Kanile'a also. There were not many ukes that came to market that I wanted. But yesterday, I was caught by surprise and made a spontaneous purchase off the marketplace. But Also, I just seem to be in that mood where maybe things are unsettled for me. I had a beloved professional espresso maker that I used and loved every day for the past 20 years and sold it last week, purchasing a newer but lesser one. I also have a really really nice beach cruiser bike that I love and the other day I put it up for sale and purchased the same bike, only as an e-bike. My thinking is that UAS and impulse buying may have an emotional element to it that has nothing to do with the ukulele itself. But that is just me, talking about me. Alan, having talked to you about your purchases, you are well-informed and know what you are looking for. it may seem like an impulse, but you have given much thought to your purchases and I have enjoyed every minute of our communications.

 

[man0a]

I have found that as my playing skill improved, my desire to buy new instruments decreased. I still read and watch the reviews of new instruments, especially at TUS and GotAUkulele, but I haven't actually bought one in over a year. If I want to try something different, I do own a couple of midrange and a couple of nice ukuleles that I can cycle through. While a new ukulele will likely sound different from what I already own, I don't think it will sound significantly better unless I'm willing to spend a lot more than what my best ukulele had cost. I can also sound significantly better by continuing to practice.

 

[ailevin]

@efiscella: I am shocked that we have talked story about ukuleles endlessly, yet never got around to a common obsession with espresso (plumbed in dual boiler E61 machine and Macap grinder). You are right that I am anything but impulsive, so perhaps I should have said "impulsive for me."

@man0a: I agree that I see some sort of conservation of energy or attention between practicing/playing the ukulele and hunting or obsessing about particular instruments. I don't know how much it is self fulfilling prophecy vs. fact, but I definitely progress more quickly when I am practicing consistently with the same instrument.

I think my early days were a bit of a manic exploration just to see what the possibilities were. It escalated in price more quickly than I would have predicted because my wife was an enabler rather than taking on the more traditional, "Are you out of your mind?" stance. To be fair, I drove most of the purchase decisions and I move around playing different scales more than she does. She is pretty strictly a tenor play and uses the KoAloha KTM00 95% of the time.

These days, while I may be curious about how a piece would sound on another instrument, it is almost never the case that I switch because of any dissatisfaction with the ukulele I am playing. It is mostly the other way around: I switch to an instrument I don't play regularly, and I am surprised at how wonderfully it plays and sounds. So the good news is that I could probably be very happy with a number of our ukuleles as my only ukulele if it really came to that. Thankfully, I have the luxury of enjoying our different ukuleles.

Another thing that powers UAS is what I think of as opportunity cost. I see how much an auto repair costs, or a weekend trip costs, or what a new washer and dryer costs, and that this level of unexpected expense doesn't break the bank for us. This helps me recalibrate how expensive a ukulele really is in a broader context. A ukulele seems like a bargain, when I consider not only its relative cost, but its benefits--it brings a much greater joy per dollar spent, and I'm able to enjoy it regularly for a long of time.

 

[efiscella]

@efiscella: I am shocked that we have talked story about ukuleles endlessly, yet never got around to a common obsession with espresso (plumbed in dual boiler E61 machine and Macap grinder). You are right that I am anything but impulsive, so perhaps I should have said "impulsive for me."

I see how much an auto repair costs, or a weekend trip costs, or what a new washer and dryer costs, ...

or plumbed in dual boiler E61 machine and Macap grinder- For me, I gave up my beloved Miss Silvia (Rancilio).

 

[KohanMike]

It's not a disease, it's a joy and a thrill searching out and acquiring these wonderful instruments. In the ten plus years I've been playing uke, since mid 2013, I've gone through probably eighty tenor and bass ukes. At the moment I have fourteen bass ukes and six tenor. I love GAS (gear acquisition).

 

[Patty]

I was somewhat surprised that I found myself ordering a new ukulele last week. I will save that story for the NUD when it arrives next week. In the mean time, I have been looking at the progress of the disease by the numbers. In the first six months, I bought six ukuleles: a Donner DUC1 concert from Amazon, a Pono ATD tenor from the marketplace here, an Anuenue C4 concert, a KoAloha KTM00 tenor and a Kamaka HF3 tenor from TUS, and a Pops Okami Soprano from UKESA. In the following six months there was a degree of remission and the only purchases were the Pops Concert from UKESA and a couple cheap Enya Nova U sopranos from Amazon. In the last six months I've purchased a Pops Okami Tenor from UKESA and then just this week an Oli concert from TUS. Overall, I would say that in terms of UAS my condition has moved from raging in the first six months, to fairly stable in the following year.

View attachment 169622

The only instrument that I would call an impulse buy was the Kamaka. We just wanted to own a Kamaka and play a Kamaka. The Pops Soprano was an experiment that seemed worthwhile because the cost was quite reasonable for a custom build, I wanted to try a first-rate soprano, I loved our KoAloha tenor, and I was fascinated by the Pops Okami Wow! story. The Pops Concert was good fortune, plain and simple. I loved the Wow Soprano, but I dreamed of it in a concert. I was slightly amazed, but absolutely thrilled when Pops agreed to build one. The Pops Tenor wasn't quite a impulse buy, but I certainly was not looking for a tenor. Though I was mostly playing concert, I could not resist the Pops Tenor--I knew it was a rarity and I did not want to pass it up. I am not playing it as much as I play the Pops Concert, but perhaps I will some day grow into it someday.

My money has mostly gone to TUS and UKESA with a fairly even split between them, and I am very happy with the products and my relationship with the people at both of those companies. I will have more to say about the wonderful folks at TUS in my 'Oli NUD. The 'Oli is intended as an upgrade to my Anuenue C4 which serves as backup for my Pops Concert. I am looking forward to to trying out the lattice bracing and overall Oli design concept. It will also be my first mango ukulele.

Looking forward to a detailed NUD when the concert Oli arrives!

 

[mlolya]

Oh man, I’m not even going to say how many ukuleles I’ve purchased so far this year, because I don’t want you guys to send the EMTs to have me committed.
But it’s a vast number. I believe that I have a variation of UAS. I think I have UPS. (No not the delivery service)
Ukulele Possession Syndrome.
I have no real interest in selling any of my many ukuleles. (Although I may need to before long because there really isn’t any more room)
I have discovered an incredible respect and love for what a ukulele is. To me each of them is like an incarnation of both the woods they are made of and the hands that created them. Each one has a different song to sing and I want to hear them all.
Each time I see a new ukulele listed here or on that terrible thread, ‘Please, Somebody buy this!, I wonder what that instrument is like and if it’s at all different from ones that I already have I usually just buy it.
I have to stop! But each of the instruments I own is special to me and yes, I play them all, some more than others. I suppose this means I’m a little obsessed with ukuleles, but hey, it could be worse.
I’ve come to a point in my life where I’m beginning to have the time and means to enjoy what I have found to be a beautiful creation that brings me enchantment and joy, so I’m just going to ride it out till I run out of room.
Oh, and I ordered two more this week.

 

[bbkobabe]

I've come up with an understanding of my personal uke shopping compulsions, triggers, and responses... and a way to satisfy them in a healthy way.

I love seeing that box arrive at the front door, knowing there is an unknown ukulele inside... that's what gives me my thrill. Opening the box and seeing what it will sound like. It's become more about the arrival of the box than of the ukulele itself. That's what gives me satisfaction.

I buy a lot of ukuleles.

So, I'm constantly bottom feeding on eBay. I set the upper price to $25, and I buy the ukes that end up there. Then, I set them up a bit and sell them to the families with kids at the school I work at, usually for what ever I paid for it. Sometimes I just give them away to the kids who want one.

Why not? Whats $20 these days. I burn nearly that much gas nearly every day, right?

My most recent purchase is a solid top concert AODSK with missing nut and bridge that I got for $10. I also bought a Kala Pink Shark with an upgraded case for $15 last month. I buy about a dozen a year this way!

And - I get to come home to the next new surprise waiting on my door step monthly at least... which keeps the dopamine flowing!

My all time favorite is the Luna Tattoo concert that I got for $18 dollars about three years ago. It has a huge hole in it caused by a forklift incident. I turned that puncture wound into a players side port. It sounds so good with that giant hole beaming the sound right at me.

I still have that one... It's a keeper for sure!

 

[efiscella]

I’ve come to a point in my life where I’m beginning to have the time and means to enjoy what I have found to be a beautiful creation that brings me enchantment and joy, so I’m just going to ride it out till I run out of room.
Oh, and I ordered two more this week.

Dr Albert C Barnes loved impressionistic art and he believed that art had the power to improve and transform lives. He spent millions collecting some of the world’s most important impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern paintings, including works by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, and Picasso. He displayed them alongside African masks, native American jewelry, Greek antiquities, and decorative metalwork. He did not sell his collection but used it to help disadvantaged members of our society. Today, these great works still exist because of the love that Dr Barnes had for the art and the artists. The world needs collectors.

 

[mlolya]

@efiscella
And my collection sings.

 

[Joyful Uke]

Oh man, I’m not even going to say how many ukuleles I’ve purchased so far this year, because I don’t want you guys to send the EMTs to have me committed.
But it’s a vast number. I believe that I have a variation of UAS. I think I have UPS. (No not the delivery service)
Ukulele Possession Syndrome.
I have no real interest in selling any of my many ukuleles. (Although I may need to before long because there really isn’t any more room)
I have discovered an incredible respect and love for what a ukulele is. To me each of them is like an incarnation of both the woods they are made of and the hands that created them. Each one has a different song to sing and I want to hear them all.
Each time I see a new ukulele listed here or on that terrible thread, ‘Please, Somebody buy this!, I wonder what that instrument is like and if it’s at all different from ones that I already have I usually just buy it.
I have to stop! But each of the instruments I own is special to me and yes, I play them all, some more than others. I suppose this means I’m a little obsessed with ukuleles, but hey, it could be worse.
I’ve come to a point in my life where I’m beginning to have the time and means to enjoy what I have found to be a beautiful creation that brings me enchantment and joy, so I’m just going to ride it out till I run out of room.
Oh, and I ordered two more this week.

I'm vicariously enjoying your joy with your ukuleles.
I'm glad that you've found something that brings you that enjoyment.

 

[ailevin]

@mlolya : you have it bad, or as perhaps @KohanMike would say, you have it good. I also identify with possession syndrome as I tend not to sell things, though I do tend to gift or give away things that I really don't or can't use. Though we joke about it as a disease, your attitude toward it and the joy it brings you are very special. When you find things like that in life that you are able to pursue, it is a blessing.

@efiscella: I use a Silvia and Rocky combo for many years. My kids used to tease me because I "pimped my espresso machine." I replaced the analog brew thermostat on the Silvia with an electronic PID and solenoid switch.

While I don't think of myself as a collector, there definitely was a certain drive to complete the set and a sense of closure upon adding a Pops tenor in the same materials as the soprano and concert I already had. Perhaps it is the rarity of the Pops instruments, or my particular affection for Pops and those instruments. Although I love the KoAloha tenor, I didn't have the same feeling about completing a set.

 

[efiscella]

While I don't think of myself as a collector, there definitely was a certain drive to complete the set and a sense of closure upon adding a Pops tenor in the same materials as the soprano and concert I already had. Perhaps it is the rarity of the Pops instruments, or my particular affection for Pops and those instruments. Although I love the KoAloha tenor, I didn't have the same feeling about completing a set.

Alan, you are the only person who has the complete set of the pops wows. Even Pops does not have the complete set of Soprano, Concert, and Tenor.