What is an unpopular/controversial opinion you have regarding the ukulele?

And really, guileleles, guitaleles, kikus (whatever you want to call them - I like kiku the best of the options) are guitars, just really small - not six course ukuleles (doesn't matter the tuning). That's one that I struggle to wrap my head around, because a guitar just sounds so much more full than pretty much any of the above-mentioned versions of a guitar ("pocket guitar"?) versions, I don't exactly understand why (other than, I guess, tuning and fret spacing?) the different naming. It's still a guitar.

I'm all for soprano = concert = tenor = ukulele. Baritone... well, it's a bit of a grey area, but it's four courses, so, ok. That said... they're all basically fourth-tuned fixed-fret instruments, so I guess they're all guitar offspring :ROFLMAO:
 
Ukecaster said:
No. Concerts are Mo-pranos...tenors are No-pranos. Baritones are....guitars.
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Obviously I disagree but my opinion and $5 will get you a small cup of coffee at sbux. A more valuable opinion in Ukeulele World is that of Pops and he agrees with he baritone thing. It’s why there are no KoAloha baritones. He says he was never trying to be a guitar builder. I can respect that.
 
My controversial opinion--I've never seen what the fuss is all about with Martin ukes. It's especially strange because my favorite guitar is an all-mahogany Martin. But ukes? Never got it. In general not a big fan of guitar makers (the big factory types--individual luthiers are fine) churning out ukes; just feels like a bit of a cash grab/gimmick. Not saying that some of them don't make a fantastic ukulele -- something just feels off about it to me.
 
Bad_Astronaut said:
This isn’t an uncommon opinion, but it seems unique to ukulele players. For example, I don’t think I’ve ever heard guitar players suggest that a parlor guitar and a dreadnaught should be considered different instruments.
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According to my son, an electric bass guitar is not a guitar. (He plays bass)
 
Pyewacket said:
According to my son, an electric bass guitar is not a guitar. (He plays bass)
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I think most electric bass players would agree. It has a lower register, (usually) fills a different role, and is played using different techniques. If I remember correctly (50%/50% chance), the bass guitar was named to differentiate it from the upright bass. On the other hand, the Bass VI, muddies the waters a bit.
 
Bad_Astronaut said:
Bass VI
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Except there are acoustic bass GUITARS. And while the name is routinely shortened to "electric bass", its still an electric bass GUITAR.

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Also just because you tune your guitar to something other than the standard EBGDAE (or EADGBE, whichever way that goes) doesn't suddenly change it into not-a-guitar, LOL! Playing in a "different register" doesn't make it an entirely different instrument. Hence the sopranino sax, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, sopranino clarinet, soprano clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, etc etc etc. Different register, same family of instruments.

Many professional guitarists are known to have routinely changed the default tuning on their instruments, such as Stevie Ray Vaughn and Billy Gibbons and BB King and etc etc etc. Still all guitars.

Similarly soprano ukulele, concert, tenor, and baritone. Come on. They're all ukuleles, regardless of current "controversial statements about ukes" in that other thread LOL! (errrr, that is, THIS thread LOL!)

Oh yeah. And despite obvious differences between electric and acoustic instruments, nobody tries to claim the electric versions are a DIFFERENT INSTRUMENT from the acoustic versions. Just a different configuration.
 
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Pyewacket said:
Except there are acoustic bass GUITARS. And while the name is routinely shortened to "electric bass", its still an electric bass GUITAR.

Also just because you tune your guitar to something other than the standard EBGDAE (or EADGBE, whichever way that goes) doesn't suddenly change it into not-a-guitar, LOL! Playing in a "different register" doesn't make it an entirely different instrument. Hence the sopranino sax, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, sopranino clarinet, soprano clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, etc etc etc. Different register, same family of instruments.

Many professional guitarists are known to have routinely changed the default tuning on their instruments, such as Stevie Ray Vaughn and Billy Gibbons and BB King and etc etc etc. Still all guitars.
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It appears that we have different opinions on bass guitars’ place in the guitar family. That’s fine - I respect your opinion, but I don’t feel the need to amend mine.

Honestly, I don’t have a strong opinions about how people classify ukuleles or guitars, but it can be an interesting discussion.

Separately, I did not mention tuning as a differentiating factor between guitars and bass guitars for the reasons you mentioned.
 
Well I guess my controversial opinion for the day is that any instrument that has "guitar" in the name is actually a guitar! EG electric bass guitar, LOL!
 
chris667 said:
Yes, but he plays BASS. That's his part of the band.

I don't think bass guitars are the same thing as guitars. They can do stuff that overlaps, but they have a different place in the mix.
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sigh It's an electric bass GUITAR. Alto, tenor, baritone, soprano etc sax all have "different places" in the band. They're still all saxes. Electric bass guitar is still a guitar LOL!
 
That got me thinking. Violin/mandolin/ukulele/cello/guitar/standup bass/ and all the others, each essentially the same except for size, number of courses and registers. And then some folks get wound around the 'they're not really a xxxxx' axle about details.:rolleyes:
Maybe I'll start calling my ukuleles MPG's [micro parlor guitars].
 
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Bibs said:
That got me thinking. Violin/mandolin/ukulele/cello/guitar/standup bass/ and all the others, each essentially the same except for size, number of courses and registers. And then some folks get wound around the 'they're not really a xxxxx' axle about details.:rolleyes:
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To me, I think it comes down to this. If you play with other people, you realise different instruments have a different place in the mix. I can't really group a linear tuned baritone ukulele with a rentrant soprano ukulele. They are so different.

Bass is bass, innit? Ultimately, every bass plays the same part of the groove.
 
Pyewacket said:
Except there are acoustic bass GUITARS. And while the name is routinely shortened to "electric bass", its still an electric bass GUITAR.

Acoustic Bass | Guitar Center

Enjoy the lowest prices and best selection of Acoustic Bass at Guitar Center. Most orders are eligible for free shipping.
www.guitarcenter.com www.guitarcenter.com

Also just because you tune your guitar to something other than the standard EBGDAE (or EADGBE, whichever way that goes) doesn't suddenly change it into not-a-guitar, LOL! Playing in a "different register" doesn't make it an entirely different instrument. Hence the sopranino sax, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, sopranino clarinet, soprano clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, etc etc etc. Different register, same family of instruments.

Many professional guitarists are known to have routinely changed the default tuning on their instruments, such as Stevie Ray Vaughn and Billy Gibbons and BB King and etc etc etc. Still all guitars.

Similarly soprano ukulele, concert, tenor, and baritone. Come on. They're all ukuleles, regardless of current "controversial statements about ukes" in that other thread LOL! (errrr, that is, THIS thread LOL!)

Oh yeah. And despite obvious differences between electric and acoustic instruments, nobody tries to claim the electric versions are a DIFFERENT INSTRUMENT from the acoustic versions. Just a different configuration.
Click to expand...
What would you call an extra large Baritone with 2 additional bass strings added?:unsure:
 
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