Comments for Ukulele Review

Comment on How the heck do you pronounce ukulele? by Jen

Jen — Sat, 19 May 2012 00:23:33 +0000

Well, late to the conversation…but I just wanted to chime in my 2 cents…I don’t think anyone who says YOUkelele is meaning any disrespect and I don’t think insulting “mainlanders” really improves anything. For example we say U-niveral, not Ooniversal…I believe that is why many “mainlanders” would not think twice of the pronounciation.

In the English language the letter U has 3 sounds: uh (the short sound) U (the long sound as in “universal”)and u (oo like flute or Peru or, according to native speakers Ukulele. I usually say “U (long) kelele. Anyway, not trying to sound like a snob, just trying to share a little about why people might pronounce certain words certain ways…tomayto tomahto.

Comment on Camping and Traveling With a Ukulele by Brad

Brad — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:31:31 +0000

I have taken my concert-neck Flea on several trips, including an Alaskan cruise. It fit perfectly at the end of the airplane overhead bin, is very stable and was great to play on the ship.

Comment on Koa Pili Koko Deluxe Soprano Ukulele Review by Marc

Marc — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:41:48 +0000

Just recieved a KPK Deluxe Concert from pilikoko.com. Absolutely LOVE it! Exceptional service from Jason over there – him dealing with a very nervous buyer over here in Australia (me).

Beautiful looking instrument, and it being my 2nd uke I was advised to change the nut and saddle to bone, which was done for me while the uke was being set up.

Arrived after only 1 week in perfect condition, and looks and sounds awesome! Could not imagine a better uke for me. Love it!!

Comment on Flea Ukulele Review by jay

jay — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:22:08 +0000

The sample sound provided by the site above did not sound good compared to my wood TGM concert. And mine cost less than USD50. So i wonder why is this site “promoting” the Flea instead of others…

Comment on Flea Ukulele Review by Bruce

Bruce — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:39:28 +0000

I don’t understand why these plastic ukes are so expensive, when a plastic Makala is 39 bucks which comes with a rosewood fingerboard and has dots on 5,7 & 10

Seems like they would sell 10 times more ukes if the price were half. I don’t care how cool they look, 218 dollars for a stamped plastic uke is outrageous.

Comment on How the heck do you pronounce ukulele? by Palaina Eselu

Palaina Eselu — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 21:45:55 +0000

Well although people can say whatever the hell they want…..Since Ukulele is spelled U-K-U-L-E-L-E and not yukalalee or U-kalalee I say oo-koo-lay-lay. It makes me cringe when stupid palangis pronounce it the way they do because thats like saying A-pple,or A-merican, B-oy,or G-irl.Plus it makes you sound extra stupid when you go to the islands. Tourist are already looked down upon over there.

Comment on Mainland Ukuleles – A New Shop in Nashville, Indiana by Ed

Ed — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 05:02:43 +0000

Great photos of the shop. I’m glad for business partnerships that keep skilled luthiers like Mike and Tookta hard at work in Indiana. Those of you who live near the shop are lucky: this is much better than dealing with Guitar Center, where many of the ukes are flat-sounding and often not well set up.

Comment on How the heck do you pronounce ukulele? by Jayson

Jayson — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:03:09 +0000

As a haole I cringe at yook-a-lay-lee. I work with a large
number of polynesian people, and after getting to know the history of the degradation of their culture I just can’t pronounce it as such. It’s not like Asian culture, or Hispanic culture where its still alive and well. Polynesian culture has been systematically and methodically destroyed over the centuries. Now to some haoles and bruddahs alike I sound either pretentious, or to others I sound like im trying too hard. I’m fine with that. I won’t correct people, other than those close friends who I know don’t know any better. But then again I’m one of those wierdos who goes to Oahu and instead of staying at the atrocious hotels, I buy a tent and pull up a spot at Maili Park Beach… Sometimes welcomed, other times not so much. Still got mad love for them.

Comment on Kiwaya KTS-7 Ukulele Review by Jonty Jonson

Jonty Jonson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:56:35 +0000

The ukulele pictured here in this review is the ukulele i own. i stumbled upon by chance being sold on ebay. I am luckily enough to live near the Southern ukulele store in southbourne bournemouth where i purchased my first kiwaya uke a ks1 it was the volume and build quality that impressed me and made me buy it. A few months later i played a KtS4 in teh S.U.S it was awesome andi just had to have it.. months later this kiwaya KTS7 appeared on ebay and i won it at a real bargain price. it is the finest instrument that i could ever wish to own. Owning it now it is irreplaceable and would easily of payed 10 times the amount i payed, knowing now of the ukuleles quality and sound, it really is “the Ukulele of dreams’ . Better than any martin new or vintage i have played … i challenge anyone to find a better uke anywhere. I have been spoilt Living so close to the southern ukulele store as they have, in stock, the finest instruments from all over the world..to try out and play. My Kiwaya KTS7 is the best ukulele in the world in my honest opinion. Every ukulele i play now i judge by this ukulele and none have come close. I am devoted to my Kiwaya KTS7 and will have it for ever…if you are a serious player of ukulele and haven’t tried or played a kiwaya soprano uke try one today.
Having tried Kiwayas other size ukuleles, concerts and tenors, i can say they do not compare to their sopranos. Whatever it is Kiwaya knows and builds into its soprano ukuleles is perfection.
Peace x

Comment on The Kala U Bass is a high-end low end by Kevin Wolfe

Kevin Wolfe — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:51:07 +0000

Craig: Could be they’re pricing it for when acacia gets more expensive, and it will since its being used so much right now.

Comment on Ukulele Sighting – Ryan Gosling on Jimmy Kimble Live by Jac55

Jac55 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:32:28 +0000

What ukulele is he playing in this video(make/type)?

Comment on Flea Ukulele Review by Joanney

Joanney — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:49:46 +0000

The flea has been in my life for many years now. I saw these while randomly window shopping at a music shop in Perth. Picked it up and loved the tone so much and the look is funky too. I travelled with my flea all around Australia playing gigs and events and caught everybody’s eye.
Easy to cart around, handy, beautiful and it certainly is an instrument to have if a uke fan like myself and I shall keep playing my flea for as long as I can.

Comment on The Kala U Bass is a high-end low end by craig

craig — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:40:51 +0000

Thanks mate. The actual Acacia model is more expensive than the mahogany model. So from what your saying, it seems silly to pay the extra money for the acacia model unless buying for the looks.

Comment on The Kala U Bass is a high-end low end by Kevin Wolfe

Kevin Wolfe — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:31:37 +0000

Generally Acacia (in the smiley as Koa) has a nice warm tone plus some brightness. Mahogany is warm and mellow, closer to cedar. That said, I doubt you’ll hear much if any difference plugged in. The old standby Mahogany was probably chosen initially for sturdiness and Acacia was probably chosen for look. Mahogany wood is getting more expensive, so Acacia will also keep the cost of the UBass down.

Comment on The Kala U Bass is a high-end low end by craig

craig — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:18:13 +0000

Could you tell me what the sound difference is between the Mahogany vs Acacia model?

Comment on RISA Uke-Solid Ukulele Review by Julie

Julie — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:49:14 +0000

@Emma it’s Love me Tender from Elvis. You can find the tab here: http://home.arcor.de/crazydawg/ukulele/love_me_tender_v2.txt

Comment on RISA Uke-Solid Ukulele Review by Emma

Emma — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:38:40 +0000

hey,
can you possibly direct me to where I can find the tabs for the song you played for the demo for this? It sounds fun to play…
Cheers

Comment on Mainland Ukuleles – A New Shop in Nashville, Indiana by Sharon

Sharon — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:09:22 +0000

I got a Mainland mahogany (matte) tenor uke from my kids (adult guitar players) for Xmas and am very pleased with the mellow and for uke, rich tone. It’s a beautiful uke and my audio engineer son chose it having compared it to many (I live in uke country, in our little county we have 5 stores that carry ukes and the biggest uke club in the US -2,000 members) other ukes. He tuned (the music stores love him) each uke and would play and compare, even compared with some very expensive ukes. He settled on the Mainland. He just got my granddaughter, a cellist and guitar player as well as uke, a Mainland soprano — beautiful tone. Living on the coast in California, Hawaiian koa, etc. are very popular, but frankly my uke has a wonderful tone compared to these.

Comment on Mainland Ukuleles – A New Shop in Nashville, Indiana by Mike in Portland

Mike in Portland — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:46:23 +0000

Everyone dreams of a handmade in America Ukulele for under $500, or at least under $1000. The tag Line, “Not all great ukuleles….. etc.” combined with the name of the uke “Mainland”, immediately spoke to this widespread desire.
It was enough of a hook to pull me into researching the purchase of a Mainland ukulele. Maybe nothing is implied, yet I did “feel” mislead and disappointed EVEN WHILE I APPRECIATED THAT THESE ARE PROBABLY VERY NICE UKES.

Other name brands and tag lines I’m jadedly/ jokingly thinking about to help me cope with the global economic/ labor situation, at least they aren’t misleading!

Home Grown ukuleles “Some Chinese ukuleles are darn good!”
Beijing ukues “Not all Hawaiian Ukuleles are made in Hawaii”

Comment on The Kala U Bass is a high-end low end by website

website — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:41:10 +0000

2 ice

Comment on Ukulele Christmas videos on YouTube by Lucas P. Gravell

Lucas P. Gravell — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:13:23 +0000

Check out my CD. I finger pick the ukulele and I’m playing carols much like a classical guitar player might do.

Thanks,
Lucas P.

Comment on Mainland Ukuleles – A New Shop in Nashville, Indiana by Paul Helbert

Paul Helbert — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:38:01 +0000

Just ran across this discussion and got a good laugh. Nothing is implied as to the origin of the instruments other than that they are NOT made in Hawaii (and that these are good instruments).

I, too, would like to see pictures of the workers and learn about them and their skills. I’d also like to see more detail about these ‘ukes. For example: Is the binding a decal, painted on or an inlay?

Comment on KoAloha KCM-00 Review by The Man of Tomorrow

The Man of Tomorrow — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:35:32 +0000

Have to agree with the customer service comment of Slippahs. Why bother posting contact information if you’re not going to respond?

I like their uke a lot, but I wouldn’t have bought it from them if I knew they couldn’t be bothered to spend 1 minute responding to a simple query about how to deal with a flaw in the finish of the instrument I bought from them.

This is a recent experience, but I won’t bother with continued efforts trying to contact them given what I have read here. Hopefully the negativity doesn’t spill over to the uke.

Comment on Flea Ukulele Review by Jay

Jay — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:20:08 +0000

I have played a Flea for several years. Three things I don’t like: First, the rounded plastic body is slippery and I can lose control of the instrument. I compensate by using my forearm to hold it tighter to my body, but this causes the edges of the uke body to dig into my forearm too much. When wearing a Tee shirt it can be rather painful, especially when playing for a long amount of time, and I get welts and inflamed skin. Long sleeves help but it is still necessary to hold the uke’s rounded plastic body very tightly to keep it under control. Second, the plastic frets and fretboard are, like the body, too slippery. The nylon strings slip every so often against the board and the frets, sometimes causing inaccurate fingering. Annoying. And third, one day the bridge popped off and flew across the room! The bridge is also made of plastic, and is two pieces: the top piece is held by snapping it into place on the base piece, which is glued to the top of the uke. When mine popped off, one of the snap thingies broke so I couldn’t simply snap it back together. Contacting Fluke, they recommended crazy-gluing it back together. I did so, and it worked. All that said, I still enjoy playing it for the looks, the good loud tone, and the moderate price.

Comment on Which style ukulele tuners do you prefer? by Beth

Beth — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 09:54:09 +0000

Jonathan- I think Waverly are probably the best money can buy- http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Ukulele_tuners/Waverly_Ukulele_Tuners.html?tab=Pictures#details

I’m shopping for some new tuners myself and I think that’s what I’ll end up with…