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TapTheForwardAssist posted:I'm checking around to see who's carrying Mahalo and Makala (both acceptable bargain ukes), but both musicguymic and ukulele4u seem to be out of stock. Failing them, does anyone have a preferred cheapie uke dealer, or have an opinion on UkuleleWorld.com? I looked at musicguymic's store and actually settled on: http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Kala-...bayphotohosting I'll be buying one of those soon. quote:If you're short on budget, I wouldn't spend the extra 25% to get a book, as there's loads of free instructional info on the Net. Some folks have found certain books that they liked, but I wouldn't say its a requirement. Yeah, but I think I'll get a book anyway because it's more portable way of learning. I'll go to a local store and find one.
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Apr 22, 2008 14:25
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k0konutz posted:Sounds like poor intonation across the fretboard. What kind of uke do you have? If you have a tuner you might want to just check each string on each fret. Yeah, I've been using my electric tuner and some of the fretted notes are just really sharp. Is there a way to fix this?
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Apr 22, 2008 15:58
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Carebear posted:I looked at musicguymic's store and actually settled on: That's actually a really good call. You'll spend about $20 more, but you'll be glad you did once a week has passed. Like they say in Pulp Fiction: "But when you shoot it you will know were that extra money went." quote:Yeah, but I think I'll get a book anyway because it's more portable way of learning. I'll go to a local store and find one. Fair enough. I believe that, within the last six pages, several folks mentioned a particular book that they liked. Maybe give that one a look. Come on back with whatever questions once your uke arrives!
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Apr 22, 2008 21:48
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Okay, I finally caved and ordered a Kala Tenor. (Peer pressure!  )I've been learning the guitar for the past few months, but this thread caught my eye a few weeks ago because I wanted something lighter to play with and work on my finger dexterity. Am I wrong in thinking that dexterity gained with the uke would transfer to the guitar? If not, it isn't a big deal as I still think it would be fun little instrument to play, but I would just like to get guitarist's perspective on it. Russian Dollies fucked around with this message at 01:28 on Apr 24, 2008 |
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Apr 24, 2008 01:24
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Russian Dollies posted:Okay, I finally caved and ordered a Kala Tenor. (Peer pressure! Well, guitar players, from what I hear, have had no problem making the transition, so I'm guessing the similarities would help you at least a bit. Same concepts but just on a different scale. But when I tried playing my old guitar a few weeks ago, I just felt so stupid because it felt so big to me and I don't see how I ever figured out to play chords on that huge neck.
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Apr 24, 2008 10:49
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My fingertips hurt. 
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Apr 24, 2008 13:51
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Doomclown posted:My fingertips hurt. You'll build up callouses. In the mean time don't be a pussy. 
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Apr 24, 2008 17:20
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Doomclown posted:My fingertips hurt. Thank your merciful stars that you aren't learning mandolin... Those little bitches are like cheese-graters, but you pretty quickly build up a thick layer of callus on your left fingers. At one point, my left fingers actually had distinct lines worn into the callus by the doubled strings. Uke isn't bad at all, only a bit more friction than you get from typing. While I'm here: can anyone observant note what's unusual about this uke (besides the resonator)? Something fundamentally different about how it's used... 
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Apr 24, 2008 21:57
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Is it slide? The neck looks REALLY thick...
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Apr 24, 2008 23:57
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Just felt like chiming in to say that it was this thread that inspired me to get myself a Kala as a Christmas present to myself last year. The uke is my first attempt at learning an instrument, and I like to think that I'm not too shabby as of now. Uke on brothers. Uke on.
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Apr 25, 2008 11:05
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Benzoyl Peroxide posted:Is it slide? The neck looks REALLY thick... drat. No flies on you, eh? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lap_steel_ukulele
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Apr 25, 2008 22:30
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As I've been learning the uke I've been searching out artists that play it. I learned about Beirut from this thread and I really like that kind of music which is a stretch from what I usually listen to. Reading Uke Hunt has gotten me into lots of other artists, too. One that has really stuck with me is Jacob Borshard. His music is really interesting. I really like All in Black Leather from his Myspace and Vincent and Theo and Grass stains from his album The Last Brontosaurus. You can download his two first albums at his website. He even has the lyrics and chords available for download. He sells the albums for $5 each and I plan on buying them because I really want to support music that features my favorite instrument. 
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Apr 26, 2008 04:24
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:drat. No flies on you, eh? Well, an educated guess usually does the trick!
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Apr 27, 2008 02:44
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Good news, the owners of the Harp Ukulele pic and the Lap Steel Ukulele pic (James Hill) gave me permission to upload their pics to Wikipedia, so now those articles are awesome. On a minor sidenote: though it's just basic chord strum, and the editing values are low, and it's a cover of an Usher song, I still somehow dig this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bepHZlVYTM0
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Apr 27, 2008 21:00
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I'm getting my Kala concert modified tomorrow with a Pono Undersaddle Pickup installed. I'm too scared to drill myself, so Mike DaSilva (http://ukemaker.com/) is going to rock his awesome skills on the operation. I'll post some recordings tomorrow night!
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Apr 29, 2008 07:39
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I recently picked up my Flying V-Uke again after a few months with my guitar. But I noticed that I get terrible fret buzz on the first fret of the 1st and 4th string. What can I do about this? I'm pretty sure this started when I changed the strings on it about four months ago. But I didn't really care about it then since I was more interested in the guitar.
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May 1, 2008 21:47
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I picked up a Kala soprano from a fellow goon a few weeks ago and I've been having a hell of a lot of fun just dicking around and playing C, F, and G7 chords in various combinations and with different strumming patterns. One problem though: tuning. My uke came with a pitch pipe, but I can't seem to tune my uke with it to save my life even though I can with online tuners. Specifically, I have real trouble with the A string (I guess that's what it's called, assuming it's tuned properly). Is it worth it to just by an electronic tuner or am I just missing something?
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May 2, 2008 15:50
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pukeshoes posted:One problem though: tuning. My uke came with a pitch pipe, but I can't seem to tune my uke with it to save my life even though I can with online tuners. Specifically, I have real trouble with the A string (I guess that's what it's called, assuming it's tuned properly). Is it worth it to just by an electronic tuner or am I just missing something? Some folks have a hard time getting along with pitchpipes, since the sound-wave (or whatever) has a different profile than a string even though they're the same pitch. If you can get some strings in tune with the pipe, but not others, I'd suggest you tune the remaining strings to their neighbors. If you can get the G in tune, just fret it on the 2d fret for an "A", and match the A string to that. While I'm here, I'd just like to point out that Aaron Keim (the guy who applies clawhammer banjo techniques to uke) is freaking awesome, and I like to imagine that his wife is both gorgeous and was initially attracted to him based purely on his uke skills. Mr Keim has gone one step cooler and gotten himself a reso-uke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al970lXhtZM
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May 2, 2008 20:47
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Spinal Pap posted:I recently picked up my Flying V-Uke again after a few months with my guitar. But I noticed that I get terrible fret buzz on the first fret of the 1st and 4th string. What can I do about this? I'm pretty sure this started when I changed the strings on it about four months ago. But I didn't really care about it then since I was more interested in the guitar. Just for everyone's future reference, the Mahalo Flying V is a cool-looking uke, but word is that they're a lot finickier than the standard Mahalo (which is already towards the bottom of acceptable bargain ukes). Couple things to check: Are you sure the strings are sitting flush into the slots in the nut? One common problem when adding new strings is to wind them too high up the post, so they don't break over the nut at a sharp enough angle. They thus ride shallow and buzz. That's one option. Did you change the type of strings (wound vs. unwound)? Do all strings buzz, or just certain ones? Do they buzz at the same fret? If you like the look/tone of your Flying V, it might be good to teach yourself a little settup if the above checks don't resolve the issue. If you post at Ukulele Cosmos, you can probably find someone more luthier-savvy than most of us here. I just do really basic settup, and more on dulcimers than ukes. They are cool looking though (the Mahalo Vs), and quite affordable.
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May 5, 2008 20:56
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holy poo poo clawhammer. i can play the bum ditty, but after that my brain stops working just looking at these tutorials. should i just accept that after 2 months of playing its just not going to happen or is there some hope?
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May 6, 2008 06:02
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Paco de Suave posted:holy poo poo clawhammer. i can play the bum ditty, but after that my brain stops working just looking at these tutorials. should i just accept that after 2 months of playing its just not going to happen or is there some hope? It takes some getting used to. I tried learning fretless, nylon-strung old-time banjo when I was a teenager, never made any progress and gave up. Fast forward almost ten years: I'd just gotten out of the military and was unemployed, so figured it was a good time to drink and learn the banjo while living in a lovely neighborhood in Columbus. I got a Pete Seeger tutorial book from the 1960s, and spent two weeks having no luck. Then one day it just clicked, and in less than 48 hours I could play basically every song off the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. It all just came together intuitively once I figured out the basics. I don't claim to be a good clawhammer player, but it seemed to me to be an esoteric skill which just suddenly falls into place. I believe Aaron Keim (the main clawhammer uke guy on YouTube) plays in standard tuning, but I find it much easier in open tuning (GCEG for major tunes, GCEbG for minor). I put a few clips up of really basic stuff, but hope to get back into playing more when I'm not working 14hr shifts in lovely countries. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDdfQk4o7E4
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May 6, 2008 19:59
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:
It should be noted that TTFA has a fetish for open tunings.
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May 6, 2008 21:01
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haha last time i touched a ukele was in grade 6, and my school made it mandatory to learn to play.
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May 6, 2008 21:15
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indigosbro posted:haha last time i touched a ukele was in grade 6, and my school made it mandatory to learn to play. Did that inspire you to a love of music, or make you resent music since it was forced upon you? I'm still divided as to whether taking violin in 2-8th grades helped teach me the fundamentals of music, or whether it framed music as another form of "homework" and prevented me from making musical discoveries on my own. I don't feel that I really became any sort of "musician" until I bought a charango (Ecuadorean double-string ukulele) and started imitating Irish fiddle riffs on it using violin fingerings. logistik posted:It should be noted that TTFA has a fetish for open tunings. Largely because I'm lazy; open tunings take a lot of the work out of music. Currently, my open-tunings in uke are based on a banjo concept. However, the other school of uke open-tuning is the "slack key" style. I believe there are a couple YouTube tutorials about that, some clips, and the Wikipedia footnotes mention two different books published on slack-key uke. Anygoon here messed around with applying the slack-key concept to the ukulele? There are two guys on YouTube who each have a ton of slack clips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeQ8cMKGy7o
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May 7, 2008 07:59
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Just for everyone's future reference, the Mahalo Flying V is a cool-looking uke, but word is that they're a lot finickier than the standard Mahalo (which is already towards the bottom of acceptable bargain ukes).
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May 7, 2008 12:27
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Wahoo! My new Kama Kiwi is on its way, thanks to this thread. I also just realized that Garage Band on the Mac has its own chromatic tuner. Just a quick question-- how often do the strings break on uke's? Is it a good idea to have spares on hand? Wish me luck.
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May 8, 2008 08:43
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cashew posted:Wahoo! My new Kama Kiwi is on its way, thanks to this thread. I also just realized that Garage Band on the Mac has its own chromatic tuner. Kama or Kala? They've never broken on my Kala Kiwi, but I replaced the very thin kala strings with Martins. I do keep those original strings in the gigbag though, just in case. If you do replace the strings, check that the gap in the nut is wide enough to let the C string tune properly. I've noticed on mine that the string tends to stick while tuning, then jump a big distance. I could probably fix it, but since I bought my electric I'm not playing the Kiwi as much.
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May 8, 2008 08:52
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Thinking about getting this uke - http://www.theukuleleshop.co.uk/acatalog/Ohana_Ukuleles.html Using it for travel and busking, would it be loud enough? If not, would a certain brand of strings help?
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May 8, 2008 13:07
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Dead Alice posted:Kama or Kala? Kala Kiwi... Thats what I get for posting when I should be sleeping How do you find the kiwi to be in general? And, not to be a total noob, perhaps a dash of something to lubricate the nut if you don't go about fixing it? (or is that a bad idea?) Thanks
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May 8, 2008 14:20
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Dead Alice posted:I could probably fix it, but since I bought my electric I'm not playing the Kiwi as much. Wow, you got the Bugsgear already? What do you think of it? Tried running it through any effects pedals yet? I have the Risa just for the sake of compactness, but I'd be intersted in hearing more about the Bugsgear. Jupiter Creek makes some really nice solid-body electric ukes for the money as well, but theirs are steel-string, and if I'm going to get a steel-string electric I would just put it in mandolin tuning anyway. Not many goons in this thread have gone electric, so eager to hear your results. quote:Using it for travel and busking, would it be loud enough? I have limited busking experience, but I'd be a little wary of a standard uke's buskability. Volume seems to be an issue, and most ukes don't put out a ton of volume. Even instruments like mountain dulcimer or classical guitar tend to need amplification for busking, so a uke is really pushing it. Couple options: -Electric uke and small amp  -Banjo uke (would take some careful shopping, as zillions of vintage banjo ukes are on eBay: some awesome, some needing work, and some unplayable) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pwUmSNHUgY (Yes, I post this clip at every opportunity, because it's freaking adorable and I'm a creepy loser)  -Resonator ukulele (usually $500+, but there are a few China-made models that come up on eBay for as low as $200ish at times. Most of these brands are pretty decent, or could use a small bit of basic settup. The affordable/decent Chinese resos are sold as Ashbury (UK), Radio King, and Johnson. A similar but apparently slightly different make is Republic) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e6df4uoM78 
TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 22:43 on May 8, 2008 |
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May 8, 2008 22:24
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Wow, you got the Bugsgear already? What do you think of it? Tried running it through any effects pedals yet? Yup, I ordered it a couple of days after you PM'd me and it arrived three days after that. It is pretty much the same as the one in the picture there, but without the vine inlay and doesn't have a headphone jack. I picked up one of these vvv to use with it, but unless someone has the TV up loud the uke has just enough volume to make out so it doesn't get used a whole lot.  The uke sounds good unplugged - not really loud enough to impress people with (even assuming I was that good!) - but I'm not really sure about how it compares when amped. Some reports say that the Bugs Gears' sound just like a nylon electric guitar, which I suppose is inevitable given the under saddle pickup, but I don't really have anything to compare it with. It's been plugged into an effects pedal once, and it was utterly ridiculous and fantastic. Unfortunately, said effects pedal is worth about the same as a PS3 so I don't have one. I like it, it lets me noodle around without pissing people off too much.
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May 9, 2008 00:33
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Hey TTFA, do you have any exerience building ukes? With summer starting to come up, I'm thinking about interesting ways to occupy my time and the thought of building a solid-body electric ukulele occured to me as a fun project and a way to get a badass unique instrument that nobody else would have. I figured I'd get a book on guitar building and just look at ukuleles for measurements instead of guitars. Do you have any advice on books to look at or pitfalls to watch out for?
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May 9, 2008 02:02
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Ogmius815 posted:Well guys my Uke should finally get here some time in the next two weeks. Hooray. What a poor soul you are. PS: Bushman doesn't actually ship products they just bill your credit card and tell you they will get something in a month. But a month later they still have nothing. Jesus Christ do these people have products or not.
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May 9, 2008 18:15
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Coca Koala posted:Hey TTFA, do you have any exerience building ukes? Nope, I've built a few odd/experimental instruments, and stalled out on a few larger projects (bagpipe, hurdy-gurdy, etc). I have a pretty bad track record for luthiery work, including a classical guitar that I tried to turn fretless, but eventually ended up taking into the desert and shooting with an SKS. So far as building ukes, I'll throw out a couple options: *Solid-body e-uke like you mention: could be a fun project, though the main issue would be deciding whether to go steel-string (magnetic pickup) or nylon (piezo transducer). *Build an acoustic from a kit. Grizzly has kits for $25 or so. Note: I've heard some mixed things on the intonation/settup issues with Grizzly kits, so read up before deciding. (EDIT: or fabricate your own fingerboard and make it a fretless, which would be exotic and cool)  http://grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=H3125 *Easiest and weirdest option: build an electric lap-steel ukulele from scratch. This would be easier than building a standard e-uke, since you don't have to mess with frets, and settup is low technical difficulty. The body is also almost totally 2-dimensional, so shaping is minimal aside from outletting for the pickup system. I believe a lot of folks recommend a lap-steel guitar as a fun first luthiery project, so a lap-steel uke would be just as easy, but smaller and more exotic. Pretty much something like what Jupiter Creek sells:  Definitely keep us posted if you end up doing such a project. TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 19:40 on May 9, 2008 |
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May 9, 2008 19:11
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Since I had it shipped to my home, I didn't get my soprano Kala until today. Tuning took me about 10 minutes, and I've already figured out how to pick the C major scale. Trying to memorize and master that then I'll move onto chords. This is really fun and stress relieving.
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May 9, 2008 19:25
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:*Solid-body e-uke like you mention: could be a fun project, though the main issue would be deciding whether to go steel-string (magnetic pickup) or nylon (piezo transducer). I figure I'd do a solid-body electric with steel string, and use steel violin strings. It appears that violins are tuned GDAE, so all I'd need to do is tune the D string down a tone and I'd have a low G uke. Put a couple guitar pickups in it, have the strings pass through the body (like on a fender strat) so I don't need to worry about putting lots of tension on the bridge, on the theory that I won't be able to use a bass bridge with violin strings, and I don't want to use a six-string guitar bridge on a four string uke. I'll draw up plans during May and June, then try and start working on it when I get back to Seattle in July. If anybody's got any advice for me on stuff to watch out for, please chime in. I've never done something like this before so even basic advice is appreciated. and yeah, I'll definitely either keep this thread updated on how it's going, or I'll make my own thread, whatever seems most appropriate.
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May 9, 2008 22:02
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Coca Koala posted:I figure I'd do a solid-body electric with steel string, and use steel violin strings. It appears that violins are tuned GDAE, so all I'd need to do is tune the D string down a tone and I'd have a low G uke. Whoa, get back. Violin strings is going down the Rat-hole of Overthinking. First off, detuning the D would get you GCAE, not GCEA (like a uke). Secondly: violin strings aren't made for electrical conductivity. 3: Violin strings are notably pricier than standard steel strings. 4: Any decent shop will sell you single-servings of basic steel strings (ball or loop end), usually around $1 plain or $2 wound. If you ask around the intraweb, or use an online "string calculator", you can swiftly ascertain what gauge of string you need to buy to achieve pitch X at scale length Y. Good initiative, but it's far easier to just use suitable strings rather than jury-rig something off violin strings. Seattle? Either Dusty Strings (Fremont) or Trading Musician (Ravenna) will be happy to sell you strings of any gauge, and TM generally has all kinds of used/scrap/spare parts that you can use to keep your budget reasonable. I myself have bought tuners, tailpieces, lipstick pickups, etc. from them. If you haven't been to those shops already, you certainly must, as Dusty Strings has an awesome (high end) uke selection.
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May 10, 2008 12:23
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Oh for fucks sake I just went and got an Ashbury Banjo uke didn't I. Yes it awesome, yes 12th street rag is fun as hell, no I won't be eating this month...
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May 10, 2008 21:56
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ok, the kiwi came in yesterday. Tuned it no prob, played around for about 20 minutes and then had to retune (understandable as strings do stretch). As I retuned the A-string, the end wound around the tuning peg decided to slip off. The factory cut end was a tad short to get it to go back, so I had to find my local-uke friendly shop and get a new string. If you're in Staten Island, Mandolin Bro's on Forest Ave. is a great place-- they got me what I needed in no time at all. I replaced the string in question,and went back to playing. The kiwi sounds nice and uke-ish (which i suppose it should), I need to practice, A whole heck of a lot. Somehow, I don't seem to remember my fingers hurting this much (left hand) when I learned guitar in high school, anyone seem to feel the same?
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May 11, 2008 04:38
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cashew posted:Somehow, I don't seem to remember my fingers hurting this much (left hand) when I learned guitar in high school, anyone seem to feel the same? Probably because you're wearing your frilly little-girl panties.  Seriously, you people need to try out mandolin for about 30 seconds, and then come back and complain about your fingers. I'm totally baffled. While I'm here: check out Debashish Bhattacharya playing the anandi, basically a baritone lap steel ukulele: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2eRCdFy0TE  Hey, the New York Times calls it an "ukulele", so it technically counts. TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 21:20 on May 11, 2008 |
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May 11, 2008 20:21
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