Some of my family comes from Hawaii and ukulele is a part of my life. They are a great instrument, fantastic as a songwriting tool as well. I move from guitar to ukulele as needed and don't think much of it. One of the finest instruments is made in my father's hometown and those are as nice as any of the finest guitars made. Koa is the most traditional wood for ukes.
Started off with a cheapo acoustic in primary school and ended up not playing due to my teacher quitting. Just before lockdown one i bought a ukulele to prove to myself i could still learn to play an instrument. Since then I've started playing a guitar and haven't looked back since.
I heard through the grape vine that Bob Taylor is now managing the Koa wood "situation" in Hawaii. Like total management of harvesting, growing, re-planting, planning, sales/forecasting etc. Similar to what he has done for Ebony in the African regions. It does seem that there is a lot more Koa available these days, similar to there being more Ebony available also. Even if the Ebony is the "striped" variety, maybe even more beautiful and just as functional. Good on Bob, and good for us!! Cordoba has a factory in California where they make their USA line of guitars. About 7ish years ago they bought the Guild Guitar brand and assets. They hired Ren Ferguson, formally of Gibson, to set up and run the Guild manufacturing there. All the new Guild USA guitars are now made at the Cordoba facility in California with Ren at the controls. He is a Master Luther and has made some awesome custom guitars while at Gibson. Sorry for being so wordy, just thought someone may be interested.?!? Kind regards, 8) --gary
Koa trees take hundreds of years to mature, and instrument grade Koa tends to grow at higher altitudes. If there is more available, it probably has little to do with planting at this point. It is an over-harvested commodity, and is used throughout Hawaii for furniture and cabinet making. I hate to think how much a legal board foot of instrument grade Curly Koa costs now, as it was about $80 a ft almost 20 years ago - in Hawaii
I have the Cordoba and felt it was definitely the loudest ( mine was a gift ), but my choice would be your #2 Alverez for quality of sound. The quality of the tuners, neck, and comfort would be a consideration as well. I think the ones with the darker woods and the cutaway look the best.
I have an AnuiNui. Cost around $150 10 yrs ago. It’s all lam mahogany and very well constructed and sounds pretty good. It’s a soprano body with a concert neck, so they call it a long neck soprano. Uke is big fun. My jamming buddy had a pretty nice tenor of some kind.
It's so cool that you guy reviewed some ukus. After about 30 years of playing guitar, I pick up a soprano uku in Thailand while on holiday, a cheap 10 quid one. After a few beers and working out the chords, we were rocking by the beach under the stars! Now, to me it's the best travel 'guitar'.
Really enjoyed the demonstration and comments on the ukes and their tone. While the type of wood and size body make a big difference, I would love to have heard you comment on the type of strings on the ukes. I have found that strings can make a very significant difference to the sound quality. Cheers!
I got an Alvarez AU90T a year ago and absolutely love it. I really think Ben would have got on better with a tenor uke. It's the same tuning as the concert and soprano, but a big bigger, so the fret spacing higher up the neck is actually playable for people who don't have tiny hands.
They are not just for kids lol. I play acoustic, electric guitars and have four ukes. I love the baritones and just recently bought a Fender Dhani Harrison tenor just for the beauty of the instrument. I have a mahogany baritone that I love with no pickup but great sound.
Ukes are fun...I have a Mahalo soprano, a Kent baritone and two bass ukes (Aklot fretless and UK Dream fretted)...none are top of the line but they all play great...it would be nice if you guys also featured some bass ones
There are also string sets with a low g available. Lots of people get confused about the high g note in the beginning, when playing melodies or scales.
Would love it if you guys tried out some baritone ukuleles. They're normally tuned DGBE like the four highest strings of a guitar, which should make your playing skills transfer over more easily. They have such a warm, mellow sound. I myself have an entry-level Cordoba Protege, which plays & sounds quite nice for the price.
We have a bunch of ukes (concert and tenors). While I’d never proclaim to be an expert, I would suggest you not buy a child a Mahalo uke to learn on unless you want to teach them a lesson. And that lesson is that you don’t love them and you don’t want them to continue playing ukulele. Ben, you should try some tenors too. They have a different tone, are easier to play, and sound great. Also, you may be interested in trying some new strings. Most ukes come standard with Aquila strings, but you may prefer something warmer like Worths (my preference for ukes). Great episode. Grats on the uke.
My sons elementary school taught them ukulele. It was a surprise to me that one day we were sitting around the fire at home and we brought out a couple ukuleles and started jammin.
Hi, Lee and Ben. Thanks for a great video on the ukulele, and just to suggest checking out the ukulele orchestra of Great Britain on RUclips , they really are amazing and cover some great tunes, the good the bad and the ugly being one of them. Merry Xmas, thanks, Chris.
The Cordoba is maybe the loudest but to my ears not the best souding of the lot. The Alvarez you rated 2nd sounded quite a bit nicer and also less detuned across the frets, on top of the great look.
Its more than likely more to do with the resonance being impacted by the fitted pickup.. some resonance will be lost due to the shape of the pick up and battery compartment within the body of the guitar....
Wow, the koa one gave a true sound. However the first one was the only without a cutaway. The koa did sound like what you hear when you hear a great player. But, that's just me...
Agreed, they sort of gave it the "amateur" review by being impressed with the loudest model, without really considering the overall tone and authenticity of that tone (at least in what they said in this video-there may have been more discussion that didn't make the video). I'd personally opt for that koa version if money wasn't a big concern.
@@danielhoskins4690 Yes, true, and being that a lot of his lessons are probably online through Zoom or similar, the louder instrument would be easier for students to hear clearly. I just didn't like the tone as well.
I have a tiny Monkeypod uke, and the Koa sounded correct to me, smaller and more Hawaiian. The big Cowboy tones of the Cordoba were nice, and it reminds me that the Hawaiian and Western music trends of a hundred years ago were pretty closely linked.
Hi, It will be great if you can show detailed measurements, because there is a marked difference between Cordoba and the others, (like soprano vs concert). Take care.
I bought a Kamaka Tenor Ukulele in Kauaii, Hawaii around 12 years ago. It was quite expensive (700$). It‘s perfect, i play guitar and own quite a few acoustics and electrics. I often get drawn to the ukulele, there‘s something in that instrument that makes me play completely different. And the koa wood sounds brilliant and warm at the same time. Are the Concerts bigger than the Tenors or smaller? I don‘t know anymore. If i would buy another one it would be a soprano (smallest size). It‘s the original size. It‘s the loudest, more high tones to cut through an acoustic. It‘s not the bigger instruments that are louder, they are just more bassy and warmer.
I have an old Monkeypod Ka Lae Pineapple. It is tiny, but very loud. I understand that Johnny Lae was a family friend who built his ukuleles on the Kamaka bench, it looks like it's a single carved piece except for the top. The thing about the Ukulele is that it has some inversion of every chord right in reach, so if one were actually musically inclined then he could actually write like, all the songs. Something to like about them. ☝️
@@hoboroadie4623 yes it‘s a fully grown instrument and very versatile. It cuts through the mix combined with an acoustic guitar. If i buy a Ukulele again it would be a soprano size. I‘m not a real musician, i just like to olay instruments. I need to learn more if the basics, invest time on whats really happening on the fretboard and theory. I know what inversions are but i can‘t use them because of lack of knowledge. I‘m 46 years now so i might have a go and take some (guitar) lessons again.
Interesting video. I wonder if Andertons might encourage cash strapped school to start Ukulele clubs by offering support. Music education is a very much underfunded area in schools today.
My daughter was in her Uke club and now has a much nicer uke. We went to Fiddlers Green here in Austin TX and tried about 30 out and one just spoke to her. On the same line, get one with 6 strings and your guitar playing skills feel more at home.
Agree on you can get cheap ukes doesn't mean you should! To start yep £30 likely won't play well and you'll give up or loose interest but you can. I would reccomend £100 from a music shop for a serious consideration for a uke. Make sure it's set up properly. Some guitar brands are ok. They do tend to be a little heavily built though. There are definitely better quality and sounding instruments out there for the money.
Also one of my pet hates describing laminate instruments as "Koa". They're laminate woods they aren't solid koa. Cordoba are a decent brand. Laka are mostly laminate way over priced. Alvarez are too heavily built Cordoba do actually make some good ukes. I'll sneak back to my Ukulele land. Also Mahogany is traditional for the likes of old school Martin ukes and Baritones are well worth a look at the top end. Also sopranos can come with wider fret boards than 35mm which makes them much more playable and is much more traditional. For this price range definitely take a look at Islander, Kai, flight to name a few way better quality and sound. Concert, tenor or soprano is purely about scale length and doesn't refer to body size.
The ukulele has its origin in the XX century , whose ancestors braguinha the machete and Rajão , instruments carried by the Portuguese, when they emigrated to Hawaii to work in the cultivation of sugarcane in the islands.
This video made me think there was trick photography where Lee and Ben were superimposed in large perspective to make standard acoustic guitars look tiny 😂
Interesting. I will have to try the felt picks. Dhani remarked that George Harrison had a collection of ukes. The Fender I have has a Fishman pickup. Thanks for this video!!
I would play with fingers from the beginning. Especially when strumming. Thumb downstrokes combined with index finger up- and downstrokes (both fingers held like a open claw, loosely nit cramped). Use fleshy and nailside of the index finger. It immediately gives you the sound of more strings.
I can not imagine using a guitar pick on an Ukulele. I have a few felt plectrums around for visiting musicians, but I just use fingers. *I am not, in fact, a musician. I just found the hat.
@@hoboroadie4623 here in Switzerland, people think Ukuleles are childrens instruments. So they offer Ukulele lessons in Kindergarden. I had that too 40 years ago. There they recommend felt picks and you learn horrible songs. It‘s maybe ok to start but i think the songs were so ugly that no kid stuck to playing the instrument for a longer period. There‘s so much more tone in the fingers! Even if you just start out and only know two or three chords. Enjoy the Uke!
I got one too, and I was grateful to sell it because it sounded so dead. Seriously. Weak volume and unimpressive tone. I have several Alvarez acoustic guitars and love them, but their ukes suck.
I have the Alvarez Dark Star uke. It was the first one I bought. Now have two baritones and a Fender tenor made with Dhani Harrison's specs and name on it. Also some beautiful Hindi art engraved on the back. Also have an Alvarez 50th Anniversary Grateful Dead six string guitar that sounds great.
OK, now I see another video coming where the Cordoba is the baseline, and you put it up against some Tenor models. Have to do some more exploring here ... 🙂 Grammar School, Elementary School (used most often), or Primary School. I think it's a regional or colloquial thing ...
Doesn't England also have Prep schools for younger chidren or am I dating myself? We have elementary, then middle school (11-13?), then high school here in BC.
Rather seeing ukulele is a gateway, I see them as an enabler because they have less of an instrument to fight with that enable then to make music sooner rather than later. So the road to finding enjoyment in playing is much shorter in my opinion
Certain species of acacia can be used to extract DMT - the Australian Govt once discussed banning the cultivation of wattle for this very reason...until they realised that banning something that's actually on our national Coat of Arms would be a bad look!!!! 😆😆😆
I wonder if another reason why the cheapest Uke sounded best might be because of the absence of a stupid big hole in the side for a pickup system... Also there's an implied suggestion that Koa is used on all good Ukes. This is far from true. Koa was used on nearly all Ukes from Hawaii for a long time as it was the only commonly available suitable wood on the islands but a huge number of Martin Ukes were all mahogany and highly regarded. Now, the companies have fairly uniform access to any woods they care to use.
That's part of the reason that it is louder. Larger surface area for the soundboard (top). For the pickup it doesn't matter, but for acoustic playing it makes a difference.
I use finger's (San's pick ) I buy the kids in my family ukeleles SSI they're infected young (I have two new great nephews and I've got their uke's already) didn't George Harrison write "Strummthing in the way she moves"?...just saying 😀👍🇫🇴☮️
lol. Lee just ruined any working class credibility by calling Primary School 'Prep School'. I'm tempted to get a Ukulele actually. Sadly, no left handed at all. I imagine it could be converted, but probably needs the nut messing with or sounds like pants. Not the best for trying to get kids started.
Some of my family comes from Hawaii and ukulele is a part of my life. They are a great instrument, fantastic as a songwriting tool as well. I move from guitar to ukulele as needed and don't think much of it. One of the finest instruments is made in my father's hometown and those are as nice as any of the finest guitars made. Koa is the most traditional wood for ukes.
Loved this! Please consider doing banjos next Ben and Lee!
Started off with a cheapo acoustic in primary school and ended up not playing due to my teacher quitting.
Just before lockdown one i bought a ukulele to prove to myself i could still learn to play an instrument. Since then I've started playing a guitar and haven't looked back since.
I heard through the grape vine that Bob Taylor is now managing the Koa wood "situation" in Hawaii. Like total management of harvesting, growing, re-planting, planning, sales/forecasting etc. Similar to what he has done for Ebony in the African regions. It does seem that there is a lot more Koa available these days, similar to there being more Ebony available also. Even if the Ebony is the "striped" variety, maybe even more beautiful and just as functional. Good on Bob, and good for us!! Cordoba has a factory in California where they make their USA line of guitars. About 7ish years ago they bought the Guild Guitar brand and assets. They hired Ren Ferguson, formally of Gibson, to set up and run the Guild manufacturing there. All the new Guild USA guitars are now made at the Cordoba facility in California with Ren at the controls. He is a Master Luther and has made some awesome custom guitars while at Gibson. Sorry for being so wordy, just thought someone may be interested.?!? Kind regards, 8) --gary
Koa trees take hundreds of years to mature, and instrument grade Koa tends to grow at higher altitudes.
If there is more available, it probably has little to do with planting at this point.
It is an over-harvested commodity, and is used throughout Hawaii for furniture and cabinet making. I hate to think how much a legal board foot of instrument grade Curly Koa costs now, as it was about $80 a ft almost 20 years ago - in Hawaii
“I don’t really know how to play a Ukelele” proceeds to play something great
I have the Cordoba and felt it was definitely the loudest ( mine was a gift ), but my choice would be your #2 Alverez for quality of sound. The quality of the tuners, neck, and comfort would be a consideration as well. I think the ones with the darker woods and the cutaway look the best.
I have an AnuiNui. Cost around $150 10 yrs ago. It’s all lam mahogany and very well constructed and sounds pretty good. It’s a soprano body with a concert neck, so they call it a long neck soprano. Uke is big fun. My jamming buddy had a pretty nice tenor of some kind.
It's so cool that you guy reviewed some ukus. After about 30 years of playing guitar, I pick up a soprano uku in Thailand while on holiday, a cheap 10 quid one. After a few beers and working out the chords, we were rocking by the beach under the stars! Now, to me it's the best travel 'guitar'.
Sorry to hear you got ukus while on holiday.
Really enjoyed the demonstration and comments on the ukes and their tone. While the type of wood and size body make a big difference, I would love to have heard you comment on the type of strings on the ukes. I have found that strings can make a very significant difference to the sound quality. Cheers!
I have had the Cordoba 15TM (Tenor Size) for years and I absolutely love it and I think that Ben made the right choice!
I’d love to see a decent tenor ukulele comparison vid please!!!
I bet Ben is a great teacher he seems to have a certain way about him!
“I need to learn to play” -B
Plays the pants of the ukulele!
I got an Alvarez AU90T a year ago and absolutely love it. I really think Ben would have got on better with a tenor uke. It's the same tuning as the concert and soprano, but a big bigger, so the fret spacing higher up the neck is actually playable for people who don't have tiny hands.
They are not just for kids lol. I play acoustic, electric guitars and have four ukes. I love the baritones and just recently bought a Fender Dhani Harrison tenor just for the beauty of the instrument. I have a mahogany baritone that I love with no pickup but great sound.
Ukes are fun...I have a Mahalo soprano, a Kent baritone and two bass ukes (Aklot fretless and UK Dream fretted)...none are top of the line but they all play great...it would be nice if you guys also featured some bass ones
There are also string sets with a low g available. Lots of people get confused about the high g note in the beginning, when playing melodies or scales.
Would love it if you guys tried out some baritone ukuleles. They're normally tuned DGBE like the four highest strings of a guitar, which should make your playing skills transfer over more easily. They have such a warm, mellow sound. I myself have an entry-level Cordoba Protege, which plays & sounds quite nice for the price.
This is great. Next: Mandolin and Banjo please!
I always have mine to hand when I'm cleaning windows
🥁
You are a liar Sir! I seen you standing by the lamp post.
We have a bunch of ukes (concert and tenors). While I’d never proclaim to be an expert, I would suggest you not buy a child a Mahalo uke to learn on unless you want to teach them a lesson. And that lesson is that you don’t love them and you don’t want them to continue playing ukulele.
Ben, you should try some tenors too. They have a different tone, are easier to play, and sound great. Also, you may be interested in trying some new strings. Most ukes come standard with Aquila strings, but you may prefer something warmer like Worths (my preference for ukes).
Great episode. Grats on the uke.
That looks hysterical using all those Hercules stands for those dainty ukes. I use one for my G&L 5 string bass.
Now I can't unsee it, looks hilarious. I use a rack from Hercules, it's been here for years. Long lasting stuff.
Merry Christmas Acoustic Paradiso peeps!! 🥰
My sons elementary school taught them ukulele. It was a surprise to me that one day we were sitting around the fire at home and we brought out a couple ukuleles and started jammin.
Its nice to see some *ukulele* on the channel aswell. Cheers!
Hi, Lee and Ben.
Thanks for a great video on the ukulele, and just to suggest checking out the ukulele orchestra of Great Britain on RUclips , they really are amazing and cover some great tunes, the good the bad and the ugly being one of them. Merry Xmas, thanks, Chris.
The different sizes of uke--i.e. soprano, concert, tenor, baritone--are based on scale length rather than physical size.
I have a Kala all mahogany concert size. So much fun to play, and a very "happy" sounding instrument. Cheers.
The Cordoba is maybe the loudest but to my ears not the best souding of the lot. The Alvarez you rated 2nd sounded quite a bit nicer and also less detuned across the frets, on top of the great look.
In the US elementary school goes 1-5 grade, 5-11 yr olds. Middle school is 6-8 , 11-14 yr olds. Then high school is 9-12. 13-18 yr olds
Btw I never got on with picks on uke. Felt or regular. The felt “felt” clumsy and a hard pick just don’t sound right. I use bare fingers.
Shopping for a Uke for daughter. Thankyou so much for the Honest Review/Demo. Cheers
Ben You bought the right one and the Alvarez was my second pick...well done guys and interesting..thanks
Excellent work on the weight loss, Ben!
Number 4 was my favorite. For tone that is.
fun fact about acacia , we use gum acacia for all kinds of food stabilizers and chewing gum. You can play what you eat!
You should try a Kala Koa Ukelele if you get a chance. They have deep loud sustain like crazy for such a small instrument.
Its more than likely more to do with the resonance being impacted by the fitted pickup.. some resonance will be lost due to the shape of the pick up and battery compartment within the body of the guitar....
Fun video! Now can you do one on a few different types of ukes? Tenor, etc...
I have played on dozens of different ukulele models, of every one I found the Cordoba brand to be my favorite!
You need to try some high end ukes.
Wow, the koa one gave a true sound. However the first one was the only without a cutaway. The koa did sound like what you hear when you hear a great player. But, that's just me...
Agreed, they sort of gave it the "amateur" review by being impressed with the loudest model, without really considering the overall tone and authenticity of that tone (at least in what they said in this video-there may have been more discussion that didn't make the video). I'd personally opt for that koa version if money wasn't a big concern.
Cordoba makes a solid koa uke that is amazing.
@@sundaynightdrunk there’s something to be said for the teacher having a louder instrument than the students…
@@danielhoskins4690 Yes, true, and being that a lot of his lessons are probably online through Zoom or similar, the louder instrument would be easier for students to hear clearly. I just didn't like the tone as well.
I have a tiny Monkeypod uke, and the Koa sounded correct to me, smaller and more Hawaiian. The big Cowboy tones of the Cordoba were nice, and it reminds me that the Hawaiian and Western music trends of a hundred years ago were pretty closely linked.
Hi, It will be great if you can show detailed measurements, because there is a marked difference between Cordoba and the others, (like soprano vs concert). Take care.
Good to see some ukulele love on the Andertons channel. You need to get some solid bodied electric ukes and get Rob to do some shredding on them. :)
I bought a Kamaka Tenor Ukulele in Kauaii, Hawaii around 12 years ago. It was quite expensive (700$). It‘s perfect, i play guitar and own quite a few acoustics and electrics. I often get drawn to the ukulele, there‘s something in that instrument that makes me play completely different. And the koa wood sounds brilliant and warm at the same time.
Are the Concerts bigger than the Tenors or smaller? I don‘t know anymore.
If i would buy another one it would be a soprano (smallest size). It‘s the original size. It‘s the loudest, more high tones to cut through an acoustic.
It‘s not the bigger instruments that are louder, they are just more bassy and warmer.
I have an old Monkeypod Ka Lae Pineapple. It is tiny, but very loud. I understand that Johnny Lae was a family friend who built his ukuleles on the Kamaka bench, it looks like it's a single carved piece except for the top. The thing about the Ukulele is that it has some inversion of every chord right in reach, so if one were actually musically inclined then he could actually write like, all the songs. Something to like about them. ☝️
@@hoboroadie4623 yes it‘s a fully grown instrument and very versatile. It cuts through the mix combined with an acoustic guitar. If i buy a Ukulele again it would be a soprano size.
I‘m not a real musician, i just like to olay instruments. I need to learn more if the basics, invest time on whats really happening on the fretboard and theory. I know what inversions are but i can‘t use them because of lack of knowledge. I‘m 46 years now so i might have a go and take some (guitar) lessons again.
Definitely Liked them All The lower priced had an Awesome Tone. Although for My Choice of Woods Would be Koa. 👍👍🎶🎶🎸
Interesting video. I wonder if Andertons might encourage cash strapped school to start Ukulele clubs by offering support. Music education is a very much underfunded area in schools today.
And 29 Acacia Road is where Bananaman lives 😂
I kept waiting for him to play Margaritaville. lol
My daughter was in her Uke club and now has a much nicer uke. We went to Fiddlers Green here in Austin TX and tried about 30 out and one just spoke to her. On the same line, get one with 6 strings and your guitar playing skills feel more at home.
Agree on you can get cheap ukes doesn't mean you should! To start yep £30 likely won't play well and you'll give up or loose interest but you can. I would reccomend £100 from a music shop for a serious consideration for a uke. Make sure it's set up properly. Some guitar brands are ok. They do tend to be a little heavily built though. There are definitely better quality and sounding instruments out there for the money.
Also one of my pet hates describing laminate instruments as "Koa". They're laminate woods they aren't solid koa. Cordoba are a decent brand. Laka are mostly laminate way over priced. Alvarez are too heavily built Cordoba do actually make some good ukes. I'll sneak back to my Ukulele land. Also Mahogany is traditional for the likes of old school Martin ukes and Baritones are well worth a look at the top end. Also sopranos can come with wider fret boards than 35mm which makes them much more playable and is much more traditional. For this price range definitely take a look at Islander, Kai, flight to name a few way better quality and sound. Concert, tenor or soprano is purely about scale length and doesn't refer to body size.
My Hawaain friend let me hold his Kamaka ukelele a while back. made of Koa. way more expensive than i thought ukes could be.
Ben, the new Roy Smeck ? !!! :-O
I would have thought intonation and tuning stability would be factors in price point on the more expensive ones?
Great vid. Please do tenors and also add some low G options!
The ukulele has its origin in the XX century , whose ancestors braguinha the machete and Rajão , instruments carried by the Portuguese, when they emigrated to Hawaii to work in the cultivation of sugarcane in the islands.
I have been looking for the Reno RU320E. So this video was great as inspiration....
Great playing!
Just ordered the koa Laka!
That one sounded more Hawaiian. 🎶
Loud is not everything.
Uke Paradiso ...get one with an output so you can fry the fretboard through a Hi-Gain Marshall LOL
Outstanding! I a have wanted to get a Uke.
This video made me think there was trick photography where Lee and Ben were superimposed in large perspective to make standard acoustic guitars look tiny 😂
Intonation is critical. Cheap ones don't intonate well and sound crappy. So check this when buying any instrument
It's pronounced "ooh-coo-leh-leh." Hawaiians are very happy when you pronounce it correctly.
Interesting. I will have to try the felt picks. Dhani remarked that George Harrison had a collection of ukes. The Fender I have has a Fishman pickup. Thanks for this video!!
I would play with fingers from the beginning. Especially when strumming. Thumb downstrokes combined with index finger up- and downstrokes (both fingers held like a open claw, loosely nit cramped). Use fleshy and nailside of the index finger. It immediately gives you the sound of more strings.
@@mlugin8050 Thanks!!
I can not imagine using a guitar pick on an Ukulele. I have a few felt plectrums around for visiting musicians, but I just use fingers. *I am not, in fact, a musician. I just found the hat.
@@hoboroadie4623 here in Switzerland, people think Ukuleles are childrens instruments. So they offer Ukulele lessons in Kindergarden. I had that too 40 years ago. There they recommend felt picks and you learn horrible songs. It‘s maybe ok to start but i think the songs were so ugly that no kid stuck to playing the instrument for a longer period.
There‘s so much more tone in the fingers! Even if you just start out and only know two or three chords. Enjoy the Uke!
I've got one of the alvarez grateful dead ukes and effing love it for the price point that it was.
I got one too, and I was grateful to sell it because it sounded so dead. Seriously. Weak volume and unimpressive tone. I have several Alvarez acoustic guitars and love them, but their ukes suck.
I have the Alvarez Dark Star uke. It was the first one I bought. Now have two baritones and a Fender tenor made with Dhani Harrison's specs and name on it. Also some beautiful Hindi art engraved on the back. Also have an Alvarez 50th Anniversary Grateful Dead six string guitar that sounds great.
OK, now I see another video coming where the Cordoba is the baseline, and you put it up against some Tenor models. Have to do some more exploring here ... 🙂
Grammar School, Elementary School (used most often), or Primary School. I think it's a regional or colloquial thing ...
Doesn't England also have Prep schools for younger chidren or am I dating myself? We have elementary, then middle school (11-13?), then high school here in BC.
@@mxh5647 Nursery, 2-4 Primary, 4-11 Secondary, 11-16. Usually College or University from 16-18 onwards here in England 👍🏻
I thought Ben second name was Dover .........I'll get me Coat
Rather seeing ukulele is a gateway, I see them as an enabler because they have less of an instrument to fight with that enable then to make music sooner rather than later. So the road to finding enjoyment in playing is much shorter in my opinion
Please check into Jake Shimabukuro. He will definitely get you to accept the ukulele as serious a musical instrument as anything else.
The dreadnought beats all the cutaways....
Certain species of acacia can be used to extract DMT - the Australian Govt once discussed banning the cultivation of wattle for this very reason...until they realised that banning something that's actually on our national Coat of Arms would be a bad look!!!! 😆😆😆
Acacia wood = ark of the covenant (as in Raiders of the lost …) Noah used gopher wood. Neither could play like Ben. 👍
You should play a use with fingers.. If you use a pick it should be a soft pick
Uku's are great fun.
I wonder if another reason why the cheapest Uke sounded best might be because of the absence of a stupid big hole in the side for a pickup system...
Also there's an implied suggestion that Koa is used on all good Ukes. This is far from true. Koa was used on nearly all Ukes from Hawaii for a long time as it was the only commonly available suitable wood on the islands but a huge number of Martin Ukes were all mahogany and highly regarded. Now, the companies have fairly uniform access to any woods they care to use.
Every actual ukulele player saw the plectrum in his hand and cringed....
Super cool man
Cordoba makes a Portuguese style uke
It was all the wood Noah had left..
Koaloha opio over here. I couldn’t want more in a uke
I would lose the pick and go for a tenor with a low g 😉
I thought Ukuleles are strummed with fingers?
You can't beat #Cordoba at their game, they make Some of the best nylon instruments in the world
I knew you were talking private schools....there's no way my son's state school could afford buying £40 ukes for a club! 🤷♂️
I’ve been wanting a ukulele for awhile now, I kinda like the idea of being a lazy bum laid out on the couch. Just noodling around.
The Cordoba doesn’t have a cutaway. 🤔
That's part of the reason that it is louder. Larger surface area for the soundboard (top). For the pickup it doesn't matter, but for acoustic playing it makes a difference.
I use finger's (San's pick ) I buy the kids in my family ukeleles SSI they're infected young (I have two new great nephews and I've got their uke's already) didn't George Harrison write "Strummthing in the way she moves"?...just saying 😀👍🇫🇴☮️
It doesn't have a cutaway. That's why. A cutaway shouldn't be on an instrument that size.
Lee been down the gym
👍
cmon captn have a go!
Or just get one from Thomann for half the price.
Every time I consider whether I want a ukulele, I pick up my kalimba and the consideration ends.
(:
Oh geez give me a break on content
I never even wondered if a Ukulele has a truss rod. Probably not, yeah?
None that Ive seen.
Mine have a fixed carbon truss but they are pretty much the high end models.
Ben are you losing weight? or is it the beard?
🤣 Both!
lol. Lee just ruined any working class credibility by calling Primary School 'Prep School'.
I'm tempted to get a Ukulele actually.
Sadly, no left handed at all. I imagine it could be converted, but probably needs the nut messing with or sounds like pants.
Not the best for trying to get kids started.
No uke will sound its best if you use a pick.
Is Ben ill ?
No, just got in better shape. 🙂
What an odd looking guitar!?