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So, you’re looking to buy a uke or banjo uke, which one should you buy? Well, I can’t answer that for you, but I can give you some advice based upon my own experiences over the years, although I must say at the outset that this is an area fraught with difficulties. Anyway, here’s my advice.
Are expensive instruments really worth it?
The simple rule here is that as with most things in life, generally speaking you get what you pay for. Higher priced instruments are usually well designed, well constructed, made of better materials, better sounding, easier to play, longer lasting, and they have a known pedigree. They can also be a good investment because they may increase in value over the years. Remember that many of today’s higher priced instruments were the choice of many professional and semi-professional players over the years, and remember also that the reason such players chose them was that they did the job better than any other instrument. Ludwig’s, Martin’s, and Gibson’s are the classic example of this. They look good, sound great, play well, and are very hard to find in really good condition because they were made up to 75 years ago, and very few of them have survived. So when you buy one today there is also the rarity factor that will push the price up, and the rarer models or the more highly decorated and more attractive models will tend to fetch premium prices. For years and years I always wanted to own three banjo ukes; a Ludwig, a Gibson, and an Abbott (English). Why? Because the great English entertainer played them and on his records and films I could hear and see that they all looked and sounded great. Of course, there was also the association with George Formby, but remember that he was a huge star in the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s, and in public he would only ever play an instrument that would give a great sound, and the same applies to all the other professionals.
Are there any good cheaper instruments?
Definitely - but watch out because there are an awful lot of lousy ones as well. And what do I mean by ‘cheaper’? Well, you may argue about this, but I would say that in the context of the entire range of instruments on the market, an instrument costing between £0 to £200 could be classified as being ‘very cheap’, and one of between £200 to £400 could be classified as being ‘fairly cheap’. In the former category, the Dallas ‘B’ Model is a great little instrument, as is the small version of the Slingerland ‘May Bell’ . Some Keech banjo ukes can make a nice sound but their design makes them tricky to play in the ‘Formby’ style. In the latter category, the Dallas ‘C’ and ‘D’ models are both very good, as are most of the cheaper Stromberg-Voisinet and J. R. Stewart instruments, which are well designed, well made, and give a good sound. These are just a few, and there are many more decent instruments in these price ranges. So which one do you buy? This is where patience comes in. Don’t rush to buy the first one you see. Pick them up, play them, compare the sound and the playability of each one and buy the one that you like the most. Ask advice from other people who have experience of playing instruments, and don’t ever be pressured into buying. If you miss out on the one you want, another will always come along sooner or later.
Should I buy ‘new’ or ‘vintage’?
Difficult! There are good and bad instruments in both categories. I know of some great modern instruments that I wouldn’t hesitate to sell on my web-site and some lousy vintage ones that I would never sell. To be honest, my own personal preference tends to be for ‘vintage’ instruments. When you buy an old instrument you are also buying a small piece of musical instrument history from the period of the 1920’s and 1930’s, which is generally regarded as being the zenith of the design, manufacture, and popularity of such instruments. There is another point here. A good modern instrument will set you back a minimum of about £500, which is actually good value when you consider what goes into making it, but for that you can buy a nice vintage instrument with a proven pedigree and a piece of musical history. Finally, over the years a vintage instrument is more likely to appreciate in value than a modern one, so it may be a better long term investment. Some contemporary manufacturers copy the old designs of well respected vintage manufacturers and some do it very well indeed.
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