Bulletin Board: Baritone revelation

Original Post By: Brudda Bu Date: 6/29/2007 11:36:44 AM A few weeks ago, Tommy B and I went to Schoenberg's guitar shop in Tiburon. He usually has a wide supply of ukuleles there. I've been looking recently for a baritone. I'm too lazy to learn guitar and I figure having a baritone is the next best thing. On the wall there was a 1960s Martin baritone for $1600. I got it down and strummed it a little bit. Not all that impressive, to tell the truth. There was also a solid spruce top Lanikai in the shop for $159. Strummed it. Went...WOW! This sounds really good. Tommy B strummed it and agreed. We compared the two, the $1600 Martin and the $159 Lanikai. I gotta tell you, the Lanikai outshined the Martin big time. I never thought I'd see the day when a cheap Chinese uke could outshine a Martin, by far my favorite brand of ukulele. Well, maybe it was the spruce top, maybe it just wasn't the best Martin ever made. Whatever, I quickly bought the Lanikai and have been enjoying it ever since. Posted By: stevo Date: 6/29/2007 11:56:16 AM My Wabash has a nice sound. I was playing a instrumental I had made up on my tenor and then switched over to the Bari. The friend that was there said something like,,, the big one sounds a lot better. I think the average joe relates to the deeper sound more. My Wabash hasnt sold , and Im glad. I got thru that cash crisis and still have it. And in the process weaned myself down to 3 ukes. I know I can only play one at a time, but its noice to have a couple options. Posted By: ChiyoDad Date: 6/29/2007 11:59:35 AM Brudda Bu, did you try out any of the Asturias koa ukes? The last time that I was there, I just ruled them out because they were out of my price range. Posted By: Ernie Date: 6/29/2007 1:11:05 PM Hey Craig- is it possible that the Martin had 1960's strings on it, while the Lanikai had new strings. That can make SUCH a big difference. I strummed a Martin Bari in Cerritos last summer (Buffalo Bros, I think), and I thought it sounded amazing. I know it wasn't the same uke... I'm just saying.. Posted By: musicguymic Date: 6/29/2007 1:44:08 PM Brudda Bu..It also depends on the sound you are ;looking for. It is my observation that the larger body the instrument is the less the difference is between laminate and solid and with a solid top the big instruments such as tenors and baritones can produce very nice tones. I had a very accomplished mandolin player one time try a very inexpensive Ply Baritone and he liked the sound so much he got three to give to his friends. Posted By: Ernie Date: 6/29/2007 2:12:39 PM I played a ply baritone in a store recently, and was really impressed. Posted By: Tom B. Date: 6/29/2007 2:42:56 PM Ernie, the Martin had newer strings, but they probably weren't good ones. Still, at $1600, the Martin should have delivered the goods. This really points up the importance of trying out instruments before buying, rather than relying on reputations. ChiyoDad, although your question wasn't directed at me, Bu and I tried out every Asturias they had. They're beautifully made and look gorgeous, but I didn't think any of them sounded good enough for the money. I think Bu felt the same way. One reason may have been the strings on them. (Why don't dealers put on good strings? I think the increase in sales would offset the cost.) Much more impressive, as usual, were the few Pohaku Ukuleles they had in the shop. Peter Hurney builds 'em light and right. Posted By: allenhopkins Date: 6/29/2007 3:20:10 PM   (Updated: 6/29/2007 3:20:35 PM) I think Br Bu and Tom's experience shows the risks of generalizing by brand name, as opposed to playing individual instruments. You can pretty much rely on a top-line company such as Martin to provide good materials, clean workmanship, and good design. But each piece of wood differs, and a high-end instrument can be a "dog," while a "cheapo" can sound wonderful. Oddly (or perhaps not so oddly) laminated tonewoods tend to vary less than solid woods, so a line of plywood ukes might indeed have a more uniform predictable sound than a group of solid-wood instruments by the same manufacturer. The first post reminds me somewhat of a Yankees-Dodgers World Series back in the '70's, when some young Dodger pitcher (was it Steve Howe? Can't remember) struck out Reggie Jackson a couple times. Reportedly, George Steinbrenner was really irate: "How can this kid who only makes $XX thousand per year, be striking out Jackson, whom I pay $XX million?" Sorry, George, it don't work that way. Over the long season, each will likely be worth what they're paid, but on any given day... Posted By: Brudda Bu Date: 6/29/2007 3:24:44 PM I agree with Tom. The Asturias were nice ukes, but Peter Hurney's were much better for that kind of money. I'm still blown away though by that Lanikai baritone. Posted By: GX9901 Date: 6/29/2007 3:31:02 PM Were there more than one Lanikai Baritone to try and did they all sound about the same? Posted By: ChiyoDad Date: 6/29/2007 3:52:58 PM   (Updated: 6/29/2007 3:54:33 PM) "I think Br Bu and Tom's experience shows the risks of generalizing by brand name, as opposed to playing individual instruments." Yeah. That sums-up what I discovered about classical guitars from the $500-$5000 range. It's been my uke experience as well. Your playing style can be a factor too. A lot of folks play with nails. I don't. What's "loud" for some folks may not be loud enough for me. Notes that sound "shrill" might turn out to be perfectly-rounded with my method. It means you might have to do a lot of footwork for comparison shopping. Tom and BB, thanks for the info. Yeah, I've been wondering why they don't string a few with Nylguts or Worths. But D'Addario's tend to be neutral; so that does make it a bit easier to compare (I guess). Posted By: J Rick Date: 6/29/2007 3:59:32 PM I'm sure you heard what you heard and like what you liked but 2 points to consider: 1 - The Martin bari you saw was overpriced by at least 25%. Excellent Martin bari's sell for $1000-1200 on eBay 2 - By buying a vintage instrument, particularly a Martin, you are basically playing it for free because whenever you decide to sell it, you will get your investment back if not significantly more. Jack Posted By: Brudda Bu Date: 6/29/2007 5:59:27 PM Jack, you're talking to a Martin guy (me!) and I totally agree with you. Yes, it was overpriced and I'm sure it will be in that shop for awhile. That was the only Lanikai bari there, but I'd love to play others to see if they are as good. Posted By: Pat LaFleur Date: 6/29/2007 7:42:43 PM I tried a few Lanikais and thought the baris sounded good. I have a Favilla but I would recommend the Lanikai if you couldn't get your hands on a vintage Favilla.

Please login to contribute to this post.