Changing Tastes? New Uke Rankings.

Last month I ranked my 10 ukes in order of preference. I have since sold off the Applause soprano and KoAlana concert while acquiring a BugsGear concert Eleuke. It now appears that the order of preference has changed a little bit. I'll just re-arrange the top 5 since that's where the changes happened anyway:

1. Honu super deluxe concert: This uke seem to get better and better. It sounded better when I put Worth BM's on it over the stock Aquilas. Then I tried some Worth CD's and it sounded even better. Maybe the wood has opened up or something, but I simply couldn't keep my hands off it over the last few weeks. It's hard to believe but I would have to say it is my favorite at the moment even over the mighty Pineapple Sunday. It just sounds so absolutely crystal clear. And the volume issue I had with it when I first got it has totally disappeared. Of course, it already looked great, so it now has the total package. I hope my upcoming custom ukes can sound better than this. That would be phenomenal.

2. KoAloha Pineapple Sunday: It still sounds sublime and loud. I still dig it's unique shape very much. And it still has the most Ummph! up and down the fretboard. It's just that right now I'm favoring clarity in my uke sound so the Honu gets a slight edge. So the Pineapple Sunday sits here in 2nd place.

3. G-String soprano: I just put some Worth BL's on this uke and I think it sounds a little better than the Aquila strings it had. Of course, it already sounded awesome with the Aquilas so this just makes it even better. It's sound quality is on par with the top 2 ukes I have but I have not been focused on sopranos of late so this is where I would rank it.

4. Kanile'a "Custom SS": It fell from 2nd to 4th due to my shifting preference for the sound. Compared to the crystal clear Honu, this uke sounds deeper and a little muddier. Still a high quality sounding instrument, and I like how it does sound very different from the other ukes.

5. Pono Cedar Top tenor: Still got the nice deep tenor sound and still look great.

So there you have it. The Honu is my current favorite. It took me a while to admit to myself that I actually like an import better than the Hawaiian made ukes, but it's true as of now. Of course, my tastes could change down the road, and the custom ukes could knock my socks off. That will probably be a good time to do another one of these mindless ukulele rankings!