Want to create your own entertainment? You could do worse than getting a ukulele. It’s more portable than a guitar, easier to learn (much more forgiving fretwork), and still capable of very sophisticated music. With that in mind, you can find a $99 uke, but it’s probably no better than a toy, and you’ll probably end up frustrated with it.
Two years ago on Thanksgiving Day, my brother and I gathered at my parents’ house in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The night before, we decided to stop by a party that a friend of mine from high school was throwing. When I got there, I realized I had never attended a local Turkey Day pregame since college.
Things have changed. We were a group of middle-aged professionals in sweaters and khakis gathered around the kitchen island under bright lights to discuss the real estate market and triathlon times.
Alcohol helped. So was the solid koa soprano ukulele that I had the foresight to bring. My brother is a veteran guitarist, but he had never picked up a uke before. it doesn’t matter. I showed him some code and he was off to the races, providing all the fun he needed. Here’s a clip of him warming up the crowd shortly before a spontaneous ’80s hair metal singalong erupts. (Drunk Mom Loves to Sing Poison):
What is the origin of the uke that he plays? mele ukulele. Mele started manufacturing gorgeous and extremely playable ukuleles in Maui in 1993. Since then, countless people, both professionals and amateurs, have used them to spread the “sweet sounds of aloha.”
mele ukulele
Category: musical instrument
Founder: michael rock
Established: 1993
position: Waifu, Hawaii (Maui)
Representative products:mele mango soprano, Melecore Top Guitarere, Mele mahogany tenor with abalone shell inlay
overview:
- Mele has three retail locations, all located on Maui.
- All of the company’s top-of-the-line equipment is manufactured on Maui. Others are partially assembled by luthiers in the Philippines and Mexico before being finished by Mele.
- The authentic koa wood from which Mele makes some of its ukuleles is mined only in Hawaii.
His own words (Mele sales representative arriving at Wailuku store):
[Tourists] Get sticker shock. Especially those that come from Europe. They say, “I want to buy an authentic Hawaiian ukulele for less than $200.” And you’d be surprised how common it is. What we would like to say to potential customers is that, as you know, this is not a product or a souvenir. This is a real professional and great instrument, and people all over the world are playing with it. I play with it. I earn money by playing the ukulele. And I have no intention of playing Chinese junk titles professionally.
