New Pineapple Ukulele

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/160 sec, ISO2500
“New Pineapple” Cedar Park, 2024

I just couldn’t resist buying this Uma pineapple ukulele. I have been impressed by the Baby-T from Uma so much that I had no hesitation to spend ~$80 US on a concert-sized pineapple by them. It’s part of Uma’s base model 03 line, but it is wonderful! I like them much better than Kala.

Ukulele Snapshot

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/100 sec, ISO2000
“Ukulele” Cedar Park, 2023

I continue to practice the ukulele daily. It is a great way to exercise my brain, unwind, and have fun. My current favorite is my Mele concert ukulele, which is beautiful, sounds amazing, and comes from Maui, where my family has roots. I love it!

Uma Baby-T Ukulele

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/2, 1/100 sec, ISO200
“Uma Baby-T” Cedar Park, 2023

My new ukulele arrived! It’s an Uma “Baby-T” Tenor ukulele – a tenor neck with a concert-sized body. It’s kind of a perfect tenor ukulele for me. I prefer the smaller body size ukuleles (my Mele concert body is much smaller than the inexpensive Kala ukuleles), but wanted to try out the tenor-size neck. So far I am enjoying it quite a bit! My concern was that my short fingers wouldn’t be able to reach comfortably, but those concerns have vanished as I’ve been able to stretch more than I thought. And the extra space between frets makes it easier to place my fingers on those adjacent strings.

The quality of this inexpensive Uma Baby-T is impressive. The Taiwanese acacia wood (laminate) looks beautiful, and is very similar to my Mele Hawaiian koa (solid-top) ukulele. The fit and finish of the frets is excellent, and the action is set up nicely, right out of the box. It has simple but attractive binding and I love the playful Uma logo. Some say it looks too cute and childish, but I think it’s great. What’s wrong with adding some joy to the world? Lastly, the Baby-T has a beveled edge so that the ukulele doesn’t dig in to your right forearm. It really makes a difference! No more “uke arm”. 😀

My new Uma Baby-T is now my favorite in my collection. To make room for it, I am selling one of my Kala concert ukuleles, but I’m not sad about that. I hope it finds a good home!

Dad’s Kamaka Ukulele

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4, 1/640 sec, ISO640
“Old Kamaka” Torrance, 2022

I am enjoying playing this old Kamaka ukulele, which my dad has had it since he was a kid. I gently cleaned it with a damp cloth, and changed strings and it sounds nice! The tuners don’t hold tune very well, but that’s okay. It just adds to the charm. 😀