Futulele vs. Ukulele - 5 reasons why it's not worth buying

If you haven't yet heard about the "Futulele", get ready to be sufficiently annoyed by every friend who owns both an iPhone and an iPad. The Futulele (short for "futuristic ukulele"...maybe?) is set to drop sometime in April. This ukulele synthesizer (made by Touch DJ app maker Amidio Inc., connects the aforementioned iOS devices via Bluetooth. Basically, you can select up to 12 chords per jam and strum away.

Good idea? Eh, maybe for someone that has little to no musical experience and wants to annoy the general public as a busker outside of a crowded
shopping mall. I can see how someone might get a kick out of it. But the majority opinion of the ukulele playing community (myself included) is that this "thing" is wretched! Obviously, this was created for those that already have an iPad and an iPhone and probably don't play the ukulele. Makes sense, right? But...it...just...sounds...so...awful! Listen for yourself.





Heard enough? Well...just in case that doesn't make the point, here's 5 reasons why it's NOT worth buying (including some that have already been mentioned).


1. The Price - Like I already mentioned, this is most likely geared towards folks that already have both an iPad and an iPhone, but just for argument sake we'll add those prices up. While I can't find the price for the actual app and whatever kind of harness will hold this thing together, we know the price of an iPad ($400 or so) and an iPhone (another $400 or so). So...that brings our total to - $400 + $400 + ? = right around $800. You could easily get a good basic ukulele for $50-$100...and you can grab a really nice ukulele for half of that $800 price tag.

2. The Sound - You heard it for yourself. The Futulele is undoubtedly HORRIBLE sounding. You could probably break a cheapo ukulele in half and still obtain a better tone. Seriously, this thing doesn't even sound like a ukulele. It strikes me as more of a banjo sound....with a tin can body...that is being driven through a crappy practice amp.

3. You'll look ridiculous - You will definitely be the talk of the town....and not in a good way.

4. A real ukulele doesn't need batteries - What could be more embarrassing than wooing the girl of your dreams with a Futulele love song and having one of your devices die in the middle of the tune? At this point, perhaps you would say that your attempt is...futile. Ba dum dum bing!

5. The robot war - That's right! You'll feel really foolish when the robot war begins and your seemingly harmless Futulele has transformed into a Decepticon. A real ukulele wouldn't do that. ROBOTS IN DISGUISE!


...so in summation, if you already have these iOS devices and just want to have a little fun with this app, go for it! But, if you're a ukulele player....go buy a new set of strings with the cash you would have dropped on it and learn a few more songs!