Let's Go Shopping - for a ukulele

A beginner ukulele player will probably wonder: what kind of uke should I buy? There is no perfect answer to the question, but to make it a bit easier I'll explore a few options to consider various perspectives.

The price-range for ukuleles goes from $20 for the cheapest models to hundreds or even thousands for the high end ones. First and foremost I'd like to talk you out of buying the $20 models, unless you are just looking for another knickknack to collect dust in your home. These super cheap, poorly constructed ukuleles are built from the cheapest materials. You really do get what you pay for: they are difficult to tune, they hardly hold a tune, and even the most careful tuning will result in false chords, flat notes, and unpleasant timbre. A less than desirable instrument like this could put you off learning to play the ukulele forever. Here is a picture of such a ukulele (without naming brand, model, or price):

I don't believe in starting off with a low end, cheap beginner's instrument, and waiting to upgrade later. It's worth it to pay a little extra right off the bat for a better quality starter instrument if you truly want to learn to play the ukulele. The small financial sacrifice will pay off immediately: you can spend your time learning and practicing chords, instead of tuning and retuning to get something more than discordant sounds out of your new instrument. For example, this middle of the price-range, well-built, great quality beauty would serve you well throughout your musical adventures:

Of course it is difficult to decide what kind of ukulele to purchase based solely on pictures. Just like with everything else, price will tell a lot about the quality of instruments: a cheap instrument will probably be a lemon, a total waste of money. In addition, I highly recommend investing in at least a soft shell for your ukulele. I personally prefer hard cases as they provide total protection. Finally, pick up a tuner to complete your setup. A basic, decent quality ukulele starter set (including a case and a tuner) will cost about $150-200. Using a free on-line tuner or downloading a free tuner app could save a few bucks.

It's a good idea to do thorough research on the web before buying a ukulele. If all goes well I'll be posting about my own ukulele testing experiences here in the near future. Until then, here is a short list of some of the many ukulele brands available: Abbott, Ana'ole, Antoniotsai/ Hanworks, aNueNue, Applause (Ovation), Aria, Ashbury, Ashton, BeBop, Beltona, Brownsville, BugsGear EleUke, Bushman, Clearwater, Cole Clark, Collings, Earnest Instruments, Cordoba, Favilla, Fender, Flea, Fluke, Gibson, Greg Bennett (Samick), Gretsch, Hamano, Harmony, Hawaiian Ukulele Company, Hilo, Honu, Ibanez, Johnson, Kala, Kamaka, Kanile'a, Kau'wela, Keli'i, Kiwaya, Fender, Keech, Ko'olau, Koa Pili, Koko, Keli'i, KoAlana, KoAloha, Kumalae, Laka, Lanikai, Lazy, Le Domino, Lehua, Leolani, LoPrinzi, Luna, Lyon and Healy, Maccaferri, Mahalo, Makai, Makala, Martin, Mele, Mid, Mitchell, Morelli/Santini, National, Ohana, Ookook, Ortega, Oscar Schmidt, Pahu Kani, Pono, Regal, Republic, Riptide, Rogue, Road Toad, Savannah, Slingerland, Stagg, Swagerty, T's Guitars, Tangi, Tanglewood, Universal Worldwide Trading, Vineyard, Uluru, Weissenborn, Yamaha

When buying a uke, you get to choose your size. As I explained in the first blog entry, there are four main sizes of ukulele. From smallest to biggest they are: soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. It's up to individual tastes which size you decide on. If you are completely unfamiliar with the sizing of ukes, I strongly advise to go to a music store and check them all out. Sopranos play melodies beautifully. They produce sound that is sharp and bright, not very orotund, and the chords sound bubbly. I think the soprano is too small for men, making it difficult to hold chords for the average hand-size. For large, manly hands I recommend concert, tenor, and baritone size ukes. In my opinion the chords sound better on larger size ukes as well. Ladies, with generally smaller hands, can take advantage of the soprano's smaller size. It's worth noting that while hand and finger size is important for forming chords, the whole length of the arm is important for holding the instrument during play, especially when there is no shoulder strap. For a man with long arms it might be uncomfortable to hold the body of the small soprano uke. Comfort with any size of uke depends on practice and habit. When choosing the size of the ukulele, beginners should aim to match it to their own capabilities.

If you can afford the $200-250 price range, an electric-acoustic ukulele might be a good option. The great thing about electric-acoustic instruments is that it can be used even without all the electrical bits. Unplugged, an electric-acoustic uke will still have a great sound, because the full body transmits and enhances the traveling sound. An even greater thing about these instruments is that hooking up to an amp can transform them into full fledged band instruments, adding amazing sounds to round out the musical effect. I suspect that most beginners will not pick an electric-acoustic uke as their first instrument. In later posts I'll talk more about electric-acoustic ukuleles. Until then, here is a picture of the output jack on the bottom of the body:

As seen, there are plenty of aspects to consider when choosing your perfect ukulele: price, brand, model, size. There is no simple answer. Finally, I'd like to suggest that you only order online if you are 100% sure about what you're going to get. If you're buying from a musical instrument retailer and you want a special order, wait until you can actually hold it in your hands before you commit to anything. Don't buy something that doesn't suit your needs just because it's on hand at the store.