Which ukulele to buy

With koa ukuleles, you get balanced tonality in unmatchable ways. As you would expect, koa ukes are only used by high-end ukulele brands for professionals. Spruce is also among the exotic woods commonly used in the production of ukes. Found predominantly in ukulele tops, spruce shines in the highs area, accentuating and amplifying them while also providing a dynamic mid-range.

Rosewood is among the woods used for the backs, sides, and fingerboards of a ukulele. By transmitting vibrant low-ends and rich overtones, rosewood speaks sustain on so many levels.

And depending on your ukulele playing style, you can manage to get soft, warm, and dark tones out of a cedar uke. Which one should you choose? Ukes made of solid wood indicate that only one layer of wood has been used in their construction.

Great, what does that mean for you, though? It means vibrant and resonant sound all the way. On the downside, however, solid woods come at a hefty price. Laminated ukuleles are those made of a blend of several layers of thin wood. Laminated wood is mostly used in ukuleles for beginners, allowing manufacturers to offer budget ukuleles that also happen to be of very high-quality and produce sufficiently acceptable tones.

Not to mention, laminated ukes are incredibly durable. Ukes at that price point guarantee subpar quality when it comes to both sound and build quality. And of course, the woods used in the construction will be of low build quality, and the result will only be a pure disappointment. Finally, I want to touch on two aspects that could make a huge difference in your ukulele playing experience: strings action and strings type.

That can be very tedious. I recommend narrowing your search by first determining your price range and body size. Once you have these two factors nailed down, the rest of your ukulele search will become much easier. These are instruments that you can play for a long time without feeling like you need to upgrade.

Plus, if you ever move up to a more expensive ukulele, your old uke will make a great backup for camping, travel, or loaning to friends. Unfortunately, ukes in this price range are much more likely to have serious issues that can affect tone and make them hard to play. In my opinion, many very cheap ukes barely qualify as real instruments.

Players who purchase ultra-cheap ukuleles often end up frustrated and discouraged. By spending just a little more money, you can get a high-quality beginner uke will be fun to play will motivate you to pick it up and practice more often.

Some first-time ukulele buyers are intimidated by the array of sizes. Soprano, concert, and tenor ukes are all tuned and played the same way. The answer mostly comes down to tone and playability. As a general rule, a bigger body means a bigger tone. Concert and tenor size ukuleles tend to be warmer, richer, and more resonant than soprano ukes.

The larger body sizes also produce more bass and volume. The scale length is the distance between the nut and the saddle, which are highlighted on the diagram below. A longer scale means the frets are further apart, giving your fingers have more room to maneuver. This means that concert and tenor ukes can be easier to play for some people because of their longer scale length.

The frets on a soprano can feel a little cramped for some players, especially those with larger hands or thick fingers like me. I think these any of these sizes are fine for a beginner. However, I personally prefer the larger concert and tenor body sizes. I think their richer tone and ease of playability makes them an ideal starting point for most beginners.

Soprano ukes are also less expensive than equivalent concert and tenor ukes. Do a little research, get a uke, and start playing! These models are all good ukuleles that score well on build quality, playability, tone, and customer service. This Canadian-based company sells exclusively on Amazon. The soprano ukulele is ideal for younger players and those with smaller hands and fingers, making this size often the best beginner ukulele for kids.

Still, the soprano is still suitable for players of any skill level and size. Due to its body size, it will have a brighter, softer tone with less projection and resonance than the larger sizes. We also offer a soprano ukulele size with a longer neck for those that desire the traditional ukulele sound and also want more frets and fret spacing. The Pineapple shape is a variation of the soprano size designed by Samuel Kamaka in the s.

The waist of the body on a Pineapple uke is eliminated to increase the surface area of the soundboard for a fuller sound. Concert is the next step up from the soprano in size. The extra length allows for more frets with wider spacing between them. The concert size is great for players of any skill or experience level, but may be more comfortable for those with a bit larger hands and fingers. Being a bit larger in size, the concert ukulele has a fuller sound and warmer tone with more mid-range than the soprano.

Concerts also project better than the sopranos, making the overall volume a bit louder. Tenor is the next step up from the concert in size. The extra length allows for wider spacing between the frets. This makes tenor ukuleles suited for fingerpicking.

The tenor size is the most popular among professional players, but is great for any skill or experience level.