Buying a Ukulele - Things to Consider

Buying a ukulele, particularly for beginners, can be a bewildering experience. Despite being much smaller, there is a much greater variety in ukuleles than there is in guitars. This article will guide you through the choices you'll have to make.

The Size

Ukuleles come in four main sizes. From smallest to largest, these are: soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. There are also other sizes such as super-concert (between tenor and concert) and the absolutely tiny sopranino.

The best choice for beginners is probably the soprano. It is the standard ukulele size and gives the sound most associated with the ukulele. It's size means that it is well suited to playing chords. Also, the cheapest ukuleles are almost always soprano ukuleles.

The tenor ukulele gives much more room for your fingers to move, making it more suitable for solo playing. It is the size most often used by professionals such as Jake Shimabukuro.

The concert is a compromise between these two - giving the advantages of both - and is my favourite size of ukulele.

Baritone ukuleles are much closer to guitars than they are to ukuleles. The producer a much deeper sound and are tuned like the top four strings of a guitar. As such, they tend to be preferred by guitar players and people wanting to move on to the guitar later.

The Price

Ukuleles can be bought very cheaply (less than $20). These very cheap instruments are not great quality, but they are a lot of fun. If you are serious about playing the uke, it's well worth spending an extra few dollars for that first step up in quality. Makala and Lanakai are two brands which make good budget ukuleles.

If money is no object, having your ukulele made by a luthier is the best option. An experienced luthier will be able to guide you through the process and help you discover the elements that will suit your style of playing.

The Brand

There are a huge number of brands around. Modern makes such as Kala and KoAloha, vintage brands such as Martin and long standing makes such as Kamaka. Each brand has its own acolytes and detractors. Reading around on the net will give you a good idea of how well respected a brand is.

You might want to consider where a ukulele is made. The world's most respected brands tend to be made in Hawaii. Brands like KoAloha make ukuleles in Hawaii in a factory of skilled makers which offer regular tours. Today, most ukuleles are made in China to keep costs down and tend to be lower quality. As a compromise, some brands are made in China but finished in the US.

Which ever ukulele you choose, you're sure to have a great time playing it.