guitar player wishing to purchase a ukulele
 

i'm planning on purchasing a ukulele. i ran across this link of enya ukuleles in a closeout sale. seems like a good deal but i'd like others opinions.

it is probably the same in the ukulele world as the guitar: preferably solid vs. laminate, but, what about the different types: tenor, soprano, etc? and, what about differing strings and tunings?
thanks,
mikeB

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https://ventura.craigslist.org/msd/d...357404180.html

I’m a soprano player, mainly because it’s different, way different, than guitar. Tune in today’s standard tuning, gcea, with a high ‘g’. Sure, folks say larger sizes are easier for guitar players, but I don’t agree, switching from a guitar with a 1-⅞” nut width is no issue. You may want a smaller, more portable guitar-like Instrument, so a Tenor with a low g would be up your alley.

Haven’t heard of Enya, but take a look at Pono, Kala, Mainland, those seem to be the choice in inexpensive solid wood ukes nowadays. Just like guitars, cheap is cheap. A little suspicious of 50$ Stringed instruments..

Of the 4 main sizes, soprano(13”) concert(15”) Tenor (16+”) and baritone(bigger) all but baritone are generally tuned “gcea” nose-to-toes, bari like the 1st 4 on a guitar, dgbe, so chord names would be familiar, but as the shapes are the same anyway, the learning curve isn’t that steep with gcea.
Problem with cheaper no-names is poor construction, intonation and action issues, poor setup.

Strings? Ah, it’s a journey. Fluorocarbon strings are the most stable, Worth, the new Martin strings and a few others. Aquila are a bit meatier, and some say they sound great. When changing strings,btw, don’t leave slack like metal guitar strings, pull them all the way up, lock em, and tighten. That way you’ll have 3 winds around the Post and they’ll settle quicker.

great information. thanks neal!!

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I recommend a tenor size to all my students who are transitioning from guitar. The tenor fretboard has a little more space to make the transition smoother, but still maintains the gCEA ukulele tuning to keep the transposition of uke keys/chords. The baritone ukulele will be tuned like a guitar, so will still feel more like a guitar than an uke.

For these Enya ukes, it seems like they're made in Asia and their original price range also supports that theory. Honestly, at that slashed price, I'd go down and play all three of the Koa, Mahogany and Spruce versions and see which one you like best. I can almost guarantee that they will all sound quite similar, and that the only difference in sound would come from a difference in finish (i.e. gloss vs. satin, the satin ukes tend to be better sounding). If they all sound similar, just buy the one that looks the best. If you can afford it (because they're so cheap!), get both a tenor and a concert in the same woods. Or, you can also get two different tenors and string one up gCEA and GCEA (low-G) - it's always good to have both of these formats on hand.

Good luck!

great information! thank you joe!!

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Our own Earl49 operates this site - loads of good info:

http://www.boiseukulelegroup.com/

steve: thanks for the info.
as with guitars, i think i'll give up on cheap and instead go for quality but used.
mikeB