Quote:
Originally Posted by Arch Stanton
Hmmm, so what size do we want? Whats an all around "average" for a beginner?
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I taught beginning ukulele in a private school, 7th graders, for several years. For that age-group, I found that Concert size ukes were the best combo of (1) bang for the buck in terms of quality & (2) playability.
We always bought ukes with solid tops (mahogany or spruce) & laminated back & sides. These were mid-priced ukes. We wanted kids to learn to play well & love music -- it's a bit harder to achieve that when a kid has a crappy instrument that sounds lousy & is hard to play. (By the way, for these youngster-students, we avoided ukes with cedar tops because, in general, they are a bit more delicate than spruce & mahogany tops.)
As for "made in America" -- if a student got really dedicated to practicing & playing well, I would call their parents & suggest they upgrade their child's uke at Christmas. Often, they would buy one of the 4 "K" ukes (Kamaka, Kanilea, Koolau, and KoAloha) -- made in Hawaii, USA.
American-made ukes are expensive. IMO, a beginner's uke should be a good mid-priced one with a solid top, but not as expensive as USA-made ukes are. An USA-made uke upgrade should be for someone who has demonstrated a growing dedication to playing & practicing beyond the usual early-on interest.*
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*Of course I don't always practice what I preach when it comes to buying ukes for my grandkids.
