First Ukelele

[Chris_M]

Looking to buy my first ukelele. Have a bit of experience with them but have never owned one.

I realize there is different sizes and such. I'm open to suggests but keep in mind I'm a big guy at 6"3 with fairly large hands.

Looking to spend $200 (max), realize that's not a huge budget but I hope to keep a decent intermediate uke if I can.


Anyways all and any suggestions/advice welcome!
Thanks

Chris

[lespaul_79]

Mainland ukes have a great rep at ukuleleunderground.com

1st, uke..... get a cheapy Makala Dolphin uke. Look it up on Google/Youtube. Cult following....

[thunderlung]

You can never go wong with a flea. I like the soprano with the concert neck(the rosewood fretboard upgrade is well worth the money).

[Jason Paul]

I'll put in another vote for Mainland. I have a Mainland mahogany concert and it's a great sounding, great playing uke.

I also have a concert Flea (plastic fretboard), and I much prefer the Mainland, personally. The Flea has a longer scale, so the frets are farther apart. It almost feels like a tenor to me, compared to the Mainland.

For bang-for-your buck in solid wood ukuleles, it seems that Mainland or Ohana are both good brands, though I'm sure there are others.

I have a Kala soprano too. It sounds pretty good, but the intonation is slightly off, and that kind of turned me off to the brand.

Another thing about Mainland is that Mike (owner) is very active on the Ukulele Underground forum, he's very accessible, and generally great to work with.

If you go with another brand, Hawaii Music Supply and Uke Republic are both reputable online shops, who are active members on the Ukulele Underground forum.

And I don't mean to sound like everything has to go through a "Ukulele Underground Filter". It's just that it's a popular forum with a lot of helpful people (like here), so there's some trust built there.

Jason

[ukejon]

Mainland Mike is a great guy. Tell him Jason and Ukejon sent you his way, and maybe he will cut you a great deal. Get a tenor if that is the most comfy fit for your big hands. A soprano is pretty tiny.

[Chris_M]

Talked to Mike a bit today, seems like a really nice guy.
Looking at getting the Red Cedar Tenor!

[Jason Paul]

$200 max he says.
Red Cedar Tenor he says...

Let us know if you end up getting one. I've recently been thinking about getting a tenor myself too. I'm not sure if I'd get another mahogany or red cedar. I know the cedar tends to be louder, but it may not be too much on a tenor.

Jason

[blue]

Originally Posted by thunderlung

You can never go wong with a flea. I like the soprano with the concert neck(the rosewood fretboard upgrade is well worth the money).

I like the fluke myself, but yes, great company. The flea is cute though. I just like the eastern european vibe of the triangular fluke.

[the.ronin]

Consider the "entry level" models made by the reputable K brands like KoAloha's or Kanilea's. They are decent quality for their price range.

Kamoa is a newcomer that was being touted over at UU for a while - Aldrine even did his own video review saying they were decent. Friend got one, they are decent.

I've heard good reviews on Mainland. They are based out in Nashville.

For your size, I would definitely not recommend a soprano. Concert or tenor. Baritone is even bigger but as you know they are not typically tuned gCEA.

[Bazmaz]

Totally agree with suggestions of Mainland, Fluke and Flea.

[johninmass]

I recently bought two concert size ukuleles from MIM's Ukes and I am very satisfied with both of them. The setup she did is spot on both ukes. Both ukes are exactly alike even though they were ordered about one month apart. My uke is the Makai LC-80J; laminate juneberry back with a solid cedar top. With a hardshell case it was under $250. The second one is an Ohana (can't remember the model # but if want to know, I can look it up), laminate mahogany back with a solid mahogany top. With a hardshell case, it was under $190. I bought this one for my future son-in-law. The Makai is a bit brighter sounding while the Ohana is warmer. The warmer sound of the Ohana is what I expected it being mahogany. The Makai is a little louder, but both are excellent instruments. I highly recommend MIM and she also has an excellent reputation on the ukulele underground forum.

[ras1500]

I'm 6'2" and do not have particularly large hands. I bought a Kala mahogany tenor ukulele from Sweetwater for around $125. I enjoy playing this instrument and really like the sound. But, I find it tough to stuff my fingers into the relatively small space between frets on some chord shapes.

[actaylor]

I've got a mahogany Mainland concert uke. Love it! Very well made and sounds great. Bought my daughter a Mainland as well. They're great ukes and very reasonably priced.

[Bazmaz]

I'm not convinced size should dictate your ukulele scale. Some huge guys in Hawaii swear by the Soprano,

I am six foot four and my favourite sizes are soprano and tenor - which, I think, says it all!

Choose your uke based on the sound you want

[blue]

Originally Posted by Bazmaz

I'm not convinced size should dictate your ukulele scale. Some huge guys in Hawaii swear by the Soprano,

I am six foot four and my favourite sizes are soprano and tenor - which, I think, says it all!

Choose your uke based on the sound you want

soprano definitely has a tone to it. You want to call it sparkle, bright, lively, whatever. A good one just sounds amazing. Uke is my second instrument, and to be honest, I have a hard enough time holding my Fluke! Not fretting and playing chords, but holding the body. I don't want to go smaller for that reason.

But I can totally see favoring Soprano and Tenor as a one two punch. I just have a hard time holding a traditionally shaped soprano. Clearly the rest of the world does fine with it!