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Old 06-06-2021, 12:58 PM
KarenB KarenB is offline
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Default what type of ukulele?

I see they range from soprano to baritone. Where to start? I see there are even 6 string ukes. Any advice welcome.
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Old 06-06-2021, 01:50 PM
Brent Hahn Brent Hahn is offline
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After my kids got me a Tenor for Christmas, I did what one does in such cases; I went around to all the LA music stores to see what I wished I had been given instead. For me, the Tenor turned out to be the right thing. Sopranos and Concerts seemed too small and Baritones just struck me as hobbled guitars.
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Old 06-06-2021, 02:42 PM
KarenB KarenB is offline
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Thanks Brent. Seems like the thing for me to do is go to a store that has them.
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Old 06-06-2021, 07:59 PM
mjh42 mjh42 is offline
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If you can handle the different sizes that might help a bit. Of course there are sound differences with the scale and the string tuning.

I handled a friends soprano and that led me to a concert. I still pick up sopranos in shops or did at events I was going to. I do like long neck sopranos. Generally a soprano sized body with a concert scale neck.

Played a lovely Kinnard long neck soprano at an event. Best instrument I have ever played. Was not in the budget to buy at the time. Likely not ever.

Went looking at some higher end ukes that a local store had on sale. I was primarily looking for an upgrade to my concert. While there I handled a tenor. Spent the next year doing research. It was really the tenor sound that I liked.
Now I have the original concert and 3 different tenors. Over the course of a couple of weeks they all get played.

On some of the ukulele sites I see people recommend a concert for beginners. I wouldn't necessarily say that. Too many variable in the equation.

Buy for sound/tone, playability, quality build. Good looks and durability come in after that.

Good luck finding an uke you enjoy playing.
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Old 06-06-2021, 09:00 PM
jricc jricc is offline
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Hey KarenB. As a ukulele instructor, I usually suggest a concert size to start. It has a slightly bigger (but important) fretboard, a little more space for your fingers. The body size is also little bigger than the soprano. Try to at least get a solid top. Kala, Cordoba and Ohana make good ukes that start around $125-150 and can eventually be a good backup if you decide to move up.

Check out Mim's Ukes

Hope this helps.
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Old 06-06-2021, 09:21 PM
Aspiring Aspiring is offline
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A lot depends on what you want to do with as well. I have several tenors and concerts one soprano for one of my daughters. A five string tenor with both a low and high g.

And one that I think is super fun a Koaloha guitalele that has six strings with close to a classical guitar spacing that you can tune in guitar intervals either e to e like a guitar a-a with the same intervals as a guitar so your guitar chords work but having the top 4 matching standard ukulele tuning or my current favorite in g-g Terz tuning.

The fun with this is it is their uke size but all your guitar music and chord shapes carry over.
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Old 06-06-2021, 09:50 PM
KarenB KarenB is offline
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Thanks all for your thoughts. I don't know what I want to do with it. I like picking up instruments I haven't played and see what they inspire me to do.
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Old 06-06-2021, 10:28 PM
merlin666 merlin666 is offline
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I started out with a tenor and now have two tenors and two concerts. I had a soprano for a few months earlier this year but donated it to a good cause, as I just did not get comfortable with the small size. Concert is the way to go for comfort of scale but still sounds like a ukulele. With tenor size you get closer to a "small guitar" sound and feeling but I like the higher string tension and volume for performance and acoustic jams.
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Old 06-07-2021, 05:28 AM
Dave Hicks Dave Hicks is offline
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It's a matter of how the instrument fits you, I think.

When my wife started to learn uke, she had a soprano loaner. I tried that, and it was way too small. She bought a concert, and that's doable, but the scale seems a bit short. (Which is odd, since I play mandolin.) I figured that if I got a baritone, I would just pretend it was a small, crippled guitar. So I got a tenor, and that's a good fit in term of scale length and overall size.

D.H.
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Old 06-07-2021, 12:23 PM
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I used the Goldilocks principle, not too big and not too small. Baritones are just little guitars with no base strings. I would just as soon play a guitar than a baritone.
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Old 06-07-2021, 12:47 PM
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If I were buying today, I'd look for a 5 string. Having both a low and a high G string. You can find a lanikai 5 string for $189.
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Old 06-07-2021, 12:50 PM
Caddy Caddy is offline
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I have a tenor, a concert and a soprano. My favorite size (and sound) is the concert. Has more of the ‘uke’ sound than the tenor and more room on the fretboard than the soprano (still the soprano is fun and sounds good. Baritones sounds too much like a small nylon string guitar to me.
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Old 06-07-2021, 01:03 PM
Busdriver63 Busdriver63 is offline
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I’ve got one of each. Including a sopranino, which i gotta say is fun to play. Find a size that you like. Too many choices; woods, prices, builders. Enjoy
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Old 06-07-2021, 04:53 PM
Dave Hicks Dave Hicks is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blue View Post
If I were buying today, I'd look for a 5 string. Having both a low and a high G string. You can find a lanikai 5 string for $189.
I'm tempted by 8-stringers; I know somebody who plays one, and it sounds good. (Might depend on who's playing it, though. )

D.H.
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Old 06-07-2021, 05:00 PM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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My wife bought me a uke for Christmas a couple of years ago. It was a cute uke but had a laminate top. She took me out to find a solid top model and I ended up with a Kala KA-ACP-CTG with a solid cedar top, Acacia back and sides, red padauk binding and rosette, and laurel fingerboard. It sounds and feels great.



More pics HERE.

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