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Old 04-28-2017, 03:50 PM
rmsstrider rmsstrider is offline
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Default Recommendation Baritone Uke under 150.00

Looking for something different and fun. Looks like a Baritone Uke is close enough to guitar tuning that I might be able to play some basic tunes. Any suggestions? Prefer a solid wood top if posdible. Laminate back and sides fine. Would like decent tuners. I am ok with fiddling with saddle height, filing sharp fret edges if necessary , etc.
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Old 04-29-2017, 06:28 AM
rmsstrider rmsstrider is offline
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Really, 67 views, no suggestions?
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Old 04-29-2017, 11:24 AM
ARiley ARiley is offline
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Default Baritone ukelele under $150

I'd suggest looking at Ohana -- they advertise that their instruments are thoroughly QC'd & set up upon arrival in the states, so it ought to be OK right out of the box. The BK-10 is all laminate mahogany and Amazon has it for $139.

Their BK-20 has a solid mahogany top (that's the one that would match my little one, and I'm doing my best to resist the siren song of UAS) and the BK-35 is all solid mahogany, but they're more expensive. Of course you could look for higher-end models used, too

Other reputable uke-makers for this budget would be Kala or Lanikai. Have fun!!
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Old 04-29-2017, 11:44 AM
rmsstrider rmsstrider is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ARiley View Post
I'd suggest looking at Ohana -- they advertise that their instruments are thoroughly QC'd & set up upon arrival in the states, so it ought to be OK right out of the box. The BK-10 is all laminate mahogany and Amazon has it for $139.

Their BK-20 has a solid mahogany top (that's the one that would match my little one, and I'm doing my best to resist the siren song of UAS) and the BK-35 is all solid mahogany, but they're more expensive. Of course you could look for higher-end models used, too

Other reputable uke-makers for this budget would be Kala or Lanikai. Have fun!!
Thank you very much, I will look at those you suggested.
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Old 05-02-2017, 07:02 AM
MikeBmusic MikeBmusic is offline
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Note that all ukes are tuned like the top 4 strings of a guitar. Non-baritones usually have the top string (which would be a D on a guitar) an octave higher, but there are string options to use a lower one. Baritones are tuned like a guitar: D-G-B-E. Other ukes are tuned up 5 steps: G-C-E-A, so the chord shapes are still the same, but its like you are capoed at the 5th fret.
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Old 05-03-2017, 05:48 PM
Neal Neal is offline
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You really do get what you pay for. Find me a good guitar for under 150. I played one of those little cartoony Gretsch guitars, and it wasn't half bad, it was under 2, but I wouldn't enjoy playing it for long. You CAN find a nice older Favilla on eBay for around 250-350 if you look.

I have no pending Favilla baritone OR soprano sales on eBay, full disclosure. 😛
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Old 05-03-2017, 06:32 PM
hatchettjack hatchettjack is offline
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I'd get a new Martin uke!


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Old 05-09-2017, 07:14 PM
Jim Sliff Jim Sliff is offline
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As someone who both collects and restores ukes (if all quality levels and price ranges) I've found it almost impossible to find passable baritones at that price level, unless you get very lucky with a used one.

...and buying "budget" baritone ukes - especially used ones - over the internet is a real crapshoot. They're simply not as common as other sizes and I've found the majority of inexpensive ones to be very poor instruments.

Most sellers just don't understand much about ANY ukes! If you bump up to the $200 level you may find a decent baritone Fluke, but it may take a while. They look weird but sound good and most play great, and they are very consistent.

I've found the cheaper Ohanas (in the $125-175 range) to be pretty much toneless and very quiet. While I think their medium-priced instruments ($200-350) are good for beginners and intermediates their lower-end stuff is overpriced IMO.

OTOH you would have much better luck finding a decent concert or tenor close to that price range, and tenors are very often tuned like the top-4 strings of a guitar (I keep 2 of my tenors set up that way). In fact I just sold a tenor Fluke for $140 that had superb tone and was quite loud.

Tenors are also the most popular size for professionals, who tune them both ways. There is very little size difference between a baritone and tenor.

Good luck!
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Old 05-18-2017, 12:06 PM
palolowarrior palolowarrior is offline
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You get what you pay for...

But, a Kala might be a good place to start or a Pono.
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Old 05-28-2017, 06:50 AM
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jgmaute jgmaute is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmsstrider View Post
Looking for something different and fun. Looks like a Baritone Uke is close enough to guitar tuning that I might be able to play some basic tunes. Any suggestions? Prefer a solid wood top if posdible. Laminate back and sides fine. Would like decent tuners. I am ok with fiddling with saddle height, filing sharp fret edges if necessary , etc.
I agree with others in terms of you get what you pay for. If the main reason you're thinking to get a baritone is because it's tuned like the first four strings of a guitar and you can play some basic tunes, as mentioned before, the chord shapes are the same. This means you can go to any store and play any size ukulele and get an idea of what sound you like.

I have two concert size ukuleles and one baritone. One concert, a Luna, is all laminate mahogany, another, a Kala, is solid koa. My baritone is a Kala and solid Acacia. The baritone (and most baritones) sounds less like a ukulele due to size and tuning. The concerts, tuned 2.5 steps (five frets) higher, G C E A, have a more "ukulele" sound. Another thing to keep in mind is that you can put a wound string on the fourth (G) string of a concert or tenor and tune it an octave lower and get a different sound. I have one concert with a regular fourth string and one with a wound string.

So, let's us know where you are on your journey. If you haven't gotten one yet, get out and play some different sizes and see what works best for you.
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