Baritone, tenor or concert uke for fun. SEARCH IS OVER! THANKS!

salsarev · #1 06-01-2020, 09:31 PM

EDIT: After some research, solid top isn't that big of a deal for my intended use. I'm also considering concert or tenor and a lower price point. Confused yet? So am I!

I'm thinking I would like to try a baritone uke for fun at home. I'm gravitating toward baritone since the tuning is the same as guitar. This is new territory for me. What should I be considering? Thanks for your suggestions!

David

Earl49 · #2 06-01-2020, 10:17 PM

I just browsed the Kala web site. Most of their baritones with solid tops are marked out of stock or discontinued. The cheaper Makala baritone is sub-$100 but not solid top. It is decent quality. The other brands to search are Lanikai, Ohana and similar. After that I am not up on the current brands in the lower price tier. Try some retailers web sites like Bounty Music in Hawaii.

Good luck! It is a bit unusual to want solid top, baritone and under $200. I was reasonably impressed with the Thin Line baritone travel uke.
https://kalabrand.com/products/ka-sstu-b

jricc · #3 06-02-2020, 10:29 AM

Check Mims Ukuleles, she usually has some blems that are really like new. That might get u under the $200 mark. I really love my Ohana thin line tenor which I bought as a blem from her and I couldnt find anything wrong with it.

salsarev · #4 06-02-2020, 10:43 AM

Thanks Earl49 and jricc for the suggestions. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

I've found some solid top ukes from Teton guitars for under $200 but they don't have much track record or any reviews.

EverettWilliams · #5 06-03-2020, 11:55 AM

Uke Republic is a great little shop outside of Atlanta that does a lot of mail order ukes. Mike knows his stuff and ensures everything is set up well (even cheap ukes). I'd reach out to him with a budget and questions. I'm pretty confident he could match you to the right instrument and that when you get the instrument it will be playing as well as it can.

salsarev · #6 06-03-2020, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EverettWilliams

Uke Republic is a great little shop outside of Atlanta that does a lot of mail order ukes. Mike knows his stuff and ensures everything is set up well (even cheap ukes). I'd reach out to him with a budget and questions. I'm pretty confident he could match you to the right instrument and that when you get the instrument it will be playing as well as it can.

Thanks for the info. I've been perusing their website but haven't contacted them.

merlin666 · #7 06-03-2020, 04:35 PM

If you already own a guitar then avoid the baritone. It will just feel like an "almost" guitar and lack the characteristic of a uke. It's just very easy to change to GCEA. The original ukes are soprano sized but I find them difficult to play, so a concert size is perfect compromise as it still has a lot of the sound but you have more space for fingers. If you intend to perform a lot or play with other people then a tenor is best choice to get higher volume, but you lose quite a bit of the original ukeness in trade. I have several concerts and tenors and use them as the circumstance requires. For fun playing at home the concert is my favourite.

salsarev · #8 06-03-2020, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by merlin666

If you already own a guitar then avoid the baritone. It will just feel like an "almost" guitar and lack the characteristic of a uke. It's just very easy to change to GCEA. The original ukes are soprano sized but I find them difficult to play, so a concert size is perfect compromise as it still has a lot of the sound but you have more space for fingers. If you intend to perform a lot or play with other people then a tenor is best choice to get higher volume, but you lose quite a bit of the original ukeness in trade. I have several concerts and tenors and use them as the circumstance requires. For fun playing at home the concert is my favourite.

Thanks for the insights!

Earl49 · #9 06-04-2020, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salsarev

I've found some solid top ukes from Teton guitars for under $200 but they don't have much track record or any reviews.

I don't own their ukulele, but have played a couple dozen of their guitars. I own a Teton parlor guitar (STP180DVB) that is a great little instrument and well made, plus being rather pretty. When I first got it all of my Taylor's sat unplayed for about four months. I like their guitars a lot and would not hesitate to try their ukes if I were looking. But my closet is already full of ukulele.

Teton is built for and imported by Chesbro Music in Idaho Falls, 208-269-7900. You can probably order from them directly if you cannot find a dealer near you. For background, they are built in a family-operated shop in China (as opposed to a huge factory that makes dozens of brands) then are imported, inspected, and set up locally in Idaho. There is a local dealer in Boise. I don't know LA well, but here is a Lousiana dealer:
https://tetonguitars.com/find-dealer/?region=Louisiana

salsarev · #10 06-04-2020, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earl49

I don't own their ukulele, but have played a couple dozen of their guitars. I own a Teton parlor guitar (STP180DVB) that is a great little instrument and well made, plus being rather pretty. When I first got it all of my Taylor's sat unplayed for about four months. I like their guitars a lot and would not hesitate to try their ukes if I were looking. But my closet is already full of ukulele.

Teton is built for and imported by Chesbro Music in Idaho Falls, 208-269-7900. You can probably order from them directly if you cannot find a dealer near you. For background, they are built in a family-operated shop in China (as opposed to a huge factory that makes dozens of brands) then are imported, inspected, and set up locally in Idaho. There is a local dealer in Boise. I don't know LA well, but here is a Lousiana dealer:
https://tetonguitars.com/find-dealer/?region=Louisiana

Thanks again for the info. That Louisiana dealer is about 30 minutes away but they don't carry ukes.

woodbox · #11 06-04-2020, 01:04 PM

I’m not an avid Uke player, but I have one and went through a similar search ‘for fun’ a few years back.
Allow me to share my experience, inviting comments from those more experienced of course.
I’ll not be addressing the solid top discussion, although mine happens to be.

I chose a Tenor size.
The smaller ones were, well, smaller (as you know by having the soprano) and I couldn’t abide the contrast, having played guitars forever.

So, I considered a Baritone, being essentially a four string guitar (DGBE) but thought “What’s the point? Just play a guitar.”

But part of the charm of a Ukulele is its tuning.
It was suggested to string a Baritone as a Uke (GCEA).
But tone was too .. uh, heavy.

So I chose a Tenor size as a compromise and I’ve been pleased.

Another variable was to string my Tenor with a LOW G vs the high G typically found on Ukes.
That gives the guitar player in me the progressively higher tones as I strum from my nose to my toes.

I’ve gone back and forth on that string arrangement, and as we speak I’m about to remove the HIGH G and swap back to a LOW G.

The high G tuning is traditional, and reminds me of why I’m playing Ukulele,
but some days it clashes with my historical tonal sense that says the bass string should be under my thumb.

I applaud your interest in growing, in trying something different.
We guitar players can get stuck playing our nice guitars, and I’m certain you have at least one of those.

Good luck and again, I support your interest in reaching and stretching.

salsarev · #12 06-04-2020, 04:36 PM

Thanks woodbox for sharing your experience. I've also decided on a tenor for much the same reasoning as you. And I am enjoying the one nice guitar to which you are referring!

Playguitar · #13 06-05-2020, 01:40 AM

For me anything smaller than a tenor feels cramped.

I enjoy playing my baritone more than my tenor. With my tenor uke I have to remind myself while playing, that I am playing uke chords and not guitar chords otherwise I will fall into playing guitar chords. I have been playing uke a long time so I certainly know the chords but my mind is programed to think guitar. I can switch between other instruments without a problem but the uke uses guitar chord shapes.

jricc · #14 06-05-2020, 08:34 AM

I would suggest a tenor or a concert. The tenor is very comfortable fingering, the concert is comfortable as well, but gets closer to a traditional uke and great for travel. My Ohana tenor has a low G and my Cordoba concert has a high g.
Again, i'll mention Mim's Ukes (no affiliation). She has great deals on blems and she is meticulous about set up. Good luck!

Earl49 · #15 06-05-2020, 01:32 PM

I'll echo the tenor size comments. Tenor is what I play 98% of the time and with A Low G, although I have played all sizes. Ukulele is a secondary instrument for me with acoustic guitar as primary. Going baritone to get DGBE (G tuning) is kinda lazy, IMO. Baritones were invented so guitar players would not have to learn new chord names.

Tenor tuned GCEA (low G) is the same as taking off the bass E and A strings from a guitar and putting a capo at the fifth fret. The chord shapes are the same, but they become different chord names because of the higher tuning. The "D" guitar chord shape become ukulele "G" chord, for example.

I played GCEA (C-tuned) uke for years before I finally got a baritone. I then played only baritone for a couple of months to cement the new chord name / shape relationships into my brain.