best uke for jazz and blues....

fretwear

Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2014
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Hi folks, Just getting started on the ukulele have the learning curve to go with it! Wanting to snag a great uke for low G tuning, want solid wood, great tone and playability. Been looking at Pono tenor Pro Classic's. Ebony/Cedar and Rosewood/Cedar. I like the radius fret board and truss rod. They look and sound great. The pro is the cost on a new Pono tenor PC can be in the 7-900$ range, close to a pre-loved K brand. So that got me to start looking around at the Kanile'a, KoAloha and Kamaka brands....opening up more and more questions....the resale and sound quality may be better for a K brand....etc. So far the K's seem to be winning, Kanile'a may be in front.
The tone I think that may work best for jazz/ blues would be stronger high/low mid's, not so much the super highs that some uke's produce. Need good note separation and sustain. Any ideas on brands to look at or stay away from?
Thanks for any input!
 
Last edited:
You can't go wrong with a K brand, or one of the K brand import lines like Pono , Islander, Opio. There is a Koaloha tenor on the marketplace now, I have one and it is a great uke for almost any style. Great clarity when fingerpicked, and a monster when strummed.If you are concerned about resale, a used K brand will be easiest to resell with the least loss to you.
 
Lots of fabulous choices..........but very subjective. I think maybe the strings will end up being the difficult choice. I recommend that when you get an instrument that is in your desired tonal "ballpark", you check with Southcoast to fine-tune your string choice so that you are "Most likely" to get the sounds you want out of your new uke without trying several different brands/sets of strings. I love all solid mahogany and if I were buying a tenor dedicated to jazz/blues, I'd have to seriously consider the Mele solid mahogany cutaway with low g's......I looooove this uke, have to snag one eventually.

http://www.meleukulele.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?page=2&sppp=10

They also have 19" scale Jumbo Tenor's and they also frequently have great sales on their ebay store: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/310385138309?lpid=82

I currently have a Mele all solid koa tenor, and a concert size 6 string. Both awesome.
 
Last edited:
...opening up more and more questions...
I'd ignore that topic altogether, especially if making a buying decision on something $400 and up. The idea is highly subjective, vague, and definitely nor certain.

A uke's tone should blow you away right off the bat. It it doesn't sing to you when you first pick it up, move on to the next.
 
I'd go with a baritone if you're doing linear tuning, and also, I wouldn't stick to just C6... there are great "non-standard" tunings in the middle of DGBE and GCEA
http://www.theukulelesite.com/pono-rbsh-pc-cedar-rose-baritone.html
http://www.southcoastukes.com/linear.htm (ML-SW strings)
I have a Godin classical guitar with the same combination of woods - the guitar sings when I play in the middle of the fretboard, and if you're using a tuning like FBbDG (Bb6 tuning, one whole-step below C), you're going to have a really resonate instrument with chiming melodies and warm harmonies
Of course, these are just my two cents! Cheeso is totally right when it comes to choosing an instrument, which is why it's best to try before you buy if you can!
 
Old style jazz sounds great on a Martin soprano or others based on that design (Timms, Kiwaya, etc). For more contemporary jazz, a tenor by any good maker would be great: the Hawaiian K's plus the mainland K (Kollings from Austin, Texas).

But get to a store and play some. The Hawaiian K's all have a different sound signature. You may like one more than others, tho you can get an idea of their sound from youtube. Kamaka is the mellowest, Koaloha has a fatter sound. Tell us where you live, and we can suggest a road trip.

One more thought: if you plan to play in low G, see if you can try a prospective purchase out with the low G string, at least do some research. On some ukes, the low G is too boomy. Maybe more on Koa than other woods. Others may have thoughts on this.
 
Hey folks thanks for all the help, I decided to put the snags to a Maui tenor from the Marketplace Those pics must have been loaded with ether, I couldn't resist!!

Thanks Again
 
If you're that discerning, I think you should buy only something you can try out first. I bought two Kanile'a ukuleles, trying to find what you're looking for, and ended up returning both.
 
I'd ignore that topic altogether, especially if making a buying decision on something $400 and up. The idea is highly subjective, vague, and definitely nor certain.

A uke's tone should blow you away right off the bat. It it doesn't sing to you when you first pick it up, move on to the next.

Good advice. Blow you away from the start. If it doesn't. Move on.

Very true.
 
I am a huge Pono Pro Classic fan. I have three of them although my most recent RTSH Spruce is causing me to consider selling a beautiful Cedar version.

I recommend low G South Coast. And medium to high gauge.

Awesome tone and sustain.
 
Top Bottom