Which size for an experienced player.
- Thread starter Skalpel
- Start date
UkeStuff
Well-known member
Concert is generally a pretty safe bet. I'd recommend an inexpensive Concert to get you playing, and then to invest more deeply in your next instrument. My first instrument was a Makala CE, and I have no complaints about it--but there are a lot of $100 and below laminate instruments that are a good place to start. (Córdoba, Kala, etc). If you have time to wait, also check out the $37 Caramel Concert (or any of the other Caramels--www.caramelukulele.com) that will get you playing before you want to spend REAL money on a ukulele.
Top: Sapele Plywood
Back and sides: Sapele Plywood
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Number of frets: 19
Bridge: Rosewood
Size: 26"
This is the uke i want to get, the soprano starts at 70$ and as the size grows the price goes up by 3$ so it's not a big price change. It's the Strauss Rottman professional ukulele UKE-26PSS. There is the other version that uses spruce for the top plywood but i'm not sure which one to get, i will determine once i hear it in person. 26'' because it's the tenor size in this case.
Back and sides: Sapele Plywood
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Number of frets: 19
Bridge: Rosewood
Size: 26"
This is the uke i want to get, the soprano starts at 70$ and as the size grows the price goes up by 3$ so it's not a big price change. It's the Strauss Rottman professional ukulele UKE-26PSS. There is the other version that uses spruce for the top plywood but i'm not sure which one to get, i will determine once i hear it in person. 26'' because it's the tenor size in this case.
Croaky Keith
Well-known member
Even though a lot of people recommend a tenor for (ex) guitar players, I always suggest starting with a concert. 
(Kala & Ohana are a safe option.)
(Kala & Ohana are a safe option.)
You've never heard of it because it's a trusted acoustic guitar manufacturer from Germany or Austria. I'm not sure if it's a good ukulele brand. I live in Serbia and i can't find these American brands, but if i do i will check them out and consider buying them.
jollyboy
Well-known member
Strauss-Rottman look completely dodgy. Their web address has only been registered for three months and their website looks cheap and amateurish. The name sounds made up. And their products seem to currently only be available in Serbia. I very much doubt that they are a trusted anything in Germany or Austria.
JackLuis
Well-known member
Do you get E-Bay or Amazon in Serbia? Caramel is a Chinese maker and has a good reputation here and ships world wide. They are currently off on Chinese New year holiday but should be back soon. I'd recommend a Caramel Concert size about $55US for one with a Tuner and pickup. I like the Zebra wood ones but they have lots of choices, they will have a few new models when they return from holiday. They have solid spruce tops too. They have good baritones too but start with a Concert. It will let you ease into the Uke and then you can, move up to a tenor and a baritone.
I think Hora is Romanian and has a good reputation for inexpensive Ukes. I have heard good things from our European members about the Horas.
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http://www.strauss-rottman.com/
This is the site that i found, i think we do have amazon and e-bay but it's rare that we get shipment.
This is the site that i found, i think we do have amazon and e-bay but it's rare that we get shipment.
I recommend a soprano.
I would recommend a Concert size in re-entrant tuning, price range somewhere between 50-100€ should be enough for a beginner (I don't know how experienced you are after only 3 months of guitar playing).
You might consider giving Thomann a shot, they will definitely ship to Serbia - and they have quite a few ukuleles in store.
Ukulele is not "just a small guitar", it is an instrument of its own even though it is from the same family of instruments. Ukulele deserves (and IMHO requires) an "unbiased" approach without constant comparison against guitar. Ukulele is different.
I very much agree with this statement. I've played guitar for over 40 years and also play mandolin and violin, and have only been playing ukulele (Kala Bocote tenor) for a week, but when I remind myself it's a unique instrument I do fine with it. It's only when my "guitar brain" kicks in that I mess up. As I do with each new instrument I've learned through the years, I am approaching the ukulele as a brand new instrument unlike any other instrument I've played, and starting with beginner tutorials and beginner books. But I do find it's hard to keep it separate from guitar, so I have to work hard to keep thinking of it as a new unique instrument.
phil hague
Well-known member
I've been playing for a few years now and I still can't decide which I like best, I just like all of them for different reasons. It depends what I am playing at the time. But always take a soprano with you when travelling!
I am fully aware of that, and i have a friend who tells me that the guitar is like 6 instruments and the ukulele just seems as a follow up instrument that can't solo. That's his opinion as a guitar player, and i won't ridicule him for that because everybody has their own opinions.
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KyMojo
Member
OK, I guess I am going to ask the obvious question, but one nobody else has seemed to ask.... how big are your hands? I am 6"4' and I have fairly large hands. That being said, I can hardly chord a soprano at all. I have played stringed instruments for many over 35 years, and although I can play chords on a soprano and concert, I find the concert easier to play.... but I still have issues trying to fit my hands on the fret board for chords like a D. And it's out of the question to play a D the way Petey Mack likes it, cause there just isn't enough real estate on the fret board for my fingers. So the tenor is an easier play for me, and I can tell a huge difference in my hand comfort and my ability to play certain chords in several different fingerings. I would suggest a visit to a shop or friend who has either of the scales and do a side by side comparison. Also keep in mind that if you sing, the uke tends to force your voice into the higher octaves, but a Tenor uke will feel more natural going an octave lower. Just my humble opinion...
Elessar
Well-known member
I had played guitar, off and on over a period of about ten years when I was much younger. I'd quit and had not even picked up a guitar for at least five years. I play with one once in a while but never really applied myself at all. Then, my wife received a ukulele last Christmas and after being invited to play her's, I bought one immediately, last month. I picked a Kala Tenor from Amazon for $89 with a case and tuner. I have fairly large hands and thought a tenor would serve me better because of that...I've been playing it almost everyday since then and I feel like it's a great bargain for a beginner. It sounds real good to me and even though I haven't had anyone else look at it to review it's "set up" I feel like it's doing a very good job for me. I also think I have learned twice as much about playing a ukulele in six weeks that I had in years of playing a guitar part time way back when. I figured to start small/cheap/inexpensive and see how things went before I even think about any kind of upgrade. By the way, this week I compared her fret board to mine and found almost zero difference in size and spacing. The main difference is that her soprano has 12 frets and my tenor has 18. A concert or soprano would have served me just as well. That's my $.02 of a very short story, for what it's worth.
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I have pretty small hands, i'm 15 so i expect to have a growth spirt soon so i am taking that as a factor too. I probably will go to a shop so i will see what fits me best.
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