Hi, all, I'm a militant lefty guitarist and I'd like to get a baritone uke. For guitars, switching is pretty awful, but my understanding is that many ukes have a symmetrical bridge and a nut held in by string tension, so they could be easily and properly switched to lefty. I've looked around online, but I haven't been able to figure out on my own which brands do this. I want an instrument with a good tone and decent quality, preferably under $300 with shipping but I might fall in love with something nicer if it's easily switched and truly symmetrical. Suggestions?
Best Decent Baritone Uke for Switching to Lefty
- Thread starter SunnyDee
- Start date
Jim Hanks
Well-known member
Give Mim a call/email: http://mimsukes.com
Or Mike at Uke Republic: http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/category/baritone
Or Mike at Uke Republic: http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/category/baritone
Croaky Keith
Well-known member
Kala Cedar top - great bari for the price. 
Pirate Jim
Well-known member
Lefty here also. At that price point you're unlikely to see a compensated bridge so no worries there. As ukes are not steel strung I've rarely had to worry about the nut - the slots are usually fine for restringing as they are as they're quite wide. So, find a uke you like - chances are you can restring it no problem.
Thanks, Pirate Jim, can you tell me which brands you've flipped?
Jim Hanks, thank you, I'll check on those.
Uke1950, the Kala's have a number of models. It's a bit hard to tell them apart other than price. Do you have specific recommendation?
Jim Hanks, thank you, I'll check on those.
Uke1950, the Kala's have a number of models. It's a bit hard to tell them apart other than price. Do you have specific recommendation?
Pirate Jim
Well-known member
Let's see, I've swapped:
Kala (regular and Elite)
Ohana
Lanikai
Lani
Tanglewood
Omega Klasiko
Gold Tone
Cordoba
Uluru
That's all I can remember for the time being! The only time I had to adjust nut slots was when swapping to an unwound low G as those are fat strings.
Kala (regular and Elite)
Ohana
Lanikai
Lani
Tanglewood
Omega Klasiko
Gold Tone
Cordoba
Uluru
That's all I can remember for the time being! The only time I had to adjust nut slots was when swapping to an unwound low G as those are fat strings.
Thank you! That's great to know. I have to order it sight unseen, so that's a big help. Were any of them baritones?
Croaky Keith
Well-known member
This is the one I have.
Kala-KA-ABP-CTG-Baritone-Ukulele-Solid-Cedar-Top-Gloss-Finish
Kala-KA-ABP-CTG-Baritone-Ukulele-Solid-Cedar-Top-Gloss-Finish
This is the one I have.
Kala-KA-ABP-CTG-Baritone-Ukulele-Solid-Cedar-Top-Gloss-Finish
Nice. Thanks!
Pirate Jim
Well-known member
One of the Kalas, the Cordoba and the Lani are baritones. On top of that, if you buy from a shop with a good reputation they'll swap the strings for you and can catch any issues before you get it. It's MUCH easier playing lefty with ukes than guitar from this perspective, so nice to not be restricted in the same way.
+1 for the Kala bari. It plays sweetly. Plus it has a truss rod -- a strong uke if you ever go to high tension strings. I have 2 Kala baris. Grrreat!Kala Cedar top - great bari for the price.
