Best ukulele for beginners...Wirecutter

You can, but there is a risk in doing so. While some UU members are focused on the quality of the instrument for the beginner (and yes, I have seen the suggestion of a Kamaka as a first instrument), one of the more common bits of advice is to buy a ukulele from a dealer that sets up the instrument for a common string action, rather than getting a ukulele from a big vendor.

Higher action means harder to play. Higher action due to a high nut means that beginner chords on the first fret are harder to play. And theoretically, an instrument that is set up right should play more closely in tune.

So the suggestion to not buy from eBay or Amazon as a first instrument is generally good advice. That said, Mim's store front is via eBay...and she is one of the best out there.
 
So the suggestion to not buy from eBay or Amazon as a first instrument is generally good advice. That said, Mim's store front is via eBay...and she is one of the best out there.

I'd qualify that suggestion as "do not buy a ukulele on eBay from someone who does not know ukuleles." I've never bought from Mim, but I'm sure she's great. I did, however, buy two Kamakas from private parties on eBay when I first started playing, and both were a bit disappointing. The combination of an inexperienced player plus an inexperienced seller is pretty likely to have lackluster results.

So I'd go so far as to say that the best ukulele for beginners is one that is in their budget, that feels comfortable to them, and that an experienced ukulele player or dealer has helped them select, either from a trustworthy online retailer like Mim or HMS, or in-person at a local shop that is ukulele-knowledgeable.
 
Jane,
Kamakas that were Disappointing? Wow....I had no idea that could happen.
It amazes me.
 
Jane,
Kamakas that were Disappointing? Wow....I had no idea that could happen.
It amazes me.

It can happen - wood is a variable material. If you ever get a chance to play several of the same mass produced instrument back to back you'd be surprised (I got to do this with three "identical" mandolins - there was a definite hierarchy in sound quality). And part of the problem is that if you haven't played the uke in question, you don't know if you'll bond with it. And just because others like it won't mean you will.
 
Jane,
Kamakas that were Disappointing? Wow....I had no idea that could happen.
It amazes me.

Kamakas are just another uke manufacturer, subject to all the same manufacturing variations as just about anything else. I like them, but will be the first to admit that no factory uke manufacturer is perfect 100% of the time. I'm only familiar first-hand with Kamaka, Koaloha, and Kiwaya ukes, and I've seen variations in tone and playability across all three.

But I think the problem arises when you have others to compare them to. If one bought a Kamaka on eBay, and lived in an area completely devoid of other ukes and had no way to compare, then one might not have cause for disappointment.
 
As a relative beginner, I can attest to that. When I caught the bug, I just saved $20 from every paycheck for a few months and then bought a beginner's ukulele, a $200 Oscar Schmidt. It served me well...and it still does as my dedicated amplifier-uke. However my mind was blown by the difference in quality when I upgraded to a $700 solid wood Cordoba. Everything was easier to play, the action was lower, the fret wires were filed down, the fluoro-carbon strings felt much better than nylon. In a way getting that cheaper uke has been a very integral part of my career. If I had started off with a koolau I wouldn't have the perspective and the memories.

Actually I started with a Pono MT strung low-g and then I got a Cordoba 35T-SE strung high-g. I'm pretty sure it's still just nylon strings (Aguilla) on a Cordoba (I contacted them about this before I bought) although I suppose somebody could put flurocarbons on them but they don't come from Cordoba that way. By the way, I assume you got yours setup because I've heard that Cordoba's often need a nut high adjustment.

-- Gary
 
Yes i rather liked the Donner I reviewed. Much better than the likes of Caramel.

As for this video - typical of so many new 'review' sites these days - they are nothing more than Amazon affiliate sites. Every click likely to get revenue from an Amazon sale. Plus the web page lost all credibility for me when it says that Luna are 'great'... ugh..
 
Hi, everybody. I'm the one who wrote the article on Wirecutter. Thanks for your feedback here, it's helpful. To answer a couple of your questions:

1) Yes, Wirecutter gets much of its revenue from Amazon affiliate links. We're very open about that. We couldn't afford to do what we do if our revenue were based solely on networked ads. If you look around on the site, you'll see that we work with other affiliates as well, and we've even recommended products for which we didn't have an affiliate relationship.

2) TMK, none of the ukes we tested were clones. I don't have the samples handy right now, but as I recall, the only ones that looked at all similar were the Oscar Schmidt and Cordoda concerts, and the Oscar Schmidt (at least the sample we got) had inferior tuners. Of course, some of them likely came from the same factory, but that's the way of the world these days.

3) I tested models that either got great reviews somewhere on the web, and in general that I was able to get samples of, although we bought a couple we felt were important to include but weren't able to get a response from. Eventually we will do an update on this article, so if there are any models you think we should test, please let us know in the comments section of that article.

4) We decided to limit the price to $120 because dealers (even McCabe's!) told me $100 is about the max that a beginner would normally spend on a uke.

Thanks for reading the article!

---BB
 
Yes i rather liked the Donner I reviewed. Much better than the likes of Caramel.

As for this video - typical of so many new 'review' sites these days - they are nothing more than Amazon affiliate sites. Every click likely to get revenue from an Amazon sale. Plus the web page lost all credibility for me when it says that Luna are 'great'... ugh..
The thing about Amazon reviews, or Best Buy, or any of those type of reviews, is that a lot of people get something, look at it, play with it for a few minutes, then can't wait to write a review of how much they love their brand new purchase. The question, how long do you use something before you can give it a fair review? I don't have the answer to that. But another thing, my wife was the VP of a software company and before that she was a technical writer. I know that she did not do this, but she was always talking about comapnies who had their staff writers who write reviews for their own software. How do you know who is a legit reviewer, and who is just a staff writer promoting a product?
 
Actually I started with a Pono MT strung low-g and then I got a Cordoba 35T-SE strung high-g. I'm pretty sure it's still just nylon strings (Aguilla) on a Cordoba (I contacted them about this before I bought) although I suppose somebody could put flurocarbons on them but they don't come from Cordoba that way. By the way, I assume you got yours setup because I've heard that Cordoba's often need a nut high adjustment.

-- Gary

I believe that I got my Cordoba from Elderly instruments...I don't quite remember. However I do remember specifically asking the vendor to put on Worth low-g strings. From the get-go I had intended to make the Cordoba my warm-sounding ukulele. If they adjusted the nut, that's something they did of their own accord. All I know is that it played great right out of the box...except for having to re-tune it every day for a while 'til the strings stretched out. It was probably the second best lump of money I have spent...the first being the $35 I paid for my wife.
 
We received a report suggesting that Brent's post above is an advertisement.

Having read through the thread, I find that not to be the case. The post was a response to discussion of the article and was formulated in a reasonable, non-spammy way. The merits of the affiliate status of the site where the article was published are not UU's concern, so long as no one posts promotionally here in an attempt to drive traffic to tht affiliate site.

Bear that in mind and the discussion can carry on.

Thanks.
 
GRETSCH concert. For my son's first ukulele I bought a Gretsch "standard" concert...the model number may be 9110...set up by Elderly Instruments. It has a very tight, bright sound and good intonation. He's been playing it for about a year with the Ukulele In the Classroom curriculum...no issues at all. The body on this model seems a bit smaller than other concerts I've seen. Only $120. I recommend it.
 
Lo and behold, Monday at the beginning of the Kid's Summer Ukulele Classes, in walks a little girl with a Donner. 1st one I've ever seen. Her Mom said it was a gift. I didn't have time to play it, but it looked pretty good. Unfortunately, it is a concert model, too large for her. We loaned her a soprano (Waterman), which, IMHO, isn't half the uke that the Donner is.
 
Nickie,

Related topic...I'm getting a good amount of those TBUS Beginner Songs into video format. Just added "In The Jailhouse Now." Not all of them are in the same key [most are, by design] but they might be a fun thing to play through on the last day.

I might pick up some Donners for our choir program this year...along with some Outdoor Ukuleles.
 
Top Bottom