Looking to buy my 2nd uke, thinking of concert/tenor due to fat fingers

Looking to buy my 2nd uke, around £100, concert/tenor

I've only been learning for coming up to 2 weeks now and I've been really enjoying it. The uke I have right now is a vintage (the brand) soprano. However the action is too high and it'll cost me as much as I spent buying it to fit it with good strings and lower the action so decided well its an excuse to get a new one! Not only that but I've been finding some chords awkward, so I think a larger size may be more comfortable while I'm learning.

I'm looking for either a concert or a tenor after christmas. I love that ukulele sound but id like a deeper, warm tone than my soprano, but im not sure which one to go for. My price range including postage is around £100 maybe more, I'd like to buy one that'll last me a long time with professional set-up. As you can see from my location I'm based in the UK. As a complete newbie I don't know what things I need to think about before buying hence why I'm posting in plenty of time so I can do my research properly. I would like to thank anyone whose read this in advance and ill try to reply to everyone who posts, I know the vast majority of you guys know a lot more than me!

Thanks again for the trouble guys.

Can anyone help?

Going to be getting this as a Christmas present now from my boyfriend, need to know within a few weeks what I'm gonna ask for.

I don't know what is available to you locally or easily by post. Whatever you decide on don't rely on the luck of the draw. Make sure you purchase from true "uke people" and that your new uke gets an individual inspection and setup prior to shipping.

If even remotely practical, play the one you want to purchase. And play others in the same price range. Then buy what you like and what sounds good to you. IMHO your boyfriend shouldn't just purchase what you THINK you want. If anything, maybe a gift certificate or a joint shopping trip.

Since you are concerned with room enough for your fingers, why not just begin some web searching to find some varying widths at the nut. In one line which I sell, the concert and long neck soprano have a wider nut than does the tenor. Because a baritone can be strung with DGBE or GCEA, that would be the maximum space between strings. Unfortunately, it is also the widest of the ukuleles for the first five frets. Take your time....the old saying, "Marry in haste; regret at leisure," also holds true for buying a ukulele.

Honestly - I have very large hands and play a lot of soprano. I think the size thing is a myth, and there are countless 'larger' Hawaiian guys who equally go soprano route.

That said a wider nut may help - Bruko, Flea and Koaloha all wide nuts

Try the following threads:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAKAI-TEN...140?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item519fea4fac
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cordoba-2...215?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6f3817a7
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cordoba-2...145?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f157e28b9
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-LUNA-...761?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cb5d8ea9

Note: all of them either use solid mahogany or laminated mahogany as their tonewood. If you could find a uke shop nearby, best go visit them and have some go with the concert and tenor ukes. That way, as far as the sizes is concern, you know what you are expecting.

There isn't any music shops which specialise in ukes near me, there is a website however I've been looking at that sells online and is based in the UK, uke specialists - http://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/ they sell a lot of them fitted with Aquila strings too.

They have a video in their website of him playing a sold cherry tenor ukulele which sounded beautiful yet they don't appear to sell it anymore.

I'm not just after a tenor/concert because of the size but also because I really like the sound, especially of the one who I've described above. But the general consensus seems to be I should stick with the soprano which I can do as I've managed to get the hang of a couple of chords I did struggle with.

Also I'm not sure I'm comfortable with buying a uke from an eBay seller on the otherside of the world, regarding shipping and not only that ill have to pay tax and stuff on top of it.

I'd say go for a concert. You're spending a fair amount of money but not THAT much and you'll be acquiring more ukes in the future, no doubt. You know what it's like to play a soprano. You might as well find out how you like playing a concert. And you said you like the sound, so go for it!

Here's a good choice if you can stretch your budget just a tad:

http://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/Product/0.355/Kanile-a-Islander-MC-4-Concert-Ukulele-Mahogany

ukemunga said:

Here's a good choice if you can stretch your budget just a tad:

http://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/Product/0.355/Kanile-a-Islander-MC-4-Concert-Ukulele-Mahogany

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Thank you, I did look at that one earlier!

I've had a chat with my boyfriend and we can stretch the budget, have you had one of these or similar before?

Also, regarding getting a case, will any that say concert be suitable?

Have not played one but have read many good reviews. I think any concert case should work. Check out the review on this site. And if the shipping is reasonable I'd buy from them as you'll get a great setup:

http://www.theukulelesite.com/islander-concert-mahogany-mc-4.html

The Islander is a great choice at a great price. SUS are also really helpful and if you can visit the store they are very welcoming. My wife drove me from Essex for the day to visit the shop and I came out more than happy. Have a great time choosing but if you can it is always better to try before you buy.
All the best
Ben

Have you considered a long neck soprano? You have the soprano body and sound with the neck and frets of a concert PLUS two extra frets because of the shorter body. On Flea Market Music, a seller showed pics of ten ukes, and ten different recordings of each of those ukuleles.His challenge to Ukedom was to match what you saw with what you heard. There were very few who got a passing grade. Yes, the well known, well respected instruments have a good reputation. But, some of the lesser known makers are turning out instruments which will rival the old masters for quality of sound and playability. The price is also considerably less.

The case question---not all cases will accept all ukuleles. It seems some are for tuners which are vertical (button on back) and others will accept geared tuners with ears out the side.

ukemunga said:

Have not played one but have read many good reviews. I think any concert case should work. Check out the review on this site. And if the shipping is reasonable I'd buy from them as you'll get a great setup:

http://www.theukulelesite.com/islander-concert-mahogany-mc-4.html

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There's no details about whether they ship to the UK or not. Might have a go putting it in but it keeps asking for a zip code which I don't have.

I might give the sus a ring and see what they recommend too, but that uke seems a good choice. There are some solid wood sopranos which I'm wondering might get me more for my money though... Argh this is hard!

I started about six months ago, my first was a soprano, like you I found it tricky. So I got a concert, yes, it was easier, but now I have got the hang a little more, sopranos are more fun! Check out my little book for the stories, or my blog. http://simontaylor.wordpress.com/tag/ukulele/

Youkalaylee said:

There's no details about whether they ship to the UK or not. Might have a go putting it in but it keeps asking for a zip code which I don't have.

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Folks from HMS (theUkuleleSite.com) are here on UU - check for Andrew Kuker. While I have only purchased a case from him, he took very good care of me. The second Uke I bought- my Kala Cedar Top - came from MusicGuyMIc, who works with Andrew at HMS now. As Mike's standards are high (check some of his videos), I have no doubt that those same high standards pervade HMS. If I can't play it before I buy it, I'd trust that shop 100%.