Are tenor ukuleles rare or just very sought after

Mukti

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I was looking at prices for electric/acoustic tenor ukuleles
and so far I haven't seen a very large selection also prices are high for any good names. I heard they are just like concert ukuleles but just a bit larger yet the concert size are better pricing and larger selection. Am I missing something?
 
It's what happens to sell best just now - nearly all manufacturers produce all the four standard sizes. :)

Soprano, concert, tenor, & baritone, they're all popular with players, & some of us like a 'long neck'. ;)

Regarding prices, you can get a decent enough Kala electro acoustic tenor for not much money, & from there you can pay what you like. :cool:
 
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Thank you, I must have been confusing Kala with Makala which I heard were not so good.
 
Where are you shopping? For the recommended online retailers HMS, UkeRebuplic, and Mims all have a big selection of tenors, as well as the other scales :).

I personally do not own a tenor myself...but looking to buy one as well. I'm debating if I can run a high G tenor though most people seem to run low-G tuning on tenors. Unfortunately I don't know any low-G songs, and all my arrangements I've purchased are all high-G :)
 
While the soprano is the most popular ukulele in the world—due to cost or its preferred sound—tenor ukulele is played by many of the most famous players (no, not all) and there are hundreds of choices. Tenor will have more space between frets on the fretboard, more frets on the fretboard, and will have a bigger “sound” as the body cavity begins to approximate a tenor guitar.

My personal go-to at this time is Concert, though I own ukuleles in all sizes and will play whatever is in front of me!
 
Link is directing to set ip

I can recommend https://www.theukulelesite.com (not sure why the link is directing to the site's set up page but just go from there to shopping) though there are many other places to buy tenor ukuleles. Concert ukuleles are the most popular but tenors are not particularly rare. As to electric ukuleles, there are some (fewer) that are more dedicated electric, but since you are asking about an acoustic/electric, maybe you should go for buying an acoustic with a pickup add on? Adding on a pick up is an option to many ukuleles, whereas a dedicated electric ukulele, often cannot work as an acoustic.
 
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Since I only play tenor uke, most every night before I go to bed, I look up tenor ukes on eBay, which brings up a few hundred. Most are direct from Asia and are pretty good for a reasonable price. One of the best ukes I've ever played is my Kala tenor solid cedar top, acacia koa body, red paduk binding, cutaway with preamp electronics, which goes for about $380. You should also check with Mimsukes.com, she always has great recommendations and does free setup too, she recommended the Kala to me.


8 tenor cutaway ukes, 3 acoustic bass ukes, 8 solid body bass ukes, 8 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. http://www.theukc.org
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I think I am right in saying that Makala are the
cheper end range,manufactured by Kala? I know
I have my Makala 'Dolphin' and love it! Its the
one I take on trips,as it was cheap, and I could
always get another in the event of theft/damage!
 
Thank you, I must have been confusing Kala with Makala which I heard were not so good.

The Makala is Kala's entry level line. I don't like the Waterman, but I do like all the other Makala ukes. They are fine, they just don't come with the bells and whistles that Kalas have.
 
Where are you shopping? For the recommended online retailers HMS, UkeRebuplic, and Mims all have a big selection of tenors, as well as the other scales :).

I personally do not own a tenor myself...but looking to buy one as well. I'm debating if I can run a high G tenor though most people seem to run low-G tuning on tenors. Unfortunately I don't know any low-G songs, and all my arrangements I've purchased are all high-G :)

I have 2 tenors, both are High G. If you find a tenor you like, and it is at a reputable shop like Elderly, Uke Republic, The Ukulele Site, etc then just ask them to restring it to High G during their "set up" before they ship it. Many (most?) will do it at no extra cost.
 
I was looking at prices for electric/acoustic tenor ukuleles
and so far I haven't seen a very large selection also prices are high for any good names. I heard they are just like concert ukuleles but just a bit larger yet the concert size are better pricing and larger selection. Am I missing something?

You can ask any of the major ukulele retailers (Elderly, The Ukulele Site, Uke Republic, Mims, etc) to add a pick up to any uke you purchase from them. Most offer a couple different varieties. I have K&K pick ups installed on my Tiny Tenor and my Magic Fluke. I installed the K&K Big Island Spot in my Magic Fluke myself; I had the high quality K&K Aloha Twin installed professionally in my Tiny Tenor for a $30 fee.

The Lanikai came with a built in Fishman pre-amp/tuner and pick-up, it adds a lot of weight because there is a battery inside, and generally the built in pre-amps are lower quality. I much prefer the K&K pickups as the do NOT have preamps inside the uke, adding weight, throwing off balance, etc.

In addition to K&K pickups, check out the LR Baggs ukulele pickups too. Both brands have ukulele specific pickup that can be added at (or after) the time of purchase.
 
Here's my theory (and it's only that): Brick and mortar stores mostly cater to beginners and (uninformed) impulse buyers, particularly to parents buying essentially toy starter instruments for younger children. Also, ukes are relatively slow-moving items, so stores don't like to tie up much money stocking ukes. Sopranos and concerts are cheaper than tenors if only because less material is used to make them, so a store can stock three sopranos for the same outlay as for two tenors; and in the popular mind, ukes "should be" small, while beginners who are unsure of the right size for them will opt for either the over-touted "standard" (soprano) or the middle compromise of the concert. It's only after this first exposure that people have a better sense of what size they may actually prefer, at which time they'll probably also be looking to upgrade, and will have found the stock at local stores to be too limited, so they're more likely to scout online, where they can find all the sopranos, concerts and tenors they want, even if they can't test-drive them.

In truth, you find a wider range of options in tenors than in the other sizes, even though there are some companies (like Kiwaya, last I checked) that make only sopranos and concerts. The fewest options exist for baritones, treated as the bastard siblings of the uke family.


I agree wholehearted with ukulele. I got started on ukulele at my local big box brick and mortar store. And by local, I do mean local. Not a guitar center or other chain, but it's a large music store that has a bit of everything. So yes, they have ukuleles and the occasional used vintage Martin, even, but they don't have a stellar selection. When I went, they only had concert and sopranos, and so I bought a concert. Once I really got into playing, got to try tenors at my local ukulele club meetings, etc., I knew enough to buy from a specialty dealer who would set it up nicely, and got a tenor from Mim that I love.

So yes-there are lots of tenor ukuleles, but you won't often find them in stores, and even if you did, I strongly, strongly urge you to buy from a place that is known to be an expert in ukulele setups, like Mim, theukulelesite, Uke Republic, or Elderly. It makes a big difference.
 
If you want a good inexpensive Tenor Acu/Elect, check the Caramel CT-100 on Amazon/E-Bay. Less than $70 and plays well. Fremont Blackline strings makes it sound like a baritone if you detune to dGBE. Hi or low G in GCEA, the Fremonts or D'Addario Carbons will give yu excellent touch and tone.
 
I have some quite expensive ukes, but my very inexpensive Donner tenor -- the one with the solid mahogany top and electronics -- for $81 delivered is quite good. Had to do some filing at the nut, changed to my favorite strings, and it is a go-to uke. Donnerdeal.com
 
I was looking at prices for electric/acoustic tenor ukuleles
and so far I haven't seen a very large selection also prices are high for any good names. I heard they are just like concert ukuleles but just a bit larger yet the concert size are better pricing and larger selection. Am I missing something?
As you go up in size [same brand] the prices go up. Most manufacturers make every size and flavor. I'd stay away from inexpensive ukes with electronics, as a cheap uke can sound good, cheap electronics generally do not.
 
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