Buying a better quality ukulele

UkuleleDragon

Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2015
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Hi everyone! I have been playing my Tanglewood Union Pack soprano ukulele for just over a year now and I was hoping to move onto a better quality soprano ukulele. I'm not sure where to start in this purchase so I was hoping that someone here could suggest some good brands or specific ukuleles you have played to help me out.

Editting my post after realising how unhelpful my information had been (sorry!)

Also, the ukulele I have right now the the Tanglewood Union Pack soprano, not the Tanglewood Union Series soprano which I originally said. :/

So. I am hoping to find a good soprano ukulele for under £100 (I live in Scotland) as my current ukulele (which cost around £30) slips out of tune a lot and as I'm planning on studying music next school year I'd like to have a decent ukulele for the exam. I mostly play pop-type music (basically whatever's in the charts) alongside a few friends but next school year I'll be playing solo and will be given songs to learn.

Thanks again!
~Sarah
 
Last edited:
Depends on how much more expensive you want to go.

If it were me I'd start by looking at the Koaloha Opio, sopranos from Kiwaya and then on to the higher end Koalohas.

if you're looking for less expensive, the Flea from Magic Fluke is a good playing/sounding instrument and I've heard great things about Mainland ukes.

There are a lot of good ukes out there, and I'm sure others will chime in.
 
First two pieces of info needed for recommemdations are your budget and where do you live, ie USA, England, Hong Kong etc etc.
 
First two pieces of info needed for recommemdations are your budget and where do you live, ie USA, England, Hong Kong etc etc.

Adding to this, the obvious questions: 1) what about your current instrument is lacking? 2) do you want to continue "soprano" or try another size? Are you trying to obtain a different sound type? 4) what is your comfort level in doing basic setup work?

There are other questions, but these are a reasonable start.
 
What is you budget. And everyone may have a different preference tone and feel. Neck thickness..
 
Last edited:
Any Martin soprano , new or old .
 
Hi everyone! I have been playing my Tanglewood Union Series soprano ukulele for just over a year now and I was hoping to move onto a better quality soprano ukulele. I'm not sure where to start in this purchase so I was hoping that someone here could suggest some good brands or specific ukuleles you have played to help me out.

Thanks!
~Sarah

If you want to jump to something approaching very good to great then try the Pono but without knowing your budget who knows what you are thinking.
 
For me the most important question is 'what style of music do you play'? You can bypass a lot of UAS expense by finding exactly what you want and buying just that instead of going through several mid-priced and mid-level instruments, but you have to do the research by playing a fair number of different brands and figuring out what your 'favorite sound' is.
 
+1 for Flea. Excellent uke great tone and robust whatever style of music you're into - you can take them anywhere.

You might also consider a Brüko. Not to everyone's taste but I like them - I have a soprano, concert and tenor. They tend to be very bright but I think they're great for Folk and Country.
 
Tanglewood Union Series soprano ukulele looks to be about 70 pounds, which is about $100. How much you are willing to spend may help you make your decision.

You could try http://www.theukulelesite.com/

Bsically ... there is "hand made" like the big K's ... Kamaka, Kanilea, Ko Aloha, Koolau, etc. These will run you a little less than $1,000. But Kanilea, Ko Aloha, Koolau, have their "import" brands. Kanilea has Islander, Ko Aloha had Ka Aloha. And Koolau has Pono. I have gotten the sense that Pono is slightly preferred by some to the other aforementioned import brands of the Big-K's.

But, Kala is one of those very popular import brands. But you may want to purchase an import ukulele from a shop that will check and do a final set up ... for free. (http://www.theukulelesite.com/ukulele-setup; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adeFF0nQyzM)
 
Billten is on the money. Look at how much you have to spend and what you have been doing with your current uke, and also what things you want to do in the future <huge snip>
When you actually have had your new uke for 1 hour and find you like it, then the passionate brand specific conversations about it are part of the fun of owning it.

Oh how I wish I had seen this piece of wisdom, (the whole thing, not just what I have left after snipping), would have saved me a couple of mistakes and some pounds sterling.
 
Hi everyone. Just posting to let you know I have editted me post to give the information you asked for. :)
 
Omega Music is probably the best uke shop in terms of you travelling. Carlisle is a lot closer than Bournemouth ;) Southern Ukulele Store is of course great though.
 
If I were you I'd get a Mainland from Eagle Music Shop. That's where I started and I still love Mainlands. Great build, set up and intonation at an affordable price.
 
If I were you I'd get a Mainland from Eagle Music Shop. That's where I started and I still love Mainlands. Great build, set up and intonation at an affordable price.

OP you want to listen to this guy, especially pertaining to places to buy from. They are almost more important than the instrument itself. He is also a great player, performer and teacher in your end of the world. Check out his links.

How you been Matty........still playing tenors or have you reverted back to the smaller sizes
 
I agree with Matty. Omega Music or Eagle music are both excellent. I've had dealings with both and found them spot on for service. I've just bought a Fluke from Omega and it arrived in two days.
 
On your budget, take a look at the Bruko no 5 or no 6 sopranos at 129 & 136 Euros respectively direct from the maker in Germany. At the current exchange rate they come out pretty close to £100.

Bruko ukuleles are hand made by a small firm in Germany and are amazing value, especially their standard range. I've bought two Brukos direct from Germany and they come with spot on set up. My third one came from Omega music at a festival. I love my Brukos.

http://www.brueko.de/shop/index.php?language=en
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom