Can't decide what to get please help!

cappy

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So, ive been looking to get a new ukulele, and can't decide if I should get a concert or a tenor, and also if it should be laminated or not. I have been playing guitar for many years and play alotta classical fingerstyles. And I own a Kala KA-15S, I pretty much learned on it. Any who, Ive been looking at this model, Flame mahogany Kala CONCERT Ukulele KA CEM, which i found off of MGM's ebay store. Is this model any good?? I dont know if i should get the concert or the tenor. I really love the original ukulele sound so i was going to go with the concert, but then I looked at the poll and showed me that most of you guys liked the tenor so i started to lean towards the tenor. I never played a tenor and I'm not sure if it resembles a nylon string guitar too much? If so i would definetly go with the concert but im stuck what should i do? :confused:
 
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I got a concert first as Uke Republic was out of tenors at the time. I was/am very pleased with it. However, I got a tenor for Christmas and am very pleased with it. I do think that had I gotten the tenor first, I might not have gotten the concert for the same reason you mentioned, that a alot of people on here prefer the tenor over the other sizes. As time passes and UAS rears its ugly head, you'll eventually have both.
 
I got a concert first as Uke Republic was out of tenors at the time. I was/am very pleased with it. However, I got a tenor for Christmas and am very pleased with it. I do think that had I gotten the tenor first, I might not have gotten the concert for the same reason you mentioned, that a alot of people on here prefer the tenor over the other sizes. As time passes and UAS rears its ugly head, you'll eventually have both.

Ah I see I see, so what are the pros of the tenor other than it just being a bigger size??
 
Ah I see I see, so what are the pros of the tenor other than it just being a bigger size??
For one, if you've been a fingerpicker on guitar, you'll probably appreciate the extra real estate on the fretboard. :)

If you stick with high G tuning, it will still sound "ukey".

If you're into classical fingerstyle, definitely check out Wilfried Welti's free book of classical/traditional tabs:

http://ukulelehunt.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/solobuch.pdf

His youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/wwelti

UU member Valéry Sauvage also has a channel where he's posted a lot of classical uke.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ukeval
 
you'll get alot of opinions...they all come down to just that, opinions.

It really depends on how particular you are about your sound. As with ukes, you have your purists as well as all the varying viewpoints. Some people only play soprano, cuz thats the orignia...the purist. Alot of people play a tenor because it can be louder, more comfortable, more contemporary and more closely associate with the ever popular guitar in size. While others choose the concert for the best of both worlds. There's no right or wrong...if you think the tenor strays too far from the original uke sound, then play a smaller size. The strings and tuning in my opinion remain the same regardless of soprano, concert or tenor, and therefore IMO retain a true ukulele sound. I didnt choose baritone because I didnt want to learn to play guitar again...I wanted to learn uke.

Classical guitarists tend to be somewhat retentive about their tone and sound they want. I think you may find satisfactory tone and more versatile playability in a tenor for now, especially in transition from the long scale length of a guitar. Try them all...see what you like best, but chances are you will own them all like mango said.
 
I went with the tenor because it provided more room for my stubby little fingers and a fuller sound.
 
Hi cappy ... My guitar background is similar, and I also went with a soprano as my first ukulele. Because it's traditional, and punchy, and cute, and portable, and I love the voicings I can get with a 10-fret stretch.

If there's a next uke (heh, heh) for me, I'm pretty sure it will be a tenor. Something most different from the soprano, but still reentrant (high G). Trade the easy stretch for maximum real estate and fingering room - each has its advantages. Trade the other things for more volume, sustain, and warmth. A 17" scale still feels and sounds very different to me from a 26" scale classical guitar. And a lot of the contemporary uke styles seem tailor-made for the tenor.

Just one relative beginner's thinking at the moment, if that helps.
 
Okay cool, thanks for all the responses! I'l probably go to like sam ash or something similar just to check out the concert compared to tenor, but do you think the Kala flame mahogany model is good for 150$? I really want a nice sounding Uke but dont really want to spend over 200$ unless i neeed to...
 
A friend of mine got the Flamed Mahogany Tenor and I thought it was pretty nice for the money.
 
Hey guys, i just have one more question. So i went to the store today and tried out some concerts and tenors, and i really liked the concert. Although the Kala curly mango really grabbed me. What do you guys think of this uke? Its 230$. Man, ive been looking online too and found a Koa Pili Koko concert for 160$ offa ebay, what you guys think what is a better deal?
 
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