I play guitar and want to try a Uke. Here are some of my considerations, what say ye?

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How would you rate these on a 1- 10 scale [10 being best for the money]
Or, in the $75 - $125.00 range, what all would you recommend?
Also, as an acoustic guitar player, what sixe do you suggest? Concert, Tenor or Baritone?
THANKS!

Lanikai S-C Spruce Series Concert Ukulele

Lanikai LU-21C Concert Ukulele


Oscar Schmidt OU2 Concert Ukulele

Ibanez UEW10QM EW Concert Ukulele - Quilted Maple
 
I bought my son an Oscar Schmidt OU(something) concert uke a while back, the intonation is good and it I like the way it sounds-not sure if it is the same model you are looking at.

There are a lot of guitar players up here and it seems to me they play all the sizes. I play guitar and decided to go with a Mainland tenor cut-away. I like the sound and the size. I decided against a baritone-decided it was too much like a guitar.
 
As you may hear several times before this is over, you may want to consider the ukes from Mainland. Serious bang for the buck. My advice would be to try a concert size....although many will disagree. Welcome to UU! Enjoy....
 
Don't know much about the Lanikai S-C but I have the S-T and it looks great and sounds great. I would imagine the S-C would be just the same.
 
Go with the S-C, at least for the solid top. Not as fancy looking but will probably sound better.
 
You might also want to look at some Kala and Ohana ukes. I know you can get a Kala concert size for about $125. I have one and like it a lot.
 
Here's my 2 cents...

I've played guitar for a number of years. My first ukulele was a soprano. I bought a tenor shortly after and the soprano never got any use and I ended up selling it.

A lot depends on how you play guitar. If you play open chords at the nut, then a concert would be fine. It will have a little more of a traditional sound.

However, if you find you like to play up the neck on a guitar, you may find that a tenor gives you a little more room and notes to do this on a ukulele.

Baritone will be closer to what you already have and would be great to accompany a standard tuned ukulele. I'm not sure there is enough differnce between a nylon string Little Martin size guitar and a baritone ukulele.

One other thing, if like to play lead, or notes, on a guitar, a cut-away ukulele may also be something to think about. As an accoustic guitar player you probabaly already know the answer.

And finally, playing the ukulele can be more than Tiny Bubbles or Over the Rainbow. There are some great ukulele players with licks that are every bit as good as guitar players. You may find yourself playing the same songs on the ukulele that you do on a guitar.

John
 
I am sold on Ohana. From China, but they are really nice Ukes, and you can get a solid Mohogany for under $200. Something you would typically pay well over $300 and up for..
Well made, sound nice, and makes a solid wood uke that is affordable..
 
Personaly, none of the ukes you listed get above a 3 from me. "Best" is of course subjective, but the over all quality of all of those manufactures have never met my lowest expectations.

Although a touch more expensive, Mainland, Ohana, or Fluke/Flea would be worth the extra dough to me and skip the above selections all together.
 
Fourthing mainland
 
I sure appreciate all this help!

Please add more if you wish!
It sounds like I may need to step up my $ amount and go with a Mainland, Ohana, or Fluke/Flea ?
No, to do some research on those!
This is a great place to come for advice!!! :cool:
 
if you're willing to step up the $$, i would look at what has been said above. i've played some "better" model ohanas and they were pretty decent. i did notice that the fret wires on them and the "better" lanikais were quite a bit higher than what's on my oscar schmidt and bothered me a little when trying to go up and down the fretboard quickly. i really would like to try a mainland and a fluke/flea. personally, however, i like my oscar schmidt tenor. but i spent a week playing about 40 ukes to pick the one i bought (i'm picky about sound)
 
Please add more if you wish!
It sounds like I may need to step up my $ amount and go with a Mainland, Ohana, or Fluke/Flea ?
No, to do some research on those!
This is a great place to come for advice!!! :cool:

Don't forget to include Kala on your list. And don't forget about Musicguymic on eBay....fabulous customer service, great deals, skilled instrument set-ups, often free cases and shipping....you can't go wrong there.
 
I'm not sure about the specific ukes you posted, but I'll share my recent buying experience.

I've been playing guitar for years and decided to try uke. The first uke I bought was a terrible little plywood/plastic made in China Mahalo. It works, and it taught me to play. I bought it and found out I loved the uke so I decided to invest in a better one.

My local music store had a Flame Maple sides/back, spruce top Concert size Kala. I picked it up for about $300 with a proper hard case. I love it, but I played a lot of more expensive ukes I didn't like as much.

Go play as many ukes as you can. Heed the advice of anybody that you can, but in the end, make your own decision. Buy your instrument like you're looking for a spouse. You're not necessarily going to live with that instrument forever, but the more you two get along, the better it will be for both of you. Don't be afraid to get to know a uke (or any instrument for that matter) before you take it home.
 
All true!

Actually playing the instrument makes a big difference!
I have owned Gibson, Guild and Martin acoustic guitars, but found a Big baby Taylor that I like better than any of those multi thousand $ guitars and have stuck with it!
I have also found that certain strings can bring out the best in a particular acoustic guitar. I use John Pearse #650 strings now and i've had about 35 years to make that decision!
I guess I better forget about buying online and start hitting the music stores!
Trouble is, I don't live near any, so I gotta do some drivin'.
All there is [to my knowledge] within 100 miles is Sam Ash.
Anyone know of any that sell Ukes near Port Charlotte,Fl 33981
??
Thanks!
 
I won't get into brands as I'm new to uke and don't have much experience, but I will touch on size. I'm a guitarist, recently taken up ukulele and I love the soprano size. I've got 2 and both are very comfortable to play. I find the smallness of the instrument to actually heighten the felling of intimacy I have with it. It's so easy to hold close, carry anywhere (and everywhere), and I love the traditional sound it offers. Just because you're use to the larger scale of a guitar, don't shy away from at least giving the soprano a fair shake.
 
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