Hi
I had an accident in the spring and now have the use of 4 fingers with a slightly contracted hand. I am able to use the first four fingers on the Uke but have difficulties with a previouly broken wrist. This explaination is so you can tell me what the best Uke to by with a thin fret board and easy strings and what size is best (small woman). Nothing stops one from making music. Thanks.
Sorry to hear of your accident, but I think it's great that you want to make music!
Can you give us an idea of what your budget is for this uke? That will help narrow it down.
I'm a small woman with tiny hands and at first I thought this was going to limit me to a soprano size, so that's what I stuck with for my first year of playing. At one point I even measured the neck circumference of all of my ukes - at the time, I had a Kamaka, Ohana, and Koaloha (all sopranos) and the Kamaka's neck was thinnest (by one millimeter!), followed by the Koaloha, then the Ohana. And I'd have to say that was the order in which I preferred playing them - I found the Kamaka easiest to play.
That being said - not long ago I got a Kamaka concert uke, and thought I'd have trouble playing it - but it's been easy as pie! Every now and then I get stuck on these crazy chords my instructor gives me (e.g., barre the 2nd fret and at the same time half-barre the 1st 2 strings of the 7th fret - heck, I don't even know what it's called!) but I've grown to prefer playing the concert size. I actually find it easier to play since I do a lot of playing higher up the neck - on the soprano, the frets are just too crowded up there, even with little fingers.
Is it possible for you to try a few ukes at a local store to see what feels best in your hands? If that is at all an option it would be the best way to go.
As for strings - I've found Aquilas to be easiest on the fingers - this is a pretty popular brand around here. GHS (inexpensive strings that a lot of ukes come with as stock) absolutely tore up my fingertips (and sounded awful!), so depending on where you buy your uke, you may want to get strings too. A lot of people here love Worth strings too - they sound great, but in my experience they are harder on the fingers than Aquilas.
Hope some of this helps!