upgrading Uke

So here is my situation. A few weeks ago I got myself a really..really cheap Uke ($30) as a curiosity and to accompany my daughter learning guitar. I have never played an instrument before apart from the flute. I am an extreme novice.

Thing is I fell in love the Uke. Now I am starting to get better (know all my major chords by heart, dexterity improved, calluses formed, etc). Been practicing for about an hour minimum every day since I got it. I changed the strings to Aquilla strings and it sounds soo much better (even though I need to tune it every 15 min).

Now my issue with it is it is a Soprano. Now as a 6'2" guy with very large hands, this thing is too small. I find myself having a hard time holding it and strumming comfortably. I get wrist and shoulder pains holding it. The lower body edge rests against the inside forearm between the wrist and elbow. Now I went to the local music store and tried out different sizes (from Soprano to Baritone). The ones that felt more natural to me and allowed me to play more relaxed were the Concert and Tenor sizes.

My questions is when I buy a better Uke ($100-150 price range), should I go for a Tenor or stick it out with a Soprano? Is my discomfort due to me not being used to the instrument?

Any input is appreciated.

if a concert and tenor were more relaxed to you. Then I'd get one. You can get a nice midrange concert near your max budget. If you wanted to go tenor, quality would drop a little but not much.

I'm 6'5", started with a tenor, tried baritone briefly, and now I'm loving the concert size.
Sopranos are just too small for me, sadly.

well, I am only 5'6", but I play tenor and baritone much better than I play soprano- it is all about the size of your hands and what feels comfortable. I think tenor is a great starting point if you can hang with the tension- if not, Baritone is nice.

Aloha Tantal,
Cletus, Dave, and John gave you some good advice....go to the music store and try them out for comfort, playability, and sound....everybody has different preferences...find one that fits you best.
BTW, Welcome to the UU and our forums and the Ukulele....Google Musicteacher2010 and Keonepax fo awesome tutorial videos..on You Tube..Have Fun with your new uke
and enjoy it and here on the forums...Let us know what you decide to get....MGM does a good setup and has a perfect reputation as well as other dealers here...
Keep us informed on what you choose to buy....MM Stan..

Tantal said:

...I find myself having a hard time holding it and strumming comfortably. I get wrist and shoulder pains holding it. The lower body edge rests against the inside forearm between the wrist and elbow. Now I went to the local music store and tried out different sizes (from Soprano to Baritone). The ones that felt more natural to me and allowed me to play more relaxed were the Concert and Tenor sizes.

My questions is when I buy a better Uke ($100-150 price range), should I go for a Tenor or stick it out with a Soprano? Is my discomfort due to me not being used to the instrument?

Any input is appreciated.

Click to expand...

Welcome to UU Tantal!

When you buy your new uke (and I think a concert or tenor would be a good choice for you) see if you can get a strap button installed. A strap will allow you to relax more while playing, and concentrate on finger placement and strumming, instead of concentrating on keeping the uke in position. Another option is my Uke Leash, which is a half strap system which doesn't need a button installed.

If you get a strap button, you can use a mandolin strap, or a Uke Leash with strap button adapter.

–Lori

Gotta second what Stan said there- I have one uke that was set up by MGM, and i spend all the time i am not practicing trying to set my others up just like it. Really- ten ukes and that is the best. The man is a setup wizard....super low, and not a bit of buzz, even when I play punk rock

For what it's worth, I'm fairly little at 5'4, and sopranos are too small for me too. Tenors all the way! It also depends on what you want to uke for, I tend to do a lot of picking up the neck, and I quickly run out of frets on a soprano.

I'm 5'11" and have played bass guitar for 30 years. I love soprano! I also have a concert, tenor, and baritone. I can't remember the last time I played the tenor. My first decent uke was a concert (a Kala KA-CG from MGM), and I still grab it once in a while. I play my baritone now and then, but that's because it is an old plastic thing that is REALLY cool and has a sweet sweet sound. But I am a soprano man through and through. If I could get a good deal on an old Martin concert or tenor, I would jump on it, but other than that, I'm not really interested in anything other than sopranos. It's funny... I feel VERY comfortable on a bass guitar (especially something with a neck like a Fender Jazz Bass) and also really comfortable on ukulele... but a couple of months ago I grabbed my acoustic guitar for the first time in ages. It felt like a tree trunk attached to a pickup truck! It felt FREAKING HUGE!!!
But if you're not comfortable on a soprano, then by all means, try a concert or tenor. Hang on to the soprano though. You might like it down the road.

Thank you all for the great advice. I will definitely keep all of this in mind.

This is off topic but, Chris, I was perusing your Youtube channel and... holy cow you have a lot of pipes! Some very nice ones too!

Back when I was smoking, that was my personal preference. Nothing like going for a long walk in the snow while cradling a nice warm pipe.

Tantal said:

This is off topic but, Chris, I was perusing your Youtube channel and... holy cow you have a lot of pipes! Some very nice ones too!

Back when I was smoking, that was my personal preference. Nothing like going for a long walk in the snow while cradling a nice warm pipe.

Click to expand...

That's only PART of the collection. I have over 500. I haven't actually counted them in a long time (like in a couple of years), so I don't really even know for sure!

haolejohn said:

if a concert and tenor were more relaxed to you. Then I'd get one. You can get a nice midrange concert near your max budget. If you wanted to go tenor, quality would drop a little but not much.

Click to expand...

Yes, you can get a very nice concert in your price range. At your size, you can play a concert..I'm 6'5, 230lbs and play a concert and a tenor. As stated, a go with a tenor and the quality will drop a bit.

Hi Tantal

It's probably a little of both. I'm a lil' fella at only 5'10" and love smaller scale ukes, sopranos, concert and sopraninos. For a big guy with big hands, you'd reckon a tenor or baritone would be more comfortable. part of your discomfort too is the fact that it is still a pretty new instrument for you and you may still be coming to terms with holding it, fingerpositions and chord change speed. Just thinking, a soprano will doubtless start feeling more comfortable as your overall playing improves. Remember, Bruddah Iz played a soprano too and he was a very larger than life man!

You said you went and tried some out and the concert and tenors felt best. Go with those instincts mate and your sure to make the right choice for you. Enjoy your ukeing and warm welcomes to the UU forums Tantal!

Well I wanted to share with you all that I finally picked up a Tenor. I tried over 20 different Ukes over the span of a week and found one that just fit. It is a spruce top Oscar Schmidt ou4. The sound was just what I wanted. I actually unboxed 3 until I found the right one. The music store clerk was very understanding and patient. Very happy and thrilled, and looking forward to many hours with my new Ukulele

You all were a great help in helping me decide and pick the right model. Many thanks!

Congratulations on finding the right one! I am glad you had them open what they had before choosing which one you liked best. That is taking full advantage of the opportunities that buying in person presents. That is what customer satisfaction is all about. Enjoy your new uke!

–Lori

Glad you found your tenor!

But don't give up on sopranos. There are sopranos and there are sopranos. Some have narrow fretboards and some are wider. My Sprucehouse soprano has a wider fretboard than my Ohana, for example. A wider fretboard might do the trick for you. If you like the sound of a soprano, but the issue is size, see if you can try a Sprucehouse. Others may know of wider fretboards as well. Worth a try.
http://www.sprucehouseukuleles.com/

congrats on your persistence! The sound is what you are after and kudos on getting the clerk to open the boxes till you found the one you wanted.