decent sounding beater ukulele?

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eulalie

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I would like to buy a ukulele for my husband. He is an archaeologist and works in the jungle (think rainy, sweaty, muddy, tropical) for weeks at a time. I think it would be nice for him to have a ukulele to play. He plays the guitar but can't take it with him. I would like to get him a decent concert or tenor ukulele, but I wonder if it would survive the conditions... Ideally, I would buy two - a nice one and a beater. Realistically, I can only afford one and my budget is only around $125. And I know it is anathema, but I would like to be able to get it from amazon as I have a gift certificate and free shipping.

Is there a decent sounding ukulele that will survive those conditions that is also in my budget?
 
I would go for a Makala dolphin bridge ukulele, but they don't seem to have any on Amazon right now. These uke's sound pretty good, play well, and will put up with a beating. Lots of people on these forums have one as a take anywhere uke!
 
Check out a "Flea" . Mostly plastic and sound and play great. It's what I take when I am going into the jungle.
 
Since you were hoping for a concert or tenor neck I would suggest a Flea ($179 new with concert neck). http://www.fleamarketmusic.com/store/Scripts/prodList.asp?idcategory=6&curPage=2&sortField=sort+desc
It might be a little more than you were willing to spend, but you might be able to find a used one.

A Makala Dolphin bridge ukulele is a good size and price, and has plastic back and sides, but is available as a soprano only. You might be able to find one if you call around to your local music stores.
–Lori
 
Fleas look lovely, but they are beyond my means right now. :(

I was thinking concert or tenor because I thought he might prefer the sound, but I guess I could look into a soprano.
 
Good beater uke.

I travel with a lanikai CU series as my "No worries if it gets lost, stolen, crushed, eaten etc." uke. Great sound too. I got an acoustic/electric baritone for around $140. Tenor size without a pickup shouldn't be more than a c note.
 
Generally speaking, will a concert uke be a better purchase in terms of quality for price? ie will a Makala (or other brand) concert sound better than an equivalently priced Makala tenor?
 
Yes the sound will be a bit different between a concert and a tenor uke. So will the price. The concert uke is a bit smaller than the tenor and the sound is a bit brighter, more towards the typical uke sound you think of. The tenor being a bit larger, the sound will be a bit mellower than the concert, but the tenor will still sound like a uke and not like a guitar.
As far as the quality, a Makala Concert should have the same quality as a Makala Tenor. But two different makers ukes will most likely be different in quality.
 
Pukulele Pete said:
Check out a "Flea" . Mostly plastic and sound and play great. It's what I take when I am going into the jungle.
Click to expand...

Didn't know the Isle of Rumboogie had a jungle. I'll send a note to mapquest to have them update their data base ;)
 
eulalie said:
Generally speaking, will a concert uke be a better purchase in terms of quality for price? ie will a Makala (or other brand) concert sound better than an equivalently priced Makala tenor?
Click to expand...

The names really refer to the size of the instrument, not the quality per say. The soprano is the smallest (there are others that are smaller yet but they are novelty ukes and usually cost a lot more), the concert is the next size up, the tenor is the next and the baritone is the after the tenor. The length of the neck gets longer as the body size increases (that is called the scale length.)

The soprano is sometimes referred to as the "Standard" size as this is the most common size uke out there. If your husband is on the big side, a little more room to move around on the neck might be appreciated so a concert size might be better. But very big guys play sopranos all the time so don't let that be the determining factor.

I think a flea would be a very good choice as well. http://www.fleamarketmusic.com/store/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=166 You might find it cheaper elsewhere but this is what they are all talking about. The tops are even replaceable on these and the finger board and back are made of a polymer so the would be largely impervious to water and humidity.

The dolphin mentioned above are bit scares right now but I suspect there will be more after christmas if you can wait.
 
Why don't you checkout the Kauai KUC-70B - its a concert sized bowlback ukulele with solid cedar top. In the UK they cost about £50, and I can vouch for it's 'beater' quality, as its one of the loudest ukes I have ever played, and seems pretty unbreakable. As to jungle conditions, well, I wouldn't know; mine survives our cool damp climate, and I have played it in the sun and rain, in mid summer and mid winter, and I couldn't resist taking it out in the snow last week when it was -12c, which didn't hurt it.
 
olgoat52 said:
The names really refer to the size of the instrument, not the quality per say. The soprano is the smallest (there are others that are smaller yet but they are novelty ukes and usually cost a lot more), the concert is the next size up, the tenor is the next and the baritone is the after the tenor. The length of the neck gets longer as the body size increases (that is called the scale length.)

The soprano is sometimes referred to as the "Standard" size as this is the most common size uke out there. If your husband is on the big side, a little more room to move around on the neck might be appreciated so a concert size might be better. But very big guys play sopranos all the time so don't let that be the determining factor.

I think a flea would be a very good choice as well. http://www.fleamarketmusic.com/store/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=166 You might find it cheaper elsewhere but this is what they are all talking about. The tops are even replaceable on these and the finger board and back are made of a polymer so the would be largely impervious to water and humidity.

The dolphin mentioned above are bit scares right now but I suspect there will be more after christmas if you can wait.
Click to expand...

The tops are not replaceable....fingerboards are but not the tops for some reason.
 
Hands down! FLEA!
 
decent concert or tenor ukulele, but I wonder if it would survive the conditions... Ideally, I would buy two - a nice one and a beater. Realistically, I can only afford one and my budget is only around $125. And I know it is anathema, but I would like to be able to get it from amazon as I have a gift certificate and free shipping.

Is there a decent sounding ukulele that will survive those conditions that is also in my budget?
Click to expand...

OK if I were to answer your request as stated, your budget, concert or tenor and buying from Amazon..

Lanikai LU-21C--concert around $79.00 USD
Lanikai Concert Ukulele Polyfoam Case--(specially designed for jungle tramping) $32.99
 
I have a Makala Concert with aquila strings (got it from MGM) could not be happier with it!! $60
 
I would like to buy a ukulele for my friend. He is an archaeologist and works in the jungle (think rainy, sweaty, muddy, tropical) for weeks at a time. I think it would be nice for him to have a ukulele to play. He plays the guitar but can't take it with him. I would like to get him a decent concert or tenor ukulele, but I wonder if it would survive the conditions... Ideally, I would buy two - a nice one and a beater. Realistically, I can only afford one and my budget is only around $125. And I know it is anathema, but I would like to be able to get it from amazon as I have a gift certificate and free shipping.
 
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