Uke Recommendations?

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blackj

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Hi everybody,

I recently got into playing uke and was given a cheap one with the plastic friction tuners. After playing a few months, the tuners are wearing out and I figure instead of trying to replace the tuners I should get a good uke. So the question I pose is this: What brand(s) should I get?

Right now I can afford $150 to $250 (Thank heavens for tax returns!)

I'm going on a business trip in a couple of months and I could afford up to $500 for one when I get back. Should I wait and a better one or just bite the bullet and get one in my current price range?

I'm looking for either a concert or soprano (I haven't quite decided yet)

Thanks for the help!
 
For $250 you can get a solid mahogany soprano by Big Island Ukulele. They have very good build quality and good sound.

If you can wait the the $500 will buy a Kiwaya KTS-4 solid mahogany uke. Those are top notch ukes!
 
Aloha BlackJ,
Welcome to the UU and our forums and the Ukulele...If if was me I'd buy a starter uke such as a Lanikai Lu 21 and put better strings on, and save up and get a real good ukulele....no sense saving and waiting...
I'd go and try some out at the music store and see what size, sound, playability works for you...Good Luck...Have Fun and Enjoy!! Happy Strummings, MM Stan
 
I would wait and have $500 to spend. Check out Mele Ukulele (in Maui Hawaii) solid well built ukes.
 
I'm with Stan on this. I recommend you get a basic Lanikai or Ohana as your first ukulele. Those brands are just suggestions, let your budget and your personal feelings make the ultimate choice. I do not know where abouts you live, but if there is a local place for you to try some ukuleles please do that. What we like may not feel right for you. You can get a very playable starter ukulele for $100 or less, or perhaps a bit more, and if you decide you want something nicer down the road, you will then have an inexpensive ukulele that you can travel with or worry about less, or loan to a friend, etc. I still have my Lanikai LU-21T, that was the first ukulele I bought in 2005. It has become my travel / party / autograph ukulele but I still play it regularly and it still serves me well.
 
I would say to get the best uke that you can afford. It is always better to play on a better uke than playing on a lessor quality uke. If you buy a very good, quality uke, you will like playing it due to the construction, feel and sound.
 
Can't believe I am the first to say this - for $250, fairly sure you can get an all solid Mainland beauty. Highly, highly recommended.
 
mm stan said:
Aloha BlackJ,
Welcome to the UU and our forums and the Ukulele...If if was me I'd buy a starter uke such as a Lanikai Lu 21 and put better strings on, and save up and get a real good ukulele....no sense saving and waiting...
I'd go and try some out at the music store and see what size, sound, playability works for you...Good Luck...Have Fun and Enjoy!! Happy Strummings, MM Stan
Click to expand...

BadLands Bart said:
I would say to get the best uke that you can afford. It is always better to play on a better uke than playing on a lessor quality uke. If you buy a very good, quality uke, you will like playing it due to the construction, feel and sound.
Click to expand...

I agree with both of you. After thinking it over I think that I'm going to comprimise and get a uke in the $250 and under range. I figure that I can always get another one later on down the road. Other than Mainland and Big Island, are there any other ukes you would recommend in this price range?

Pueo said:
I do not know where abouts you live, but if there is a local place for you to try some ukuleles please do that
Click to expand...

I'm in the Oklahoma City area, so I'm not sure if I can find any stores with decent ukes, but I'll try. Anyone know any good music stores in OKC?

Thanks for all the help!
 
Here's another good reason to try to go to a ukulele store first. You might want a different size. I had no idea that I would prefer the concert size until I played one. Many people love their tenors, particularly if you have bigger hands. Try out sizes before you commit.
 
Definitely a big +1 on the Mainland - right at the high end of your current budget but pretty much guaranteed not to have any setup issues, etc. In fact, the increase in quality between a $250 Mainland and a $750 "handmade in Hawaii" uke is really a fairly small incremental increase in tone and projection with the latter. My Mainland is actually set up a bit better than my KoAloha, though the KoAloha edges it slightly in tone and noticeably in volume (and the KoAloha is a concert, the Mainland a tenor).

However, I do have a question about the "plastic friction tuners" on your current uke. Do you mean the shaft itself is plastic or that the knob is plastic? If the knob is plastic with a screw in the end of it, use a screwdriver to tighten the screw a little. That will increase the tension on the tuner.

John
 
blackj said:
I agree with both of you. After thinking it over I think that I'm going to comprimise and get a uke in the $250 and under range. I figure that I can always get another one later on down the road. Other than Mainland and Big Island, are there any other ukes you would recommend in this price range?
Click to expand...

The Paulele bamboo uke (distributed by Kiwaya) is around $190-$200. "Uke Republic" and "Music Guy Mike" both carry this.
 
for around $200 you should be able to pick up a LAG Concert - very good uke.
cheers
 
I agree with the Mainland suggestion, my recommendation would be soprano :D.. but really, what matters most is that you find it comfortable to play and enjoy the way it looks and sounds, so whatever works for you. I would DEFINITELY strongly recommend picking geared tuners when you purchase though, tons of people use friction and have no problems whatsoever... For me however, buying an ukulele with friction pegs was the biggest shopping mistake I've ever made. I used that uke for months, adjusted the screw tension, swapped out the tuners, used a light touch when tuning... and I couldn't get that thing to stay in tune for more than a few minutes (and yes, the strings were stretched properly). I finally had geared tuners installed and have never had a tuning problem since, and the weight ratio is exactly the same as before. Maybe it's just because I've played guitar for so long but I could never buy another ukulele with friction pegs! Sorry for the long story lol.
 
OldePhart said:
However, I do have a question about the "plastic friction tuners" on your current uke. Do you mean the shaft itself is plastic or that the knob is plastic? If the knob is plastic with a screw in the end of it, use a screwdriver to tighten the screw a little. That will increase the tension on the tuner.
John
Click to expand...

The shaft is metal and the knob is plastic. It got to the point where the plastic contacting the shaft wore out. I could turn the knob and it wouldn't turn the shaft. I temporarily fixed it, but the insides of the knob are pretty much shot.

I Just got back from the store, where I got to handle some Kala ukes. I was amazed at how much difference there was in a better uke! I am definitely going to go with the concert size for this purchase, but later on down the road I'll probably wind up getting a tenor and possibly a good soprano too.

After looking around, I'm going to go with the Mainland Classic Mahogany Concert. I've heard nothing but good things about them and as was pointed out earlier, they are just within my range. Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm sure to get more down the road.

I appreciate all the help everyone has given me, this is truly one of the most helpful forums I've been in. Arigats!
 
I think you can't go wrong with a fluke, concert size...or tenor. Very nice sound and very forgiving design that can be taken everywhere...including outdoors. Ed
 
Does anyone know anything about Mitchell ukuleles? I can't find any reference to them, but they sure look/sound nice in Guitar Center.
 
From what I've read they're Guitar Center's house brand, just as Rogue is property of Musician's Friend, which in turn is owned by Guitar Center hahaha... so we come full circle. This is why Musician's Friend also carries the Mitchell Brand. They're designed in California and made by craftsmen on Java Island, Indonesia. For entry level stuff they make some decent instruments. I honestly can't say I've ever tried their ukuleles, but their guitars aren't too bad.
 
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