Suggestions on a Uke purchase.

After fooling around on the guitar for a while, I decided to purchase a cheaper ukulele...and fell in love with it. I now want to step up my game a bit and try to find a moderately priced, decent sounding, instrument. Any suggestions?

The suggestions are all over the board - Fluke, Flea, Kala, Mainland...

Take a look at Mim's site, UkeRepublic, and MusicGuyMic. See what they have in your price range, and talk to them. All have stellar reputations, and you won't go wrong with any of their suggestions.

(Sorry if I'm leaving anyone out, but those are the three dealers I remember off the top of my head.)

-Kur

Bill1 said:

You are very lucky to have made your decision at a time when there are so many good products available. In fact, I suspect there available range is going to make it hard for you to choose. Maybe start by looking at why you want a uke in the first place, what music do you like to play, what is the sound you are chasing. Then look at the bank balance and change "moderately priced" to a range in dollars. Just like buying a guitar?
Also think about your personal "ultimate uke". Even if you decide to get the intermediate uke soon, think about the features you want on your ultimate uke, write them out if possible, and use that information to help you pick an intermediate uke out of the many options. If you find you don't have an ultimate uke yet, spend 10 minutes a day dreaming about it over at least a week, and write down your results.

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This is sound advice. I spent a lot of time looking for something that looks cool and was over my budget. I've decided to make do with my UKE until I can get an "end" uke, but I still like to look. There are a lot of great ukes in all price ranges right now, so you really can't go wrong.

what kind of guitar did you play? What is your budget? The options are so bountiful that I am overwhelmed just thinking about what to suggest to you.
But www.ukerepublic.com is my first choice. Check out his Sailor Ukes.

Thanks for all the feedback! I own a Blueridge BB-70 as far as the guitar goes. There really isn't a set budget right now, but anywhere from 150-250 is what I'm aiming for.

Classyforumname said:

Thanks for all the feedback! I own a Blueridge BB-70 as far as the guitar goes. There really isn't a set budget right now, but anywhere from 150-250 is what I'm aiming for.

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Do you know what size you want?

Classyforumname said:

There really isn't a set budget right now, but anywhere from 150-250 is what I'm aiming for.

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Is that with or without case? You can get a semi-soft hard case (is that an oxymoron?) for around $35, and a decent quality hard shell case will set you back $50 - 100, depending on brand and size. I've got two of the semi-soft cases, as well as two hard shell cases for my two tenor ukuleles. The hard shell cases seal very well, so the ukes live in them with the humidifiers - I'll use the semi-soft when carrying around, as at a festival. (All of my guitars live in hard shell cases - the classical and Epi archtop electric in tolex-over-plywood, the Epi and Ovation acoustics in fitted vacuum formed padded plastic travel cases.)

I think having both styles is very useful. Neither hard-shell has room for things like books and songsheets, but the semi-soft don't really have room for the humidifiers.

Good luck with your search. Remember - if there are places near you that you can play the ukulele before purchase, play them all, then decide. If not, look at the offerings on line here, from any of the UU members who are also merchants. Or check the UU Marketplace - you could find your uke there!

-Kurt

Either way, consider the case an integral part ofthe investment in your ukulele.

Classyforumname said:

Thanks for all the feedback! I own a Blueridge BB-70 as far as the guitar goes. There really isn't a set budget right now, but anywhere from 150-250 is what I'm aiming for.

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Soooo many choices!

I would say first narrow it down to size (soprano, concert, tenor)

Then choose tonewood (spruce, cedar, maghogany)

This is just my opinion, but at that price point I would shoot for at least a solid top. There are laminates at that price point of higher price woods like Koa, but you might as well use the money and get something with the solid top. I love the spruce and cedar ukes personally. Loud bright sound.

Once you figure that out, I think you will find plenty of ukes in your price point to choose from. Then then real fun begins.

In that price range, there are several Ohana ukes that would be nice to add to your collection. Mainland's "classic mahogany pineapple" is only $189 for a really fine quality uke. Kala Ukes has a lot of choices, too.

http://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/pr...B13F02.qscstrfrnt02?productId=33&categoryId=3
http://www.ohana-music.com/
http://www.kalaukulele.com/

Let your fingers do the walking.

Ha! If you lived in Hawaii, you could head to Young's Fish Market and pick up one of those 1/2 off koa and mango wood ukes--listed around your top end price.

Where do you live? Maybe someone in your neighborhood can direct you to a store where you can try several different good instruments.

oscar schmidt makes a good quality uke for the price, their spruce tops have a nice bright tone. i have also played a few lanikai ukes, like the ck-c, that have great sound, and are around your price range.