What two "beginner" ukuleles have a complimentary sound?

Hello, ukulele players!

What a thrilling forum to have stumbled upon for a novice ukulele enthusiast such as myself! My husband and i are both planning to purchase our first ukuleles, and although i have yet to read the threads here in their entirety, i thought i'd cast my question into the pond now to see what i might pull out of the water:

If a team of two beginners would like to play together, but would prefer not to purchase the exact same ukuleles, what would you recommend? We'd like to buy ukuleles that have a complimentary sound, but still observe the same string tuning and chord fingering.

Any thoughts?

I thank you in advance for your responses!

Cheers to all,

a very excited beginner

Oh! I should add what our price range is: We'd like to spend no more than $150.00/ukulele - USD.

First of all welcome to UU!

I would say, play some ukes and see what each of you like, for size and sound. I have played my ukes with lots of other people and types of ukes and the only thing I don't like is my beginner playing, besides I think you will find you get more ukes anyhow! most people do!

I have been playing about 6 months and have 4 ukes now. 2 arent' really playable at the moment.. so two I play regularly. I say get what you like, sound and looks wise and I am sure you can't go wrong.. Find a ukulele group to attend they are usually very open and there are lots of ukes of all types and sizes..

We have some reputable dealers on the forum that set up the ukes and all, Mim's, MGM and Uke Republic I am fairly certain that if you called or emailed any of them they would help you purchase ukes you would be very happy with.

good luck..

Thank you for your reply!

This coming Saturday is the day we'll be visiting the music store. I suppose "judge by how they feel and sound to you" really is the only answer at this point, isn't it?

And the other thing is, what you think sounds good on Saturday, may not sound as good to you in 4 months, As you learn and grow in your playing... plus they are like potato chips, you can't just have one! So you all might like to switch off and play they others too.

I would add to the "how they sound to you" a caveat. it is often difficult to judge the sound of a ukulele when YOU are playing it, because the sound comes out the sound hole and away from you. In my experience, its much better to have someone play it in front of you and judge the sound that way.

If at all possible, I would buy ukuleles with at least a solid wood top. They are louder and generally sound better. Most people want one eventually anyway. They do require more care (a case and humidifier), however. There are a few exceptions, like Kiwaya brand laminate ukes, but they are not in your price range.

If it were me, and I was wanting to play duets, I would probably choose two different sizes, such as a soprano, and a concert or tenor. A good solid wood (or solid top) soprano is well within your price range if you shop carefully. A concert may be. The tenor will be a bit harder to come by for $150. Both Kala and Lanikai make solid spruce topped tenors for that price, and I own and recommend one.

When buying new ukes, it is important to check the frets and intonation, unless you buy from a respected dealer (such as one mentioned in a previous post who do or check setups). Run your hand up and down the fret board on the side and make sure none of the frets are sharp or rough feeling. Then, get a tuner (most stores have them and you will need one anyway). Get the uke in tune and check that the notes are in tune up to about the 12th fret. The notes should go up in half tones on the tuner as you move up each fret. For example, if you play the highest pitched string (the A) as you move up the fretboard it should say A A# B C C# D D# etc. The tuner will have an arrow that will tell you how close each note is. Inexpensive ukuleles will not be perfect on this test, but you want it as good as you can get it, and if it is well set up, it should not be off by much. Make sure the tuners work well on each string. Also make sure that no frets buzz when you finger them on each fret up the fret board.

Generally Kala, Ohana, and Lanikai make good ukes which are widely available in your price range.

I envy you having a spouse that wants to make music with you.

My husband and I were also looking for complimentary ukes when we first started playing. We eventually settled into what we have now as our "main" ukes. I play a spruce/rosewood concert. My husband plays a mahogany tenor. We love the way our different ukes and playing styles blend so well together.

if you just want the ukes to be different, why not get two different colored dolphins? 35 bucks each delivered from Samash.com

Welcome Estreya to UU. You will find the forum very helpful as you and your husband learn the ukulele. The ukulele is habit forming. My friend and I practice together and I recently got a Mainland Mahogany soprano and she plays a Mainland Mahogany Concert and they sound really nice together. Moral of story try two different sized ukuleles in the same type of wood.

Lots of great advise so far. Where are you at? Are there ant uke dealers near you other than music stores? I don't even visit music stores (helps that ukerepublic lives ten minutes from me) but even before I didn't b/c of the junk they offered.
I recommend you get either a soprano and concert or tenor. I would also.recommend a spruce top and a mahogany uke. You can get a nice tenor for $225ish and spend $75 on the soprano. The ukes don't have to be same price. Also.search for used ukes in marketplace.

Lots of great advise so far. Where are you at? Are there ant uke dealers near you other than music stores? I don't even visit music stores (helps that ukerepublic lives ten minutes from me) but even before I didn't b/c of the junk they offered.
I recommend you get either a soprano and concert or tenor. I would also.recommend a spruce top and a mahogany uke. You can get a nice tenor for $225ish and spend $75 on the soprano. The ukes don't have to be same price. Also.search for used ukes in marketplace.

I have to restate what some else has said. Make sure you buy your Uke from someone who will do a good set up on it. I have only two ukuleles, the first one I bought from MGM http://stores.ebay.com/Musicguymics-Room and it has been nothing but enjoyable. The second I bought from Sam Ash because the price was cheap. I am constantly tinkering with it trying to get it to sound right because it was not "set up". Buying from a reputable dealer that does a good setup seems to cost more, but let me tell you that you will have regrets if you don't. To what sailqwest said earlier, I really like the way the concert and tenor sound when played together.

This

http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/product/ohana-sk-35

and this

http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/product/ohana-pineapple-pk-25g

or this

http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/product/ohana-sopranino-ukulele-sk-21

All wood instruments, ez to play, sound great. If it were me, I'd get two SK 35 sopranos--classic instruments, you'd be learning on the exact same instrument, and they'd sound great together.

Of course, you could always get two Dolphins. That would cost you about $100 total, would sound great, you could see if you were going to stick with it, and you could buy different colors:
http://cargo.ukerepublic.com/product/makala-dolphin-soprano-mk-s

I would add to all the above recommendations that you check out Makai ukes, I got a solid spruce top tenor from Musicguymic a year or so ago, well within your price range and Mim carries them as well. I understand they are made in the same factory as Ohana and Mainland. I'd also agree with the Makala Dolphin recommendations, they are great little ukes for the money.

kenikas said:

I would add to all the above recommendations that you check out Makai ukes, I got a solid spruce top tenor from Musicguymic a year or so ago, well within your price range and Mim carries them as well. I understand they are made in the same factory as Ohana and Mainland. I'd also agree with the Makala Dolphin recommendations, they are great little ukes for the money.

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The makai is a good ukulele. Our recent convert bought a cedar top concert from UkeRepublic and he came over yesterday so I could teach him some basics. It didn't sound that bad at all.

ultimately I recommend trying out the ukuleles at the music store but buying from either UkeRepublic, Mim, or MGM. Just my $.25 worth. I have bought my fair share of ukuleles online and those three wil not steer you wrong.

Wonderful feedback, everyone, thank you!

Thank you all so much for your replies! I'm going to print out this thread so i can absorb every word and scribble notes in the margins.

I also see i've only scratched the surface of this site (and the youtubes linked here).

I feel i'm on the cusp of a thrilling and deeply satisfying adventure ...

My mother, in her mid-70's, just recently joined a ukulele group, and she's just on fire with it. Many in the group are very accomplished, life-long players, and others are beginners, just as she is. Somehow, they all manage to compliment one another beautifully (although she lives in Arizona so i've yet to hear them play). She now speaks of her "gigs" and they recently "cut a cd" at her active adult community!

Mom doesn't want me to spend more than ~$50.00 per ukulele, as she did, but after just a few short months, she's already at that stage where she's craving a better instrument. Apparently, a friend from the club is putting better strings on the one she uses, and she's hoping that helps quite a bit.

Meanwhile, ever acquisitive, i'm aiming to spend a little more so i don't "grow out of" my initial purchase the way she seems to have done.

Mom also wants us to get Skype so we can bridge our geographical divide and play together (which charms me to my core, even if it may not work) ...

Anyway, i'm blathering. I just thought i'd let you all know what lit my pilot light where Ukulele's are concerned. Thank you all again, so much, for the wealth of information here. I'll come back once the purchases are made (though i'm going to explore the on-line vendor mentioned here as well, so maybe we won't get something from the music store after all) ...

Here's to strumming our bliss,

estreya

I think you are wise to get something you won't grow out of in a month. I have a little Dolphin, and it sounds good, but seriously is a grown 60 year old man really gonna play one of those all the time in a uke-meetup - I think not. Perhaps I am just vain.

That's great about your mom's enthusiasm. I loaned(gave) my Flea to my mom when she expressed an interest. She is 84, but so far she hasn't really picked it up. She has trouble curling her fingers enough to make some chords.

Growing out of it is a real issue. If I had to do it again and could only have one uke, under $200, it would be an Ohana SK35. You could get one with a gloss finish, and one with the satin!

estreya said:

Thank you all so much for your replies! I'm going to print out this thread so i can absorb every word and scribble notes in the margins.

I also see i've only scratched the surface of this site (and the youtubes linked here).

I feel i'm on the cusp of a thrilling and deeply satisfying adventure ...

My mother, in her mid-70's, just recently joined a ukulele group, and she's just on fire with it. Many in the group are very accomplished, life-long players, and others are beginners, just as she is. Somehow, they all manage to compliment one another beautifully (although she lives in Arizona so i've yet to hear them play). She now speaks of her "gigs" and they recently "cut a cd" at her active adult community!

Mom doesn't want me to spend more than ~$50.00 per ukulele, as she did, but after just a few short months, she's already at that stage where she's craving a better instrument. Apparently, a friend from the club is putting better strings on the one she uses, and she's hoping that helps quite a bit.

Meanwhile, ever acquisitive, i'm aiming to spend a little more so i don't "grow out of" my initial purchase the way she seems to have done.

Mom also wants us to get Skype so we can bridge our geographical divide and play together (which charms me to my core, even if it may not work) ...

Anyway, i'm blathering. I just thought i'd let you all know what lit my pilot light where Ukulele's are concerned. Thank you all again, so much, for the wealth of information here. I'll come back once the purchases are made (though i'm going to explore the on-line vendor mentioned here as well, so maybe we won't get something from the music store after all) ...

Here's to strumming our bliss,

estreya

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You should check out the UU mini-jams. great environment and it is online. All you need is a webcam and internet. It is free