Best buy for a toddler???

gyosh

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I'm looking for the best quality soprano uke I can get for under $100.00. I'm hoping my son (4 yo) will want to play his own uke instead of wanting "papa's little guitar" all the time. I recently purchased a Nalu Tenor HM1-TCE and handed over a Ohana TK-35g to my wife. We plan on taking lessons as a family soon.

Thank you for your time,

-gyosh
 
My 4 year old daughter got a pretty Luna soprano from Santa Claus.
She loves her "guitar".
Peace
Olivah
 
I bought my toddler a Makala Dolphin
 
Aloha Gyosh,
My friend got his son a Koalana soprano....at I think 2 years old.....wow wee the kid really like it and strums it alot.. Nice to hear it is a family thing with all of you...some good memories ahead...remember
to take alot of pictures for the little guy for the future...he'd appriciate that very much...I wish I had some of mine...Happy Strummings..MM Stan
 
I should think that the Makala Dolphin. Mine is very durable, and makes a nice sound. It only cost $35. Not too bad, because there's a chance that your kid will tire of it and let it grow dust.
 
Thanks everyone. Now I have another question. How do I find a Makala Dolphin on MGM's ebay site? I typed in "Makala Dolphin" and got zero results. I'm feeling kind of dumb because most suggestions/replies recommended buying from his site.
 
Now I feel really dumb. I was . . . . never mind. Explaining my stupidity only makes it work.

Thanks again everyone. I love this site because everyone is always warm and helpful.
 
Be prepared to have the uke break. I gave my 3-year old my Ohana sopranino and he somehow accidentally sat on it - cracked the body top. Later he did something else to it and it lost a brace inside. It still plays, but it's life expectancy has decreased!
 
Toddlers can be pretty hard on instruments - you might try something like the "Woody" guitar uke from Toy Story. Fairly durable and would probably appeal to him more.

Be warned, though, toddlers usually want "daddy's little guitar" because daddy is playing it - so getting him his own may not help.

When they get a little bigger (6, 7, etc) they're more likely to want the instrument for its own sake.

John
 
I got my son a Kala 15s Soprano. Cost me around $45. I replaced the tuners with a nicer sealed set and it stays in tune fairly well now. He's only 6 months so all he really does is puck and strum it when it's not in his mouth. I figured I should get something that daddy could play too ;)
 
I started my daughter at 2 with an unplayable junker that a friend bought me in hawaii. Now she plays with an old Gretsch that I found in a thrift shop window, which is a little too damaged to play well. If she continues to show interest, I might get the Dolphin. She's 3 now.
 
What about one of mainlands plastic ukes? I haven't tried one, but may be a good durable option.. and if he doesn't like it you can take it to the beach..
 
+ 5000 on a Makala Dolphin. Get them at a local shop for about $35 and keep the stock strings and set up as is--for a tot.
 
When I was a kid the littlest keikis got Pwastic Ukuwewe good to play and chew on.
 
My daughter is 1 year and she has a junker from Oriental Trading Company hanging up in her room as a decoration. Her daddy actually took the time to put decent strings on it and it doesn't sound that bad.

Edit- Saw one on their website for $5.99! Can't go wrong with that for a wee one!
 
^ OMGoodness teh kewt! teh kewt!
 
We bought a Makala Dolphin, one of the newer ones as they are largely plastic so it can take the inevitable knocks that a toddler will give to just about anything that they own, even when they are trying to be careful. lol
Saves me having a heart attack every time that she wants to have a quick strum on my uke, although she does sometimes ask if she can have a go on mine instead of hers.

You don't really want to spend a lot as they will only play in very short sessions at this age.
 
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