Brand New To Ukelele's

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TheMusicMan52

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so yeah, this is my first time ever talking about ukulele's and what not.
im thinking about purchasing a ukulele, and i was wondering if i was able to get some help to decide which kind of ukulele to get. thanks
 
what i did was start with a cheap, decent uke, a kala concert for example, and when you get better at playing, you get the craving for something that sounds better also, so start with something mediocre so that when you do buy an amazing instrument, you can really appreciate it.

and just so you know, it is ukulele, like in your post, not ukelele like in your thread title. a little taboo here(for me anyway).
 
This is comming from a beginner, most beginners seem to like the Concert size uke.

I started with a Soprano size (what most people think of as a Ukulele) at the time I didn't know there were different sizes.
A Concert has a bigger neck and the frets/strings are alittle farther apart (more finger room on some models).
I just picked up a "Flea Concert" it is a litter eazier to play than my Soprano (I like it for new songs) and I would recomend it to any beginner, I would also recommend the Kala KA-C.

I still like my Soprano and mostly play it or my Tenor or maybe my other Soprano well maybe my Flea....
 
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you need to first pic your budget. Ukes range from 30 bucks or so to Rediculous.

I would suggest spending more then you think you want to. :) you will get a better instrument and lets face it, if the instrument is higher quality, you will want to pick it up more often and play it.

http://stores.ebay.com/Musicguymics-Room
This guy sells great instruments and sets them up with good strings.
 
pnj said:
you need to first pic your budget. Ukes range from 30 bucks or so to Rediculous.

I would suggest spending more then you think you want to. :) you will get a better instrument and lets face it, if the instrument is higher quality, you will want to pick it up more often and play it.

http://stores.ebay.com/Musicguymics-Room
This guy sells great instruments and sets them up with good strings.
Click to expand...

I agree. It's worth paying a bit more to at least get an instrument that stays in tune, unlike a lot of the awful youtube videos I see of people where their ukes detune mid way through the piece.

My first uke was the Lanikai LU-21 (concert size, which I think is best for beginners as it's easy to hold) and costs around 80-90 dollars (or £40).

Good luck with your purchase. You'll enjoy it definitely!
 
I like sopranos ...
SS850240.jpg
 
And for a low-cost beginner's uke, I wholeheartedly recommend the Makala. Restrung with Aquila strings.
 
redsedge said:
And for a low-cost beginner's uke, I wholeheartedly recommend the Makala. Restrung with Aquila strings.
Click to expand...

Totally. As far as getting the best for the cheapest, a great way to go-- I have one at work now, and I love it. It's definitely not the best instrument I have, but it ain't bad.

I'm also going to advocate looking at a Soprano. I think they're a great size to start on, and honestly, to non-ukulele players, they look and sound the most ukulele-ish. (This especially is true if you're not one of the people who comes over to uke playing from playing guitar.)

Also, redsedge-- I see a Mahalo and a Makala, there, but what are the other two?
 
Hi Tad - the two-tone uke is a bit of a hybrid, having the back, sides and neck made from one piece of wood. It was made in Bolivia by Adrian Villanueve. I did a review of it (in the reviews section!) if you're interested. Hobgoblin music stock them - at least in the UK.

The plain jane on the right is my superlele, made by George La Foley, London, in the 1920's or 30's. It's as light as a feather and sounds like a slice of heaven. I'll post a review of it when we are better acquainted. Right now, I'm totally in love. La Foley's workshop was bombed in the war and that was the end of that. I got mine off ebay.

Thanks for asking!
 
if there is a music store in your area i would go there and try all the sizes they have. if not, u got to take your chances. i've got a concert n tenors n i enjoy playing all of them. i've got short fingers, not quite stubby n i don't have any problems playing them. go cheap at first, but not too cheap. u usually get what u pay for. a bad cheap first uke might spoil your intro to ukes. welcome to the world of ukes. watch out for UAS.:eek:
 
I guess that was a little general of a statement...
Seems alot of people here tell new players to go Concert.

The folks at the uke store I shop told me that most of the beginners that shop with them go with a Concert due to the more finger room, of the 12 people in my class (not thru the store) I am the only Soprano player (I own 3), 1 guy plays a Tenor the rest Concerts.
 
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freedive135 said:
I guess that was a little general of a statement...
Seems alot of people here tell new players to go Concert.

The folks at the uke store I shop told me that most of the beginners that shop with them go with a Concert due to the more finger room, of the 12 people in my class (not thru the store) I am the only Soprano player (I own 3), 1 guy plays a Tenor the rest Concerts.
Click to expand...

Fair enough.

It's always seemed to me that the folks in Hawaii were going great gonzo on tenors which, frankly, I find a bit sad from my stodgy old traditionalist perspective. On the mainland we're all over the map. The UK seems to be pretty well soprano laden.

I always recommend sopranos as a starter. But in the final analysis, play what makes you happy. If it's making you happy and I disagree you can point to the fact that my opinion isn't worth the proverbial fart in a hurricane and be perfectly correct.
 
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Thought I'd add to this. I'm pretty tall at 6'6". My instrument of choice atm is a tenor cause when I hold a Uke the way everyone says is the right way my strum is just at the right spot on a tenor. Personaly I'm really glad that they come in different sizes cause lots of the world is made for folks shorter then I.

That said, find your match. Probably won't be mine but it's out there.
 
I started out on a cheap as hell Mahalo uke. After learning a few chords and strumming patterns I'd worked out that I was in love and then decided to move up to a better instrument. I generally have to try new things out like this because I have a love of new things but get quickly bored by lots ... that's why I can play a bit of saxophone, a bit of the trumpet, i'm semi good at kendo and judo and my harmonica is gathering dust. It's always best top try something out cheaply to see if it's a right fit for your likes and then get OBSESSED like the rest fo us.
 
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