whats the difference between the different types of ukes?

ukesteezy

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im looking to get a new uke and i cant decide on what a beginner should buy; concert, tenor or something else. any advice?
 
depends on what you plan on doing with it, like what kind of music would you play would you strum and sing or just pluck or do both etc
 
Its all gonna be personal preference, we cant really make the decision. Learn a couple chords, head to your local shop, and play a couple of them see what feels best for you. All the sizes you can strum and sing along with.

Im not a big fan of the low tuned G. I think it takes away a little bit of the unique sound of the uke. but thats just my opinion.

I have a concert and I like it because its smaller and I can play it at my desk.
I want to get a soprano flea since i travel a lot now for work since they are smaller and more durable.
I want eventually a solid wood tenor for playing daily.
 
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Learn a couple chords, head to your local shop, and play a couple of them see what feels best for you. All the sizes you can strum and sing along with.

Probably the best advice you can get if you are able to get to a store that sells 'ukuleles. For a lot of people, they know right away what they want as soon as they pick it up and try it out the first time.
 
What everone you start with won't be your last....

Alot of people like the Concert size to start with it seems.
To me the Tenor has a deeper voice (hmmmm Tenor)
The Soprano... well it is a ukulele!!!!
Concerts close to the Soprano sound but with more room on the fret board for the fingers.

I prefer the Soprano, I have 2 and am ordering my third (and when I find enough pennys I want a Kamaka Soprano) . I do have a Concert and 2 Tenors that I play alot (one High G and one Low g).
 
im looking to get a new uke and i cant decide on what a beginner should buy; concert, tenor or something else. any advice?

I'd go with a concert to begin with. It's big enough to fret properly but not too big that you may have to stretch to make some chords (which a tenor could be). As Freedive said this won't be your last uke! I love my concert but am finding it too small to play higher notes properly so I'm saving up for a tenor. I still have tonnes of fun with it.

I agree with Chuck that the best thing to do would be to go to a shop that sells them and check the best size for you. If you can't do that go with the concert.

Whatever you get you'll be really pleased.

P.S I recommend the Lanikai LU-21C uke!
 
I'd go with a concert to begin with. It's big enough to fret properly...

I hate this logic. Lots of people, regardless of size, manage to fret a soprano properly. If it's your first instrument, you're gonna get used to it really quick-- I know I did, it's still my preferred size, though I have everything but a baritone, now.

The only uke I've ever seen that's "too small to fret properly" is this one, and even that one you could make a song on, if the song's something like C, A min, C, A min...
 
I hate this logic. Lots of people, regardless of size, manage to fret a soprano properly. If it's your first instrument, you're gonna get used to it really quick-- I know I did, it's still my preferred size, though I have everything but a baritone, now.

The only uke I've ever seen that's "too small to fret properly" is this one, and even that one you could make a song on, if the song's something like C, A min, C, A min...

right when i saw that link i knew exactly what vid it went to
 
My first uke was a soprano and I had zero trouble fretting anything on it. In fact, when I learn a new song I puzzle it out on the soprano b/c it's easier for me to fret.

But my fav uke size is concert. I figured that out pretty quick when I went to a uke shop and played every instrument he had out (and a few he had hidden away, too...)

Soprano might actually be the way to go. When comparing ukes with equal craftmanship- soprano's are cheaper than concerts (and concerts cheaper than tenors).

For example look at this soprano

The concert size from the same company is about 80 bucks more, and the tenor is a100 more than the soprano.
 
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so it seems like the main choices are between soprano and concert. i think ill try out the concert one tho. thank you all=)
 
Coming from a background playing guitar and some other stringed instruments for 40+ years, I found tenor was easier to learn on because my big fingers seemed to get cramped on a soprano and make more mistakes. But I also have concert ukes now, too, and play them reasonably well. You can get accustomed to any scale if you work at it.

I personally find the larger tenor body has a richer sound, but again that will depend on make and model. Just my experience, but the larger soundboard seems to allow for better harmonics, better low end and more sustain.

After a little experimentation with all the different scales, tenor is the size I prefer. Of course, that choice was marginally affected by the simple fact that the soprano scale was created by evil dwarven demons and is only played by the spawn of hell. But don't let that bother you if you plan to get one...:D
 
If you can't try out different-sized ukes in person, it might help to do some YouTube searches of different sizes and see which ones you like the look of or might fit your hand size and comfort level best. I just love sopranos but each size has its appeal for sure, depending on what style of music you want to use your uke for. :) Best of luck!
 
I hate this logic. Lots of people, regardless of size, manage to fret a soprano properly. If it's your first instrument, you're gonna get used to it really quick-- I know I did, it's still my preferred size, though I have everything but a baritone, now.

The only uke I've ever seen that's "too small to fret properly" is this one, and even that one you could make a song on, if the song's something like C, A min, C, A min...

I just think the concert is the best compromise in size, the soprano is tiny and you can easily outgrow the range it's capable of playing, whereas the concert is a mid-size and has a lot of playability.
 
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