What exactly is a "cheap" ukulele?

Hobo

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Messages
195
Reaction score
0
Location
Southwest Ohio, USA
What is a "cheap" ukulele? I see this term used a lot in posts and was wondering what exactly is considered a "cheap" ukulele? Is the price point of a ukulele the determining factor? Certain manufacturer's? Is any laminate ukulele automatically considered a "cheapo"? Does a ukulele need be solid wood to move above the "cheap" category? I'd be interested in reading some opinions.
 
I would definitely consider anything under $100 a "cheap" uke. And anything over $1000 "Not cheap". It's that middle ground where there is a question.
 
Well, cheap is used in a couple different ways.

Cheap generally means price. Although, it is also used to describe quality now and then. Pricewise, I tend to think of anything under $100 as a cheap ukulele, although that's not saying it's bad.

Manufacturers, I only apply that "cheap" moniker to companies that *only* produce ukes that are both low in price and questionable in quality.

Laminates can be great ukes. Kiwaya makes some wonderful, high-end laminate ukes. I have a $150 Anuenue that is a laminate, but I wouldn't call it cheap, it's a well-made, quality instrument.

Cheap for me signifies that it's either low-price, or its low-quality. It's not a bad thing for the first, but it is for the second. :p
 
a cheap uke is anything that you can afford!!!!! You always tell your wife that your latest one was a "cheap" one and then hope there's enough money left over to pay for the phone and power bill... :uhoh:

guess prices are always relative though...one man's cheap is another's expensive. Nothing's cheap when you work in aged care. But then a DeVine or MB uke is cheap to Juan Carlos of Spain. Who knows, we could argue about this one for a month of Sundays.

I have a mahalo Les Paul copy which is one of my nicest sounding ukes and that was only $60...go figure. If the set up is good and the right strings are on it doesn't matter. :)
 
Well my uke is a Kamoa Concert from the UU store, it was about $180 I believe. I definitely don't consider it cheap, the quality is great for the price and it did cost me a pretty penny considering I don't have a job to save up money with. I'd probably consider any uke under $100 cheap, although there's leeway there both ways. If a more expensive uke is really crappy, I'd consider it cheap.
 
I'd say cheap would be about 20-30 dollars/pounds/euros. Doesn't necessarily mean they sound bad though. My first uke was a cheap Mahalo. I put Aquila strings on it, it's not amazing but it sounds better than quite a few more expensive ukes I've tried. Laminate also tend to take beatings better than solid wood ukes, so plus-points for that.
My second uke was a solid-top one that cost me about 100 pounds. Some might consider it cheap but I don't, neither price-wise or quality-wise. It was definitely an upgrade, in my ears it sounds like the voices of a thousand angels haha. I love it :)
 
Please vanflynn, when I buy my Kanilea I will tell the woman that it is just another "cheap" uke. She'd kill me if she knew what it costs.

I considor any uke where you get good quality for the price a "cheap" uke. So, my OU5 for $50 is a cheap uke.
Then there are the cheap ukes as in more like toys. Doesn't really mean poorly made. My Rogue sounds great, for a <$25 uke. It did need set up! And better strings. Now it sounds as good to me as some $100+ ukes. But it is still a cheap uke. I could never sell it for more than maybe $20.
If you got a Kamaka tenor for $600, it would be a "cheap" uke. But boy it would be a nice, "cheap" uke.
 
A low cost ukulele is not a factor in my buying it...sound preformance and enjoyment really counts...hell I got a Rogue soprano for 24.95 I play most since I started and it is my go to uke...
if status is what you want.....then go buy a custom and pay the money, isn't the main thing that your favorite uke sounds good, you enjoy to play it, and it is comfortable the most important
thing... and I would not reguard my Rogue as a cheap uke.. that would be disrespecting it after it has pleased me all these years with it's loyality...after all, if I got a uke at a mimnimum
cost, and it did a great job, I may be frugal, but I'm not stupid when a deal comes along...who cares what other people think...the main thing is what I think and know...just saying..:)
 
Please vanflynn, when I buy my Kanilea I will tell the woman that it is just another "cheap" uke. She'd kill me if she knew what it costs.

I considor any uke where you get good quality for the price a "cheap" uke. So, my OU5 for $50 is a cheap uke.
Then there are the cheap ukes as in more like toys. Doesn't really mean poorly made. My Rogue sounds great, for a <$25 uke. It did need set up! And better strings. Now it sounds as good to me as some $100+ ukes. But it is still a cheap uke. I could never sell it for more than maybe $20.
If you got a Kamaka tenor for $600, it would be a "cheap" uke. But boy it would be a nice, "cheap" uke.

T-totally agree with this. You see what I got in my signature below. She asked "How much were they?" I've always said, "Don't worry about it babe, I got 'em CHEAP!" Heh-heh. If she ever finds out, I believe in the old saying, "Better to ask forgiveness, not permission."
 
Last edited:
Yeah- you have to distinguish between "poor quality" and "inexpensive".
My most inexpensive uke was handed to me- it is a 1940's Martin style 3m, and it was cheap.
My favorite Uke was sold to me by a member here on the Underground. It is eighty years old and the coolest thing I have ever played, but it he gave me an unreal price, so yeah, it was cheap too- priceless to me.
And my Makala that I bash on when my students drive me up the wall. It cost me almost nothing and I would not part with even during zombie apocalypse.
All a matter of perspective
 
Depends on which board you're reading. Here, it seems that "high end" are the factory rack instruments like Kamaka, KoAloha, Kanilea, et al.

From a builders perspective, generally, anything readily available off the rack like those brands would be midrange. Cheap would be less than that, and higher end (from a price perspective) would be more than that. I'm not sure how factory instruments got to be considered high end in Uke Talk when there are a whole bunch of builders (in the Lounge) and buyers (in the Marketplace) that spend well over $1500 for an instrument (as an example).

Personally, if you can get an `ukulele for under $300-$400, that's fairly cheap (again from a price perspective). Try going to Stew Mac and start pricing out the cost of parts alone to put together an instrument (not the kit). I can't even get parts started for less than $100 on an instrument.

-Aaron
 
I think that cheap is a uke under 100 pounds. The decent range really depends but i would call it at 100-250/300 depending on the uke itself.
Despite this i recently picked up a 'cheap' uke and it really helps your playing. If you can bring out good sounds on that then when you change to your main uke it makes playing feel like a breeze.
 
I have a TNA soprano ukulele that cost 14 UK pounds. It sounds great, is mahogany laminate...looks good too. I would say inexpensive or cheap relates to what you get for the money. I once bought a totally useless Stagg, which wasn't even worth the little money I gave for it. But as a general rule, anything below 50 GBP is fairly cheap to me.
 
When I think of cheap I'm more thinking about the quality of the instrument, its construction and sound, than I am the price. Though I would have to say that at current price points I would agree that any uke under $100 US would be imo inexpensive. "Cheap" to me has more derogatory connotations me. If the instrument is purely made and/or sounds terrible then its cheap. Any price for a bad sounding poorly made instrument is too much unless there are other considerations like it having been owned by someone famous or something like that.

It is true though that with more costly ukes the expectation regarding construction and sound go up. And they should. No one wants to pay $150 for an instrument when you could get one that looks and sounds as good for $50.
 
Well, I once had a guy working in the repair shop of a respected Toronto music store inform me that the handmade soprano I had paid $200 for was too "cheap" for him to waste his time gluing the bridge back on (for something like $150, natch). From the perspective of some guitar enthusiasts, all ukuleles are "cheap," as well as "toys." I suspect many of these people may be "snobs," but then, "snobbery," like "cheapness," is somewhat in the eye of the beholder.
 
I bought a $60 soprano. It is laminated and seems to be rugged, it has been around the world in my suitcase (no case, just in my suitcase). So Ido not think it was made by idiots. It also arrived with some intonation problems that I spent six hours or so diagnosing and fixing. So it plays in tune. Still doesn't sound as nice as my $180 uke or my $400 uke. But it was cheap. The time I have spent on it and the fact that I have [layed it in some really cool places make it valuable to me. So I'd be disappointed if it self destructed, but that seems unlikely now. I'd be disappointed if it got broken or lost in my luggage but I would buy another cheap uke and fix any problems and carry on with it. I want to have one cheap uke.

Someone with a $1000 uke might think all of mine are cheap. So be it.
 
Top Bottom