Concert Ukulele

WazzzupWill

WazzzupWill

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Hey,

I've been playing ukulele for a while now on a soprano Mahalo, good for learning. Although this has gotten me seriously into playing uke I was wanting to upgrade to a concert ukulele and I wondered if anyone would be able to recommend a specific brand? It would mainly be used for personal use but the occasional busking/jam is quite likely.
 
Mainland makes an excellent ukulele.
 
Where do you live and what's your price range? Talking to Mim, Mainland, Uke Republic or HMS might be a good way to get some professional help to figure out what you want.
 
I live in the UK and I was wanting to get an ideas of prices before I commit myself to a certain price range, thanks I'll have a look at those companies :)
 
I have an Ohana CK-20S and love it. Solid top and laminated sides and back. They are available in the UK. I'm sure other UU members from the UK will add their 2 cents (or 2 pence as the case may be)
 
As you are in the UK, try Southern Ukulele store or Duke of Uke. You also may find that your local music shop has a range of ukes. Certainly ones near me on Teesside have started carrying quite reasonable selections of Ukes. There are quite a few new brands of Chinese made ukuleles which are actually pretty good. I have a Korala concert with a solid spruce top and mahogany laminate back and sides which cost me £100 which I am very satisfied with. Korala Ukulele website here

Other brands of "next step" ukes which you find in the UK as well as the better known ones include Lani and Brunswick. I have a Lani soprano, all laminate but it is well made, came properly set up and has good intonation which is pretty good for 60 quid, I think. With Aquila strings it has pretty good tone. There are more expensive models as well.

If you can find a shop with a reasonable selection within your price range, then try a few out. It's much the best thing. Personally, I am a little wary of buying by mail order but I accept that sometimes it's the only option.

Good hunting. Concert is a good choice for the next step. I have since found overall I am happy with a soprano. They have the classic uke sound and are more portable but you may want to go in a different direction.
 
What kind of music do you like to play?
 
I bought a Kala from Mim's Ukes last year. I love it, I got more than my money's worth. Kala is a big company, makes lots of models. I think of it as the General Motors of ukuleles. Built in China, but very solid. A bit of tweaking by a luthier and it's good as gold. A lot of my friends here play Kalas. You can get your feet wet with a Kala without breaking the bank. This is my fourth uke, and it's a keeper...
 
+1 Mainland Concert. Was my first "proper" uke, and never looked back.
 
Since I don't want to create a new thread for everything, and the subject kind of fits my question:

I never had a concert in my hands, and there's no shop carrying them anywhere near me. I do have a soprano and a tenor, and am wondering about the concert-size. Is it closer to either the soprano or the tenor, or is it just 'right in the middle' of those?
 
ukuhippo said:
Since I don't want to create a new thread for everything, and the subject kind of fits my question:
Click to expand...
Why not create a new thread for a new question? Makes it way easier for others to find....

I never had a concert in my hands, and there's no shop carrying them anywhere near me. I do have a soprano and a tenor, and am wondering about the concert-size. Is it closer to either the soprano or the tenor, or is it just 'right in the middle' of those?
Click to expand...
Have a look e.g. at the Makala webpage for the different measurements:
  • Soprano: 12 frets, 13-11/16" (34.8cm) scale (nut to saddle), 21" (~53cm) overall length
  • Concert: 18 frets, 14-7/8" (37.8cm) scale, 24-3/8" (~62cm) overall length
  • Tenor: 18 frets, 17" (43.2cm) scale, 26-3/4" (~68cm) overall length

See my Soprano and Concert as a rough guide:
front.jpg sideways.jpg
 
Last edited:
It varies - mostly by brand but sometimes even by different models or years within a brand. As a general rule of thumb a soprano scale is about 13 inches, a concert about 15 inches, and a tenor about 17 inches.

So, it's not really meaningful to say that a concert is necessarily halfway between a soprano and a tenor, but it generally falls in that ballpark.

John
 
If I were buying a concert uke right now (here in the UK) I'd go for a Tanglewood concert - the one in exotic mango or lacewood - it's on their website. About £100. There's one in my local music shop and I really love the sound. Longer neck as well - 14 frets up to the body. It's the only laminate concert I've played that sounds better than my own Greg Bennett, which I've had for 6 yrs now. :)
 
Thnx Louis and John,

What I'm basically looking for is a bit more space between frets. The tenor is too much for me, and I'm kind of disliking it, allthough it's very easy to play, the scale is too big.
As for scales, it looks like with the figures posted the scale of a concert is closer to the scale of a soprano than is to the scale of a tenor. In the end I guess I'll just have to wait for an opportunity to play one.
 
Just added two pictures for better illustration while you posted....
Seems you should really try a concert - at least for me it has just the little bit of extra space for my fingers to make me feel comfortable.

Regarding the opportunities: I don't know the regulations in NL, but over here in Germany you could easily order a Uke online and return it within 2 weeks and get a full refund (no questions asked). Might be worth looking at terms & conditions of some german webshops (e.g. Thomann even offers a full 30 days money back guarantee)
 
Thanks for the pics Louis, realy helpful.
In NL we have about the same regulations when buying from the web, they might be EU-rules.
I'm gonna sell my Bari and Tenor, and after that I will most likely buy a Concert.
 
If you temporarily have some ~160 Euros spare, why not give it a go and order a Lanikai from Thomann just for a trial? I know it's not nice to order online knowing in advance that you will return it, but hey, that's life ;-)
Don't want to sound like advertising, but I've always been happy with Thomann, they are shipping quickly - and refunding quickly as well. And under EU regulations you might even be able to return the uke free of charge (within the 30 days)
 
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