Which Ukulele should I buy?! D:

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Kevinyellow

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Hey guys, I've been searching non stop for about 48 hours now and I haven't come to a conclusive decision on which Ukulele to buy as a beginner.
I really want a Tenor or a Concert but I'm stuck on which brands are quality brands and suitable for beginners? I plan on taking the ukulele seriously and hopefully find myself excelling in it; and then maybe moving onto guitar later on.
Anyways, my price range is up to £100 max max max!! which is equivalent to $150-$160~
I'm from London, UK if that helps. :)

I have come across a few Kala uke's that seem suitable, but I thought I'd ask the community first. If I see any one of the products I have my eye on appear multiple times as suggestions, I'll go with that one.
But don't hesitate to bring new suggestions to the table, that's what I'm looking for!

Thanks,
Kevin. ;)
 
i have same headache going for upgrade, so many to choose from we are off to shop sunday to try a few out,
good luck with your search
 
Haha, I know right? Ugh, I want just want a warm yet crisp, loud Ukulelee. Haha.
Help me guys! :D
Thanks, and good luck to you too Wallyboy.
 
With your budget, I'd probably get this:
http://www.theukulelesite.com/islander-acacia-concert-ukulele-pack.html
Islander Acacia Concert and it comes with the famous HMS setup (I've bought two laminate ukuleles from them, and it really makes a huge difference compared to buying a non-setup ukulele) a hardshell canvas case... for $169, can't beat that! Don't know how much international shipping is though.
 
Kevinyellow said:
Anyways, my price range is up to £100 max max max!! which is equivalent to $150-$160~
Click to expand...

Actually, while you might assume that to be the case based on the exchange rate, what you'll find in practice is that the cost in Pounds will be the same as the price in Dollars.

For example, a Ukulele that is $ 160 in the USA will be priced at £ 160 here in the UK. It's been that way for as long as I can remember (and I worked in instrument retail 30 years ago). The 1:1 ratio is an unfortunate physical law of the universe.
 
wolfchs said:
With your budget, I'd probably get this:
http://www.theukulelesite.com/islander-acacia-concert-ukulele-pack.html
Islander Acacia Concert and it comes with the famous HMS setup (I've bought two laminate ukuleles from them, and it really makes a huge difference compared to buying a non-setup ukulele) a hardshell canvas case... for $169, can't beat that! Don't know how much international shipping is though.
Click to expand...

Shipping $ 75
Import duty 3.2% - which is calculated on the cost of the goods, excluding shipping
VAT (what we in the UK call Tax) 20%

Therefore, it would cost approximately £ 175, which would make it the equivalent of $ 280
 
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I'd suggest looking into a good used uke> Many are for sale here at more than reasonable prices and great condition. Whatever you choose to buy, it is extremelly important that it is setup properly.

For myself, I always look at what's for sale used before buying new. The only new ukes I've bought were always from a custom luthier; the rest, a '62 Martin baritone, was bought used.
 
^^ What Patrick said.

I would NEVER buy a new Uke in England. For £ 100 you are getting a $ 60 Uke. Bruko have had some excellent reviews on here. By all means look on Ebay, but be careful what you buy. Don't be tempted to buy a Bruce Weiart Uke if it's your first one, whilst many UU members have bought them and are happy, their quality control seems to be sloppy at best, and it would probably cost you another £ 45 to have it set up, if you could even find anyone near you who could do it.

I'd also think about what you want to achieve further down the line. Looking at your comment about maybe moving to guitar, I get the impression that you are looking at the Uke as a stepping-stone to guitar playing. It isn't...it's a totally different animal. If you want to play guitar, buy a guitar. If you want to play Uke, buy a Uke.
 
hey Kevin, good luck with your shopping mate. If you haven't already, I'd try the Southern Ukulele Store as a starting point. But I have to agree with Kahuna, very different instruments. Funnily enough it's actually easier to start on guitar and then migrate to ukulele than the other way around. All the best brother.
 
The Big Kahuna said:
Looking at your comment about maybe moving to guitar, I get the impression that you are looking at the Uke as a stepping-stone to guitar playing. It isn't...it's a totally different animal. If you want to play guitar, buy a guitar. If you want to play Uke, buy a Uke.
Click to expand...

Agreed, tried to play guitar for about 3 years but could never click with it... Uke on the other hand I've picked up rather quickly / actually find it a joy to practice due to smaller frets / less strings (but then again, I did play bass before guitar quite well, so 4 strings seem to be my thing).
 
Having played guitar for 35 years before moving to Ukulele in May, my acoustic guitar now feels like I'm wrestling an Elephant.
 
If you plan on moving to guitar, it might not be a bad idea to just start with a baritone then since the tuning is DGBE. That is similar to the guitar (top 4 strings) and would make your transition much easier.

I would say to start with the best uke you can afford as well. It can be very motivating to keep up with practicing when you have a quality uke. Not just for the feel of having a nice uke, but as you begin to play properly you can really hear the difference. That isn't always the case with starter ukes, so it can be difficult to realize when you are actually improving.

I started with a Pono, of course at first it all sounded bad. As I started to actually improve, it actually sounded like I knew what I was doing. I could also hear when I did things right how good the instrument can sound. That also kept me motivated to keep going and doing more.
 
I vote koa pili koko... ive tried many and you get great bang for your buck!

eugene ukulele said:
hey Kevin, good luck with your shopping mate. If you haven't already, I'd try the Southern Ukulele Store as a starting point. But I have to agree with Kahuna, very different instruments. Funnily enough it's actually easier to start on guitar and then migrate to ukulele than the other way around. All the best brother.
Click to expand...
 
Kevinyellow said:
Hey guys, I've been searching non stop for about 48 hours now and I haven't come to a conclusive decision on which Ukulele to buy as a beginner.
I really want a Tenor or a Concert but I'm stuck on which brands are quality brands and suitable for beginners? I plan on taking the ukulele seriously and hopefully find myself excelling in it; and then maybe moving onto guitar later on.
Anyways, my price range is up to £100 max max max!! which is equivalent to $150-$160~
I'm from London, UK if that helps. :)

I have come across a few Kala uke's that seem suitable, but I thought I'd ask the community first. If I see any one of the products I have my eye on appear multiple times as suggestions, I'll go with that one.
But don't hesitate to bring new suggestions to the table, that's what I'm looking for!

Thanks,
Kevin. ;)
Click to expand...

Since you're in London I would advice to go to Duke of Uke on Cheshire Street nearby Brick Lane (E2 6EH) and try some ukes in the flesh, so you get a better sense of what it is you're looking for. I'm not completely sure if they set-up their ukes or not but do ask for a set-up once you've chosen what you like best. In your price range a Kala is usually a good choice. If you can't find one for a good price in the capital and you happen to find yourself somewhere near Bournemouth in the South or Whitley Bay in the North East, try Southern Ukulele Store resp. Hound Dog Music. Great service, great assortiments and great prices! SUS sells ukes online as well.
 
None of the Uke stores in England that I spoke to offered a setup, even at an extra cost. I think Andrew Kitakis should open a UK branch of Hawaii Music Supply. In fact, considering my background in instrument retail, and handy central location within the British Isles, I should run it for him!
 
Ahaha, thanks alot for all the replies guys! Really? I didn't realise the price was at a 1:1 ratio. :( That's really disappointing.
I'll have a look into all the suggested Uke's.

The Big Kahuna said:
^^ What Patrick said.

I would NEVER buy a new Uke in England. For £ 100 you are getting a $ 60 Uke. Bruko have had some excellent reviews on here. By all means look on Ebay, but be careful what you buy. Don't be tempted to buy a Bruce Weiart Uke if it's your first one, whilst many UU members have bought them and are happy, their quality control seems to be sloppy at best, and it would probably cost you another £ 45 to have it set up, if you could even find anyone near you who could do it.

I'd also think about what you want to achieve further down the line. Looking at your comment about maybe moving to guitar, I get the impression that you are looking at the Uke as a stepping-stone to guitar playing. It isn't...it's a totally different animal. If you want to play guitar, buy a guitar. If you want to play Uke, buy a Uke.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply Kahuna. Haha, although my OP might seem to suggest I'm using the uke as a stepping stone; that's definitely not my intention. But I had seen a number of posts saying being able to play a Uke could help in learning to play the guitar...which left me thinking I could learn to play both; for the intent of knowing to play multiple instruments as opposed to the intent for reaching a main goal in one preferred instrument. I actually favour the goal of being deft at the ukulele than the guitar tbh haha. But yeah, just to clarify. :)
Oh btw, here are two Uke's I came by and have considered within my price range.
Kala Ka-T & Oscar Schmidt OU4...thoughts on those? Thanks!
And thanks to all those who wished me luck ;)
 
I haven't played either of those pal, but I'm sure someone who has will be along in a minute :)

For what it's worth, I seem to recall reading a few Oscar Schmidt reviewers on here who commented that they were "over built". The Kala Ka-T was almost the first Uke I bought, and seems to get good reviews in a "cheap but workmanlike beginner Uke" kind of way.

As an old guitarist but new Uke player, I can confirm that (within reason) the more you spend on a Uke, the more rapidly you will progress. A cheap piece of crap will be almost unplayable, and will hold you back at best. At worst, it will make you give up the Uke and take up the drums.

Rather than buy the Kala in England, I waited until I visited New York, and bought a Uke at USA prices, meaning I got a bit more for my money. This resulted in a much happier experience from a beginners point of view. The Kanile'a I recently bought could be considered extreme for a beginner (actually, there's no "could" about it...it IS extreme, but I wanted it, dammit!!), but it's demonstrated to me that you really DO get what you pay for with Ukes.

Rambling aside, my point is this: a crap sounding Uke that plays like a dream is infinitely preferable to an awesome sounding Uke that plays like a piece of crap when you're learning. Playability and intonation is everything.
 
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