Hi all from Queensland Australia. I started learning to play uke a couple of years ago but after a few months work and life got in the way. Now circumstances has changed in my favour and I'm keen to get started up again. Currently looking for a suitable uke.
Visit your local store and see what they have. Play them and see what you like. Brand preferences of Americans are not the Holly Grail. Develop a relationship with a local store.
you're fortunate if you're looking for a smaller uke
If you're looking for a soprano, concert, or tenor-sized ukulele, you shouldn't have a problem finding some good ones in a local store. Baritones (in the USA, anyway) are pretty hard to find in the wild. There are relatively few options for baritones, in addition to the difficulty of finding one to try out.
So if you're looking for a baritone, and can't find one to try out, I can recommend the Johnson or the Makala. I think that those two are the best baritones to get if you don't already own one.
If you are also unable to find soprano/concert/tenor ukuleles "in the wild," then I can recommend ordering a Luna or Kala.
And be careful about getting one that's under $50 USD (I'm guessing ukes cost somewhere around the same in AU, as our currency hasn't hit the bottom just yet). I'm very much an advocate of getting cheap ukuleles and very much an advocate against uke snobbery. But god damn. The uber-cheap ones are so bad. They buzz and break and get out of tune so badly that they make you never want to play a uke again.
Greetings and welcome. Here's a good place to start. If you learn a little bit about a proper "setup" you will know what to look for in your local uke store and pick out the one that is adjusted the best and therefore easiest to play and sounds best.
Previously I had a Kala Archtop Concert and an Ohana CK-70 both off which I sold. I prefer the concert size and I'm now going through all of the options - and reading lots and lots of the advice given to others on UU. I'll be making my decision very soon as my fingers are raring to go.
