Best size starter uke for a 10 year old?

Eyeguy

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I'm thinking of getting my 10 year old granddaughter a ukulele. Given her small size, what size do you think I should pursue. My first thought was concert, but what do you all think?
 
My 8 year old has a concert - I had her play soprano and concert and she insisted on concert. Seems to work great for her. should note that shes been playing violin for almost 4 years now, so she is pretty comfortable on stringed instruments.
 
My 8 year old daughter plays a concert, and she is happy with it. If there is a store nearby perhaps she could try the different sizes out.
 
When she was 9 I got my daughter a soprano-sized Luna tattoo uke. Definitely a good fit for her and she's still playing it now, a few years later. It's also a pretty nice, sturdy uke for under 100 bucks.
 
at a recent Hawaiian festival where I volunteered in the tent where they were teaching the public to play we had an assortment of sopranos for people and the kids almost unanimously grabbed the colorful Makala dolfins...they are cheap, colorful, decent sounding and sturdy.
 
I teach ten year olds in Thailand where the uke is pretty popular now. Of the 20-odd kids who play at my school, most bought concerts and some sopranos. No-one has a tenor it seems.
 
No one has mentioned the logical alternative to soprano versus concert. There is a very nice instrument called a long neck soprano (LNS). The neck is concert length x width, while the body remains the soprano. It gains two additional oppen frets before the body, and is less expensive than a concert. For the solid wood line we represent, the savings is about $110.00. For the laminated Leolani line, the difference is about $50.00. We just got a shipment of LNS made of Zebra wood. With nice geared tuners and Aquila strings strung through the body {something found on much higher priced instruments} they are $110.00 and probably $14.00 shipping. If you purchase one from me, I will also include a tail button and a 1" wide strap. You can have a choice on 19 different colours. I will have the button on the ukulele. Let me know if you are even just curious about some pictures of the uke and the sample swatch of the strap colours. The straps are usually $11.95 with the button included and installed. They really make controlling any sized ukulele much easier whether sitting or standing. If you want a less expensive soprano, which is a standard 12 fret rather than a LNS 17 fret; the $35.00 Eddy Finn Minnow comes in seven different colours. The natural one has a red mahogany coloured back and side with a spruce coloured top. The Eddy Finn line has a ten year written warranty when you return the registry card. Since I will give you a strap for it, for the usual $45, I will include a chromatic tuner {that means it will work on any instrument } . Again, shipping is probably $14.00

I have four grandchildren in one family . One has a low and high 4th string uke, and the other three are content with the high 4th string. It just seems like last year he was seven and began playing. He just turned 15, so for more than half of his life he has played a ukulele. He now plays a marimba in his school's orchestra as well. The older twin girls just had their birthdayS on the 27th and 28th. Yep! One was born four minutes before midnight and the other six minutes after. They are now 11, and play violin for one and cello for the other. All three agree their ukuleles take up less space than their other instruments when they take a trip. I doubt if they will ever be the VonThompson Family and go on tour, but time will tell what place the smaller instrument might have in their lives. The other grandaughter has a college piano teacher for a mother, and a saxaphone playing father. She is five now. Her uke is tuned open GCEG. She has been strumming and singing since she was two.Her mom also plays slack key baritone cGCE, so she barrs 5th fret and they both play and sing together.

You are considering the making of many, many years of memories for both of you.
 
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My ten year old son has a Pono Mahogany Soprano (MS) purchased for him from HMS...he loves it!

I would ask this. Does she take care of her things? If not, but something cheap that if it gets damaged you won't be bummed about. No matter what, purchase a hard case for it...

My son had a Makala starter...and it sounded ok...but nothing quite compares to a well made solid wood uke, imho!

Suggestion: Go to a store and get some help from one of the people there...or better yet take her with you if she is near. She can start off with an entry level uke...and if she gets good...you can invest in a Pono...or "K" brand that she will have and enjoy for the rest of her life!
 
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