Buying my first uke, want some opinions.

Skye

Skye

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Well hi, Im looking for a first uke, and would like to keep the price as low as possible without lookling like a small guitar.

Though these two are a bit on the expensive side for a first uke in my opinion I really love the look and would like some opinions on them

http://cgi.ebay.com/ARCHTOP-TENOR-J...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a58a5aa74

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-RIPTIDE-CON...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a5880854c

There is two others that im looking at which are cheaper too, and I would also like opinions on them. Though honestly they look more like "Small guitars"

http://cgi.ebay.com/MAKALA-Concert-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item563a67e3be

http://cgi.ebay.com/MAKALA-TENOR-UK...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item563a80e746
 
My opinion is to buy the best uke you can afford without blowing your budget. The better the quality, the better the sound and ease of playing, the more likely you will learn and progress. I have played guitar for over 45 years now and have, over that time, owned more than 50 guitars. I bought my first uke yesterday and bought the Kala archtop which is one of your choices. The Rip Tide looks good and may be my next purchase...well...after the Kala U-Bass fretless!
 
I THink Ive pretty much settled on the riptide... Though any more opinions are welcome ^-^
 
The Riptide is a much louder uke than the Archtop.
The Archtop has a rich and mellow tone, which is very pleasant, but it is not very loud.
But the Archtop works very well as an acoustic-electric. Riptide has acoustic-electrics too, but they cost more.

The Riptide is also a solid-top uke, which many people here will approve of.
But you may need to take some care of it, such as moderating the humidity with a humidifier.

Personally I'm one of those 'lazy' people who prefer laminate ukes for the freedom of not having to maintain the uke, but I can't deny solid ukes have a great projected sound.

I'll just kinda throw this one out there in case it catches your interest:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-Flame-ma...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a58b67849
I think it's a very sweet laminate uke to start with and stick with :) Plus it has electronics and a built-in tuner.. sweeet~

Here are some others that do not look like a small guitar:
Ohana Vita:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc8p_tNY0sc <Great affordable price at MGM, one of the loudest ukes ever with great tone, solid spruce top>

Have you checked out a Flea or a Fluke? They're also non-guitar shaped wonders.
 
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Now that you mention it, the ohana looks interesting, but if its a soprano, it might be a bit to small for my hands. I would like to start on atleast a concert to be safe. And that "Flame" one also looks pretty interesting.
 
my suggestion to you is decide several models that you like and then find music shops that carry those models. play as many of those as you can. each instrument is different. i guess the more you pay, the more instruments you're going to want to try. when i bought my uke, i tried about 40 different ukes in like 5 or 6 models (i tried lanikai, oscar schmidt, etc) in the price range i wanted. when i decided i liked the oscar schmidt the most, i went and played every single uke this store chain in my town had and then chose the one i wanted. depending on how much you've played in the past, you will probably want to start out with something a little less expensive and then work your way up. i did that with my other instruments, as well. one day, i'll go to hawaii just to buy a better uke. and you better believe i'll be in the store every day for a week trying out every single one ;)
 
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Indeed, but rarely do stores have a selection as wide as MGM. And they wouldn't be well set up either.

Of course, it is best to try the instruments out before buying... but I bought almost every uke I owned without having tried them.
And I found that a leap of faith with MGM never disappoints :D It actually exceeds expectations at times.

But yeah, ideally, trying them out and picking is best.
 
kissing said:
The Riptide is a much louder uke than the Archtop.
The Archtop has a rich and mellow tone, which is very pleasant, but it is not very loud.
But the Archtop works very well as an acoustic-electric. Riptide has acoustic-electrics too, but they cost more.

The Riptide is also a solid-top uke, which many people here will approve of.
But you may need to take some care of it, such as moderating the humidity with a humidifier.

Personally I'm one of those 'lazy' people who prefer laminate ukes for the freedom of not having to maintain the uke, but I can't deny solid ukes have a great projected sound.

I'll just kinda throw this one out there in case it catches your interest:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-Flame-ma...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a58b67849
I think it's a very sweet laminate uke to start with and stick with :) Plus it has electronics and a built-in tuner.. sweeet~

Here are some others that do not look like a small guitar:
Ohana Vita:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc8p_tNY0sc <Great affordable price at MGM, one of the loudest ukes ever with great tone, solid spruce top>

Have you checked out a Flea or a Fluke? They're also non-guitar shaped wonders.
Click to expand...

A friend down the street bought that Flamed Mahogany tenor as his first uke. I thought it was a pretty nice instrument for the money.
 
kissing said:
Indeed, but rarely do stores have a selection as wide as MGM. And they wouldn't be well set up either.

Of course, it is best to try the instruments out before buying... but I bought almost every uke I owned without having tried them.
And I found that a leap of faith with MGM never disappoints :D It actually exceeds expectations at times.

But yeah, ideally, trying them out and picking is best.
Click to expand...

Out of my 13 ukuleles, I have tried out TWO of them before buying. All the others were eBay or other internet purchases. I haven't been stung yet (knock on wood!). There aren't really a lot of places nearby to try out ukes. However, I did try Fleas and Flukes last week in a store and really liked them.
 
yeah, i only own two ukes, but i've learned from buying more expensive instruments. one of my degrees in school was in music performance, and i'd go bonkers if i ever got an instrument that wasn't near perfect, even if it was "cheap". like i said, the more you spend, the more you generally want to play as many of even the same model as possible. when i bought my bassoon, because i was going to be playing it for at least 10-20 years, i made sure i got the "right" one. when my wife and i bought our piano, even though it was a yamaha upright, we still played every single one they had and even had it replaced because the key lid warped between the store and our house.

it's just my opinion that if it's available, you should try as many instruments as possible before you buy and don't buy until you're happy. if you don't plan to enjoy your instrument for a long time, or just want to tempt fate (read murphy's law), i guess it's ok to just buy without trying. however, i'm glad i took my time deciding which uke i wanted to buy. even after i buy a higher quality tenor, the tenor i have now will be the one that goes everywhere with me. it has such good tone, some friends who have kamaka ukes were impressed (obviously still no where near as good as the kamakas tho lol).

i do understand there might be areas where you have a limited selection, but if you're seriously serious about getting a decent instrument, why not take a little time and take a trip to the nearest town with some selection? especially with your first. but whatever, it's what each individual thinks is best for them. and if you choose wrong, you learn for next time, right?
 
well ive only found one place that even HAS ukes. And its a thirty minute drive away... And I dont have a car.

And my family isnt too enthusiatic about me getting anothe instrument either. So I have to stick with online purchases.
 
I just want to say amen to a few things mentioned here:
MGM is a great way to go! Seriously, I've heard nothing but rave reviews of his customer service.
Ohana has some of the best bang for your buck when it comes to quality (though, they've struggled with inventory this year, I've heard that'll be getting better)

of course if you want to go really nontraditional...
 
eleuke's look interesting... GOD SO MANY CHOICES -head deak-
 
Hehehe, Yes Skye! Come to the dark side.. come to the dark side of Electric Ukuleles!

Eleukes are wonderful! It's the quietest uke if you practice through headphones... but plug it into an amp (even a small, cheap one), and it's the loudest uke there is.
And the effects you can play around with are endless ^^ (not to mention the distortion capability)

Electric ukes are my uke-of-choice.
 
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If I got an electric uke I would totally want the sunburst one! XD As You can see Im a big sunburst fan. God I wish there was a place in my area that carried alot of ukes...
 
If you are planning on using the archtop or riptide as electric/acoustics, I'd suggest either. I chose the archtop because it was a little less expensive, I liked the f hole look and also because I wanted it to be my electric uke. I figured most ukes like the riptide and archtop would sound similar once plugged in, so I saved money and got the one that looked the best. To me, of course. If you aren't plugging in, I'd suggest a solid wood, or solid top at least. Look at a mainland mahogany concert. Sweet sounding with very good volume. I can't speak for the ohana brand other than trying one at a shop and really liking it. I think the archtop plays well enough as an acoustic, if needed. But I have better acoustic options with my solid wood, and solid spruce top ukes. Good luck and I'm sure whatever you end up with, you'll enjoy the heck out of it!
 
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