Recommendations for reputable online stores and brands for a newbie please!

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uke-ette

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Admittedly I'm very new to the ukulele but I have been really enjoying learning how to play. I purchased an inexpensive but decent soprano from my local shop. My experience was ok, not bad but not great either. I would love to pick up a concert uke in the near future.

I'm not educated enough with the ukulele to know all of the right questions to ask. So, I'm hoping some of you wonderful people can point me in the right direction with some reputable US based online stores and brands. I've read through quite a few posts and have tagged both Mims and the Ukulele site. Any other sites that I should be looking at? I would prefer to avoid amazon and ebay.

Recommendations on brands that are more unique that won't break the bank? I was reading about the ANueNue with some intrigue. I tend to gravitate towards things that are different but at the end of the day I would really like a good concert Uke.

I don't mind doing the research, hoping that a few of you can simply point me in the right direction so I don't make a mistake. Thanks in advance for any guidance.

--uke-ette
 
Mainland Ukuleles has good instruments and a good reputation.
 
Can't go wrong with The Ukulele Site or Mims. Mims has more cheaper ukuleles (below $100). The Ukulele Site has more mid and upper priced ukuleles. All the models that these 2 dealers sell are good values for the price, but you have to decide for yourself what price fits your budget, of course. These stores are both located in the USA. If you are located elsewhere, you may find pricing (including shipping) better if you buy from a store in your country.

For reviews of ukuleles at different price points, check out https://www.gotaukulele.com/p/ukulele-reviews.html
 
A concert would be a nice addition for you. There are some great uke specialty shops, the Ukulele Site being one of THE best. Can't go wrong with aNueNue either. Use reviews from GotAUkulele, the Southern Ukulele Store, and World of Ukes to help make your decision.
 
If looking to buy a quality concert at half the price but same quality and craftsmanship as the traditional Hawaiian K brands look into a used Kala Elite. These are Kala's top of the line built in California ukuleles. These ukes can be found at half the price of the Hawaiian brands, sound and build very comparable, and made in California.
 
My first recommendation is Mim, she'll do right by you. About seven years ago she recommended a Kala solid cedar top uke and it's been my go to ever since. Kala makes it in concert size that would be a very good choice.
Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
8 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 10 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 36)
•Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
•Member The CC Strummers: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
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If you are interested in aNueNue, then The Ukulele Site is where you should shop first. Otherwise, Mim's is great. Better yet, phone her and discuss your situation so that she can guide you to one that should fit and you would be happy with.
 
What's your budget ?
What type of music do you want to play ?


 
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Steedy said:
Ya can't go wrong with any of these most excellent online ukulele sellers!

Click links (alphabetical order):

Mainland Ukes

Mim's Ukes

The Ukulele Site

Uke Republic

They all provide quality ukes with good setups (which is important for an ukulele to play and sound well).
Click to expand...
Some good budget-friendly brands are anuenue, kala, & ohana.

I think @Steedy got most of them. I know that Mims & Uke Republic do free set-ups, ship free, and don't charge tax (as long as you are not in the same state as them). You really save a ton of money this way. The Ukulele Site is the creme dela creme of uke retailers. they have done some changes on set-up costs now and shipping cost. Full set-ups for ukes under $399 now cost $40 bucks (over $399 is free) and to get free shipping your order your total order cost needs to be over $500. That being said they have a great selection, awesome customer service, and also don't charge tax if you don't live in hawaii. I'm guessing if you are living out of the US, this might be different.

I will also throw in AnuenueUSA but they are now charging $50 for shipping but no tax. Alohacityukes also looks pretty cool they are in Chicago but also do set-ups, free shipping, and don't charge tax (if you are not in Illinois). I haven't bought from them yet but have wanted to.

Don't think you can go wrong with any of the vendors listed. Good luck!!
 
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The best shops are already mentioned. For brands I would start to listen to many sound sample comparison videos. That will narrow down the sound YOU like the most, then pick the one with the looks you like best. Or vice versa if you find looks more important. In the end you want a ukulele you want to pick up all the time.

As you’ve mentioned a local shop, I would make sure to try out different concert sized ukes, to see if you like the size and how comfortable it is to your left hand. I’m adjusting from concert to tenor size. Although I have large hands, to my surprise I can’t spread them that much so concert is more comfortable and enjoyable. On the other hand a wider nut and string spacing felt more comfy to me right away. So having the possibility to try out some ukes will be very helpful.
 
I would encourage you to do some searches and read through various threads, especially the ones focused on specific ukes you are interested in -- you will see some patterns start to emerge, and you will get more of a handle on where your personal preferences lie. I consider the salient features to be sound (which I think is hard to compare online), feel such as neck shape and nut width (even harder to compare online), and appearance (easiest to compare online).

In addition to the gotaukulele reviews, I find these rankings and descriptions interesting: http://ukestuff.info/

One thing to keep in mind is how high shipping costs have become. If the vendor does not cover shipping and/or if you decide to return an instrument you could get into some real $$.
 
kaimuki said:
What's your budget ?
What type of music do you want to play ?


Click to expand...

Thanks much for the link. I'll take a look at it later today.

My budget is a bit flexible for the right uke but I'd like to stay around $200-$300. As far as the type of music I'm still working on that however I'm drawn to more of the pop music and I like the mix of finger picking and strumming.
 
Wow, a lot of great information. I will continue to do my research and I'll report back with my decision.

Thank you all so much!
 
How about a Long Neck Soprano ?
A Soprano with a Concert Neck .
 
For me, I have to hold, hear, smell, and touch different ukuleles before I decide which one to buy. I don't recommend buying something online unless you went to a store and were able to play that specific ukulele. Surfboards are the same
 
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