Good Tenor for beginner.

Ukejenny said:

Sounds like you know what you want in several areas already, and that is half the battle. YouTube has sound samples of pretty much all that has been mentioned so far.

Here's a few I listened to in helping me decide to buy my KPK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSrALaTlqbg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAWpx2ZIdYI

Click to expand...

Jenny those are two that I listened to also before I bought a KPK for myself.
Jukebox 661 sure made it sound angelic didn't he? So beautiful and I am sure "Uncle Mike" was honored when he heard it.

Speaking of Kala, I have a Kala KA-CTG which is a tenor with solid cedar top and laminated acacia back and sides. It also comes with a beautiful vintage headstock. The intonation and projection is quite good, slightly better than Ohana at the same price level.

You can find it on Amazon which is the website I got it from. It is made in China (most Kala ukes are made in China and the quality is good).

HMS (hawaii music supply) is a site you must visit for introductions for the ukes at the range. Hope it helps.

Ok, so I could not really hear any difference between different woods. So I went to a local music store and listened to normal guitars and the diference in woods. Much easier to hear the difference now. And really liked cedar.

So Mainland Red Cedar Tenor it is!

Congratulations. Enjoy the new instrument.

Go to a music or Uke store and try a few to see if you are comfortable with the playability with it as well as you like the tone, example neck thickness and width... if you are
not satisfied with one, dont get it, these are two basic factor you need ... also check out which size is comfortable for you as well ....becoz everyone has a
different preference and hand and body size....Good luck and let us know what you get.. happy strummings
PS of course then you can check into brands for what preference in tone you like....warm or bright...
also get a good clip on chromatic tuner as well and a gig bag or case for protection...
next move, higher uprgraded strings next lesson.. from the factory ones

Big problem with that: unless you live in a megacity or on the Islands, you won't find a music store with a reasonable selection to try. And you'll find almost none with excellent brands like Mainland and Gretsch. You'd have better luck going to a uke festival or local uke gathering—with the added bonus that the ukes people have brought will have opened up and be seasoned by play, giving you a better impression of how yours is likely to sound long-term—good ukes don't always display their promise fresh from the factory.

There's also an ethical issue: if you're not planning to buy from a local retail store (should you find what you're looking for at a competitive price for such stores), if instead you're planning to order from an online retailer who will undercut them hands-down, you really shouldn't be squandering local stores' resources for your personal convenience. If you happen to be there shopping (actually shopping) for something else, browsing is to be expected, but to make a special trip to try their ukes with no intention at all of buying from them is pretty scummy.

Festivals is another good place to check ukes out too, but I do suggest you buy from a highly reputable dealer....there are many that do great setups before sending them out..
here in hawaii and elsewhere, many like HMS and Andrew... also MIM, Uke Republic, Mainland MIke etc are great too
most of these dealers have a good return policy too ...which counts to me too Good Luck