Joyful Uke
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If the Kanilea nut width appeals to you, you might look into the Islander ukuleles, which is made by Kanilea, but is their entry level version.
Thanks John. I've been going back and forth on what to buy. I was thinking about maybe getting a Kanile'a K-1 T tenor. I think tenor is what I want but I don't have enough experience to really know that. I'm also not sure about what nut width. On guitars, I prefer a wider nut ...1 13/16 is the most comfortable for me. So now I'm thinking maybe I should buy something less expensive as a kind of test run. The Kala KA-ZCT-T seems like it might be a good choice for initially dipping my toe in the water.
I imagine you have seen the Ukulele Site videos.
JTC111:
You indicated a preference for the Kala KA-ZTC-T and wide nuts. Kala's in general have shorter nut widths than other brands. This model has a nut width of 1.39". Try exploring other brands that have wider nut widths. My first ukulele was a Kala. At that time, I didn't know any better. As I gained more experience and played other brands, I found that I much preferred a wider nut.
I was going to bring that up as well. I went out with my little tape measure for a while when I was looking for a soprano and I was finding that some ukuleles with 1 1/2" necks had an actual string width pretty close to those with 1 3/8" necks. It seemed that there was no standard among the few 1 1/2" necks that I was able to get my hands on to measure. When I was doing my research though, I felt like the wider necks were harder to play for me, not easier.That is a great listing of nut widths, thanks John.
Although Koaloha are listed as 1-1/2" they feel and play more like 1-3/8". Their nut width is closer to 1-7/16" and the outside strings are in from the neck edge more than some. I have owned a few and although I don't like 1-1/2" I find Koaloha easy to play. Just some feedback for your consideration.
Also if you have a uke you can play, you can be patient and wait for a good deal and/or find a nice used uke which can be a lot cheaper than buying new. When you are buying used, you can definitely bargain for used ukes.
Hi, I've got a couple of Mike Pereira custom tenors for sale. These are part of an estate of a friend who passed a couple of years ago and left behind a large collection of stringed, instruments. Mostly guitars but some ukes and mandolins as well. I've sold 6 or 7 to guys on this site so far. The tenors are $1,000 and $1400 plus shipping. Feel free to send me an email and I can send you photos and details. If you're not familiar with Mike Pereira Ukes, check out his website, great builder.
Ed