Types & Prices Of Ukuleles In The UK

What type of ukulele should a beginner buy, Soprano, Concert, Tenor or Baritone?

What is a fair price to pay for a new, reasonable quality ukulele in any of those categories?

In the Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain some of the instruments look modern and almost high tech, others look as though they have been bought from a junk shop.

_Ukeless_ said:

What type of ukulele should a beginner buy, Soprano, Concert, Tenor or Baritone?

What is a fair price to pay for a new, reasonable quality ukulele in any of those categories?

In the Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain some of the instruments look modern and almost high tech, others look as though they have been bought from a junk shop.

Click to expand...

Which size really depends on what you hope to achieve and whether or not you have any previous fretted string experience. Strum-along beginner, soprano, maybe concert if you've got big hands, eventually you'll settle into what you really want or, like many, will buy one of each and a couple of spares and maybe a banjo. They've all got their place in the scheme of things.

A "sensible" price to start, IMHO, under £50 for a soprano, maybe up to £100 for a larger instrument. "Vintage", "Kala", "Mahalo" and "Brunswick" are all reliable brands available in the UK in this price range. Just my experience, doubtless there are others.

If a member of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is playing a "scruffy" looking instrument it simply serves to demonstrate that bling isn't necessary if you can play well

Good luck :music:

_Ukeless_ said:

What type of ukulele should a beginner buy, Soprano, Concert, Tenor or Baritone?

What is a fair price to pay for a new, reasonable quality ukulele in any of those categories?

In the Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain some of the instruments look modern and almost high tech, others look as though they have been bought from a junk shop.

Click to expand...

Don’t buy a Baritone as they are tuned to a different pitch than the other three sizes.

I have both a Soprano and a Makala Concert Uke sitting by my chair, neither was expensive and their low cost doesn’t hold me back. (Edit. As an aside the the Soprano is a Makala Dolphin, it’s a very cheap second hand eBay purchase that after some ‘sorting’ is a great use it wherever you are Uke.) IIRC the Makala Concert was the second Uke that I bought, I bought a Soprano first but initially struggled with that smaller size. You won’t go wrong with a Makala Concert (a MK-C), provided that some set-up work is done on it - any Uke that you buy will need work done on it. So around £55 will get you started and just short of £100 is plenty for a first Concert Uke (I find that Concerts are more popular with adults but about 2/3’s of my playing is done on the slightly more portable Soprano size).

The skill of the user is more important than the price and fancy finish of any Uke.

Edit. Having thought about it overnight I would suggest the Kala Concert (KA-C, about £90), if you could afford it it would be a really sensible purchase that should meet your needs for years. I’ve had my Makala MK-C for several years now and there’s no sign of me outgrowing it - one guy here uses his for busking, so when set up right they can play very well - but the (sister brand) Kala is just that bit better all round (IMHO). If you decide that Soprano would be best for you then I’ve been delighted with my (sorted) KA-P, with the exception of its rounder shape the KA-P is the same as the more common KA-S.

Set up right or well well? On my Makala MK-C I adjusted the string height at the nut (0.5 mm over the first fret), fitted Martin M600 strings, made and fitted a bone saddle, adjusted the saddle height to give a string height gap of roughly 2.75 mm at the 12th fret and ensured that the saddle seated on a level smooth surface. That work was done over several years as I developed the skills required, start with the nut string height - an old guy in my Uke Club will do nuts if folk ask him, perhaps they’ll be someone similar in your club.

Good luck and enjoy.

Thanks very much Kypfer and Graham.

_Ukeless_ said:

, others look as though they have been bought from a junk shop.

Click to expand...

Those are probably the priceless vintage Martins!

I always recommend concert size, unless you have played a stringed instrument before.
It will come in re entrant tuning, high G, the most common for ukes, but can have a low G string fitted, if & when you want to try it.
Kala, Ohana, Baton Rouge are my suggestions, about £100~150 if you are serious about learning to play, (you'll buy a better one later when you get the hang of it).
(The cheapest that I would suggest would be a Makala concert, but the Kala is quite a bit better.)

Buy whichever you like the look of.

It's handy to keep a ukulele lying around to pick up whenever you have a spare minute. For that reason (and a few others which don't belong in the beginner forum) I reckon a soprano can't be beat.

best thing to do is go to a music shop and try out the various sizes of uke to see which one you prefer, there are no ukes a beginner should buy, a beginner can play any size
reasonable price depends on your wallet, if I was just beginning I would not spend too much, if you stick it out (many fall by the wayside) then you can invest in a better uke, we all own many
and those junk shop ukes are probably worth more than my right kidney lol

I started out with a Makala MK-C concert ukulele. A bit expensive in a live shop in Denmark, I payed almost 100 pounds equivalent, but they are cheaper online. It worked fine, got me hooked.

For size, I suggest that you find a shop, try a few sizes, and buy the size you prefer. If the shop doesnt have any brands you like, go online. I suspect that it is easier to move to a larger uke from a smaller than vice versa, so starting with a concert or soprano is probably smart, but see what you like.
I suggest buying something a little better than the cheapest option. If you end up playing it a lot, you will be glad. If it end up hanging on the wall, it will be prettier.

If I was to start over, I would have started with a Kala in stead of a Makala, for a better start. I havent played a Kala, but I assume that it is better. Ohana also Makes great ukes.

What about an electro acoustic ukulele for a beginner?

_Ukeless_ said:

What about an electro acoustic ukulele for a beginner?

Click to expand...

Electro acoustic just means that you have the option to plug it in and amplify it, you don't have to. So you can play one of these just like an acoustic ukulele if you dont amplify it. Hence it should not be more difficult than a normal acoustic ukulele.

It is probably a bit more expensive, and some people might think that the pickup is extra weight of they don't use it. But if the uke you desire has one, dont let it put you off.

Plugging it in will mostly be an advantage of you perform live, so as a beginner you probably wont need it right away, but it will not ruin the uke.

Electro acoustics often have a built-in tuner, which is handy to have even if you don't plug in.

_Ukeless_ said:

What about an electro acoustic ukulele for a beginner?

Click to expand...

I wouldn’t buy one unless the electro part was free of charge. Only a very small percentage of players (that I know) ever have use for the plug in part. The electro part is just another thing to go wrong and if it does the resale value of your Uke will be reduced. In the unlikely event that you need the electro part later it is something that can be retrofitted or you could just use a suitably placed microphone - once you’ve played a while you’ll probably want several more Ukes anyway so get the electro type later if it still appeals.

A basic concert uke will cost about £100, an electro acoustic will be around about £150, (same uke).
(Example: Kala KA-CEM against Kala KA-CEME)

I started out wanting an electro, bought a couple complete with an amp, don't use it much, prefer to play plain acoustic, they're mainly for performers.

A steel string electric, on the other hand, gives you the option of creating 'sounds' like an electric guitar, with the right amp, some of which have several built in effects.

But I'd still recommend starting out with a plain acoustic concert.