Question re beginner ukulele price point??

tm3

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Last week on a whim my wife and I attended a beginner ukulele class. The instructor passed out Makala concerts to everyone and we plunked away for an hour. It was a surprising amount of fun and we have decided to try to learn to play this instrument. We are going to start with one and if there is too much fighting over it we'll add another.

Of course the first question is which ukulele to buy. I've spent a while searching and browsing and it seems like the most recommended route is to buy a concert (or tenor) instrument choosing between two options:

1) A Kala or Ohana from a recommended online dealer that will do a quality check and setup, or

2) An Enya from Amazon made of HPL for under $100, with the intent of returning it if defective, and using it as a "beater" later on if eventually upgrading to a higher quality instrument.

I'm not sure which would be best for me yet and would like to ask for some more opinion/information that will help me decide.

Assuming that I do option #1, up to what price point ($100? $200? $300?) will I be able to see "quality" differences that will make a difference to me as a beginner? For example, just throwing out a number, is a beginner likely to be able to appreciate the difference between a $100 instrument and a $200 instrument while the difference between, say, a $200 instrument and a $300 instrument would only be obvious to a more experienced player?

One of the Amazon reviewers said that the HPL Enya has a radiused fretboard, which is "usually only seen in instruments costing over $500." That sounds impressive, except that I don't know what a "radiused fretboard" is and more importantly I don't know if it would make any difference to a novice. But if it would make a difference, and the Enya has it while sub-$500 Kalas and Ohanas don't, then that seems important.

I don't have to go really cheap on this and certainly don't want to be held back by an inferior instrument, but on the other hand I've been around long enough to realize that buying a Fender Stratocaster won't make me play like Jimi Hendrix.

Thanks in advance for your comments!
 
Welcome to the cult, er, community!

Those Makala dolphins are pretty good entry-level instruments.

That said, your price point probably should be at a level you're comfortable paying for an instrument from a local uke shop (not a big-box store like GC or Sam Ash) where the owner can help you find the right scale, neck, etc ... or through one of the recommended online merchants here (Mim, Uke Republic, HMS, etc.) who'll do the same, only virtually.

You could spend $100 from Mim or Uke Republic on an Ohana or a Kala or an Amahi that'll set you up better than the vast majority of beginners who just grab one off the rack at a Guitar Center or buy a cheapie at Amazon.

If you want to spend more, it's even more imperative you do so with a dealer or a local shop. You can spend hundreds on the wrong uke and much less on the right one with the proper help.

Hope you find what you love!
 
That said, your price point probably should be at a level you're comfortable paying for an instrument from a local uke shop (not a big-box store like GC or Sam Ash) where the owner can help you find the right scale, neck, etc ... or through one of the recommended online merchants here (Mim, Uke Republic, HMS, etc.) who'll do the same, only virtually.

You could spend $100 from Mim or Uke Republic on an Ohana or a Kala or an Amahi that'll set you up better than the vast majority of beginners who just grab one off the rack at a Guitar Center or buy a cheapie at Amazon.

If you want to spend more, it's even more imperative you do so with a dealer or a local shop. You can spend hundreds on the wrong uke and much less on the right one with the proper help.

Thanks for the info! The ukes in the class were mahogany Makalas. I think the teacher said they were about $75.

There is no local uke shop so anything I buy will be online. How does an online merchant help me find the right scale, neck, etc. -- hand measurements or finger length or something like that?

Getting the wrong uke would be bad enough but paying hundreds for it would be even worse!
 
I started out with a $65 Makala concert. I have since upgraded, but I still play it quite often, so even though it only cost $65 it is still a good enough ukulele. If you stick with reputable manufacturer you probably are going to get something playable. My advise, there are a lot of ukuleles that are in that $65 - $100 range that are great starter ukes. Save your money and buy a nice upgrade after you have played it a little and have a better feeling for what you like and don't like.
 
A good cheapish uke, Kala KA-S soprano, or KA-C concert - as said above, I'd be cautious about spending a lot to start with, as sometimes you may find a different scale will suit you better, once you have the basics down. :)
 
This might work for setting a "first uke" price point. Take the amount of money you feel is reasonable for an average night out with your wife and double it.
 
Where are you?

Would it be possible to buy an ukulele through the teacher? Did the teacher make any recommendations?

If buying online watch for shipping prices.

You could try checking out Empire
Music. They ship to USA, Internationally, and Canada. They service schools, and other groups and are reasonably in their prices. They also setup ukuleles to your specifications. (GCEA). Do not get a ukulele with friction pegs.

Good luck.
 
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I'd recommend staying at the $100 or so price point if you're not sure whether you want a soprano, concert, or tenor. If the Makala scale was comfortable, you may want to stick with it.

Online dealers who primarily (or only) sell ukes can provide you some help with scale, etc. If you're in the U.S. ... I'm a huge Mim fan, and I'm sure Mike at Uke Republic is helpful, too. (Mainland, too, though they're usually all-solids and more costly.) HMS tends to deal in higher-end instruments and they're in Hawaii, which could make shipping costs a bigger deal.

It's possible to over-think this. My advice is to find an entry-level at one of the online dealers.
 
I started out with a $65 Makala concert. I have since upgraded, but I still play it quite often, so even though it only cost $65 it is still a good enough ukulele. If you stick with reputable manufacturer you probably are going to get something playable. My advise, there are a lot of ukuleles that are in that $65 - $100 range that are great starter ukes. Save your money and buy a nice upgrade after you have played it a little and have a better feeling for what you like and don't like.

Well it sounds like another way to phrase what you are saying is about $100 gets plenty of uke for a beginner, ie $100 is the "price point" I was asking about. Spending more once likes and dislikes have had time to develop certainly makes a lot of sense!

A good cheapish uke, Kala KA-S soprano, or KA-C concert - as said above, I'd be cautious about spending a lot to start with, as sometimes you may find a different scale will suit you better, once you have the basics down. :)

Another vote against overspending at the start -- makes a lot of sense!

This might work for setting a "first uke" price point. Take the amount of money you feel is reasonable for an average night out with your wife and double it.

My wife is a cheap date -- one of the reasons that she is my wife!

Where are you?

Would it be possible to buy an ukulele through the teacher? Did the teacher make any recommendations?

If buying online watch for shipping prices.

You could try checking out Empire
Music. They ship to USA, Internationally, and Canada. They service schools, and other groups and are reasonably in their prices. They also setup ukuleles to your specifications. (GCEA). Do not get a ukulele with friction pegs.

Good luck.

I'm in the USA. I would love to be able to have input and guidance from the teacher as far as making a pick, but we were on vacation out of town and the encounter was a one time thing. I think that he said that he had been happy with the bunch of Makalas that they were using for the introductory class.

I'm reminded of another comment the teacher made that I'll share with the group here. He said that studies have shown that singing causes the body to release oxytocin, a hormone produced by both males and females and one that has beneficial effects. So as we clunked along and bumbled off key and probably scared all of the cats for miles around he kept reminding us that we were releasing oxytocin thus all was good!
 
Let me toss out one more question ......

I read the article on the Wirecutter site about choosing a ukulele, and also read the thread here discussing it. Putting aside the Wirecutter's specific choices, they said that some ukuleles are designed such that the strings are easy to change while on some string changes are much harder.

What exactly are they referring to as it sounds like that would be a good feature? Are they talking about the ukes that the strings look "looped" upon themselves, or the ones that are fastened down with pins like a guitar?
 
There are several different methods of attaching strings to a ukulele. Slot bridge (try knot on string, slip into slot), tie bar (look for instructions online, more complicated), pin bridge (put string into hole fasten with pin). Most likely to find slot bridge or tie bar.

When looking for ukulele 55-75 think also of case 25-30, strap 10-15, chromatic tuner 15-20, and method book 25-30 can be bought in a package, but also separately. If you can find a package with all, it would probably be cheaper.

Luck.
 
Let me toss out one more question ......

I read the article on the Wirecutter site about choosing a ukulele, and also read the thread here discussing it. Putting aside the Wirecutter's specific choices, they said that some ukuleles are designed such that the strings are easy to change while on some string changes are much harder.

What exactly are they referring to as it sounds like that would be a good feature? Are they talking about the ukes that the strings look "looped" upon themselves, or the ones that are fastened down with pins like a guitar?

I wouldn’t go much on what is said on other sites. IMHO nothing much compares to UU.

Strings can be anchored to the body of a Uke in a few different ways, some are notionally easier than others to implement. String changes are infrequently needed, forget about that issue, when you get there it won’t matter much.

Buying via Mims Ukes and Uke Republic will get you a well set up instrument. You won’t go wrong with a Concert scale to start with. I used to have a Makala MK-C, it worked well and I didn’t out grow it - its a good way to go. Currently I prefer the Soprano scale, but I usually have to space out /spread the strings across the fretboard as otherwise my fingers struggle to fit - go for a Concert, the ‘Goldilocks’ size.
 
If I had to do it all again this is what I'd advise. Unless you have really small hands I'd recommend a concert sized ukulele. It still has that characteristic ukulele sound but it gives you a little more room on the fret board which for me was nice when I first started learning. Buy from a reputable seller that does a set up on the uke before shipping it out. The usual recommendations are Hawaii Music Supply (HMS), Mim's Ukes and Uke Republic. A lot of people like Elderly Instruments as well. I've had the best luck and experience with Mim's Ukes and I'd recommend her without reservations. When I first started I was pretty certain I was going to enjoy the ukulele and stick with it so I wanted something that wasn't a plinky sounding toy and not something that I'd quickly get bored with when I started developing more skills. I'd recommend a solid top laminate as a starter. At Mim's ukes you could get a solid top spruce or mahogany concert uke that is set up for around the $150 mark. You also mentioned ease of string changes. I personally would avoid ukes that had pins like a guitar has. I'd also avoid the type where you tie a knot in the end of the string and fit it into a slot. I personally like the tie bridges. I would also avoid friction tuners. I'm a geared tuner only guy.
 
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The most important factors for getting a uke you will enjoy playing:

#1 Setup
#2: Setup!
#3: SETUP!

The cheaper the uke, the more important it is to buy from someone who will set it up properly.
 
I'm probably echoing a lot of what other people have said.

1. Take option 1)
2. Spend as much or as little as you are comfortable spending. Spending more probably won't be a waste of money, but spending less because you don't have the funds is perfectly alright.
3. A radiused fretboard means that there is a a slight curve across the fretboard. This can make it easier to fret barre chords. Some people love them, some people don't, and to be honest, I've always been happy with flat fretboards so I haven't let it worry me. Yes, they tend to cost more, but a ukulele with a poor setup and a radiused fretboard is going to be far inferior to a ukulele with a good setup and a flat fretboard.
4. Re string changes, there are a bunch of different ways to attach the strings to the bridge of the ukulele. Some are considered easier than others but I'm honestly not too fussed. Some may be slightly easier, but not that much. I own ukuleles with 3 different methods of attachment. It really just comes down to personal preference, and because you don't have experience, you don't know what you will prefer. Personally, I don't like slot bridges but don't mind the other options, but that's just me.
 
Great advice so far, and not much to add.

I can say that we have bought multiple Enyas and been very pleased with the set up for the price off of Amazon.
 
I started out with a $100 concert sized uke, then had to spend $40 for a setup. It was fine until I realized I wanted to play plugged in.
IF I had known Mim at the time, I probably would have gotten something else, but I was newbie naive!
 
Here's what I did when I started.

1. I decided how much I wanted to spend. For me that was $200. So I bought a $200 ukulele.
2. Then I eventually got a $400 uke. The difference was astounding.
3. Then instead of getting a $600 one, then a $800 one, etc etc., I just went and bought a top-level ukulele that I would spend the rest of my life with. It was expensive, but it is cheaper than buying several other ukuleles that I would just move on from.

So, I suppose my recommendation is to get something really nice--once you know in your heart that this is definitely something you are going to pursue.
 
I'm still with my starter Kala-CEM. It looks somewhat "exotic" compared to the basic C model. I've seen videos of guys playing much more costly ukes, but i'm not sure if you just want sing and strum, they are not THAT much better.
Sorry ripock :)

What is important is to have a fine nut action. Mine was not, so I had to grind some with those welding torch cleaners.
Best is to get a good uke from a local shop instead internet.
 
Welcome.

For strumming along in a group then a starter Uke is a great one to buy, up to $200 is what I would suggest.

Buy from a specialist Uke shop who will set it up correctly for you.

I am in the UK and hence have no dealings with them but MIMs ukes in the USA does have a good reputation and they will ensure that your uke is set up before dispatch.

I suggest you consider:-

Kala KA C ukulele (a great starter uke)

A Hard Case (offers much better protection and humidity control)

Spare set of strings

A clip on tuner

Additionally:-

I would have the supplier fit strap studs and to supply a strap, you then have the option, I find it much more comfortable to use a strap to support my Ukes.

Now the Kala KA C does have more expensive cousins with different wood construction and there are versions with electric pickups, preamps and jack socket already fitted.

The Kala model name gives the clues, mine is a tenor so it is a Kala KATEME, the KA model, Tenor sized Exotic Mahogony, Electric.

So if you choose a basic Kala Concert but with electrics it would be KA CE and it would be the mahogony version or a KA C without electrics.

Finally I cannot stress enough having the Ukulele correctly set up prior to buying, do look at the online videos of what they do to set up a uke and you will see that Amazon does not provide this service.
 
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