Outdoor Ukulele Advise Wanted Please

As a beginner wanting to learn to play, I am feeling like the brand "Outdoor Ukulele" may be ideal for my needs. It's durable, has easy string action, and is affordable. However, I am undecided upon size. I really tend to gravitate toward the sound of a tenor instrument , but am wondering if a soprano instrument is the preferred choice? I would appreciate any guidance.

Thank you

I owned a soprano Outdoor Ukulele briefly, I liked everything about it but the size of the fretboard. It was too small for my fingers. I've since tried tenor size (other brands) and that size fretboard is too big for me, I can't comfortably stretch my fingers. If they made a concert size I would definitely own another one. I really like their ukuleles. The intonation was spot on.

The jist of my story - it's a great uke, but you have to know which size is best for your fingers. If there's a music store near you, maybe you could visit just to hold one of each. FYI - I'm an average size woman, not small, not large so neither of their sizes was comfortable for me.

Halb said:

As a beginner wanting to learn to play, I am feeling like the brand "Outdoor Ukulele" may be ideal for my needs. It's durable, has easy string action, and is affordable. However, I am undecided upon size. I really tend to gravitate toward the sound of a tenor instrument , but am wondering if a soprano instrument is the preferred choice? I would appreciate any guidance.

Thank you

Click to expand...

The Outdoor Uke is no doubt great for outdoor use in all weathers and situations, but that does not mean it’s deal for your use. As a starter you’d be best served by buying a well set up Uke from the likes of Mims Ukes. I now pretty much only play Soprano but typically most of my friends are happiest with the Concert size so I suggest that you go for one of those; a basic laminate should be fine to start with and could be all you need for several years. My experience is that unless you have large hands and long fingers the Tenor size is best avoided.

Good luck and enjoy your Ukulele journey.

I'm with Graham, an Outdoor is more of an "in addition to" specialty uke, than one that's your main player as a beginner, as well as when you advance. They sound good for a plastic uke, but that's a relatively low bar. Almost any decent wood or laminate uke in that price range from Mim or the other Usual Suspects will sound better and make you a happier player. Then you can get your Outdoor campfire uke later, or you may move to a more expensive model and your starter uke can serve as your campfire uke.

Much as I love the fantasy of a bomb-proof uke that I'll be able to take with me on the run from the zombie apocalypse, my real life has accommodated a decent uke in a very good gig bag for all my uke adventures. I also have a Flight travel uke that I keep in my trunk three seasons. Even if a uke could handle how hot it gets here in the trunk of a car, and I'm sure there are some that can, including my Flight, in my experience the strings cannot, so that's pointless.

Maybe you should buy a Soprano Flea. It is also a nice instrument, and you can try out the fretboard size. There is one on the marketplace right now for a really good price. https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?140911-Flea-soprano-ukulele

These are great instruments. Read here for 28 pages of Magic Fluke love. https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?93637-The-Magic-Fluke-Company-Appreciation-thread&highlight=magic+fluke+appreciation

If you decide you need more fret space and want to go to a bigger size, you should be able to easily sell the soprano flea for a similar price as to what it is being offered for sale now. New, these things go for at least $200 or so.

Good luck
Rich

Glarry has some very nice concerts at an extremely low price and THEY SHIP FOR FREE. I am amazed and how nicely they look and play....and I am a dealer for two other brands..

I think we’ve gone too far in this forum when we insist that every ukulele has to come from one of the super-dealers, particularly when we’re in a thread about Outdoor Ukulele.

I suppose it’s possible that someone might not like the setup of an Outdoor Ukulele; but having bought 71 of them (10 sopranos and 61 concerts) for a school...the set-up is ideal for most (many?) players and absolutely consistent. And the flat neck profile is wonderful. It just doesn’t sound “wood” and logically so. It is also a little quieter than many other ukuleles and a touch more percussive because of the polycarbonate.

And you just can’t beat the durability of these. I know there are other plastics (currently no equal version in the price range or lower) and hybrid models (Makala Dolphin, Magic Fluke, TUS-35) that are fairly weatherproof, but not to the extent of the Outdoor.

I do wish Outdoor made a Concert, but I was told that it costs more than $100,000 to design and create the mold...and I certainly don’t have the money to act as an investor.

So my advice is this: go for the tenor unless you have small hands...and if you want a concert, Enya has a new product coming soon.

And finally—buying from a super dealer is a good idea if you want one of their brands. But there are a number of brands shipping right now...FOR BEGINNERS...with super quality control and great set-ups. It’s actually a condemnation of the majority of ukulele companies that can’t get better quality control. And that’s not the super dealers fault...but they shouldn’t have to work so hard, either.

Choirguy said:

I think we’ve gone too far in this forum when we insist that every ukulele has to come from one of the super-dealers, particularly when we’re in a thread about Outdoor Ukulele.

I suppose it’s possible that someone might not like the setup of an Outdoor Ukulele; but having bought 71 of them (10 sopranos and 61 concerts) for a school...the set-up is ideal for most (many?) players and absolutely consistent. And the flat neck profile is wonderful. It just doesn’t sound “wood” and logically so. It is also a little quieter than many other ukuleles and a touch more percussive because of the polycarbonate.

And you just can’t beat the durability of these. I know there are other plastics (currently no equal version in the price range or lower) and hybrid models (Makala Dolphin, Magic Fluke, TUS-35) that are fairly weatherproof, but not to the extent of the Outdoor.

And finally—buying from a super dealer is a good idea if you want one of their brands. But there are a number of brands shipping right now...FOR BEGINNERS...with super quality control and great set-ups.

Click to expand...

I do hope that I’m not guilty of giving poor advice, rather I’ve tried to answer the original question and then point them in a useful direction - I appreciate that there are many other good ways to go too but how many ways do you give without confusing someone?

I suggested Mim (my words were: “from the likes of Mims Ukes”) because she both has an enviable reputation and I know of her, no doubt there are other suppliers who do a good job too and the OP could choose to ask the community here for details of them later.

For your particular use in Schools the Outdoor Uke is probably rather hard to beat. You give the pluses and minuses for them and for your use they are, in my own simple opinion, very valid. However, as the OP hasn’t indicated that they will be using one in a school some of the (your) advantages might not apply.

Buying from a particular dealer might limit your choice but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will not have suitable instruments to choose from. Mim, who I suggested, stocks instruments that are happily used by many beginners. A shop might or might stock our particular favourites but so long as they sell something suitable does it really matter that much?

Choirguy said:

I think we’ve gone too far in this forum when we insist that every ukulele has to come from one of the super-dealers, particularly when we’re in a thread about Outdoor Ukulele.

I suppose it’s possible that someone might not like the setup of an Outdoor Ukulele; but having bought 71 of them (10 sopranos and 61 concerts) for a school...the set-up is ideal for most (many?) players and absolutely consistent. And the flat neck profile is wonderful. It just doesn’t sound “wood” and logically so. It is also a little quieter than many other ukuleles and a touch more percussive because of the polycarbonate.

And you just can’t beat the durability of these. I know there are other plastics (currently no equal version in the price range or lower) and hybrid models (Makala Dolphin, Magic Fluke, TUS-35) that are fairly weatherproof, but not to the extent of the Outdoor.

I do wish Outdoor made a Concert, but I was told that it costs more than $100,000 to design and create the mold...and I certainly don’t have the money to act as an investor.

So my advice is this: go for the tenor unless you have small hands...and if you want a concert, Enya has a new product coming soon.

And finally—buying from a super dealer is a good idea if you want one of their brands. But there are a number of brands shipping right now...FOR BEGINNERS...with super quality control and great set-ups. It’s actually a condemnation of the majority of ukulele companies that can’t get better quality control. And that’s not the super dealers fault...but they shouldn’t have to work so hard, either.

Click to expand...

In my search for an outdoor instrument I ended up trying the (Kala) Waterman concert. Mine arrived damaged and another instrument clamored to be purchased so I have not pursued it. That being said the reviews are good and it is relatively cheap. I too regard the waterproof instruments as additions to the herd. I suggest Luna instruments to beginners as they are well made and perform well - they also come in the standard sizes. I keep a tenor one as a loaner. One of our group then bought the concert one and loves it. Be wise but do decide what size you want to play as a beginner on this wonderful adventure in music.

Halb said:

As a beginner wanting to learn to play, I am feeling like the brand "Outdoor Ukulele" may be ideal for my needs. It's durable, has easy string action, and is affordable. However, I am undecided upon size. I really tend to gravitate toward the sound of a tenor instrument , but am wondering if a soprano instrument is the preferred choice? I would appreciate any guidance.

Thank you

Click to expand...

I've only been plunking around on uke for a few weeks, while some of these other folks have a lot of experience so keep that in mind. But maybe my perspective as a fellow beginner can help some.

I had limited experience with ukes, but I did get to handle a concert and a tenor before making a pick. I think either size would have been fine, and most recommendations that I got were to start with a concert, but I eventually picked a tenor. Both my wife and I think that the size is fine. The main drawback IMO to a tenor is that they are more expensive than concerts or sopranos. I think that you could likely adapt to any size. Once you have played for a few years and have developed some preferences it may be more difficult to go to a larger or smaller size. There are large men with big hands who play soprano ukes and there are small women with little hands who play bass guitar.

Most experienced players seem to put primary importance on the tone of the instrument. I'm not saying that tone is not important, but I think that it is going to be a while before the tone of the instrument is the limiting factor in how my playing sounds. I'm confident that right now I would sound just as bad on a $5000 uke as I do on a $100 uke. So, maybe for a beginner tone is not as critically important.

I've done some research on how to practice, and a recurring theme that I keep coming across is that multiple small practice sessions are better than single long practice sessions. For example, 4 sessions of 15 minutes in a day is better than a single 1 hour session. Even 5 minutes of practice here and there is beneficial. With that in mind, I think that having a uke that you can toss in the trunk of the car, take with you to the pool, whatever, would enable you to grab a few minutes of practice off and on here and there and might be of more benefit in the long run than an instrument that has better tone but does not get practiced on as much.

Anyway, knowing what I know now if I were buying my first uke today it would probably be the Outdoor Ukulele.

Hi Halb,

I find the Outdoor Ukulele to be a great beginner instrument. “It's durable, has easy string action, and is affordable.” Yes, it is. I am very happy with my Soprano.

As you can see from the responses different people value different things. I fall in to the ‘big person with big hands’ category and because of this I thought the Soprano would be too small. Soprano was the last size I tried, and it turned out to be my favorite.

I had a Tenor Outdoor Ukulele first and that one was awesome too. I prefer the Soprano’s portability and chirpy sound.

Choirguy said:

I think we’ve gone too far in this forum when we insist that every ukulele has to come from one of the super-dealers, particularly when we’re in a thread about Outdoor Ukulele.

I suppose it’s possible that someone might not like the setup of an Outdoor Ukulele; but having bought 71 of them (10 sopranos and 61 concerts) for a school...the set-up is ideal for most (many?) players and absolutely consistent. And the flat neck profile is wonderful. It just doesn’t sound “wood” and logically so. It is also a little quieter than many other ukuleles and a touch more percussive because of the polycarbonate.

And you just can’t beat the durability of these. I know there are other plastics (currently no equal version in the price range or lower) and hybrid models (Makala Dolphin, Magic Fluke, TUS-35) that are fairly weatherproof, but not to the extent of the Outdoor.

I do wish Outdoor made a Concert, but I was told that it costs more than $100,000 to design and create the mold...and I certainly don’t have the money to act as an investor.

So my advice is this: go for the tenor unless you have small hands...and if you want a concert, Enya has a new product coming soon.

And finally—buying from a super dealer is a good idea if you want one of their brands. But there are a number of brands shipping right now...FOR BEGINNERS...with super quality control and great set-ups. It’s actually a condemnation of the majority of ukulele companies that can’t get better quality control. And that’s not the super dealers fault...but they shouldn’t have to work so hard, either.

Click to expand...

I agree with you on your points about the super dealers. I have absolutely nothing against the imports that you get direct from the manufacturer, like Kmise/Enya/Aklot and similar. I think you could get a very nice tenor from any of them for much less than an Outdoor. It's just easier to recommend Mim, etc. because it will be set up right for sure, and until you know when something isn't set up right, if you get a wrong 'un you'll blame hating to play on yourself, not the uke.

Likewise, if I had started with an Outdoor uke or similar I'd have been unlikely to continue playing, because I'd assume the weak, thunky, sound was due to my lack of talent. I see how it fits your use at school, absolutely! But I think most adults would like something wood for their first instrument. Most, but not all. I like that OU are from the Inland Northwest. I want one for that reason alone!

Graham Greenbag said:

I do hope that I’m not guilty of giving poor advice, rather I’ve tried to answer the original question and then point them in a useful direction - I appreciate that there are many other good ways to go too but how many ways do you give without confusing someone?

Click to expand...

Graham, for clarity's sake, my comment wasn't 100% directed at you--the "super dealer only" approach that has been very, very prevalent on these forums for a while (more than in the past) has been frustrating me as a whole. I wouldn't buy a new ukulele over $300 without using a super dealer, and to date the only super dealers I haven't bought multiple ukuleles from are The Ukulele Site (I have bought other items from them) and Southern Ukulele Store, as they are in the UK.

I think things used to be said differently, much as Barry Maz continues to say, where he encourages people to buy a ukulele from a dealer who will provide a proper set-up. And I'd guess that many people here on UU think they are doing the same...but the encouragement has become much bolder...almost a command, if that makes sense. And, quite honestly, it's a belief that doesn't reflect the current ukulele market...including Outdoor Ukulele. That doesn't mean that I don't want the super dealers to go out of business...quite the contrary...I want new players to buy their second instrument, the step up, and the third, and the fourth...from those dealers who deal with the quality control issues of the K brands and their subsidiaries. And for anyone buying a Kala or Ohana, if I'm honest. I like Kala and Ohana...but they ship desperately needing a set-up. So I don't mind pointing someone at a Flight TUS-35 or a Aklot or an Enya for a first instrument, because every one I have bought or played has been shipped with high quality control and a great starting set-up. And to be honest, those small sales don't leave much overhead for the super dealers anyway, which is why The Ukulele Site has removed nearly all true "entry level" ukuleles from their site for a couple of years already.

I've also had it with the occasional suggestion to a new player to buy a Kamaka as a first instrument. It has happened and not in jest...which is simply ridiculous unless you are independently wealthy and would be okay falling out of love with a $1000 instrument as a new player or you won the lottery. Otherwise, let's get people playing a great entry level instrument for as little as possible, allowing them to really move up to the next level when UAS strikes...and then send them to the super dealers.

And to respond to some other comments, the Outdoor Ukulele is a strange instrument in that while it isn't wood, I know of a number of players--some with the financial capacity to play literally any instrument they wanted (all the way to the ukuleles played by Jerry ), who choose an Outdoor Ukulele as a daily player. While my Outdoor Ukuleles don't sound anything close to my KoAloha instruments, they play just as well. It's a recommended instrument for me--for anyone--not just because of its durability, but because of the playing experience. It feels good to play. I loved being able to start my students on Outdoor Ukuleles last year (I'm back in my old building with the Caramels I had bought for that building...and new ukuleles may be a goal for the future).

Tenor. Because it's cool.

Finger board size, our finger sizes, portability or even sound do not matter. If it's cool, we practice a lot, we carry anywhere and show and play to any one.