Best Tenor Ukulele under $300

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Breeze

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Hi, I am buying my daughter her second Ukulele. She currently has a Soprano KR-SCP Kohala and I was thinking of buying her a Concert or Tenor Ukulele between $250 - $300 for her upcoming 12th birthday. She plays just for fun but really enjoys it and has been asking when I am going to fix her ukulele (she lost a screw from the tuning head) so I thought I'd surprise her with hopefully a better instrument. I realize we are still in the low range of quality at $250-$300.

Also, if anyone can point me to a parts store that might sell the screw I need that would be appreciated. It's been hard to find locally.

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
You're clearly a good parent if you're thinking about upgrading your daughter's ukulele!

In that price range, for a 12-year-old, I'd certainly consider a Flea or a Fluke. They play and sound great, they're ridiculously durable, and you can find ones with really cool designs. https://www.magicfluke.com

As for a replacement screw, if you have a music store in your town, the repair folks there should have them available.
 
How about the Epiphone Les Paul concert acoustic-electric along with a little amp?
 
Is it worth the extra money ($79) to upgrade to the hardwood fretboard? I really like the look of the flea and that the company is local to MA and donates a portion of profits :)
 
Breeze said:
Is it worth the extra money ($79) to upgrade to the hardwood fretboard? I really like the look of the flea and that the company is local to MA and donates a portion of profits :)
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I would if using a wound low G. Wood also looks a little nicer. Bonanza has has nice ukuleles in that price range and are USA made.
 
Check out this link. I changed the search parameters to $300 and lower. Any uke from Mim will be set up, which is honestly the most important part. Playability is the first thing you want to look at. Any of these options would be perfect -
https://www.mimsukes.com/?price_max=300&price_min=0&sort=price|desc

I would personally suggest one of the solid wood Ohanas. Great ukes.
 
gochugogi said:
I would if using a wound low G. Wood also looks a little nicer. Bonanza has has nice ukuleles in that price range and are USA made.
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Yes, agreed. If you're not using wound strings, then the standard plastic fretboard is fine. If you don't mind spending the extra money, the hardwood fretboard is better, of course. But not a necessary upgrade.
 
She’s playing a soprano now. Do you think she can handle the longer scale of a tenor? A concert (as you suggested) or a better soprano might be a wiser move at this time.
 
Breeze said:
Is it worth the extra money ($79) to upgrade to the hardwood fretboard? I really like the look of the flea and that the company is local to MA and donates a portion of profits :)
Click to expand...

Just to play devil's advocate ...... I read a lot of positive comments about the Flea and was seriously considering one as my 1st instrument. The more I read, however, the more I came across statements from owners that one really needs to upgrade to the wooden fretboard and more importantly to the geared tuners -- and, once those upgrades are made, one is in the price realm of what are better ukuleles for the same money.
 
tm3 said:
Just to play devil's advocate ...... I read a lot of positive comments about the Flea and was seriously considering one as my 1st instrument. The more I read, however, the more I came across statements from owners that one really needs to upgrade to the wooden fretboard and more importantly to the geared tuners -- and, once those upgrades are made, one is in the price realm of what are better ukuleles for the same money.
Click to expand...

Of course you can get a little more for your money if you buy imported 'ukuleles from Asia. But the prices of a USA made Bonanza or Fluke are close to import prices but you get the bonus of supporting small American businesses. And, yep, I just bought a USA made Bonanza Homestead tenor of solid cherry wood with Gotoh UPT tuners for $304 including shipping to Honolulu. If you can stomach Ratio tuners you can save $60 off the price I paid...
 
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Kyle23 said:
Check out this link. I changed the search parameters to $300 and lower. Any uke from Mim will be set up, which is honestly the most important part. Playability is the first thing you want to look at. Any of these options would be perfect -
https://www.mimsukes.com/?price_max=300&price_min=0&sort=price|desc

I would personally suggest one of the solid wood Ohanas. Great ukes.
Click to expand...

+1 on working with Mim. I have a Mim uke and I have a Fluke. Guess which one gets more playtime? You can start to get at least a solid top at this price point and a professional setup. I would suggest getting her a concert size.
 
gochugogi said:
But the prices of a USA made Bonanza or Fluke are close to import prices but you get the bonus of supporting small American businesses.
Click to expand...
Outdoor's another small US business with ukes in (or below) that price range. They play pretty well and are nigh indestructible. Depending on the kid that could be a major bonus.

--Rob
Has an Outdoor Tenor, is waiting on a Bonanza Homestead Bari, and wants a Fluke (but not enough to actually put money down)
 
There has been many threads about ukuleles as gifts.
Choice in ukulele is very personale, and arguments can be made to take her to a music shop and let her choose for herself. But that doesnt look so good wrapped of course.
Also for size, bigger is not always better. Going from soprano to tenor is not necessarily an upgrade. They have different sounds, different string tension, are easier for different size hands to play. Another argument for letting her choose herself.

As for the magic fluke company, I never played their plain plastic fret board models. But my koa fluke is probably my favorite uke, despite some of my other ukes being all solid wood and stuff. I would go for all the upgrades again of I were to buy one again. Also I hate friction tuners, I wouldnt give someone a uke with friction tuners If I wansnt sure they liked them. And with the korala she is probably used to geared tuners.

If you think she would like a bigger model like concert or tenor ukulele, the lame joke would be to buy a set of strings for tenor or concert ukulele and wrap them. Pretend you thought they would fit her korala. Then, when discovering that they don't, tell her that you have to buy her an ukulele that fits the strings then...
Then take her to a store or a reputable web site for choosing. Playing the Ukulele you were just gifted is awesome. Shopping for ukuleles is also :)
 
As others have expressed already, I also feel that where you buy it is more important than what you buy. A properly set up instrument with low action, good intonation, and generally good playability is much more enjoyable and usable. A proper setup was something I didn't consider when I got my first ukulele (I didn't know about it), and the high action almost caused me to give up and look for another hobby. Luckily, I didn't throw the towel and did some research instead, learned up about the importance of a proper setup, got a set up instrument, and it made all the difference. I second the recommendation to buy an instrument from Mim if you're in the US.
 
I bought an all mahogany Ohana TK-38 from Mim and liked it so much I splurged and bought a Kamaka. Now, I'm going to sell the like-new (bought in July and played very little since August) which needs to be played. It has no blems or marks of any kind. I'm hoping to get $250 for it when I get around to posting it online. I paid $319 for it. I still have the original box it came in and if you're interested in it, please pm me. If you're going to buy new, I also would recommend buying from someplace known for its setup, like HMS or Mim's.
 
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