Beginner Ukulele Overload!

My brain is going to explode. I've read far too much and now have almost no idea what to consider for my ukulele journey. Please help!

I'm in the USA, am comfortable spending around $150 with set-up (maybe as much as $200), and am sure I want either concert or tenor.

I have a decent musical background, but not a note with strummed instruments. My fingers are fairly long and thin. Did I mention my brain is about to explode due to beginner ukulele overload?

Well, posting here might not help with info overload...

My contribution to this overload is to contact Mim of Mim's Ukes and ask for her advice. She includes set up and can guide your choices in all the price ranges.

For people interesting in buying a first ukulele for under $200, I always recommend the Kala solid spruce top series. These come in different sizes and Kala has consistent quality control and the spruce top sounds much better than the all-laminate instruments that you usually find in this price range. Buy it from a good dealer that will set it up for you (eg Mim or The Ukulele Site). https://theukulelesite.com/kala-solid-spruce-top-concert-gloss-ka-scg.html

I know that some of the newer brands like Flight and Enya are pushing hard in this price range and some of their instruments may be good, but none of my local dealers sell them and I haven't seen one in person, so I can't personally recommend them right now.

Welcome to UU, MukilteoMike!
I'm not in the US, so I don't have any concrete uke suggestions. However, I just want to echo the others in recommending that you contact a specialist shop, such as Mim, HMS (the Ukulele Site), or Uke Republic.
Maybe you can also google if there are any uke groups in your city or neighbourhood. Their meetings and jams will probably be on Zoom for now, but you can try to get in touch and hear a number of different players with different and differing tastes and priorities. Perhaps they know of local used instruments for sale, or they have a member 'thinning the herd'.

Spend $40-60 on a cheap Uke from Amazon. Just get something to start plunking around on.

After a few months of that, you'll have a better idea of what you're looking for. If you have long fingers, you might like a Tenor. The only way to know is to take the dive... so make it a cheap dive!

Then you can sell or give away the cheap uke... or go all Pete Townsend and smash it to bits.

Just pick one that has good reviews on Amazon, and then look the model up on YouTube and you'll find reviews for it there. You just need something that's reasonably playable to get started. And then whatever you don't like about that one... will set you on your path to the "correct" $150 uke to suit YOU.

And if you have a mind to, you can play with doing some of your own minor setup on your cheap uke to learn how things work. It's $40... if you screw it up, who cares? (and you can probably fix it, anyway)

LorenFL said:

Spend $40-60 on a cheap Uke from Amazon. Just get something to start plunking around on.

And if you have a mind to, you can play with doing some of your own minor setup on your cheap uke to learn how things work. It's $40... if you screw it up, who cares? (and you can probably fix it, anyway)

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In most of my hobbies, I do not recommend getting the cheapest (cost and usually quality) when paying more definitely is worth the price difference. OP has a musical background and may be able to appreciate if intonation is correct or if the tone of a $150 ukulele is more pleasing than a $40 one. A proper setup is very important when beginning so that you are not fighting high strings or sharp frets before you even know they are important. $150 - 200 is a very good starting point for many people that are not financially strapped.

Ukulele has become a hobby for me, one that connects to my "real" job of teaching music in American schools (we do things a bit different from the rest of the world, although a few countries have systems similar to ours). In addition to making resources for ukulele, I also review ukuleles, with a special heart for beginners.

Just saying, "Go on Amazon and buy one" doesn't help too much, as there are far too many choices on Amazon.

I don't think you should spend more than $75 on a first ukulele, and I'd always recommend an Amazon purchase for that. While I would absolutely recommend ukulele specialist stores for a second (and later ukulele), the average starter instrument has improved so much in the last couple of years, and the profit for a beginner model for any specialist store is minimal (Mim has often mentioned that she probably loses money on starter instruments, as she invests so much time into setting them up). So, save some money on your first instrument, see if you love it, learn about the instrument, and then go into the next purchase with a better knowledge of what you want.

I do have a list of instruments that I'd recommend to starters. I'd generally say to buy a concert unless you have huge hands. That way, for your next instrument, you can decide if you want to go smaller (soprano), stay the same (concert), or larger (tenor).

So here are some safe recommendations:

Flight TUSL (any model). Great sounding and playing ukulele, but tough, and after you buy other ukuleles, it can serve as a travel ukulele.

Enya Nova. Good sounding (in my opinion), cool looking, and also tough.

The Peripole Classic Concert Ukulele by Enya from Peripole.com (register for discount). Just a nice beginner ukulele and kit.

Aklot Bamboo. A nice starter kit as well (best prices right now are on eBay).

Any Concert Ukulele Kit from Donner, Hola! Music, Aklot, or Horse. I'm sure I'm forgetting one of the brands that you see all the time. These aren't life changing, but they are all solid starter ukuleles that can get you playing.

That's all for this post.

rainbow21 said:

In most of my hobbies, I do not recommend getting the cheapest (cost and usually quality) when paying more definitely is worth the price difference. OP has a musical background and may be able to appreciate if intonation is correct or if the tone of a $150 ukulele is more pleasing than a $40 one. A proper setup is very important when beginning so that you are not fighting high strings or sharp frets before you even know they are important. $150 - 200 is a very good starting point for many people that are not financially strapped.

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I have to disagree with you, and I hope that's okay. I find very little advantage to any ukulele in the $100 to $200 range over most of the $65 starter kits. There are exceptions, such as the SSLNG, but then you're putting an extra burden on a beginner to have to worry about the care of a solid top (something that is an issue where I live). But for the most part, ukuleles from $50 to $200 are generally laminate (again, a few exceptions) with the biggest difference being the type of laminate or additional "bling" that is added to a ukulele. I'm finding many $65 (or less) ukulele starter kits that play well, are set up well, and come with everything that a person needs to start playing--even if the ukuleles themselves are a bit "generic."

Put another way, my first ukulele was a Makala Concert Electric for about $85. It came with nothing, wasn't set up, and I managed to persist through the challenge and fall in love with the ukulele. My journey would have been even better from the start with any of the kits that come from Amazon these days.

There's a place for those $100-$250 ukuleles, and there is absolutely a place for ukulele specialist stores. But as I mentioned in another post, I think that's for the second and subsequent ukulele purchases. Get a uke, start to learn how to play it, and to learn about it, and then buy the second ukulele.

Another one of my rules is that people shouldn't buy their second ukulele for at least 30 days after they have started playing. UAS is real and fun...but I'd love for people to give themselves time to learn about the instrument and absorb data before making that second purchase.

Choirguy said:

Any Concert Ukulele Kit from Donner, Hola! Music, Aklot, or Horse. I'm sure I'm forgetting one of the brands that you see all the time. These aren't life changing, but they are all solid starter ukuleles that can get you playing.

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I agree, I could have given some examples. I figure some people are inclined to go this route, and some aren't (as this thread indicates). And if the OP isn't inclined, then I'd be wasting my time. If they are inclined, then they'll either figure it out, or they'll ask! While there are a ton of ukes on Amazon. If you filter the price to the $40-60 range that I suggested, and then sort by >4 stars... the list gets a lot shorter. If you pare it down to a size, it's a manageable list. And then if you try to find a YouTube review... typically only the better ones are going to show up.

I think the brand you probably forgot is Makala, but I think Kmise is another fairly popular cheap uke. My first uke was a Makala MK-T, cheap mahogany laminate tenor. The one I have now is an equally cheap Eastrock concert. I chose to do some setup on the Eastrock. I don't know that I really "had" to, it wasn't that bad. But, I know how to do it (practiced on the Makala!), and it didn't take a lot of time.

I was truly impressed with the build quality of both my Makala and my Eastrock. They might not have the sound of a solid wood instrument, but they're not bad. And the setup on each of them was certainly playable. The Eastrock even came with good strings!

The one uke that I spent money on was a $230 acoustic/electric Oscar Schmidt Mango Tenor. Very nice instrument, but I found it to be way too heavy compared to my Makala, and I didn't like the way it sounded at all. (too jangly and "traditional uke" sounding for my tastes)

So, yeah. I'll stand by my thoughts. If you don't know what you want yet, just get something cheap. "Cheap, but good." But, cheap. It will give you a data point to move forward from, and a cheap uke to learn on. The right $40 uke and a piece of sandpaper to sand down the bridge to put the action where you want it will get you pretty far.

It seems a few of us are on the same page. But, that's not the only page to be on. Do what makes you happy!

Another good thing about having a cheap uke is that if/when you spend $200 on a nicer one... you've got a beater that you can take to the park or the beach or wherever and not put your expensive and more fragile uke at risk!

For the amount you want to spend, I don't think you can go wrong following Choirguy's advice. His website (ukestuff.info) is loaded with great info and reviews on ukes in your price range. If you're willing to spend a little more, then talking to Mim (mimsukes.com) and getting her free setup is a great idea. There are so many variables in your decision, including things like how long and "deeply" you have studied another musical instrument, what style of playing you would like to do, etc. IMO, the most important part is get started practicing, take your time, and don't give up. Enjoy the journey!

Thanks for all the advice so far. I think I may have a way to make the decision a little easier for me--defer to my wife! We're minimalists, so if the idea of me buying a cheap one now and potentially a nicer one in a year is too much ukulele expansion, I'd go for a nicer one.

However, if she suggests going cheap, what are your thoughts about getting a VTAB EL-55D concert? The review from one of the big review guys here was glowing for the under $100 price point. Being in the US, I get the soft bag and free shipping. I just don't know for these cheaper types if I still need to get an official set-up.

Thanks again in advance. I'll let you know what the boss says later today.

man0a said:

For people interesting in buying a first ukulele for under $200, I always recommend the Kala solid spruce top series. These come in different sizes and Kala has consistent quality control and the spruce top sounds much better than the all-laminate instruments that you usually find in this price range. Buy it from a good dealer that will set it up for you (eg Mim or The Ukulele Site). https://theukulelesite.com/kala-solid-spruce-top-concert-gloss-ka-scg.html

I know that some of the newer brands like Flight and Enya are pushing hard in this price range and some of their instruments may be good, but none of my local dealers sell them and I haven't seen one in person, so I can't personally recommend them right now.

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Mim no longer handles Kalas, but she might still have some on sale. I have a couple of Kala tenors. I like cedar tops.

MukilteoMike said:

Thanks for all the advice so far. I think I may have a way to make the decision a little easier for me--defer to my wife! We're minimalists, so if the idea of me buying a cheap one now and potentially a nicer one in a year is too much ukulele expansion, I'd go for a nicer one.

However, if she suggests going cheap, what are your thoughts about getting a VTAB EL-55D concert? The review from one of the big review guys here was glowing for the under $100 price point. Being in the US, I get the soft bag and free shipping. I just don't know for these cheaper types if I still need to get an official set-up.

Thanks again in advance. I'll let you know what the boss says later today.

Click to expand...

I don't have expensive ukuleles. My most expensive one is a solid mahogany tenor VTAB FS-T25. It's got a nice warm sound, especially now that it's my low G tenor. I have recently started to ponder why I don't play it as much as I could. Comparing it to my high G tenor (a Donner DUT-3), the Donner has a nicer neck, slightly flattened profile and - more importantly - the edge of the fingerboard is filed on an angle, so there is no 90 degree edge. This means that barre chords are more comfortable to play on the Donner. If I play jazzy voicings higher up the neck and I barre for a longer period, the edge of the fretboard cuts into my hand. I plan to either smooth the bottom edge myself, or have a luthier do it. I'm reluctant because it's my only gloss instrument.

So, I think that the VTAB probably will need a bit of TLC, but it definitely won't be a bad choice.

LorenFL said:

Spend $40-60 on a cheap Uke from Amazon. Just get something to start plunking around on.

After a few months of that, you'll have a better idea of what you're looking for. If you have long fingers, you might like a Tenor. The only way to know is to take the dive... so make it a cheap dive!

Then you can sell or give away the cheap uke... or go all Pete Townsend and smash it to bits.

Just pick one that has good reviews on Amazon, and then look the model up on YouTube and you'll find reviews for it there. You just need something that's reasonably playable to get started. And then whatever you don't like about that one... will set you on your path to the "correct" $150 uke to suit YOU.

And if you have a mind to, you can play with doing some of your own minor setup on your cheap uke to learn how things work. It's $40... if you screw it up, who cares? (and you can probably fix it, anyway)

Click to expand...

Get at least a Kala, or if you like the idea of a really cheap starter a Makala, which is their lower end line. Ideally get a Mim's or comparable setup uke. A $20 uke like a Mahalo is a waste. It will never sing to you. My first was a Makala Concert.

rainbow21 said:

Well, posting here might not help with info overload...

My contribution to this overload is to contact Mim of Mim's Ukes and ask for her advice. She includes set up and can guide your choices in all the price ranges.

Click to expand...

Really and truly this is great advice. Mim can personally walk you through the buying process. Just get a decent uke, with a good set up and one you like the looks of, this is more important then you may think. Then your head won’t explode. You can concentrate on making music instead of stressing over so many choices

MukilteoMike said:

My brain is going to explode. I've read far too much and now have almost no idea what to consider for my ukulele journey. Please help!

I'm in the USA, am comfortable spending around $150 with set-up (maybe as much as $200), and am sure I want either concert or tenor.

I have a decent musical background, but not a note with strummed instruments. My fingers are fairly long and thin. Did I mention my brain is about to explode due to beginner ukulele overload?

Click to expand...

The good thing about a "beginner ukulele" is that is you make a wrong choice, you aren't out much $ and can use the ukulele as home decor.

Anyway, Kala ukuleles are the best beginner ukuleles because they are very consistent in quality (kind of like McDonalds, you know what you'll get). Plus, my new Kalas included signed QC checklists, which means somebody measured your uke; i.e. you'll get a playable ukuele or you have very valid reason to return it (because it is out-of-spec/defective).

Neil_O said:

A $20 uke like a Mahalo is a waste. It will never sing to you. My first was a Makala Concert.

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Whew! Yeah, I can't imagine a $20 uke. Makala is really decent for $40-60. I found my Eastrock to be equivalent, very likely better, and it definitely has better chromed closed gear tuners vs open brass tuners, and nickel frets rather than brass frets. Basic build quality is probably about the same, just nicer parts on the Eastrock.

The Eastrock came with a lot of nice kit for the $48 I paid for it, too. Nice padded bag, Aquila strings, digital tuner, strap, etc. With the Makala I got... a ukulele. With open geared tuners and cheap nylon strings. And I paid $20 more for the Makala!

I'll say again what others have been saying. Just buy something "cheap, but decent" in a size that you want to try out. Get a uke in your hands and start playing! That's what's important.

If the uke isn't quite right (and it's not purely due to the size), you can either work on setting it up yourself, or take it to a local guitar shop and have them set it up for a few bucks. But, I guarantee that if you get something in the $40-60 range that has ample good reviews, it's going to be at least happily playable. Good enough to get started on.

Tangent:

I equate this to my experience with entry level motorsports (autocross). We'd always have newcomers approaching us with "I want to start doing this, but I don't have the right car", or "I need to know what modifications to make to my car to make it faster/better before I can begin". And our answer was always the same: You have a car? Bring it! The reality is, just like with playing a musical instrument, it's not the car... it's the driver! (we're not talking straight line drag racing here... THAT can be more car than driver) You can put an outstanding driver in a slow car, and they'll outperform an inexperienced driver in the fastest/bestest car EVERY time. It takes time to learn the basics, and the equipment doesn't really matter until you're past that point. (and, yes, I'm the guy who would show up with a 70hp front wheel drive economy car and whoop up on lesser drivers in much more expensive high-powered sports cars just for fun) I'm certainly not a musical expert, but I feel the same about ukulele. An outstanding musician can take a crappy cigar box uke that barely stays in tune and make it sound AWESOME, but you can put a $4,000 instrument in the hands of a novice and it won't sound nearly as good. And that's one of the reasons I haven't invested in an expensive ukulele. I don't feel like my skills are there yet... and maybe if they ever are... I'll still be able to belt out a fun tune with what I have?

I appreciate all of you. My beloved hasn't decided which approach she prefers either. I don't think it can end poorly. I'm just excited to get one and start playing. I tend to over-analyze everything.

MukilteoMike said:

I appreciate all of you. My beloved hasn't decided which approach she prefers either. I don't think it can end poorly. I'm just excited to get one and start playing. I tend to over-analyze everything.

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I can be the same way and with the internet is it a very deep hole of looking and wondering. About 6 years ago I found a video from HMS called Top 10 tenors for under $200, or something like that. I liked the looks and sound of the Gretsch so I just went ahead and bought it. A uke in the hand is worth 1000 online, get one play one and don’t look back.

DownUpDave said:

A uke in the hand is worth 1000 online, get one play one and don't look back

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This is Perfect!