Buying my first ukulele

HONOMO

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
I want to spend $300 or less. I've played guitar my whole life and finally picked up a Ukulele for a few days and absolutely love it.

I have googled the best Uke brands and Kala seems to be listed at the top of most. I'm looking at two possibilities from Kala.

One is the Koa wood and the other is Ebony. I prefer the Koa wood but the ebony is tempting because it's so much cheaper.

Any thoughts on whether the type of wood will affect the sound much? Or is it just aesthetic?

Here's the products I'm looking at:
https://kalabrand.com/collections/hawaiian-gloss-koa-ukulele/products/ka-kcg

https://kalabrand.com/collections/striped-ebony-ukulele/products/ka-eby-c

Thanks a bunch in advance for your advice!
 
With those Kala laminates it's cosmetic. The exotic wood top of the laminate is almost paper thin it seemed. I learned this when doing some sanding on an ebony topped one after making a minor repair. I think that's pretty standard though with most laminates. Kala makes some good ukes.

You could get any number of good ukes in the $300 and under range. I'm a big fan of Enya as far as imports go. They can be had from enya-music.com in the USA and also on Amazon.com. I have owned three Enya instruments (two ukes and a guitar) that were all well setup, playable instruments for less than anything else comparable.
You also owe it to yourself to look at Ohana and some others.

I'm not sure if you have a place locally you can buy or not. If you buy online, I highly recommend MIM's Ukes on Reverb. You can find Kala, Ohana, and others there.
 
Both of your links are broken, so I can't see which exact ukes you're looking at, but I'm pretty sure that both instruments are laminate construction, so the type of wood really won't have a lot of effect on the sound. All things being equal, go with the one that looks best to you. Kalas are generally good instruments, even the less-expensive laminates. For wood type to have any significant impact, you'd have to go with an all-solid-wood construction, at a considerable increase in price.
 
What about spruce? Any thoughts on this one?

Edit: sorry I meant maple

https://offerup.co/g9TaH3ZCP2

Look for a solid top and laminate body. I am not sure if you will find a solid Koa top under $300, but you will find some nice cedar, spruce and mahogany. My personal recommendation is to go for Mahagony because it is hard and sounds good and has a long ukulele history.

Don't forget a pick-up if you plan to play shows or open mikes. And realise that a uke designed for amplification may seem overbuilt and dull until you plug it in and turn up the volume.

For your first attempt look up a well known shop which checks each uke and includes a set up in the deal. Some shops who are run by UU members are HMS, Mims and Uke Republic.

If you already frequent a nice guitar shop, talk to the owner or sale staff and see what they can do for you.
 
Last edited:
To be completely honest, I would strongly recommend buying your first uke from a shop that will set up your instrument, unless you know how to set up action and whatnot yourself. It can make a night and day difference. https://www.mimsukes.com/ anything from there will come fully checked and beautifully set up and is highly recommended by everyone here.

That is US but if you are in EU or UK there is The Southern Ukulele Store too.

Another option and undoubtedly your best bang for your buck at that price range is Mainland Ukuleles. (https://shop.mainlandukuleles.com/main.sc) Never seen a review that doesn't tout them as astonishing value and their Mahogany or Red Cedar models are absolutely gorgeous sounding. These are all solid so sound great and tone will even improve with time. I don't think much else is better until you get up into the 600-1000's range.
 
Good idea to start with a reasonable budget that is high enough to get you a decent instrument, not just a nice looking toy. However, as others have suggested, in this price range, I'd always opt for solid wood instead of laminate (the latter is mostly just for show). With your budget, you might even want to consider a Pono Acacia model which is about as close to a Koa ukulele from Hawaii as you can get in that price range (Koa is Acacia from Hawaii, Pono is designed by a Hawaiian company, but built in Indonesia).
 
Kala brand has a good reputation indeed.
So does Ohana, Islanders and a few others when looking in that price range.

With the koa model, you are probably paying a bit extra for decorations like gloss finish and slotted headstock. So the sound will probably be fine on either.

With a $300 budget I would see if I could find an ukulele with at least a solid top, rather than layered.
They are possible to find.
Have you considered mahogany? A very traditional wood for ukes.
 
I want to spend $300 or less. I've played guitar my whole life and finally picked up a Ukulele for a few days and absolutely love it.

Those Best Ukes lists don't really include the best ukes. They seem to offer the best choice for an occasional player who doesn't want to spend too much money. Kala, Ohana, Cordoba, and Enya make good ukes at reasonable prices. If you want a "Good" uke, look at KoAloha, Kamaka, Kanile'a (from Hawaii), Martin, Klos, and Magic Fluke. Except for the Magic Fluke, prices will be over $300, though. They all make a variety of instruments in different sizes and price ranges.

Koa is the classic ukulele wood, but it's expensive because it comes exclusively from Hawaii, and those trees cannot be cut down. In practical terms, you would buy a koa uke for the appearance and "prestige." It's the construction, as much as anything, that makes one uke sound better than another.

Be sure to spend time on this site, available as video and print.

https://www.gotaukulele.com/

Good luck, and enjoy the search.
 
Last edited:
What about spruce? Any thoughts on this one?

Edit: sorry I meant maple

https://offerup.co/g9TaH3ZCP2

I'm surprised he doesn't provide any info about it. For the price, that would be a good choice, if you can pick it up locally. For me, it would be a 2,500 mile drive. He says, "Make an offer." That means he'll sell for less. I always make an offer, but there is always a counter offer, so keep that in mind.
 
Last edited:
Theukulelesite.com is known for sound demos engineered to be close to sound in the recording room as they can get. Of course the quality of your audio stuff matters.

Go to “shop by” hit price then hit low to high and you can quickly locate your price range. Several solid top or all solid are listed.
 
I want to spend $300 or less. I've played guitar my whole life and finally picked up a Ukulele for a few days and absolutely love it.

I have googled the best Uke brands and Kala seems to be listed at the top of most. I'm looking at two possibilities from Kala.

One is the Koa wood and the other is Ebony. I prefer the Koa wood but the ebony is tempting because it's so much cheaper.

Any thoughts on whether the type of wood will affect the sound much? Or is it just aesthetic?

Here's the products I'm looking at:
https://kalabrand.com/collections/hawaiian-gloss-koa-ukulele/products/ka-kcg

https://kalabrand.com/collections/striped-ebony-ukulele/products/ka-eby-c

Thanks a bunch in advance for your advice!

I would recommend finding out if there is a ukulele group in your area. If so, go sit in with them for a session. It would be a great way to audition several different kinds and sizes of ukes, and you probably are going to want to play with the group eventually anyway!
 
Ohana has a series of Ukes with solid tops and laminate bodies.
I have a tenor TK-70R, solid top and rosewood laminate, slot head. Great uke for around $200.
I use it for my classes with kids to save my expensive ukes from them. I have recommended it to many of my beginner adult students too.
 
I very much endorse the sentiments of some of the previous comments. Brands like Kala and Ohana are reputable enough in your price range but you should go for either solid or at least solid top for the best quality when it comes to these brands specifically. Other excellent brands have been mentioned as well but some are out of your price range. Of those that aren't, my favourite is Magic Fluke. They do mostly laminates but are still excellent quality. Another personal favourite is Kiwaya. Their laminate models are really good and punch well above their price range, similar to Magic Fluke IMO. If you're lucky you might be able to find a solid mahogany or acacia Pono around $300 which would be an excellent choice as well.

But brand is almost secondary. As many have said, check your local music dealer and go and try some ukes. If that's not an option for you, find a reputable dealer that you can order from. Avoid Amazon and similar mega-sized dealers that usually don't offer any setup.
 
Koa is the classic ukulele wood, but it's expensive because it comes exclusively from Hawaii, and those trees cannot be cut down. In practical terms, you would buy a koa uke for the appearance and "prestige." It's the construction, as much as anything, that makes one uke sound better than another.

Another thing to keep in mind if you decide you like the sound of Koa: Koa is a species of Acacia. An Acacia ukulele will typically sound very much like Koa, but at a more affordable price.
 
Thanks for the tip with Enya. I'm very intrigued by these ones. After researching a bit, it seems like an all solid Mahogany for $129.99 seems too good to be true. Especially when comparing with prices for solid wood ukes from Ohana, Kala, Luna, etc. What's the catch?


With those Kala laminates it's cosmetic. The exotic wood top of the laminate is almost paper thin it seemed. I learned this when doing some sanding on an ebony topped one after making a minor repair. I think that's pretty standard though with most laminates. Kala makes some good ukes.

You could get any number of good ukes in the $300 and under range. I'm a big fan of Enya as far as imports go. They can be had from enya-music.com in the USA and also on Amazon.com. I have owned three Enya instruments (two ukes and a guitar) that were all well setup, playable instruments for less than anything else comparable.
You also owe it to yourself to look at Ohana and some others.

I'm not sure if you have a place locally you can buy or not. If you buy online, I highly recommend MIM's Ukes on Reverb. You can find Kala, Ohana, and others there.
 
Although I'm partial to baritones and darker woods. If I was looking for a decent concert sized uke, I'd buy that used one with the hard case and not think twice about it.
Solid spruce top, and love the look of the spalted maple back and sides.
 
Thanks for the tip with Enya. I'm very intrigued by these ones. After researching a bit, it seems like an all solid Mahogany for $129.99 seems too good to be true. Especially when comparing with prices for solid wood ukes from Ohana, Kala, Luna, etc. What's the catch?

I never played an Enya. According to the Gotaukulele review of their tenor https://www.gotaukulele.com/2018/12/enya-eut-m6-tenor-ukulele-review.html, it should be decent value for money.

Just to clarify: you mention Kala, Ohana and Luna in the same sentence. Luna does not have as good a reputation as Kala and Ohana. I once had a Luna uke, and I was not happy with it. Heard enough similar stories in this forum that I would probably get an Enya before I got a Luna.
With the cheaper price might come a low er quality control, so you are not as surden what you get. But you see that with the Luna at a higher price point. Then rather have the chance for a real bargain with the Enya.

That being said, I would probably end up with buying and Ohana.
 
Last edited:
Thank you every one for each of your responses. I read every one and they were very helpful.

Which one of these would you choose and why?

Kala KA-FMC - Solid Spruce Top with Maple back/sides (I assume laminate). $150 here locally. I believe it retails for around $260. Comes with a hard case.

Cordoba 15CM - All Mahogany. $79 here locally. I believe it retails for around $135. Does not come with a case.

Enya MAD - All Mahogany. Purchase new for $130.

These are all concert size.
 
Top Bottom