Least expensive good sounding & playing baritone Uke?

[duganderson]

I love playing my low G tenor for blues, soloing, etc and thinking about getting a baritone too! What is the least expensive good sounding and playing baritone uke? Hoping to stay under $200 but open to more.

I currently have a Kala KA-ATP-CTG-CE Cedar Top Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Tenor Ukulele Natural which I love, but to be honest, my my Caramel 26inch CT103 Zebrawood High Gloss Tenor Electric sounds really great too.

Curious which of the Caramel plays and sounds the best? OR other brands.

 

[bbkobabe]

I have two... one I love and one not so much.

I love my Pono mahogany Bari... I got it used, and these can be found at bargain prices sometimes because of low demand...

I also have an Oscar Schmidt that I don't like much at all. They are cheaper but mine doesn't play well and the sound is less than thrilling.

I'd say: Save up for a Pono!

 

[Ziret]

I have two... one I love and one not so much.

I love my Pono mahogany Bari... I got it used, and these can be found at bargain prices sometimes because of low demand...

I also have an Oscar Schmidt that I don't like much at all. They are cheaper but mine doesn't play well and the sound is less than thrilling.

I'd say: Save up for a Pono!

So true. Someone gave me an OS that her husband had not touched after thinking he wanted to play ukulele a few years back. I felt guilty giving it to someone else, but it was better than nothing and slightly better than what she had.

 

[casualmusic]

I’ve played the baritone version of your Kala for five years and haven’t needed to upgrade.

The newest baritone version is the KA-SCAC-B. A bit higher than your target price but well above entry level.

Otherwise I agree about waiting for a used Pono baritone.

Gloss Solid Cedar Top Acacia Baritone Ukulele - Kala Brand Music Co.™

Elegant and beautiful, these are some of the best sounding ukuleles you will ever play. To complement such an excellent...

kalabrand.com

Cheers

 

[rustydusty]

I have a solid mahogany Caramel baritone and a Clearwater solid spruce top baritone. The Caramel is pretty good for the money, but I much prefer the Clearwater with the polycarbonate round back…

 

[nvtenor]

I’ve played the baritone version of your Kala for five years and haven’t needed to upgrade.

The newest baritone version is the KA-SCAC-B. A bit higher than your target price but well above entry level.

Otherwise I agree about waiting for a used Pono baritone.

Gloss Solid Cedar Top Acacia Baritone Ukulele - Kala Brand Music Co.™

Elegant and beautiful, these are some of the best sounding ukuleles you will ever play. To complement such an excellent...

kalabrand.com

Cheers

I have that same Kala baritone (newest version) and agree that it definitely punches above its weight. For the price it’s very good, with good fit and finish and tone for the price point.

 

[about2]

I have a solid mahogany Caramel baritone and a Clearwater solid spruce top baritone. The Caramel is pretty good for the money, but I much prefer the Clearwater with the polycarbonate round back…View attachment 151685View attachment 151684

I have the Ohana 70RB - which is a newer version of the one rusty dusty mentioned. With some decent strings, it sounds like a much more expensive bari. And it is one of the easiest to play Bari's I've held. Its may be closer to $300 - but I think you'd be happier with it. The only knock against it is you need to use a shoulder strap with it to keep it from slipping. But with a bari, you probably would want a strap anyway.

My second suggestion is you keep watch on the used market and or second hand stores. I found a $35 vintage Conrad bari at goodwill. It took some work to make it playable, but it's good for dinking around on.