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Ukulele recommendations


DarkHorseJ27

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It all depends on how much you're willing to spend, what size is comfortable to you, and what kind of tone you want.

 

A lot of the older crowd play the sopranos and the concerts. The younger crowd (who're inspired by the likes of Jake Shimabukuro) seems to now have a preference for the tenors (but with regular re-entrant tuning).

 

If you're just testing the waters, I'd recommend starting with an inexpensive tenor from Lanikai or Kala.

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I find the really small ones a bit too plinky except in really specific cases (like my bro doing his Ain't She Sweet/5 Foot 2 medley on his Martin). :D

 

My strong personal preference is a baritone, tuned like the first 4 strings of a guitar. I love the sound and it just opens up a huge amount of stuff, rather than learning another tuning. I have big hands too.

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Stackabones is right on the tenor... they have higher string tension and that makes them a little more guitar-like.

 

I like concert ukes quite a bit, too. I am the publisher of Ukulele Player Magazine. We have lots of Ohana and Kala ukes lying around here. The Ohana ukes we have are solid wood ukes and really project sound well, but, lots of guitarists take some time to adjust to the friction tuners. Kala ukes have geared tuners (like guitar). They weigh more than friction tuners. Both do the job.

 

In the way of laminated ukes, the Oscar Schmidt OU2e is an acoustic/electric uke that sells tons. The Ovation/Applause uke is $165 or so at Sam Ash and Musician's Friend and a great sounding durable uke. It is often a guitarist's first choice. Great passive electronics.

 

If you want more info... check out the magazine, it's free to the readers...

 

http://www.tricornpublications.com/uke_player.htm

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My pineapple soprano has friction tuners and I don't like them. Not sure if they are low quality (could be ... the uke is $50) or I just don't like them. I love the look and the traditional vibe, but keeping that uke in tune drives me nuts.

 

My tenor has geared tuners, which I dig. If I could only find something in a slot head ... but they seem to mainly be customs or spendy ukes.

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In the way of laminated ukes, the Oscar Schmidt OU2e is an acoustic/electric uke that sells tons.

 

 

I've got one of these and I have to say that I really enjoy playing it. Old jazz tunes and standards just roll off the thing. 7th chords sound sooo good on it....

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