Ukuleles?

[Glenn F]

Hi there,

 

My wife has expressed interest in learning the uke, and I was wondering what would be a good brand, say under $150.00, that stays in tune, has good intonation, and, of course, sounds good. I know pretty well absolutely nothing about them, but tried a couple of cheap ones out before Christmas that didn't satisfy any of my requirements listed above.

 

All feedback appreciated and thanks in advance!

 

Cheers,

 

Glenn

[EvilTwin]

I think Lanikai has about the best bang for the buck:

 

http://www.elderly.com/brand/LANIKAI.html

 

I have this one, the LU-21C:

http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/LU21C.htm

 

(You can see a few more of 'em here: http://www.ukes.com/lanikai.html)

[ChiyoDad]

Kala is another brand to consider. They're made in the same factory as Lanikai. You can check Rob's site on eBay. The Flea Ukulele is $160 but those ukes are rather consistent in their quality; which is good.

 

 

Costco seems to be sold out of their $50 Cascade ukulele kit (uke, bag, tuning pipes, extra strings). This was a laminated-mahogany super-concert (tenor-sized fretboard, concert sized body) which was excellent value for its price. I bought this uke and haven't yet bothered to upgrade because (1) its intonation is accurate up and down the fretboard, and (2) it has one of the widest spacings between the strings that I've found (which makes it an excellent fingerstyle ukulele).

 

Cascade Instruments sells another uke on their website but I can't comment on it as I've never tried it. You can check the Costco website from time to time in case they restock.

 

Incidentally, you should determine what size ukulele you want. Most performers play tenor-sized ukes. The typical small ones are soprano-sized. A concert-sized uke is between a tenor and a soprano. I personally prefer tenors (which are the ones being held by Jake Shimabukuro and Brittni Paiva in the above photo) or super-concerts. These ukes tend to be louder and project well.

 

Here's one last visual reference. On the left is my classical guitar. In the middle is my Guitalele which is the same size as a tenor ukulele. On the right is my Cascade super-concert.

 

[YOUTUBE]8JxxUINbY-I[/YOUTUBE]

And here's a sample of a couple of tenor ukuleles in action. The fellow on the left is Tyler Gilman of Ukulele PuaPua. He's playing a KoAloha tenor ukulele (which at $900+ is currently out of your price range).

 

Hope that helps.

[ChiyoDad]

One last thing, if you need an instructional DVD, Roy Sakuma's is the best for absolute beginners. Roy's a much-experienced teacher and he knows where to focus you on. Many of the other uke DVDs out there are by folks who haven't taught as much and you probably won't get a lot out of them if you're a beginner.

 

The DVD is hard to find outside of Hawaii but you can order it through his store.

[Stackabones]

I have one uke student and he has the Lanikai LU-21 Standard Soprano, which imo is a pretty good starter instrument. I've considered getting a tenor or at least a concert soprano -- I'd love to find that super-concert that ChiyoDad mentioned

 

 

Ohhh, now I've got Uke GAS. That usually only happens in the summer!!!

[Glenn F]

Many thanks!

 

I am not sure what to do, though: my wife is suggesting that, because I've got 12 guitars, she will want as many different 'colours of the palette' as I have.

 

Ruh Ro!

 

Cheers,

 

Glenn

[ChiyoDad]

I am not sure what to do, though: my wife is suggesting that, because I've got 12 guitars, she will want as many different 'colours of the palette' as I have.

There are worse problems.

 

If there are shops nearby, I suggest that you have her try out different uke sizes if they are available.

 

Once size preference is determined, it will be easier to select an appropriate starter ukulele which may eventually become the beater (or take-anywhere) ukulele.

 

 

Fluke ukuleles are good concert-sized starters but they're at least $210 at retail. These have a plastic back/sides; similar to Ovation guitars. They tend to be durable and consistent.

 

[YOUTUBE]7bqhWpdMbRQ[/YOUTUBE]

David here is playing a Koa-topped Fluke which I think also has a rosewood fretboard. It's notably more expensive.

[Glenn F]

Thank you ChiyoDad!

 

Sadly, the availability around here is kind of limited. Still, it is just the beginning of the hunt.

 

Cheers!

 

Glenn