What Is The Best Ukelele Brands For Beginner?

Ukuleles for Beginners Selection Tips

Choosing a very first musical instrument is always a difficult task and that’s exactly similar for Ukuleles. With a whole bunch of models available in various sizes, wood composites, surface textures and decorations, Ukulele may make you stunned at first sight and confused in choosing which one. Therefore, hope you find easier after reading a few selection tips from us, especially for entry-level uke players

Size

Ukuleles come in four different sizes—soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. The soprano is the smallest and baritone, sitting on the other end of the spectrum, is the largest.

In general, if you are spank new to the world of stringed instruments and the playability of the instrument (rather than tone, range, etc.) is your primary concern, we highly recommend that you settle either for a soprano or a concert ukulele.

Smaller instruments obviously come with smaller things like smaller fretboards. That means you may find it easier than playing any bigger instruments since you don’t need to stretch your fingers too much. Moreover, a smaller scale means lesser octaves, so you can play many basic chords easily often using only one or two fingers. This way, you catch up first with the playing and can start to make music very fast (often within a week or two) and this is always inspiring for entry-level players and will help boost their confidence.

To settle for a Concert-size uke or a Soprano one, it depends on the size of your hands and even your physical size. Soprano should be an ideal choice for children due to a rule of thumb, while Concert may be suitable for adults better on their uke journey.

That said, it still all boils down to individual preferences. In many cases, larger adults (even those with bigger hands) find little problem with a soprano ukulele and if they feel more comfortable starting out on a soprano than on a concert, by all means they are welcome to it!

Tenor ukes are likely to be preferred by intermediate to professional players (for whom the sound, tone and a wider range hold more importance than the playability of the instrument); therefore, we’ll talk about them in other posts.

The baritone ukes, on the other hand, is more of a cross between a guitar and a ukulele. The sound is fuller and heavier and is normally a far cry from a traditional ukulele sound. The string arrangements are different as well and accordingly, the tabs you’ll get for ukulele songs and the string and chord arrangements therein will not correspond if you try to play them on a baritone.

However, as a beginner, you may start out with a baritone uke only if your aim is to shift to guitar once you’ve packed in some experience and skill by playing the uke. For a situation such as this, the baritone uke is actually an ideal choice since its strings, DGBE, correspond exactly to the four high strings of the guitar. This makes the transition easier since you won’t have to learn new chord positions once you’ve made the shift to the guitar.

Playability

Another factor needs noticing when selecting a uke for a brand new is easy and smooth playability.

So, always look for a uke with lower action so that your fingers will not get unduly stressed while playing. Also, pay attention to the strings and see if they are soft enough for your fingers. You may either go for gut strings or fluorocarbon strings or any other variety as long as they go soft on your fingers.

Make, Wood & Sound

The construction influences tone and sound strongly. For instance, different woods and wood composites make the differences between these factors.

However, the ‘make’ factor is important. The top soundboard should be entirely flat; the neck should be joined flush with the main body of the instrument and there should be no gap for air to intrude; the back of the body will have a little curved shape, but see to it that there are no uneven bulges and so on.

Normally, if you are buying from a reputable brand or a popular uke model, the make would be alright. All the same, make sure to check on these factors (for you never know!). A ukulele with an improper make can seriously interfere with your playing (buzz, uneven tone, etc.) and surely you don’t want that to happen!

Tuners

Also, as an amateur, you would be better setting up your uke with geared tuners rather than friction pegs. As tuning machines, the former allow for more precise and accurate tuning whereas tuning through friction pegs is somewhat more challenging.

Price

Now, as to the price, you certainly don’t need (or want) to spend a fortune on your first ukulele. However, do resist the temptation to go for the extremely cheap versions available for $30-$40. For one thing, the build quality is often extremely poor for these ukes and this can compromise the playability as well as the intonation of the instrument. Usually, as a beginner, it is best to settle for models falling in the price bracket of $60-$120.

Average Ukulele Pricing

Here’s a small and simple list of average ukulele pricing that will help you get a general idea of ukulele prices.

• Budget: Around $60
• Beginner/ Entry-level: $60 to $150
• Mid-Level/ Intermediate: $150 to $500
• High-End/ Professional: $500 and Up (with the solid wood tops easily running up to thousands)

Conclusion

The fact that you have a world of choice in selecting a very first Ukulele; however, this article comes to help you find out the most suitable Uke to you. 

The quality of a product usually comes with the price of them and that’s why an expensive uke can hold its value better. However, most people tend to look for an affordable uke for their first, it would be easy to understand if you guys are not sure to pursue Ukulele as a passion for a long time. 

In terms of the best ukulele brands, there are so many out there to decide between, and there will also be an element of personal preference, as you decide whether you want a classical design and a ukulele made of traditional materials (a brand like Kala) or something a bit more modern and quirky (Fender, for example). Choices on design, tonewood and size are key to the decision you will end up making.

For a beginner, developing a little understanding of features before deciding can give you a big insight into your future of playing uke.