How to Choose a Ukulele

Whether you are looking
to get one for yourself or you want to select one of the nicest gifts that an
audiophile can receive, the fact is that choosing a ukulele can be challenging,
particularly if you have no experience with musical instruments, in general.

To make it slightly
easier for you to make up your mind either on a particular model or on the
features that the instrument should come with, we’ve created a simple guide you
can read below.

Start with the price

If your friend is a well-seasoned
musician, you might have to devote a lot of time to an
extended research process that should allow you to pick the right instrument.
However, if the person you are trying to impress with your present is a newbie
in terms of playing the uke or the guitar, you can start with a budget-friendly
alternative.

Most ukuleles for beginners are priced at around
seventy-five to two hundred dollars. The cheaper the model, the less likely it
is for it to perform well, and thereby, the higher the likelihood of the
musician having it replaced over a given period of time.

There are some ukes that
can cost as little as fifty dollars, but we suggest you steer clear of those as
no decent musician can play such a cheap instrument. Unless they are toys made
for children, that is, in which case you can select the most affordable option
without any second thoughts.

Size

There are three main
types of sizes when it comes to ukuleles – soprano, concert, and tenor. With a
bigger body, you will get a more powerful tone. Tone and concert ukuleles
produce a richer and warmer sound, while a smaller instrument is virtually
incapable of doing the same.

If you do love a tingly
sound or have nothing against it, it might be a good idea to choose a soprano
ukulele. There’s nothing wrong with it. You might just not be able to play a
wide array of genres, or the sound of the uke might not go well with other
kinds of instruments when playing with another musician.

Other pieces of advice

If you really have no
knowledge when it comes to picking a musical instrument in general, and a uke
in particular, one of the resources that we can recommend is YouTube. There are
heaps of ukulele players that make their lessons available and that put
together in-depth reviews of various models and thoroughly
explain what features are musts and which ones you can
do without.

If you have buddies or
family members who also play the uke, you can always go for the easy way and
ask them how they managed to get a decent instrument. Even though it might seem
a weird idea, you can get valuable advice from music instruments consultants
who work at specialized stores. You don’t even have to buy anything.

Last, but certainly not
least, we would also like to point out that the age of the user also matters
quite a bit. Children might find it impossible to work with a tenor ukuleles,
and that’s because the neck can be too thick for their little hands to wrap
around it.