The RU22C sounds like a more costly instrument, and it feels like one, too. Its top, back, and sides are all made from solid mahogany. It has fully enclosed tuners that feel smoother and more precise than the open-geared tuners found on most affordable ukes. The slotted bridge makes changing the strings easy—just tie a knot at one end of the string and slide it into the slot. The position markers along the side of the fingerboard let you easily see where to place your fingers, and the neck joins the body at the 14th fret, so hitting the high notes is easy, too.
All of our panelists said the RU22C played beautifully everywhere on the neck, and no one noted any string buzzing.
If you prefer the Alvarez ukulele in a different size, the same overall design is available at similar prices in soprano , tenor , and baritone sizes. Or, if you prefer an instrument with a less traditional appearance, you can also get the RU22C in your choice of five Grateful Dead—inspired graphics. I played several of these models in stores, and they all played as well and sounded about the same as the RU22C sample we got.
In fact, playing one of the Grateful Dead ukes is what inspired me to request an RU22C sample for our tests. The only real downside of the RU22C is that it includes no accessories. Also, the concert size may be a little large for some elementary schoolers to handle. They might be better off with the soprano size the RU22S or with our soprano uke recommendation, from Luna, below. The DUC-1 has a slightly wider-than-usual fingerboard, which makes it easier for those with larger hands to fit three or four fingers on the fretboard for complex chords—in contrast, though, this design may make the DUC-1 a little harder to play for those with small hands.
Like the Alvarez RU22C, this uke has fully enclosed tuners, position markers along the side of the fingerboard, and a slotted bridge that lets you easily change strings. The body joins the neck at the 14th fret, which makes fingering high notes easier. It includes strap buttons on the bottom and on the heel of the neck, a feature rarely found on a concert uke.
The panelists really liked the sound, which struck a nice balance between fullness and clarity. Donner also has soprano and tenor versions.
We discuss the DUS-1 soprano model in the Competition section. The downside of the DUC-1 is that it looks a little cheap. The Luna Vintage Spruce Soprano is smaller than our other picks, making it a great choice for kids or for adults who like soprano ukes for their lilting, high-pitched sound or their portability—although some adults may find it uncomfortably small.
This wood choice gives the Vintage Spruce Soprano a less traditional look and is probably the reason it sounds louder and brighter than most soprano ukes. The Vintage Spruce Soprano does have a few minor downsides. Its bridge requires that the strings be wrapped around themselves, in the manner of a classical guitar, which makes restringing a little more difficult than it is with our other picks, which have slotted bridges. Even with the first sample, none of our panelists considered the action uncomfortable.
We also tried another version of this uke, the Luna Tribal Soprano , which has a mahogany top with a laser-engraved pattern inspired by totems of the Pacific Islands. It costs more than the Vintage Spruce Soprano and has a mellower sound.
Functionally, the two ukes are quite similar, but the Harper Concert Acacia looks a lot nicer. Its body is made from deeply figured, beautifully finished woodgrain, and the body and fingerboard feature ivory-colored binding. It looks much more expensive than it is, likely the result of more precise, careful workmanship, with smoothly finished frets and no obvious compromises for the sake of cost.
The excellent factory setup makes it easy to play for beginners and experts, and the concert size suits kids and adults alike. It also includes a decent soft case, an electronic tuner, and a strap. The sound of the Harper Concert Acacia may be better or worse than that of our top pick, depending on your priorities.
It comes with two strap knobs installed especially convenient when the ukulele club runs out of chairs , and the neck joins the body at the 14th fret to make fingering high notes easier. Another advantage of the Harper Concert Acacia is that it includes what we think are the two most important accessories: a decent gig bag and an electronic clip-on tuner, neither of which come with our top pick.
With a little practice and adjusting, most players can successfully and comfortably play Soprano ukes. Concert Ukulele A Concert ukulele is 2" bigger than a soprano ukulele. This size is where it transitions to a broader appeal. The tone is fuller and the bass more pronounced because of this size increase.
A quality Tenor ukulele will still have well defined mids and high frequencies. Baritone Ukulele Baritone instruments in general tend to carry different tunings. The reason has to do with string tension, which will vary based on the length the string has to travel from bridge to tuner.
BUT, once you have a couple in your collection, run to get one! Baritone ukes have the most pronounced low end. To recap:. In it, the astronomer hosting the video said recommending a telescope is like recommending a car. Many things about ukuleles are subjective. Why is a solid top important? In general, solid wood produces a warmer, richer tone than laminated wood. The trade-off is that solid wood is more expensive than laminated wood. Aklot appears to be another company that sells direct to customers through Amazon.
This helps keep the price down by avoiding retailer markup. I also like that the 15CM has a cool-looking faux abalone rosette and bound fingerboard. The Luna Tattoo concert ukulele has a unique Hawaiian design laser-etched onto the top. Confused about uke sizes? This guide explains the different ukulele sizes soprano, concert, tenor, baritone and discusses which sizes are best for beginners. A quick list of three common mistakes I see many people make when shopping for their first ukulele.
With hundreds of 5-star reviews on Amazon, the KAS is an obvious crowd favorite. But is it the right choice for beginners? Share 5. Pin 7. Pick a Price Range and Body Size. Avoid Really Cheap Ukuleles. How Ukulele Size Affects Playability.
Which Ukulele Size is Best for Beginners? The Ibanez UEW5 is a neat concert-voiced ukulele designed to encourage you away from simple chord work. The body features a cutaway segment which opens up the higher frets for access, meaning you can comfortably navigate your way around the fretboard with ease. This makes the UEW5 a great first ukulele for guitar players, who can translate and transpose licks they know onto the uke, but the general high levels of build and tonality make this a great option for any beginner.
As the slightly larger brother of the other Cordoba in the list, we wanted to highlight some of the benefits of choosing a tenor uke over a smaller concert or soprano model. In the Cordoba 15TM, there exists a highly playable, great sounding alternative to the smaller soprano models. The Kala Teak Tri-Top is, as far as ukuleles go, quite the picture.
The combination of teak, a grainy dark wood from Southeast Asia, with lesser-known woods for the neck and fingerboard make for a visually stunning uke, make no mistake. The Tri-Top also boasts onboard electronics, so you can amplify the sound for performances, making this an all-round package which — for the price — is pretty hard to beat.
The joy of the beginner ukulele comes in its near-instant gratification. But what sort of things should you be looking for when choosing from among the best beginner ukuleles? Overwhelmingly, beginner ukuleles tend to come equipped with four strings. Mostly, however, beginner ukuleles tend to favour nylon strings which offer a warm, mellow sound and are easier on the fingertips when fretting.
The focus is more on providing an instrument which is simple to use, rewarding and makes the process of learning it as inviting as possible. As you progress in your playing you may gravitate towards a specific body shape or voicing, but for now the goal is simply to find a beginner ukulele that is well made and, most of all, fun to play.
Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World Total Guitar and Dawsons Music.
Chris loves getting nerdy about everything from guitar gear and synths, to microphones and music production hardware. MusicRadar The No.
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