So you’re looking for a quality ukulele? Well you’ve come to the right place. This in-depth ukulele buyer’s guide goes over the different types, brands and models of ukuleles so you can wade through the sea of choices.
The ukulele has grown more and more popular in recent years as a wide variety of artists have added the ukulele sound to their music. It’s a great first instrument because it’s relatively easy to learn and play. But if you’re an experienced musician it’s also a great way to expand your musical horizons.
- Read More: 37 Easy Ukulele Songs You Can Learn Today
If you’re looking for a good ukulele, there are plenty of models to choose from in all different sizes and types, from cheap plastic toy models to expensive solid wood options. But with all the options out there, finding the best sounding ukulele can be a challenge.
Whether you are new to the ukulele or you are an experienced player who is looking to upgrade your instrument, this article will help you find the perfect ukulele to fit both your interest level and budget.
Best Ukuleles: Our Picks (Arranged by Type)
There are several different sizes of ukuleles to choose from, and each has its own strengths and unique tone. Below is a description of each type of ukulele, as well as our top picks for each.
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Soprano Ukuleles
Soprano ukuleles are the smallest size of ukulele and have the highest pitch. Soprano ukuleles are considered to be the standard size at 20 inches and tend to be what most beginners start with. Because of its size, the soprano ukulele has a smaller range of notes that it can play and it tends to have a very distinct, happy sound.
Top Pick: Luna High Tide Koa Soprano
Premier mahogany soprano ukulele with superior tone clarity and lasting sustain
You’ll be hard pressed to find a soprano ukulele that is more stunning than the Luna High Tide Koa Soprano. The High Tide tells a story through its superior build quality, from the full moon inlay at the first fret to the swaying waves beneath it.
This ukulele takes the top spot for its versatility and incredible craftsmanship. The koa body gives the perfect balance of low and high end frequencies, as well as punchy midrange. These characteristics are reflected when it’s plugged in thanks to the Luna preamp and adjustable EQ. However you choose to play this instrument, you know you’re getting incredible clarity and long lasting sustain.
The High Tide not only sounds good, but it feels good to play too. The 13.5” scale allows for easy string bends and the C-shape neck (with walnut fretboard) is comfortable for beginners and experienced players alike.
Concert Ukuleles
Concert ukuleles stand at 23 inches and have a slightly larger fretboard that makes them easier for some people to play. If you’re a beginner, this is a great size to start with. Concert ukuleles usually have between 15 and 20 frets and can play a broader range of notes. The tone is deeper and fuller than soprano ukes, but still has that signature ukulele sound.
Top Pick: Cordoba 15CM Concert Ukulele
Handcrafted concert ukulele with a rich and full sound that outperforms many more expensive options
This is one of our all-time favorite ukes to recommend. The Cordoba 15CM features mahogany top, back and sides, which give it a uniquely rich and complex tone. This ukulele is completely handmade, the build quality is second-to-none, and it includes some features found only on much more expensive ukuleles.
The 15CM has a sleek satin finish, abalone rosette, silver tuners with pearl buttons, and it comes stock with premium Aquila strings. It looks very classy, but still has that simple classic look that you expect from a traditional ukulele. This ukulele is a great option for both beginners and experienced players.
Tenor Ukuleles
Tenor ukuleles stand at 26 inches long and are often the choice for professional and well-known ukulele players due to their distinctive sound. The tenor typically has between fifteen and twenty frets and has a wider body, bigger frets and a deeper sound than soprano or concert ukuleles. Tenor ukuleles are especially good for people with bigger hands or who are transitioning from larger instruments such as the guitar.
Top Pick: Kala KA-KTU-T
Ultra-thin, portable, and sweet-sounding tenor uke from Kala's lightweight travel line
One thing that is particularly helpful for those just starting to learn ukulele is the ability to take the instrument anywhere with them. This can be a bit more challenging with tenor ukuleles, but the folks at Kala have created a slim bodied, lightweight tenor that is perfect to travel with: the Kala KA-KTU-T.
The super thin, satin finished koa body is accompanied by an arched back for perfect stability and added resonance. It has a rosewood fingerboard that really pops against the stunning lighter toned, heavy grained top wood and it feels comfortable to play.
The Kala KA-KTU-T is noted for its sparkling highs and snappy midrange, which is quite unique for baritone ukuleles. Don’t worry, thought, there is enough low end to leave the player feeling satisfied.
The Kala KA-KTU-T is masterfully built, sounds unique, and comes in at an attainable price point, earning it the top spot on this list.
Baritone Ukuleles
Baritone ukuleles are the largest size of ukulele and can be 30″ plus in scale length. They are tuned differently also – they share the same tuning as the top four strings of a guitar (DGBE). But, if you prefer standard ukulele tuning, you can also buy Baritone ukulele strings in GCEA tuning.
Baritone ukuleles are a different animal sopranos, concerts, or tenors. But they are popular among guitar players because baritone ukulele chords are essentially the same as guitar chords. In spite of its larger size and its guitar tuning, the baritone still has more of an overall ukulele sound than a guitar sound. Baritone ukuleles produce the lowest tones of all the ukuleles.
Top pick: Kala KA-SMHB
Taking the top spot for baritone ukuleles is the Kala KA-SMHB, with its all solid mahogany construction and rich, dark grain and satin finish. Perhaps the most eye catching aspect of this instrument is the tortoise shell binding, which adds just the right amount of pop against the deep mahogany.
The neck is also made of mahogany with a laurel fingerboard. The graphtech NuBone nut and saddle, paired with vintage style open gear tuners, allow for optimum tuning stability and resonance.
This baritone sounds almost as full as a travel size nylon acoustic guitar, especially when strumming chords. It truly sounds lush and massive for its size. The solid wood construction will only improve the sound as the guitar settles with age and playing, and for the price point there is no equal.
Beginner Ukuleles
The ukulele is a great instrument for beginning musicians in general. It’s much easier to pick up than guitar, and many chords can be played with just one finger. But what makes a good uke for beginners?
We generally recommend starting off with a concert or tenor ukulele. These sizes are easier to play than the smaller soprano, and still have that classic ukulele sound. You’ll also want something inexpensive but still quality. Luckily there are many well made, affordable ukuleles out there.
Top Pick: Kala KA-C Mahogany Concert Ukulele
The Kala KA-C Mahogany Concert Ukulele is lightweight and very affordable, which makes it the top ukulele for beginners who don’t want to compromise quality for price. The body and neck are made of mahogany, and it has a full bodied tone with a very rich sound.
The intonation is excellent right out of the box, and it holds a tune very well with its chrome die-cast tuners. This is an excellent little uke for beginners and more advanced players alike. You really can’t go wrong with the Kala KA-C, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better ukulele for the price.
Specialty Ukuleles
In addition to the standard types of ukuleles, there is a whole range of specialty ukuleles out there. These include the banjolele, guitalele and other non-standard ukes such as Kala’s popular U-Bass. The banjolele is an instrument with four strings, a small body that is similar to the banjo, and a fretted ukulele neck. The guitalele is a cross between a standard ukulele and a guitar. It has six strings, it’s tuned like a guitar and sounds closer to a guitar than a ukulele – basically a mini guitar. The U-Bass is an awesomely unique ukulele that’s meant to be played like a bass.
Ukulele Buyer’s Guide
Choosing the best ukulele to buy can be a difficult task, especially if you are new to playing. There are many different sizes, woods, types, and brands on the market and finding the right one can be a confusing process, especially if you are a beginner.
The first thing you should consider when you are shopping for a ukulele is your level of interest in playing and how much you are looking to invest in an instrument. What’s your ukulele price range? Do you want an expensive professional instrument or are you looking for a good cheap ukulele?
The great thing about the ukulele is that it’s possible to find a high quality instrument for anywhere between $50-$200, so there is no need to spend a lot of money when you are just starting out as you can always upgrade later.
Read our ukulele reviews to familiarize yourself with the different types of ukuleles and think about the size and sound you are looking for. Top quality ukuleles often come premium strings, but you can easily upgrade the sound of any ukulele by adding some good ukulele strings. It’s also helpful to research the different types of wood that ukuleles are made out of. Mahogany will have a different than Koa, for example.
The information below will briefly explain some of the different types of ukuleles, popular brands, and some of the top models from each brand. This will give you a head start on getting the information you need to make the most informed purchase.
The Best Ukulele Brands
There are plenty of good ukulele brands out there, but the brands below are the most common. They all have solid ukuleles for beginners and also offer some top notch professional-quality ukes. There are also other brands out there like Pono and Kanilea that offer only very high-end ukuleles.
Kala
Kala Ukulele was started in 2005 by Mike Upton and has its main office located in California. Despite being a newer brand, Kala is now one of the most well-known brands of ukuleles in the world. It may be the best brand of ukulele for beginners and intermediate players looking to get serious about playing the ukulele because they provide high quality instruments at very affordable prices.
Cordoba
Started in 1997, Cordoba is a guitar company based in California that specializes in nylon string acoustic guitars. Cordoba provides lightweight, responsive instruments and they have a wide variety of ukuleles across the soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone sizes. Cordoba ukuleles are well-known for their quality. They have a large fan base of well-known musicians including Bon Iver, One Republic, Leonard Cohen, and the Decembrists.
Luna
Luna Guitars was co-founded by Yvonne de Villiers, who was an accomplished stained-glass artist. She was inspired by her bass playing mother to begin making guitars that were both beautiful and unique. Luna was founded on Yvonne’s belief that customers should be seen as more than just a sales transaction but part of a larger community. Since 2005, Luna ukuleles have been known for their unique looks and high quality.
Lanikai
Lanikai was founded in 2000 and is distributed by Hohner, a company well known for producing quality folk instruments. Lanikai is a popular brand for ukulele players and is one of the best ukelele brands because they offer a wide range of both entry level and high end models at a reasonable price point.
Alvarez
Alvarez has been in the guitar game for decades, but they’re newer to the ukulele scene. A severely underrated instrument-maker, Alvarez makes makes awesome guitars that sound and play great – and their ukuleles are no different. Pick up any Alvarez uke, and you’ll know you have a quality instrument.
Ukulele Shapes
We’ve gone over the different ukulele sizes, but they also come in several different shapes.
The guitar shape is the most common shape for ukuleles. It looks similar to a guitar and the curved portion of the upper body (called the upper bout) is usually smaller than the lower portion (the lower bout). The narrow area between the two bouts is called the waist.
The pineapple shape has a rounded back and profile body. It debuted in the 1920s and is usually credited to Samuel Kamaka for coming up with the design. The novelty of the pineapple shape was that it made the ukulele become more distinctive and not just look like a tiny guitar. This allowed musicians to begin to take the ukulele more seriously and branch out to try new things.
A cutaway shape is when the right-hand shoulder has been cut back to making playing on the top frets of an instrument easier. Cutaway ukuleles are usually found in music stores and are found more often on concert, tenor, and baritone instruments than on the soprano. This shape is also very common on acoustic-electric ukuleles.
Types of Ukulele Tonewood
When you are choosing what kind of tonewood to go with, your main consideration should be much you are willing to spend and the sound you are looking for. The main types of ukulele tonewood are koa, mahogany, spruce, cedar, maple, and rosewood.
Mahogany is one of the most common woods used for musical instruments. Mahogany is a hardwood but is much less dense than rosewood. Mahogany ukuleles produce a warm and rich tone.
Koa is a native Hawaiian wood that produces a bright, beautiful tone. It has traditionally been the standard tonewood used for ukuleles.
Spruce is a softwood and tends to be more popular with guitars but is becoming increasingly popular with ukuleles as well. It is known for producing a bright and loud tone.
Rosewood is often used in acoustic guitars but is becoming more common in ukuleles. It produces mid-range and low overtones. Rosewood is usually paired with a softwood top.
Ukuleles can also be made out of maple, mango, cedar, and cherry wood. And you might also find ukuleles made from plywood, which means they were made from a cheaper, laminated wood. A ukulele made from solid wood will almost always give a brighter and more complex tone than ukuleles made from plywood.
With the growing popularity of the ukulele as an instrument there is a flood of different models on the market, some good some not-so-good. There’s also a lot of information out there, and wading through everything can get overwhelming.
Conclusion
This ukulele buying guide should give you a good handle on what to look for and what ukuleles might be the best choice for you. Any of the ukuleles we shout out here will make a great instrument, no matter if you are picking up the ukulele for the very first time or have been playing for years.
Ultimately, the goal is to find the ukulele that is the right fit for you and your lifestyle and will provide you with years of enjoyable playing.
I don’t feel that any of the listed brands or ukuleles recommended come even close to my Kamaka pineapple. most of those listed are what i would consider to be cheap beginner ukes.
the best ukulele i have played is my mums fallopian tubes. Top quality strings.
Córdoba 15cm ukulele is very quality ukulele and produce very well quality sound
All of these ukuleles are good but my favorite ukulele is the Kala ka-s. I will likely buy the within the month. thanks