(Part 2) Best products from r/ukulele

I just bought my first Uke(soprano) a few months ago and did a lot of research looking for just the right type of look and quality for a good price. I ended up settling on the Kala-SEM Exotic Mahogany

http://www.amazon.com/Kala-Exotic-Mahogany-Soprano-Ukulele/dp/B003M4S670

It looks beautiful, sounds great, isn't too expensive, and is great to first learn the instrument. I also purchased the Gig Bag just for travel purposes and I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend also getting this Kyser Capo for Uke/Banjo

http://www.amazon.com/Kyser-Banjo-Mand-Capo-Blk/dp/B0002CZVWS/ref=pd_sim_MI_12?ie=UTF8&refRID=0TRJSEMRJA3F6GXY9QXA

It will fit the instrument, and all ukes, perfectly and is a tremendous asset when learning songs in a different key that you don't yet have the capability of doing absurd fingerings for. No matter what you settle on, trust me, get that capo and it will be the best purchase. Best of luck to you on your learning!

Edit: Forget to mention the Kala will also come with Aquila strings already on it, so you save the money there. After about a week of playing it quite a lot every day to let them settle it stays in tune great now

(1) What is(are) your first uke(s) of choice?

Luna Honu Soprano


(2) How much did it cost?

$85 shipped.

(3) What are 3 things you like about it?

1. It's adorable. The turtle inlay is really cute, and the sharktooth fret markers are a nice touch. 2. It never slips out of tune- I've tuned it twice in a month of daily playing (1-2 hours on average), the second time because my child turned a few pegs when we introduced her to it. 3. and most importantly, it sounds great. I played a few high end ukes at Guitar Center in the months before my Luna purchase- and I've played the low end stuff as well, some cheapo's my friends have impulse-bought and never played. This baby can roll with the best of 'em.
   
   (4) What are 3 things that you wish could be better?
   
   
2. Weight distribution. It's just really heavy in the neck, which is more a ukulele thing than an issue with this specific uke, but it has been something I had to adjust to. 2. It's plywood, and I would love if it were solid wood. I feel like it would improve on this already awesome instrument. 3. I really can't think of a third gripe, it's really a great instrument.

I got this from Amazon after I decided to learn the ukulele. No regrets at all, it sounds great. I even bought Aquila Super Nylgut strings to restring it but I think the ukulele I got already have those and it sounds great. You also should pick up something like this to help you tune your ukulele, kind of hard to tune it by ear as a beginner. Well, not hard but much easier to use electronic tuner.

I think you're fine buying it from Amazon, when you get good at it and know you're going to stick with it THEN make plans to buy a renown ukulele in a store or online. I hear good things even about those $30 soprano ukuleles on Amazon. Whatever you decide to buy, it's just to help get your foot into the door!

I've never been a big fan of the clunkyness of clip on tuners like Snark, but I just recently purchased the D'Addario NS Micro Clip-On Tuner to try it out before it went on sale at my store and I'm in love. It's accurate, sturdy, has a ton of features, is adjustable and is TINY!! It hasn't left my uke since I bought it.

I've spent a ton of money on metronomes and tuners in my day (a music major before smart phones existed) and this is by far my favorite.

If you're not looking to spend money, OP, download a free app on your smart phone or iPod. G-strings is great!

Trust me on this. Get this (mandolin) capo or one like it

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000EENH5W/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1373860086&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX112_SY192

Cheap, very effective, and the best part is it doesn't have the handle that you squeeze to adjust it that I find gets in the way of playing chords. This is your best bet.

Good luck!

My Ukulele is far below your price point, a mere $75, but I figured I'd post anyways.

It is the Caramel Tenor Rosewood Electric Acoustic Ukulele.

It us very hard to find a tenor ukulele for under $100, and an electric tenor ukulele for under $100 of decent quality, nearly impossible. This one exceeds all expectations. I don't know tons about ukuleles, but despite this being one of the least expensive ukuleles I own, it sounds like the best. I've had people who know a lot about ukuleles try this one, and they say they love it and can't believe the cost. It sounds great plugged in too, and the onset tuner works well.

Edit: [link](Caramel CT500 Rosewood Tenor Acoustic Electric Ukulele With Truss Rod https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011QYD44W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9j8Hzb1QKGG8P) to buy it.

Is the action too high for you to play comfortably? If not, stop reading and keep playing.

If it's impossible to play, sanding down the saddle is the best that you can do. Looking closely at that ukulele, it looks identical to http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Schmidt-OU5-Concert-Ukulele/dp/B000A39GUC with a different headstock on it. That was my first ukulele, and I recommend looking elsewhere if you're serious about the instrument. While it's pretty, it's a dead-sounding koa plywood of sorts. Look at the solid top ohana or mainland ukuleles in the same price range for a far, far superior instrument.

(-: I didn't think I could help with this, but since you are aiming for David Bowie, I think I can! First, get a copy of David Bowie's sheet music. David Bowie Anthology https://www.amazon.com/David-Bowie-Anthology-Guitar-Personality/dp/0881883603 is one of my favorite resources for strumming, and if you read music (or are willing to learn), you'll find all sorts of resources for finger-style here.

You can still get some of the album sheet music -- I have the book for The Next Day.

There are some sites which will give you hints about the riffs on ukulele. The one on Ukulele Hunt is quite good. They'll only give you pieces of the puzzle, and sometimes it's not in the same key as "the book" (whichever book you may be using), but they are a good start. http://ukulelehunt.com/2016/02/04/8-best-david-bowie-intros-tab/ Play around with them!

Somewhere, I found two riffs from The Man Who Sold the World, but I can't find them right now. But I encourage you to look, because they are on the internet, out there somewhere.

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-iCE-Microphone/dp/B006DIA77E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411407583&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+snowball

I said it up in the OP, it's a Blue Snowball.

In the <$50 category, I don't think there's a better microphone... And I really don't think you can find something better for music recording until you're well into the $100s. Some would argue that you should bump to a 110$ blue yeti (pretty much -the- budget "professional" mic), but I prefer the atmospheric recordings the snowball allows with it's front and back microphones - it captures the space nicely and works beautifully for music. Also, the Snowball looks nicer on your desk than the comically-porportioned and somewhat phallic blue yeti...

Of course, if you've got the extra money, you won't be disappointed with the sound of the Blue Yeti - and it's a stereo mic, so that's nice.

At any rate, I love my snowball. For acoustic performance there's not much that can really beat it. Can't recommend it any higher than that. It's a damn nice mic.

First off - Does the buzzing happen when the string is played open or when fretted? that'll help determine the problem


Second - Nice uke, ibanez make some solid instruments, I have a few. You don't however, need to buy Ibanez strings for it. Aquila make some of the best ukulele strings out there and they don't break the bank: I would recommend this set to save you some money. I use these on two of my concerts


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aquila-Concerto-Ukulele-Strings-7U/dp/B007K3EGXW/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3GS3VZDCZ6H9F&keywords=concert+ukulele+strings&qid=1554738011&s=gateway&sprefix=concert+ukulele+strings%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-5

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Finally - I usually take all the strings off but you are correct in saying that it is best practice to change one at a time to keep the body tensioned. Only tune the uke up once all the strings are replaced to prevent breakages due to tension changes. Because of your ukulele's bridge construction, you will have to tie a knot or two in the ends of the strings so that they dont slip out. If they do, this could damage the bridge, just make sure the knot is plenty big enough. The best thing you can do is watch stringing tutorials on youtube so you can visualise what's happening.

I think the term you're looking for is fingerpicking. If you search for that, you should find stuff. However, some books that I either own or have seen people mention:

• https://www.amazon.com/Jumpin-Jims-Ukulele-Masters-James/dp/1540003043 (or anything else by James Hill)
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Ukulele-Aerobics-Levels-Beginner-Advanced/dp/147681306X (I own this one, it's a little simplistic but isn't a bad starting point)
  
  And plenty more are around. I think James Hill and rockclass101 are the only full systems I'm aware of, although I've never used either of them. But James Hill even does a teacher certification course, and is quite well respected.
  
  You can also come up with your own, it's not too difficult. You can base it off of a book for a classical instrument for example. It's a great exercise to do that, since you already have a basis for music theory from the violin.

I googled kala ka-p and I see this model going for 40 to 110 bucks or so. Kala official website has it marked at 109. The title of the Amazon link says kala ka p BUT you want to have them send a pic of the inside sticker. If it says kala ka mk p it's the makala one, not kala. For what it's worth, the image in your post looks closer to the kala ka mk p grain pattern here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001LU39F6/ref=psdcmw_11971501_t2_B005ETZQU6

Than it does to the kala ka p here:
https://kalabrand.com/products/ka-p

But if they send a pic and it's the real McCoy kala ka p, that is a great deal on a great uke!

I just got this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JBSEJRG as my second ukulele. It's really nice and good looking. Has a nice and clean sound. One thing though, in my opinion it has a bit of a high action (distance between string and thread).

Anyway, welcome to the tribe and have fun;)

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Mango or maple for something with more visual flair, koa for the fancy pants. Do her other ukuleles have a pick up? That'd be a nice option too. Getting a soprano is dicey because they're a good deal smaller than her other two and might be uncomfortable. Some ideas:

Here's a nice koa concert with great reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Schmidt-OU5-Concert-Ukulele/dp/B000A39GUC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1416332293&sr=8-5&keywords=koa+concert+ukulele

Here's a spalted maple tenor, very cool looking: http://www.amazon.com/Kala-KA-SMT-Spalted-Maple-Ukulele/dp/B007RN4FA4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416332502&sr=8-2&keywords=mango+tenor+ukulele

Spalted mango tenor with a pick up, a bit more pricey though: http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Schmidt-Acoustic-Electric-OU7TE/dp/B0049BUX6M/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1416332771&sr=8-13&keywords=electric+acoustic+ukulele

I’ve been borrowing a Studio Projects TB1 tube condenser to record ukulele. It’s pretty reasonably priced for a tube mic. I haven’t recorded much ukulele before, but I it seems to sound pretty natural. Sample with my solid mahogany soprano.

Keep posting!

This was my first uke and it's very nice. Solid wood. Bright tone. Holds tuning great.

https://www.amazon.com/Schmidt-Washburn-OU3-Concert-Ukulele/dp/B0002GLMIQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1469741790&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=oscar+schmidt+ukulele+OU3

1. The scale length of a Tenor Banjo (22-23) is a little bit longer than a Baritone Ukulele (19-20). While that may seem like a small amount, I would expect it to cause some tension issues. However to answer your question. Living water makes gCEA sets for baritone. I personally used the DGBE set, and it was lovely. Guadalupe strings are similar. I cannot vouch for other brands however.
   
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2. I would just try to make a large knot that can sit inside of the tail piece hole without slipping through. Possibly consider bridge beads? r/https://www.amazon.com/Ukulele-Diamond-BridgeBeads-String-Ties/dp/B00HB8TOPG/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_267_tr_img_2
   
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3. I'm not at all experienced with cutting nut slots, and have ruined the nut on my ukulele before. I would just let a music shop do it. It's a rather cheap task (but much more expensive if it has to be replaced if you accidentally make them too large). That being said, ukulele strings are not very thick, so you may not notice much of a tone issue at all. I would just wait for the near future when you can afford to pay a music shop.
   
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   Words to the wise. gCEA tuning sounds beautiful on a small instrument. However, in my experience, on larger instruments that brightness dwindles, and without bass strings, the instrument sounds dead.
   
   My baritone came standard gCEA, and it always felt like the strings and body didn't pair together well.
   
   I also have a tenor guitar (23 scale length) that is very similar to a tenor banjo, that also suffered from the same aliments that the baritone did.
   
   It was only after I tuned my baritone to DGBE (classical guitar strings), and my tenor guitar to CDAE (steel strings) did everything have a much clearer tone.
   
   My only fear for you is that the nylon/fluorocarbon strings won't be able to resonate the banjo head well at all.
   
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   This is not impossible to do, so I wish you the best of luck. However, do expect to experiment a lot with this new setup until you reach a tone that sounds great.
   
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   EDIT:Ignore the typos, sorry.

I got my Luna Concert Tattoo from Amazon for $90. Looks great, great intonation.

You can find a mahalo soprano uke for about $40 on Amazon. It's a great starter uke that actually sounds pretty okay for its price range.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OB49034/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apis_1486576080169

I have this one from luna https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003L7VQMA and i'm very happy with it. It has a nice even sound to it, and i might be biased but i went to an ukulele class and mine was one of the best sounding ones.

The Snark SN6X is pretty great though I am not a huge fan of the long "neck" between the display and the clip. I have another clip on tuner that had the display on a hinge that I like better (but can't find online).

I also like the super tiny D'Addario tuners: https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-NS-Micro-Clip-On-Tuner/dp/B005FKF1PY (small enough to leave on all the time, but I find they resonate a little on one of my ukes with a thick headstock).

I went for the Mahalo Java Series in a soprano style.

Bought it from a specialist music store and was set up with Aquila strings. It has a mahogany wood neck as well as a Indonesian rosewood body and fingerboard. Really good for a first ukulele.

Sounds really nice for the price which was $79 (AUD)

I found on for amazon for you

https://www.amazon.com/Mahalo-Ukuleles-MJ1TBR-Soprano-Ukulele/dp/B00OB49034

I was in a similar situation and i bought this $100 Epiphone Les Paul Acoustic Electric Ukulele. The Vintage Sunburst coloring is beautiful, and it sounds great whether it is amplified or not. I also wanted a concert as I had a soprano, and this is a concert ukulele.

http://amzn.com/B0064RFT4A

I have an Oscar Schmidt concert uke, which I quite like, although I've seen a comment or two on reddit calling it cheap. It is actually under a hundred dollars, though. This seems to be mostly the same but even a little cheaper, but I can't vouch for the quality.

Obviously I haven't played every uke out there, but for under a hundred dollars I think the Oscar Schmidt concert uke is a quality instrument, and great to start out on.

Love this arrangement! It’s included in his duets for one book just FYI.

Jeebus e'ry buddy started on rich boy ukes.... My first ukulele was 3500¥ and sounded good because of the pineapple shape.

I've really benefitted from having a capo, other than that, extra strings is all you really need. On that note, since you have a guitar already, I'm hoping you have one of these as well? If not, I would highly encourage it.

Thank you so much! As far as I know, as long as you can have things delivered from amazon you should be good. Here it is: http://www.amazon.com/Luna-Honu-Inch-Soprano-Ukulele/dp/B002SSUR3M/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1334085836&sr=1-1

I went to a local music store to try a few out. This one sounded pretty nice and I can get it for about $85. Thoughts?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003M4S670?pc_redir=1404948067&robot_redir=1

http://www.amazon.com/Epiphone-Acoustic-Electric-Ukulele-Sunburst/dp/B0064RFT4A/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1397795317&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=rogue+ukulele+electric

I love mine.

https://www.amazon.com/Luna-Mahogany-Honu-Soprano-Ukulele/dp/B002SSUR3M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1478917661&sr=8-3&keywords=luna+soprano+ukulele

Usually Aquila Nylgut but I’m not fussy. These are my regulars. Aquila Nylgut Concerto Ukulele Strings 7U Regular GCEA https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007K3EGXW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_SouWAbEAX4H4D

This guy.