- This topic has 20 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 6 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I got my new ukulele this afternoon delivered from The Ukulele Site! It plays like a dream (especially noticeable on the first fret where the action is lower)! So worth it!
It’s a Pono MGC (mango concert). Sorry for the low quality photo. It’s already night time and I don’t have the best indoor lighting.
Wow. Now who’s out there with instrument knowledge that could recommend one for my next step up. And don’t say that anything would be a step up from what I’m playing now. haha.
Rickey, here’s my pick for a step up that’s not a giant leap. Good brand. Solid wood. A couple of us here have one. I love mine. Of course, ukulele acquisition syndrome means you might want to take another step at some point but I love mine.
https://www.theukulelesite.com/islander-mss-4-solid-mahogany-soprano-ukulele.html
Rickey, there are so many things I considered each time I bought my ukuleles. First one was a soprano Kala because it was affordable and small. I didn’t know what I liked yet or what to look for at the time.
Second one was a concert, but it was also a beginner bundle purchased at Amazon. The bigger size and more fret space was great until I grew out of that one too (within a couple months). I wanted something with a pro set up.
So here we are to my third ukulele. Still a concert, but I considered so many things:
– Wood (for tone, looks, laminate/solid top/solid wood)
– brands (mostly for pricing, but also for known consistency in quality control)
– size (do I want to try a tenor or stay a concert)
– Budget
– low g or stay high g (not critical since you can always restring if you don’t like it, but always nice to have an extra uke without having to restring your primary)I found it easiest to pick a place to shop from and pick from their available models. I shopped both Uke Republic and HMS (the ukulele site) before I made my purchase. You definitely want to pick a store that is known for their set ups. It is critical in a good sounding uke (in my opinion).
Thanks, Kanae and Lisa. I don’t even know what a pro set up is. More fret room sounds good. Will it help me fret better? Andrew’s lessons seem to be done mostly with a uke that has more than 12 frets. Is that a concert? Plus many more questions I can’t come up with at the moment. ha.
Yes, there are not only more frets on concerts and tenors, but each have longer necks (increasing spacing) so you have more room. Sopranos are good for children or adults with smaller hands because of the shorter reach.
The necks are wider at the nut on concerts and tenors, too. Something else to consider. There are super sopranos out there with the same neck length and amount of frets as a concert where you don’t have to compromise on the neck width while keeping the traditional soprano body size/sound. It has the range of a concert but sound of a soprano. Look into the Islander AS-4. It’s very afforable and has a roomy fret board.
As for setup, check out info/videos here.
Rickey, I happened to see this great video just last night talking about sizes and their benefits. It might help you decide. 😊
And yes, I believe what Andrew plays is a concert (Kanile’a K-1).
I had this same dilemma. I had a cheap Mahalo toy uke as I call it to start on. I upgraded to my Ohana at Christmas. It’s solid mahagony, visually I prefer a darker wood. Mine seems to have a slightly longer neck than other concerts which wasn’t deliberate. Extra fret space is good but makes the stretches I was ok with on my soprano a little harder. I got mine from Southern Ukelele Store in the Uk.
Best advice I can give is find a local store and have a play on different sizes and different woods to see what you are drawn too. Then you can buy from there or elsewhere e.g Uke Republic assuming you are US based.
If you have a look on youtube for Southern Ukelele Store they have been doing some great comparison videos like this one;
My next one will be mango wood. I’ve been loving the look and sound of a couple of mango wood Ukes recently.
What a great video, Kay! Thanks for sharing it. These are my favorite kind to watch as they are so informational.
I love the look and sound of the mango wood, too. And the deciding factor for me was the sound sample video The Ukulele Site posts in the description of all their listed ukes. The tone is warm, but clear. 😍
It’s nice the variety of ukes he compared (a whole gamut of woods/prices), but boy, he had a HEAVY plucking/strumming style. 😂
Rickey, if you have a ukulele store or instrument store with a decent stock to try, you should hold some to see what you like. Videos can give you specs and sound samples, but it won’t be the same as trying them in person.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.