When you’re getting ready to embark on your musical journey with the ukulele, the first thing you’re probably asking yourself is which are the best ukuleles for beginners. Whether this new instrument purchase is for you or for someone else, you might be wondering about all the things that go into choosing the best ukulele you can buy for a beginner.
Of course when you or someone you know is just getting started with the ukulele, there are lots of things to consider when choosing a beginner ukulele. Remember, you don’t have to break the bank when buying a quality instrument for yourself or someone else, but it’s always good to buy the best ukulele that you can afford. Thankfully, there are literally hundreds of options for ukulele players in all price ranges and sizes!
A few things to consider when considering which ukulele to buy for beginners:
Ukulele Size
Ukuleles come in four basic sizes – soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. These range in length from 21 inches for the soprano to around 30 inches for a baritone. This includes the body size as well as the length of the fretboard, which naturally affects the length of the scale that you can play on the ukulele.
The size of the ukulele is something to consider when deciding which ukulele to buy for a beginner, because it might be a factor in comfort when holding and playing the instrument. Children might be better off with a smaller sized ukulele like a soprano or concert ukulele, whereas adults may benefit from having a larger sized instrument like a tenor or baritone.
Keep in mind as well that the baritone ukulele is tuned differently than a traditional soprano, concert, or tenor ukulele. Where the traditional soprano, concert, and tenor sized ukuleles are tuned to GCEA, the baritone is tuned DGBE like the top four strings of a guitar.
Acoustic or electric?
Depending on what kind of beginner you are, you want to consider whether or not to buy a ukulele that has an electric pickup installed. Someone who is a beginner on the ukulele but has experience on the guitar might want a ukulele that has a pickup installed so that it can be connected to an amplifier or even an effects pedal.
Most acoustic ukuleles can be customized with a pickup for this purpose, and many ukuleles come with a pickup already installed. If you’re not sure whether or not you want a pickup on your ukulele, don’t fret – you can always have one installed later!
Read more: Discover Our Top Left-Handed Ukuleles
To strap or not to strap?
Another option for beginner ukulele players is the addition and use of a strap button. Strap buttons can be installed in two places on a ukulele – one at the base of the ukulele, and then an optional second button somewhere near the neck of the ukulele at the top of the body. This allows for a strap to be attached to the body of the ukulele for ease of holding. If your ukulele only has one strap button on the bottom of the instrument, you can attach the strap to the top of the neck right above nut by sliding a cord under the strings that’s attached to one side of your strap.
If your ukulele doesn’t have any strap buttons at all, you can always use a sound hole strap, sometimes called a j-hook strap. The disadvantages of using this type of strap is that it you will have to still hold the ukulele in at least one arm, and you can still possibly drop and damage your ukulele. Some people say that prolonged use of the j-hook strap can actually damage the sound hole of your instrument, so it’s up to you whether or not you want to use this type of strap.
The good news is that if you choose to use a strap with your ukulele, you can have one or two strap buttons installed on your ukulele before it ships to you. If you’re undecided, you can always find a local music shop or luthier near you to install one at a later date.
Which wood is best?
This is another aspect of purchasing and playing a ukulele that is highly subjective, meaning, it all depends on what you like, and there are no wrong answers! Most ukuleles under a certain price point will be made of something called high-pressure laminate wood, which is basically thin layers of paper and/or wood that have been adhered or laminated on to another thin piece of wood. These high-pressure laminate wood ukuleles have a number of advantages over solid wood ukuleles, particularly for beginner players:
- High-pressure laminate woods are far less prone to changes in humidity. Solid wood ukuleles must be properly humidified (neither too moist or too dry) in order to prevent the wood from swelling and/or cracking. Laminate ukuleles are more stable and don’t require as much care.
- Laminate ukuleles are more durable than some solid wood ukuleles. They don’t crack or split as easily as a solid wood ukulele and can withstand bumps and scratches better than a solid wood ukulele. This makes them ideal for traveling.
- You won’t sacrifice tone or sound in many laminate ukuleles. Some brands of ukulele that make laminate wood ukuleles are creating instruments that have excellent tone and sustain. While they won’t sound the same as a solid wood ukulele, they are definitely performance-worthy instruments.
Many ukuleles in the beginner category also come with solid wood tops. This means that you may have to be careful when it comes to exposing your ukulele to temperature and humidity levels, as well as take care to avoid scratches and drops. Ukuleles with solid wood tops generally have excellent tone and sustain, and in many cases sound just as good as solid wood ukuleles.
Our picks for which ukulele to buy for beginners
So now that I’ve talked a little bit about what to consider when choosing which ukulele to buy for beginners, let’s take a look at some of my top picks!
Kala KA-PWS Pacific Walnut Soprano Ukulele My very first ukulele was a sweet little Kala soprano ukulele, and even now, more than five years later, I still have it and it still sounds just as sweet! This little soprano ukulele is made from Pacific walnut wood, including a solid top, back, and sides. It comes with a strap button installed so you can use it with your favorite ukulele strap.
This is a quality ukulele that can carry you from beginner player and beyond for years to come!
Ohana SK-10 Soprano Mahogany Ukulele When it comes to value for the money, Ohana is one of my best choices for beginner ukulele players. Their sweet little mahogany soprano ukulele comes in a variety of bright colors perfect for your favorite kid, or just to treat your inner child! The laminate mahogany wood will stand up to minor dings and scratches, and it comes with a bottom strap button installed. A lovely starter soprano ukulele for anyone!
Enya EUC-MAD Concert Ukulele Enya is another ukulele brand that has been making waves in the last five years with their wonderful line of affordable, high-quality instruments! I chose this particular concert ukulele as a great ukulele for beginners for a number of reasons. It’s solid mahogany wood with a beautiful high-gloss finish, the concert size makes it easy to hold and handle, and it has a beautiful traditional ukulele sound. While this particular ukulele doesn’t come with a strap button installed, you can request that one be installed when you purchase from the Terry Carter Music Store website.
Islander SMC-4 Traditional Spruce Top Concert Ukulele If you have a slightly bigger budget for your beginner ukulele, you can’t go wrong with a lovely Islander ukulele. These are made by the Kanile’a ukulele company at a more affordable price range. The lovely solid spruce top on this ukulele has a lovely sustained sound. As far as looks go, the abalone rosette around the sound hole and the bridge pins give it the look of a high-end instrument at a much more affordable price.
Kala KA-ZCT-T Ziricote Tenor Ukulele If you prefer the warm look and tone of ziricote wood, the Kala Ziricote tenor ukulele offers you a beautiful option for your beginner ukulele. A joy to look at and play, this ukulele features a wonderful high gloss finish and a comfortable neck for playing. You can customize this one just for you with the addition of a strap button (or two) and a low G string!
Enya EUT-M6-BLK Tenor Ukulele Even though I’m not exactly a beginner anymore, this particular ukulele has been on my list of “ukuleles to acquire” for a few years now! This particular ukulele features a wonderful high-gloss finish with a cutaway design, which makes it a great option for anyone who wants to learn how to play up the neck of the ukulele. It comes with an installed strap button and a padded gig bag so you can take it on the road with you!
Stagg UB-30-SPRUCE Spruce Top Baritone Ukulele If you’ve been playing ukulele for a while and want to expand and try out a baritone ukulele, the Stagg spruce top baritone ukulele is an extremely affordable way to give it a go! A solid spruce top gives this a delightfully bright tone, and the sound hole decoration is fun for the eyes. This one is tuned with a high D string, similar to the re-entrant tuning of a traditional GCEA ukulele. Request a strap button or two when you purchase this from the Terry Carter Music Store, and you’ll be all set to jam with your ukulele group!
Ohana BK-70RB Solid Spruce & Round Composite Back Baritone Ukulele If you’re looking for something a little (or a lot) different for your first baritone ukulele, this Ohana baritone ukulele will fit the bill! The solid spruce top with decorative rosette around the sound hole is visually stunning, and the rounded composite back is very comfortable to hold and creates a more durable instrument. Tuned linear with a low D string, this is the perfect introductory instrument for the serious baritone ukulele player.
Now that you’ve seen all the lovely options for which ukulele to buy for beginners from the Terry Carter Music Store, just remember – you don’t have to be a beginner to buy one of these special instruments! Even if you’re a more experienced or advanced player, sometimes there’s nothing wrong with adding a sweet little ukulele to your collection. This way, you have one you can loan out or give away to a budding new ukulele player!
No matter which ukulele you choose to buy for your beginner ukulele player, make sure you also check out the wide range of accessories available at the Terry Carter Music Store as well. You’ll find tuners, polishing cloths, padded gig bags and ukulele cases, replacement strings, and everything you might need or want to enhance your enjoyment of the ukulele. Make sure you check out the whole curated collection of beginner ukuleles in all sizes available now in the Terry Carter Music Store!
