# Any advice on a Ukulele?



## odellawyman

Hey guys I picked up a Uke the other day to play and it was kind of fun. I think I want to buy one but am curious what I need to spend to get a decent one and what size people generally recommend. I want to keep it reasonable in price like a thousand or less. Can you get a good one for that or are they more? I know Collings and Martin both make them but is it better to go with a lesser known builder like with a classical guitar and if so which one? I am pretty clueless when it comes to ukulele so any advice would help. 
Thanks.


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## progmatist

First and foremost, get one made from native Hawaiian woods, like koa. That will render the most authentic sound.


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## pianozach

These guys have it goin' on. It's what they do: Ukuleles.









AnacapaUkuleleHome


Home Page




anacapaukulele.com


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## NoCoPilot

Whatever you do, tiptoe through the tulips.


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## mbhaub

As a one time Uke player here's what I can tell you: 1) stay away from any bassoonist who wants you to play Streets of Laredo in the Steinmetz arrangement. 2) Ukes come in different sizes. For me, a tenor is a better fit than the standard sized instrument. It may be hard as a beginner to know, but when I switched to a tenor, quickly changing finger positions became vastly easier. Here's a really good video to help:





3) There are many resources to learn to play the thing. Whatever you do don't get a beginner instruction book and go it alone! There are video courses for free and some for a fee. You do not want to learn bad habits and a living, in-person teacher who really knows how to play correctly is worth it.

4) The quality of the instrument is directly related to the price. A cheap $100 or less instrument on Amazon is not worth it. You can get a very good, well-made, good sounding instrument for well under $1000. I play a Cordoba 25T and I think it was around $300. It's fine for me. The tuning pegs are reliable and it has a nice rich sound. Many instruments today come with electonic pickups that add a lot to the price. Unless you're going to hook into an amp, skip that.

5) Tiny Tim plays it backwards. Jake Shimabukuro is my role model. If you ever able to see him in person, make sure you go! He's phenomenal.


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## NoCoPilot

Well hell. The tenor is just a small 4-string guitar. None of the kitsch.


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## progmatist

Jake Shimabukuro is to ukulele what Bela Fleck is to banjo.


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## Jconrobert

What's the size of your hand and fingers? No, seriously. This is a big factor in which type of ukulele to choose. If you have small hands choose a soprano or concert but if you have bigger hands choose a tenor or baritone. Then once you choose your ukulele type starting learning the chords for that specific instrument: www.ukulele-tabs.com/ukulele-chords-chart.html


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