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ezFolk Forums > Ukulele > Beginner Questions - Ukulele > I have absolutely no idea what ukulele to buy. |
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| I have absolutely no idea what ukulele to buy. - Beginner Questions - Ukulele - Ukulele - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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grampastumpy Approved
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Well, I currently play guitar, bass, piano, cello, and a bit of drums, and I've been really drawn to the ukulele lately. I to decide on one. I'm looking at spending like...$180 tops. I'm not entirely sure what size I want. I'm not entirely sure about the difference between soprano, concert, and tenor, since as far as I know, they're all tuned the same. Baritone is tuned DGBE(right?), which I would imagine would make it easier for an adapting guitar player, but as I've been working out chords and stuff and testing on my guitar, most voicings don't sound good with the 4th string as the bass note. Probably my fault though. The other thing is, I would imagine it would be too close to the general range of a guitar, and I've got guitars for that already. Anyway, two things I'm pretty sure about is that I'd like a 4-string and that I'd like an acoustic-electric since I'll be jamming with some people. One I've found is: http://cgi.ebay.com/LANIKAI-ACOUSTIC-ELECTRIC-CONCERT-UKULELE-CASE-LU-21CE_W0QQitemZ220192889618QQihZ012QQcategoryZ16224QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting So yeah, help me out guys... Last edited on Mon Jan 21st, 2008 02:15 am by grampastumpy |
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Hudman Approved 
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I feel your pain and understand your confusion. I've been playing guitar for more than 20 years. I spent the last few months researching ukuleles. I finally ordered one from a ukulele dealer, Musicguymic on Ebay 2 days ago. I went with a Kala tenor. Here's what I learned about ukuleles over the past couple months: Typical Sizes: Soprano 13" scale length, Concert 15" scale length, Tenor 17" scale length and Baritone 19" scale length. After playing a few, I decided the tenor feels the most comfortable to me. Most people will recomend buying a solid top or all solid ukulele. Personally, I went with the all laminate Kala KA-MT (curly mango) because I love the look of it and I like the fact that I won't need to worry as much about humidity control (it get's pretty dry during the Michigan winters - I spend a lot of time keeping my acoustic guitars humidified). If I get hooked on the ukulele, I will upgrade to a nice solid wood model in the $500 - $800 range sometime down the road.
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Will Approved 
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grampastumpy wrote: Well, I currently play guitar, bass, piano, cello, and a bit of drums, and I've been really drawn to the ukulele lately. I to decide on one. I'm looking at spending like...$180 tops. I'm not entirely sure what size I want. I'm not entirely sure about the difference between soprano, concert, and tenor, since as far as I know, they're all tuned the same. Baritone is tuned DGBE(right?), which I would imagine would make it easier for an adapting guitar player, but as I've been working out chords and stuff and testing on my guitar, most voicings don't sound good with the 4th string as the bass note. Probably my fault though. The other thing is, I would imagine it would be too close to the general range of a guitar, and I've got guitars for that already. Anyway, two things I'm pretty sure about is that I'd like a 4-string and that I'd like an acoustic-electric since I'll be jamming with some people. One I've found is: I own the 8-string version of the solid spruce top tenor uke, the Lanikai O8e, and the concert sized 4-string uke. For about the same price (or even lower), you can get the solid spruce top version of that Lanikai tenor (which is a laminate nato uke) you mentioned, the Lanikai STEQ, which also has the same passive under the saddle Shadow pickup and cutaway. ZZZounds.com carries this uke for $170: http://www.zzounds.com/item--LNKSTEQ  If you are expecting the 4th string to be the "bass" note, you will need to change the strings that come with the uke; the 4th string is usually tuned one octave higher than expected (called "re-entrant" tuning); you will need to get a "low-G" string set. Aquila Nylgut (synthetic gut) strings sound better than the original strings.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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grampastumpy Approved
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Oh, ok. I read somewhere that baritones don't use re-entrant tuning. I still think I'd rather get a concert or tenor, so that one you suggested seems good. The one I put up and yours will be just about exactly the same price shipped(ok, yours is an extra 95 cents, but still), so, of the two, which would you pick? (and yours says "Coming soon", presumably implying I'd have to wait. But I will if it actually is better)
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cc Approved 
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Hi Grampastumpy, I would go with the solid topped one. With all your experience with other instruments, you will appreciate the difference a solid top makes. As far as concert or tenor scale, I think most people get used to whatever they play. Concert ukes tend to sound more "ukey" than tenors, which frequently sound more like guitars. I play soprano, concert, and tenor: just depends on my mood or the sound I want. BTW I had a solid spruce topped concert Lanikai, and it was sweet. The deal on that tenor above is really good. Last edited on Mon Jan 21st, 2008 12:43 pm by cc |
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Will Approved
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grampastumpy wrote: Oh, ok. I read somewhere that baritones don't use re-entrant tuning. I still think I'd rather get a concert or tenor, so that one you suggested seems good. The one I put up and yours will be just about exactly the same price shipped(ok, yours is an extra 95 cents, but still), so, of the two, which would you pick? (and yours says "Coming soon", presumably implying I'd have to wait. But I will if it actually is better) I would go with the solid spruce top tenor; the Lanikai STEQ is a relatively new model; I'm surprised that it's selling for about the same price as the laminate uke. As with guitars, a solid-topped instrument resonates better than a laminate top, and its tone improves with greater playing time. In my experience, the solid spruce tops project a bit better than the mahogany tops ("nato" is a less expensive Asian species of wood similar to mahogany. That dealer (Zzzounds/Same Day Music) is temporarily out of stock. There are probably other dealers that have it in stock. If you don't absolutely have to have a built-in pick-up, the acoustic version of that solid spruce top tenor (no pickup, no cutaway) sells for $149: http://www.wwbw.com/Lanikai-S-T-Tenor-i250773.music 
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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grampastumpy Approved
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Thanks for all the help, guys. Looks like I've got a couple good recommendations for tenors. If I get a tenor, I'll probably go with Will's suggestion(I'm being a bit picky, but I don't like the cutaway...  , still looks like a good idea). Now, if I were to choose to get a concert sized one(which I think I'm leaning towards), what would I pick? The only Lanikai one on that website that had a pickup was the LU-21CE.
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Will Approved
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grampastumpy wrote: Thanks for all the help, guys. Looks like I've got a couple good recommendations for tenors. If I get a tenor, I'll probably go with Will's suggestion(I'm being a bit picky, but I don't like the cutaway... Lanikai also makes the S-C, a concert version of the solid spruce top uke (laminated mahogany back and sides), selling for $99: http://www.zzounds.com/item--LNKSC
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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grampastumpy Approved
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Will wrote: grampastumpy wrote:Thanks, man. Anything like that with a pickup?Thanks for all the help, guys. Looks like I've got a couple good recommendations for tenors. If I get a tenor, I'll probably go with Will's suggestion(I'm being a bit picky, but I don't like the cutaway...
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Will Approved
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grampastumpy wrote: Will wrote:grampastumpy wrote:Thanks, man. Anything like that with a pickup?Thanks for all the help, guys. Looks like I've got a couple good recommendations for tenors. If I get a tenor, I'll probably go with Will's suggestion(I'm being a bit picky, but I don't like the cutaway... Sorry, Lanikai only adds pickups to their solid spruce tenors and baritones; they have a laminated nato concert with a pickup, the LU-21 CE: http://www.ezfolk.com/mf/ukulele/Lanikai_LU-21C_Concert_Ukulele_Rosewood_Fretboard.html Last edited on Mon Jan 21st, 2008 08:16 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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grampastumpy Approved
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Will wrote: grampastumpy wrote:I think that's the same one from my original post. Is it alright or would you advise against it?Will wrote:grampastumpy wrote:Thanks, man. Anything like that with a pickup?Thanks for all the help, guys. Looks like I've got a couple good recommendations for tenors. If I get a tenor, I'll probably go with Will's suggestion(I'm being a bit picky, but I don't like the cutaway...
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Will Approved
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grampastumpy wrote: Will wrote:grampastumpy wrote:I think that's the same one from my original post. Is it alright or would you advise against it?Will wrote:grampastumpy wrote:Thanks, man. Anything like that with a pickup?Thanks for all the help, guys. Looks like I've got a couple good recommendations for tenors. If I get a tenor, I'll probably go with Will's suggestion(I'm being a bit picky, but I don't like the cutaway... In my humble opinion, I think function (sound) beats form (looks). All of my best-sounding ukes (none over $300) have solid spruce tops, so if you can buy an instrument with solid wood for not much more than a laminate, go for it. If you can learn to like the cutaway shape, but also need the built-in pickup (adding on the pickup afterwards is usually more expensive) the Lanikai S-TEQ tenor gives you the best bang for the buck. This dealer has it in stock for $169.00: http://www.activemusician.com/item--HS.S-TEQ
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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grampastumpy Approved
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Will wrote: grampastumpy wrote:My problem with the cutaway is totally just a minor thing. It won't be a deciding factor or anything. So the only real thing now is a concert vs a tenor. That particular tenor has a bit of an advantage already. Since they're tuned the same, what's the difference in sound?Will wrote:grampastumpy wrote:I think that's the same one from my original post. Is it alright or would you advise against it?Will wrote:grampastumpy wrote:Thanks, man. Anything like that with a pickup?Thanks for all the help, guys. Looks like I've got a couple good recommendations for tenors. If I get a tenor, I'll probably go with Will's suggestion(I'm being a bit picky, but I don't like the cutaway...
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Will Approved
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grampastumpy wrote: Will wrote:In my humble opinion, I think function (sound) beats form (looks). All of my best-sounding ukes (none over $300) have solid spruce tops, so if you can buy an instrument with solid wood for not much more than a laminate, go for it. If you can learn to like the cutaway shape, but also need the built-in pickup (adding on the pickup afterwards is usually more expensive) the Lanikai S-TEQ tenor gives you the best bang for the buck. This dealer has it in stock for $169.00:My problem with the cutaway is totally just a minor thing. It won't be a deciding factor or anything. So the only real thing now is a concert vs a tenor. That particular tenor has a bit of an advantage already. Since they're tuned the same, what's the difference in sound? The larger body of the tenor uke will give it a deeper (perhaps louder also) sound than the concert uke. For that reason, many tenor ukes are tuned with the low-G (4th) string because it takes advantage of the lower resonance frequency of the larger body, while concert ukes are usually tuned to the re-entrant high-G at the 4th string position. The tenor uke has more frets than most concert ukes, and so more high notes are available if you play way up the neck (that's where the cutaway body would be handy).
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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newbie2 Approved
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I have found that service is a very important factor. If you get a ukulele that's not set up properly, it sounds terrible, is hard to play, and takes an expert to fix. Better to have it set up properly before it's shipped, or a generous return policy. By the way, the back story I have heard is that the guy who put together the Lanakai line for Hohner left them and started his own company, so the base lines of Kala ukuleles are pretty much the same as Lanakai, but he has added more variety of woods and designs.
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grampastumpy Approved
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Thanks a lot guys. I think I'm gonna go for the S-TEQ when I have the money. newbie2, so do you think I should look into Kalas before making a decision?
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newbie2 Approved
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You might want to look for the comparable model in Kala's products, since you already know what you want. They are pretty much the same as far as I can tell - probably made in the same factory. I'd read the message boards to find good dealers online and on Ebay, to get the best service and a decent price. You might email musicguymic on Ebay and see what kind of deal he will do for you for the Lanakai or Kala - he has good service and setup. Last edited on Wed Jan 23rd, 2008 05:11 am by newbie2 |
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| ezFolk Forums > Ukulele > Beginner Questions - Ukulele > I have absolutely no idea what ukulele to buy. | |
