How to Choose the Right Ukulele for You (Beginner-Friendly Guide)

Intro

If you’re thinking about learning the ukulele, one of the first decisions you’ll face is what kind of uke to buy. Here I'll show you how to choose the right ukulele for you. With so many sizes, woods, and brands out there, it can be kind of confusing! In this post, I’ll walk you through the basics and help you choose the perfect ukulele for your needs. I've made the mistakes (sometimes expensive!) so you don't have to.

Types of Ukuleles

• Soprano – classic sound, small and bright

• Concert – slightly larger, good balance

• Tenor – louder, good sustain, roomier for bigger hands

• Baritone – deeper tone, different tuning (DGBE)

What about woods:

Ukes are generally made out of two kinds of wood: laminate or solid wood. Laminate ukes are made from compressed layers or wood or a cheaper wood underneath with a thin veneer of a more attractive wood on top. Solid wood ukes have a solid piece of wood that vibrates a little more easily and can sound richer.

There are a lot of myths about which is best and actually really good laminate uke will sound nicer than a poorly made solid wood one.

What I Recommend

For most beginners, a concert or tenor uke in standard GCEA tuning is perfect. Try before you buy if possible! Avoid buying a baritone if you're just starting out as the different tuning will cause issues when learning with others.

If you'd really like to go for a nice tone I recommend going for a uke with a solid wood top. The top (soundboard) is the most important part in terms of vibration and tone production.

Tips for choosing your first ukulele:

• Check for good intonation up the neck

• Make sure the strings aren’t too high off the fretboard

• Try different sizes for comfort

• If you can try before you buy think about things like nut width and neck thickness - does the uke feel comfortable to play?

• You can learn about all of this on my Uke TLC course.

  
  

Where to buy your first ukulele:

Try a trusted seller like the World of Ukes or Southern Ukulele Store in the UK or MIM's ukes, The Ukulele Site or Uke Republic in the USA. They will set up your ukulele so it is comfortable to play with good intonation.

Tell them Matt sent you! I have no affiliation with them, but having bought many ukes from all of these in the past, I know they're great. Try not to buy from Amazon if you can avoid it - they will drop ship ukuleles with little quality control.

For unbiased reviews check out Barry Maz's excellent Got A Ukulele review site.

If you're unsure, drop me a message and I’ll happily advise.

Final Tip

Whatever you choose, don’t stress too much—any playable uke can bring you joy, but a nicer uke is generally nicer to play! The key is getting started and having fun.

Matt :)