Best Ukuleles

1 Kala Resonator Ukulele Review | Best Tenor Ukulele

Kala Resonator Ukulele Review | Best Tenor Ukulele

This is the best value resonator ukulele available that we are aware of, at least that is easily...

10
2 Fender Grace Vanderwaal Signature Ukulele Review

Fender Grace Vanderwaal Signature Ukulele Review

Fender set out with Grace Vanderwaal to inspire a generation of ukulele players to popularize the...

9.7
3 Cordoba 20TM-CE Tenor Cutaway Ukulele Review

Cordoba 20TM-CE Tenor Cutaway Ukulele Review

The Cordoba 20TM-CE is Cordobas’ best selling ukulele and for good reason.  The sweet, rich sound...

9.8
4 Lohanu Spalted Maple Ukulele Review

Lohanu Spalted Maple Ukulele Review

You will be hard pressed to find a better looking ukulele anywhere else, especially in this price...

9.9

BEST UKULELES BUYERS GUIDE 

UKULELE is one of the more popular instruments as it presents a great way for people to get into string instruments and can be a great tool for beginner guitarists.  It is also growing in popularity for professional musicians as well.  The small portable size of the ukulele paired with the continued improvements to the instrument, make it more desirable now than ever to own one of these great instruments.  Our buyers guide should help answer your questions and narrow down your search so you can find the best ukulele for you.

UKULELE TYPES

For our Ukulele Buyers Guides, we have separated Bass Ukuleles from all of the other Ukuleles.  Since Bass Ukuleles are a different category, we’ll focus on 4 main types of Ukuleles; Concert Ukes, Soprano Ukes, Tenor Ukes and Baritone Ukes.

The names of the types are associated with their size and tonal range, similar to vocal ranges and various types of saxophones.

BARITONE UKULELES

Baritone Ukuleles are the largest ukuleles which are accompanied by having the deepest tone with the exception of bass ukuleles.  Both the string tuning and the overall feel of the Baritone Ukulele are similar to a regular guitar.  

In some respects, the baritone Ukulele has more in common with a classical guitar or spanish guitar than even other ukuleles.  Baritone Ukuleles are typically tuned D,G,B,E while all other (non bass) Ukuleles are tuned G,C,E,A.

Due to the tuning and the size, baritone ukuleles are ideal for young guitarists and beginning guitar players that want to get started on a string instrument, but their hands may not be big enough for a standard guitar just yet.

TENOR UKULELES

Tenor Ukuleles are fun to play and have alot of appeal.  There is more low end then most of the other style ukuleles, but there is still the standard ukulele tuning and high end frequencies that are known to ring out in the traditional sound of the ukulele.  

While the tenor ukulele is not the most popular of the ukulele styles, it is starting to catch on and become the ukulele of choice for many players that love the warm tones and wider range of dynamics.

CONCERT UKULELES

The Concert Ukulele is where you start getting into the classic sound of the ukulele.  The higher pitch and fairly small bodied ukulele is easy to play and has more room for your fingers than the similar but smaller Soprano Ukulele.  

For many beginners, concert ukuleles are the ukuleles of choice.  It is also nice for adults with larger fingers that want the classic high pitch sounds of the traditional ukulele but may struggle with the small size of the Soprano Ukulele.

SOPRANO UKULELES

The Soprano Ukulele is what many people associate with the traditional ukulele. This is the Ukulele that you would see in movies and commercials depicting Hawaiin culture and relaxing on a beach with a drink in your hand.  

These small ukuleles can be a challenge for full grown humans with big fingers.  Despite that these are the most popular ukuleles as the bright sound is what many people look for in a good ukulele.

Best Beginner Ukulele

1 Kala KA-15S Soprano Ukulele Review

Kala KA-15S Soprano Ukulele Review

The Kala KA-15S Soprano Ukulele is a great ukulele for beginners and a very popular ukulele for a...

9.8
2 Luna Honu Soprano Ukulele Review

Luna Honu Soprano Ukulele Review

Luna makes great ukuleles and this one happens to be their most popular ukulele.  The turtle etch...

9.9

Best Bass Ukulele

1 Kala U-Bass

Kala U-Bass

The fact that Bakithi Kumalo (Paul Simon Bassist) can make this thing sing is all we need to...

9.8
2 Hadean 23/24 Ukulele Bass Review

Hadean 23/24 Ukulele Bass Review

The Hadean Acoustic Electric Bass Ukulele is a steal.  The price is right and the quality is great. 

9.5

HOW TO TUNE A UKULELE 

The easiest way to tune a ukulele is with a guitar tuner.  If you do not have a guitar tuner there are several apps available for smartphones that can help.  Guitar Tune, Tunefor Ukulele tuner & chords, GuitarTuna are a few that you can choose.  

WHAT ARE THE NOTES OF THE STRINGS ON A UKULELE

Ukuleles are tuned to G,C,E, and A, which is standard tuning for a ukulele.  There are alternative tunings for professional ukulele players like using a low G string instead of a high G string to get a deeper tone.

HOW TO PLAY THE UKULELE 

The best way to learn how to play the Ukulele starts with getting a decent ukulele.  Hopefully this buyers guide will assist you with that.  Once you have that start by learning the notes on the strings and learn how to play ukulele chords.  After that, there are a ton of easy songs to play on the Ukulele that have ukulele tabs online.

HOW TO STRUM THE UKULELE

While you can play the ukulele with a few different guitar related techniques, there is a traditional way to strum the ukulele.  For starters, if you are a beginner, you should know that you strum with your dominant hand.  Since most ukuleles are made right handed, it will be easier to navigate for right handed musicians.  Left handed ukuleles do exist. 

Leading with your forefinger on your dominant hand you can lightly strum with up and down strokes.  These are known as open strums.

Top Rated Ukuleles


Kala Tenor Resonator

10/10 Read review
100 %
Last Amazon price update was: January 21, 2024 2:45 am
× Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com (Amazon.in, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, etc) at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
10 Expert Score

The Kala Tenor Resonator Ukulele is awesome.  While it is not a standard ukulele and is less popular than the traditional ukuleles, this resonator ukulele had to make our best ukulele buyers guide.  

This non cutaway resonator ukulele is an exceptional instrument that is available with either a vintage vin brass resonator cover or a chrome resonator cover. This is an ideal ukulele for someone that plays full size resonator guitars but wants a smaller version to travel with.  While we say that, the truth is that this is a ukulele that has a unique and awesome sound.  It should find its way onto albums and into performances.

Sound
9.9
Build
10
Value
10
PROS
  • The cost is amazing for how good this ukulele performs.
CONS
  • The action is a little bit on the high side.

Fender Grace Vanderwaal

9.7/10 Read review
97 %
Last Amazon price update was: March 18, 2024 6:36 am
× Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com (Amazon.in, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, etc) at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
9.7 Expert Score

The Fender Grace Vanderwaal Signature Ukulele is a concert sized ukulele with the personality of a full sized Fender Stratocaster.  With Fenders FIshman preamp system, or in this case the Fishman Kula Preamp system, this concert ukuleles’ sounds good acoustic and electric.  

Grace Vanderwaal has done alot to popularize the Ukulele as she made it the signature sound of her popular music.  It is fitting that Fender would introduce a model dedicated to her and will certainly help continue the trend in the rising popularity of the ukulele.

Sound
9.6
Build
9.7
Value
9.8
PROS
  • Design selected by Grace Vanderwaal
CONS
  • Its more expensive because its a Signature Series

Cordoba 20TM

9.8/10 Read review
98 %
Last Amazon price update was: March 4, 2024 1:15 am
× Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com (Amazon.in, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, etc) at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
9.8 Expert Score

The Cordoba 20TM-CE Tenor Ukulele is awesome.  It sounds great and looks amazing.  While the 20TM-CE model is available in every size (baritone, concert, soprano, and tenor) the Tenor Cutaway Electric is a stand out in the line.  That said, we would absolutely recommend this ukulele in any of the available sizes.

Sound
9.8
Build
9.5
Value
10
PROS
  • The cost is amazing for how good this ukulele performs.
CONS
  • The action is a little bit on the high side.

Lohanu Concert

9.9/10 Read review
99 %
Last Amazon price update was: March 5, 2024 9:10 am
× Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com (Amazon.in, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, etc) at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
9.9 Expert Score

The Lohanu Concert Ukulele is a stunning Spalted Maple Ukulele that has a solid 3 Band EQ and pickup.  The sound is as strong as the beautiful look of the ukulele.  This is one of the best selling ukuleles on Amazon and is very highly rated.  In addition to being a pretty awesome ukulele, the company Lohanu has a great reputation for customer service.

Sound
9.7
Build
10
Value
10
PROS
  • The company is known for having solid customer service.
CONS
  • Not the best electronics.

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