Ukulele

Ukulele discussions
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Jack Hemswort
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 2:46 am

Ukulele

Post by Jack Hemswort »

Hi,

Fancy trying the Ukulele section of this app - currently level 5/6 on guitar.

Does anyone have any recommendations for Ukulele`s with a pickup if possible available in the UK?

I have large hands - if that makes any difference?


Many thanks in advance.

Cheers

Jack
Chris Reed
Posts: 168
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 6:26 pm

Re: Ukulele

Post by Chris Reed »

You'll have to decide what size you want to buy - soprano, concert or tenor (baritone is rather a different beast, more like a tenor guitar with nylon strings). And that will depend on what you want to play.

If you're looking to do strumming (which can be quite complex), semi-percussive playing and short runs, the soprano or concert fits that style. If you're taken by the more recent style developed un the US following Jake Shimabukuro, where the uke is played using a lot of classical guitar-influenced melodic runs, then you will probably want the extra fretboard space of a tenor, particularly if you want notes to ring out at the upper frets (the longer scale makes this more likely, above the 12th fret most sopranos just go "plink").

A good idea would be to find a local ukulele club (there's likely to be one in most UK towns). They tend to meet in pubs, and are keen to show off their instruments to would-be players, so you could at least get to hold different sizes and play a few notes.

Kala and Ohana are reliable entry brands, and a budget between £150 and £300 would get you a decently playable instrument (sopranos are cheaper than tenors). Cheaper than that is likely to be poorly set up with bad intonation - which can be fixed if you know what you are doing. Really cheap is unlikely even to be able to be made playable - some shops sell £30 sopranos which are so heavily built they are nearly silent, and with the bridge glued on in the wrong place!

Hand size doesn't really matter - I have pretty large hands and play sopranos with a slightly normal than usual scale length.
Clay Schaeffer
Posts: 1674
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 12:04 pm

Re: Ukulele

Post by Clay Schaeffer »

One thing to note: soprano, concert, and tenors are all tuned the same. The larger sizes have longer scale lengths which can make it easier for us fat fingered people to play.
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