Please recommend a decent Ukulele (NMC).

[Caleb]

I'm trying to get my 12-year-old son involved in playing music with me and thought a ukulele might be a good beginner instrument. I know zip about ukes and was hoping you all could recommend a good starter that is decently built and will hold tune?

[Michael Neverisky]

Sure... what is your budget?

[Seter]

Kala/Makala is probably the way to go, probably the nicest of the readily affordable ukuleles. Cordobas are nice too. Lanikai and Ohana are okay, I wouldn't go for anything cheaper than those.

[Caleb]

Sure... what is your budget?

$300 tops. Also, is there a better style/size to begin with?

[RichM]

In that price range, I would recommend Mainland and Kala.

Mainland are all-solid wood, and although made overseas, they are imported and distributed by Mike Hater in Indiana and he is an all-around good guy. I've had a few Mainlands and they've all been winners, including a red cedar & rosewood soprano that's a keeper. http://www.mainlandukuleles.com/

Kala also produces very good instruments in a broad range of models, from very inexpensive all-laminate ukes to mid-range solid wood. $300 buys a lot of Kala.

The soprano, concert, and tenor ukulele are all tuned to the same pitch; the differences between them are based on the tone related to the size of the body and the scale length, and a player's preference. A lot of today's players gravitate towards tenors because they are played by modern players. If you're not sure, consider the concert size, which I think is the best of both worlds: longer scale length for ease of playing, but smaller body for more traditional tone.

[Michael Neverisky]

$200 will buy you a good sounding, easy playing, in tune, solid wood Kala. This is a good model in my opinion:

https://www.amazon.com/Kala-KA-SMHS-...BRYAX56M45VB35

[Seter]

Are you hoping the ukulele becomes his main instrument, or opens the door to other instruments? My musical instrument adventure started basically the same way as your sons, with playing folk songs with my dad on his two ukuleles when I was 12. After a few months though I was ready to get a guitar, which was the instrument I ultimately wanted to play. $300 is probably overkill if you're expecting to use the ukulele as sort of a gateway instrument, you could save some of that budget towards a mandolin, guitar, whatever he might move on to.

[ajh]

Just my opinion. If he is just getting started and you think it might be something he really dives into, the uke reentrant tuning might not be the way to go. Personally I would lean towards a mando... staying with the more logical tuning. Or just jump right in to a half size guitar. Or take the reaaaaaally long way around like I did and go with tenor tuning.

[Folkmusician.com]

Ukuleles are extremely low cost compared to other instruments. a $60 (soprano) can actually be ok. It may need a little setup work, but ukes should have the action fairly high, so a few uneven frets are not the end of the world.

There is some advantage to going with a Baritone if he will move on to other instruments. The scale length and tuning would make moving to guitar much easier. Baritone is tuned DGBE and you can string it with a LOW D and basically have a 4 string guitar.

[Jim Garber]

I'm trying to get my 12-year-old son involved in playing music with me and thought a ukulele might be a good beginner instrument. I know zip about ukes and was hoping you all could recommend a good starter that is decently built and will hold tune?

OK. Some questions here. Have you talked to your son about what he wants? Is he interested in music and, if so, what types? You know zip about ukes but (I assume) lots about mandolin. Why not get him a mandolin? They you guys can play together and you can show him things (until he really gets into teenage land and prob will barely talk to you). At 12, tho, I would think he has the dexterity for any of these instruments but he needs to have some sort of interest, otherwise forget it.

Do any of his friends play instruments? He might want to do what his friends are doing. Nothing wrong with uke but he might not be into it if his best friend plays guitar or saxophone or drums or glockenspiel.

My recent experience with instruments was over Xmas when my daughter (no longer a teen -- in her early twenties -- expressed an interest in playing guitar. I found a Recording King model for her with solid top that GC sold on sale for $99 and it was pretty playable and sounded pretty good. She loves it and is now taking lessons in the city where she lives. There are some pretty nice Chinese made guitars out there these days within your budget. I also played a $300 all solid wood Recording King that was an amazing guitar for the money.

Anyway, good luck with this. I think he will do fine but he's gotta want to do it otherwise you are wasting your time and money.

[Paul Busman]

I definitely agree with the advice to ask your son what he is interested in. Take him to a good music store and let him handle various instruments.
If he really wants to try a Uke but is interested in Mandolin too, it is possible to get strings for tuning a Uke to GDAE.
Forget about your budget. Folks here(not all) tend to want to know the max you want to pay and then try to fill that max.Either the previously mentioned Kala or Makala ukes will be totally fine for a newbie and you can get away with under a hundred bucks.I went through a Uke phase. My first was a tenor and it remained my favorite.Eventually I wan't playing the ukes any more and got rid of them.

[Caleb]

Lot of good words, and I appreciate it all. My son doesn't know what he wants to play, but just wants to join in when the family sings and plays, etc. I was thinking a uke might be easy enough to strum along with to see if the interest in really there.

[ProfChris]

If he just wants to strum and sing then a soprano uke is a good choice. An entry level laminate Kala should run around $100 and won't need more than a basic setup (mainly deepening the nut slots if needed, as even decent entry level ukes are often too high here). Or even a Makala Dolphin for half that if he likes the bright colours. If you have Snail ukes in the US I've been impressed with them, though they're a little funky looking (might appeal).

All these should be tough enough to survive knocks and scuffs, so he can take the uke to school or friends' houses if he wants.

Mandolin chords are tough on young fingers, and the stretches are bigger, which is why ukes are a popular way to see if kids want to get into music. Shallow initial learning curve, but a challenge to play really well because of the limited range of notes and sounds, so if he takes to it he'll have to learn about dynamics, percussive effects, etc.

[CES]

Good advice above. I bought a Uke to use occasionally with our youth band at church last year, and went with a Pono Acacia tenor in low G rather than re-entrant tuning. It’s an excellent instrument, though I just checked the Ukulele Site and their Pono stock is all above budget (mine was on sale for 379, I think). One of the few with adjustable truss rods in their larger bodied models, and a lot of the Ukes you hear on the radio currently are tenors (Tyler from Twenty One Pilots comes to mind). The Uke Site does an excellent set-up, and they have a ton of options in your range.

I also bought a Kala Waterman soprano to use as a travel instrument. Paid 50-ish bucks. Had to file the nut a bit and need to work a little on the bridge height, but it fits completely in a backpack and is darn near indestructible. I’ve flown with it several times, and actually pulled it out to play in the rain at Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany last summer. It sounds decent for what it is, but, I don’t think I’d want it to be my only uke. Go with a wooden model, for sure, and get one decent enough for you to play around on, too. That won’t require much cash at all.

[Dave Greenspoon]

Or, you might want to go a slightly different route. For well within your budget you can have a custom axe. Cafe member Michael Zuch is the aloha behind the Zukele. He's a great guy; some might even say he's a mentsch. See if a Zukele is right for you and your son.

[EdHanrahan]

... Or just jump right in to a half size guitar...

... the 4-string version of which might be a =get ready for it= baritone uke!

Two months ago, a friend gave me a seemingly junker version thereof. '50s (?) Lyra w/ chipped plywood top didn't look promising, but with a damp rag, tuner lube/cleanup, and new strings, it sounds pretty darn nice & has been a ball! Sits next to my computer, waiting to play along with whatever Café or YouTube sample jumps out at me.

With nylon (easy for newbies), top-4-strings-of-guitar tuning (to learn & play along w/ guitar friends in same key fingering), and short scale (plenty of room), it would seem to be a fine introductory instrument - something I wouldn't have thought of 2 months ago.

[jesserules]

Lot of good words, and I appreciate it all. My son doesn't know what he wants to play, but just wants to join in when the family sings and plays, etc. I was thinking a uke might be easy enough to strum along with to see if the interest in really there.

If he's 12 a baritone uke would be a good size. And - same tuning as the top strings of a guitar, D-G-B-E, so he can learn a lot that will be easily transferable to guitar later.

PS -

Or, if I'd read to the end of the thread I could've just said "I agree with EdHanrahan."

[GenoK]

Another thought .............

I have taken side roads from the mandolin and found (for me) that if I want to learn to play a banjo, get a banjo, if I want to learn to play a ukulele, get a ukulele. I owned a banjo-lin thinking I could get the banjo sound without having to learn to play the banjo. Didn't work so well for me. Sold the banjo-lin. I have learned to play the ukulele using the GCEA tuning. If I want to play the guitar, I'll buy and learn to play the guitar. Just sayin'.... for me.

BTW, ended up buying a soprano Kamaka and now belong to the Prescott Ukulele Guild. Mando is STILL my main instrument.

Also agree that a Kala would be a good a good instrument to test the musical waters for a 12 year old. Good luck which ever way you decide to go.

[avaldes]

I have a good solid koa ukulele, but I got this Kala Makala used, I think for about $50 used, that I occasionally travel with. Workmanship is not the best, but hard to beat at the price.

[Torpedotom]

Check out a Makala Dolphin. They'll run about $50. Put a set of Blackline strings and you are good to go. I've got two Mainlands, a Kamaka, and a Big Island, but the one that comes out most is the red Dolphin.

[Caleb]

More good advice all. I have to say that I'm concerned about the sub-$100 ukes. My oldest son, who has become a good guitar player, bought a uke for around $40-50 once at Music & Arts. It wasn't much more than a toy: would not hold tune, and was pretty much an all-around piece of junk. I had him take it back for a refund. I don't remember the brand, but it was at least made of wood.

[Paul Busman]

Or, you might want to go a slightly different route. For well within your budget you can have a custom axe. Cafe member Michael Zuch is the aloha behind the Zukele. He's a great guy; some might even say he's a mentsch. See if a Zukele is right for you and your son.

Just had a look and those ukes are indeed gorgeous. I wonder if Zuch could be convinced to try his hand at a mandolin?
Turns out that he's in Chappaqua NY, which is the next town south of Mt.Kisco, where I grew up. Chappaqua is also home to Bill and Hillary Clinton.I mention that only for trivia interest. Please don't get political with any responses and get this thread locked

[Paul Busman]

Or, you might want to go a slightly different route. For well within your budget you can have a custom axe. Cafe member Michael Zuch is the aloha behind the Zukele. He's a great guy; some might even say he's a mentsch. See if a Zukele is right for you and your son.

Just had a look and those ukes are indeed gorgeous. I wonder if Zuch could be convinced to try his hand at a mandolin?
Turns out that he's in Chappaqua NY, which is the next town south of Mt.Kisco, where I grew up. Chappaqua is also home to Bill and Hillary Clinton.I mention that only for trivia interest. Please don't get political with any responses and get this thread locked

[Caleb]

Mandolin chords are tough on young fingers, and the stretches are bigger, which is why ukes are a popular way to see if kids want to get into music. Shallow initial learning curve, but a challenge to play really well because of the limited range of notes and sounds, so if he takes to it he'll have to learn about dynamics, percussive effects, etc.

These are my thoughts exactly, especially the mandolin chords being tough on young fingers. I heard somewhere that uke has become the most popular stringed instrument in the world. I figure if that's the case, it must be easier to tackle.

[RichM]

These are my thoughts exactly, especially the mandolin chords being tough on young fingers. I heard somewhere that uke has become the most popular stringed instrument in the world. I figure if that's the case, it must be easier to tackle.

I would agree that the ukulele has a fairly shallow learning curve, at least to get the point where you're playing content that sounds musical. Nylon strings are easier on the fingers, many basic chords can be played with one or two fingers, and the compact scale length does not put undue stress on those who are new to fretted instruments. It becomes more complex as you grow, as getting the full range of tones requires learning many barre and closed chords. In fact, one of the biggest complaints on Ukulele Underground, which I also haunt, is the difficulty of playing closed chords. They should try the mandolin!

But that's what I like about the ukulele. After many years of playing guitar, bass, banjo, and mandolin, I took to the uke as a nice alternative to more complex instruments. With that being said, the undertone here of "don't give him a ukulele, give him a real instrument" is sad. The ukulele is a real instrument, albeit one that has a limited tonal range.

I have had many ukuleles, from relatively inexpensive to high-end instruments by Rick Turner and Chuck Moore. Despite the advice to purchase super low-end instruments like the Makala Dolphin, I advise against it. They are basic instruments with mediocre quality control. While you may occasionally get a good one, I've played way more duds than winners. But you can get some very nice instruments in the $100-$300 range. It amuses me that the same folks who consider $1500 an "entry-level" mandolin think that $300 is waaaay too much for a ukulele.