BWCA What brand of Uke to buy? Boundary Waters Group Forum: Music stuff
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      What brand of Uke to buy?     

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11/05/2021 09:29AM  
I want a Tenor Uke but what brand?
I already play guitar and mandolin but I know nothing about Uke's, I see there are many brands out there. The local music store has a new Alverez in nice wood for $170.00. There are so many brands out there.
Since this will be my first, I do not want to spend alot. Thinking in the $1-200.00 range, and want something that is fairly easy to play with good quality and a nice sound.

Any thoughts?
 
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fraxinus
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11/07/2021 09:45AM  
I don't know much about ukes, you might want to check out The Acoustic Guitar Forum, nice helpful group of players. On that forum there's a sub section called
"Other Stringed Instruments" , you could post your question there and I'm sure you'd find some help. Sounds like a Uke would fit right in with what you're already doing. Good Luck!

The Acoustic Guitar Forum
 
11/08/2021 04:53PM  
Thanks Fraxinus, maybe Voyager can chime in, I think he plays the Uke.
I may end up getting the Alverez at the local music shop on Duluth so I can keep my purchase local. I also have a banjo to trade in with it so that may soften the cost a little.
 
fraxinus
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11/09/2021 03:46PM  
Good on ya for keeping it local. I don't have an Alvarez guitar, I've played a few of their smaller body guitars, and was impressed. They have a reputation for delivering a lot of guitar for the money, I bet that transfers to their Ukes too. Have fun
 
bwcamjh
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11/20/2021 08:01AM  
For your price range I'd look at Ohana---Mainland---Pono---Kala in that order.
Not sure Mainland or Pono will be in your price range but worth the look.

Mim's Ukes online is a good source. I've bought from her in the past, very happy.

Make sure the uke is set up properly or that you can do the set up yourself.

Get the Uke. Have fun!
 
Voyager
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11/22/2021 09:35AM  
I have 2 Mainland tenor ukes Lindentree. The 1 is the rosewood / cedar top. The 2nd is a mahogany . I've had them a few years now. The mahogany was a blem and I paid $200. Mainland ukes are imported but thoroughly gone over and set up in Nashville, Ind. I also have an Eric DeVine custom uke, Brazilian rosewood with sinker redwood top. Yes, it sounds better than the imported ones but the sound isn't proportionate to the price difference. I've been concentrating on banjo in the weekly jams, as there are already too many guitars. The uke wouldn't be heard unless I amplified it.
 
02/14/2022 01:33AM  
Update on my Uke quest. I ended up buying a used one from the local music store, I wanted something cheap to see how I liked it before I committed to a fancier one. I bought a no name Uke for 40 bucks, and was able to trade my banjo in for 75 bucks at the same time. So far I really like playing the Uke and will buy a better one when I get back from my southwest travels. I have a bunch of time on my hands camping and have learned a few songs. A pic of the Uke in front of Signal Mountain in Arizona, been here a week now on BLM land.
 
Voyager
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02/14/2022 09:20PM  
Enjoy your new toy. They're a lot of fun and so easy on the fingertips.
 
bwcamjh
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03/02/2022 09:02PM  
One of the positives about playing the ukulele. Small, light, can travel well......just the right size to make sure you take it along. Have fun in your strumming and traveling.
 
05/13/2022 11:07AM  
Just a little follow-up.
I kept the cheap/old Uke I bought that was in the earlier pic and put it in my cabin so I will have one there. I bought a new Luna Uke that is my go to one that I keep at home.
Interesting point about the old cheap Uke is that it has a scale length of 19 inches, nearly as long as a Baritone uke, while Tenor ukes have a scale length right around 17 inches. I tried to buy one from the local music store but they never called me back regarding when they would get some in, so I went to Amazon and ordered two with free return. I sent back the Aquila uke and kept the Luna since I thought it had a better/sharper sound.
 
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