Buying Guide
There is no single best ukulele — there is a best size for your hands, a best construction for your climate, and a price band below which instruments stop being playable. Here is how to land on all three.
Most first-ukulele regret traces back to one of three decisions, and none of them is brand: buying too small for adult hands, buying below the price at which intonation becomes reliable, or buying a solid-wood instrument for a climate that will crack it. Get those right and almost any well-reviewed instrument in the 60 to 120 dollar band will serve you for years.
Under roughly 50 dollars, manufacturing tolerances stop being reliable. The usual symptom is not a bad-sounding instrument but a dishonest one: the open strings tune perfectly and chords at the fifth and seventh frets sound sour no matter what you do. A beginner has no way to tell that the instrument is at fault, so they conclude they have no ear. That single misdiagnosis ends more ukulele attempts than any difficult chord.
Buying online instead? Order from a seller who does a setup before shipping, or budget 30 to 50 for a local setup. A setup on a cheap instrument improves playability more than doubling your budget does.
Select a size to see it scaled beside the others, then press play to hear its characteristic tone — from the soprano's bright jangle to the baritone's guitar-like depth.
21" · 12–15 frets
The original. Small body, punchy bright sound — the classic Hawaiian voice.
Tuning
G·C·E·A
Scale length
21" body
Tone profile
Six practical steps to find an instrument you'll love — from picking the right size to spotting quality construction. A great first ukulele makes all the difference.
Soprano is the classic, bright original (~21"). Concert adds fret space (~23"). Tenor offers deeper tone and volume (~26"), favored by pros. Baritone (~30") is tuned like a guitar — best for guitarists.
Beginners usually love the soprano or concert.
Solid wood sounds richer and ages beautifully but costs more and needs care. Laminate (plywood) is affordable, durable, and humidity-resistant — great for beginners and travel. Solid-top is a fine middle ground.
Look for 'solid top' as the sweet spot of tone and price.
A well-set-up ukulele has comfortable string height (action), no fret buzz, and properly seated frets. Cheap ukes off the shelf often need a setup by a luthier — budget $30–50 for it.
Buy from a shop that sets up each instrument, not a big-box warehouse.
Look for tight glue joints, an evenly glued bridge, no glue squeeze-out, and frets that are smoothly finished at the neck edges. The tuners should turn smoothly without slipping.
Tap the body — a lively ring means a well-joined top.
Under $80: beginner laminate. $80–250: solid-top and good laminate. $250–700: all-solid mid-range. $700+: professional and handcrafted koa. A $100 solid-top uke can last for years.
Don't buy the cheapest — a poor instrument discourages practice.
If possible, hold and strum several. Comfort in your hands and a tone that makes you smile matter more than specs. Online, check return policies and unboxing reviews.
A ukulele you love to pick up is the best one for you.
Specs and price matter less than the joy of picking it up every day. A $100 solid-top ukulele from a reputable brand, properly set up, can give you a lifetime of music. Start where you are, and let the instrument grow with you.
From the heritage makers of Honolulu to today's largest manufacturers — a guide to the brands that have shaped the modern ukulele. Price ranges: $ budget, $$ mid-range, $$$ premium.
Premium handcrafted koa ukuleles
The oldest and most revered ukulele maker. Founded by Samuel Kamaka, an apprentice of Manuel Nunes. Still family-owned and hand-crafting instruments in Honolulu today.
American-made soprano & tenor ukes
The famed guitar maker began producing ukuleles in 1916 to meet Jazz Age demand. Martin ukes are prized by collectors and players alike for their warm, balanced tone.
Affordable & beginner-friendly ukes
The world's largest ukulele manufacturer today. Kala makes everything from entry-level laminates to solid-wood pro models, and pioneered the UBass (bass ukulele).
Solid-wood value ukuleles
Known for excellent quality-to-price ratios. Ohana offers solid-top and all-solid ukuleles that punch well above their weight, popular with intermediate players.
Student & school ukuleles
A favorite in school music programs. Lanikai produces durable, affordable ukuleles ideal for classrooms and beginners taking their first steps.
Vintage-style resonator ukes
The legendary American instrument brand offers retro-styled ukuleles including resonator models that evoke the bright, cutting sound of the 1920s Jazz Age.
Brand information is provided for educational purposes. Price ranges are general guidelines and vary by model. Visit each maker's website for current models, pricing, and availability.
The strings you choose shape your ukulele's voice as much as the wood. From warm traditional nylon to bright modern fluorocarbon — here's how the six main string types compare.
Warm, mellow, traditional
Affordable, classic ukulele sound, gentle on fingers
Goes out of tune as they stretch, less projection
Best for: Beginners and traditional Hawaiian-style players
Bright, loud, crisp
Holds tune well, loud projection, precise intonation
Brighter than some prefer, slightly more expensive
Best for: Performers and players who want volume and clarity
Very bright, metallic edge
Extremely bright and loud, durable, holds tune
Can sound harsh on some ukes, less traditional
Best for: Cutting through a mix, recording, modern players
Soft, warm, complex
Authentic historical sound, rich overtones
Sensitive to humidity, expensive, rare today
Best for: Period-instrument players and purists
Loud, guitar-like, ringing
Loud, familiar to guitarists, long sustain
Only for reinforced baritone ukes — will damage standard ukes
Best for: Baritone players who want a guitar-like voice
Deep bass on the G string
Adds a bass register via 'low-G' tuning, fuller sound
Wound string can squeak, different feel from nylon
Best for: Tenor players wanting a guitar-like range
💡 Never put steel strings on a standard soprano/concert/tenor ukulele — the tension will warp the top and pull off the bridge. Steel strings are only safe on reinforced baritone ukuleles built for them.
| Construction | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Full laminate | Humid or highly variable climates, classrooms, travel, children | Tone stays the same for its whole life; will not open up |
| Solid top, laminate back and sides | The best value point for a committed beginner in a stable indoor climate | Needs humidity awareness; costs roughly twice a laminate |
| All solid | Players who already know what tone they want | Requires a case humidifier in dry winters; genuinely crackable — see ukulele care |
Price bands on this page are honest ranges, not affiliate placements. We earn nothing from any purchase and we do not publish star ratings, because we have not run controlled tests on every instrument named. What the maker profiles below tell you is verifiable: when the workshop was founded, where it builds, what it specialises in, and roughly what its instruments cost. Kamaka has been building in Honolulu since 1916 and its founder apprenticed with Manuel Nunes, one of the original 1880s builders — that lineage is a documented fact, and it is a fair reason to pay more. A five-star average from unverifiable reviews is not.
Between roughly 60 and 120 US dollars for a laminate soprano or concert from an established maker. Below about 50 the instruments frequently have intonation problems that make correct playing sound wrong, which is the fastest way to quit. Above about 200 you are buying tone you cannot yet hear the benefit of.
Concert, for most adults. It has the same G-C-E-A tuning and the same chord shapes as a soprano but a slightly longer scale, so the frets are further apart and adult fingers crowd each other less. Choose soprano if you specifically want the classic bright, jangly 1920s voice, or if the player is a child.
Eventually, not immediately. A solid top vibrates more freely and opens up over years of playing, but it also reacts to humidity and needs more care. A good laminate is more forgiving, cheaper, and perfectly capable of teaching you every skill in your first two years.
Often yes, on budget instruments. Factory strings on inexpensive ukuleles are frequently the weakest component, and a set of good fluorocarbon strings for around ten dollars can produce a bigger improvement in tone than spending fifty more on the instrument itself.
A gig bag, a clip-on tuner and spare strings are genuinely useful. Bundled picks and straps usually are not: the ukulele is designed to be played with the fingers, and felt picks change the tone in ways most beginners do not want.