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I just purchased a concert Eastman for approx $400 and I’m very happy with it so far. Totally agree with GM regarding Mahogany – gives it a nice full, warm sound. The intonation is also very good which really makes a difference.
I believe one of those types of Ukelele was more “traditional Uke sounding” then the others but can’t recall which?
There are several sizes for uke’s, so you might want to check out that, depending on the sound you want. I like the Tenor size, which is the middle one in between the soprano (smaller) and concert (bigger).
I got a Yamaha Guitalele, which is nice for a guitar picker like me. I like to have six strings to see, even though I mostly only play the top 4 for the right uke sound.
I’m with the guys on recording. Mic it up and record close to it, if noise is an issue.
Not exactly. The smallest is the soprano, then the concert, then the tenor, then the baritone, which is biggest.
In terms of sound, concert and tenor are quite similar in sound and playability. Tenor is more comfortable, especially for guitarists, because of its bigger size. It also tends to have a fuller sound, because of the size.
The soprano, being the smallest, may be quite difficult to play if you have big fingers. They do sound “thinner” than tenors, but I think it mostly depends on woods and construction. I have a wonderful Pono soprano that sounds much sweeter and fuller than some cheap tenors that I had. The good thing about the Soprano is that it provides the most “ukulel-ish” sound, so to speak. That mid-rangy, bell sound so typical of hawaiaan music is best reproduced by a soprano. Not so much by a tenor, in general.
The baritone, the biggest, is a very different beast. It is tuned differently, it sounds different, it should not even be called a ukulele, because it has nothing to do with sopranos, concerts and tenors. But, it is a wonderful instrument (I really, really like it …). In general, I think it sounds best when finger-picked, not strummed. Go on YouTube and you’ll find lots of people strumming the baritone and sounding awful. It takes a lot more musicianship to make a baritone sound good, while with a soprano or a tenor you can just strum and sound good enough.
Overall, if you are just starting with a uke, I would suggest a decent tenor. More versatile, easier to play, more immediate gratification. Possibly, a solid mahogany one – you can find them cheap enough and you get a real instrument, not a toy. I think it’s the best starting point. Just my opinion of course.
You’re right, GM, my bad about the sizes.
I’ve got a mahogany tenor made by Gretsch. Picked it up for about $150 USD from The Ukulele Site a little over a year ago and its paid for itself MANY times over 🙂
As others have said, you really should mic it up if you want it to sound decent. I usually just use whatever mic I have up on a stand and close by, most often a Shure SM7B.
Alrighty, the uke arrived today. Here is a quick demo. First bit is using the onboard pickup. Second is an sm57 and the end is both blended. The two track were recorded at the same time. I just split them out for this demo.
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