Which ukulele should i choose

It's durable, cheap, and can look very pretty depending on the outer veneer. Because plywood is fairly stiff, it doesn't vibrate as easily as solid wood so is generally considered to be inferior to solid wood - having said that, the thickness of the ply used makes a big difference and some of the more lightly built ply ukuleles actually sound very good for the price.

Since the wood you see on a ply instrument is only a top veneer, lots of exotic woods that wouldn't necessarily sound good if a solid piece are perfectly acceptable as a veneer, so there are lots of great looking exotic wood ukes that take advantage of this. Many makers will combine solid wood and ply, using a solid piece for the top but laminates for the back and sides - this keeps the cost down whilst producing a very good sounding instrument.

However, solid wood does have the edge when it comes to a great sounding instrument. Traditionally ukuleles were made from Koa, a species of hardwood indigenous to Hawaii, and later from Mahogany.

Koa, Mahogany, Spruce, Cedar and Rosewood are all commonly used in ukelele making. If the woods are solid rather than laminated, then different species have different properties in terms of sound so a Koa ukulele will sound different to a Mahogany ukulele assuming all other factors are the same - whether it sounds better is a different matter!

If you want an affordable instrument that is made from solid woods the Carvalho range from Portugal use solid Acacia a relation of Koa , and brands such as Uluru exclusively use solid woods.

They are all tuned to the same 4 notes, G, C, E and A, and they play at the same pitch, however the difference is in the body size and scale length. Soprano is the smallest, giving a crisp, percussive tone — ideal for rhythmic playing and a sweet tone when played gently.

They are also great for small hands and many youngsters find them a useful entry point before learning guitar. The downside is that some adult players find the small scale length restrictive — it can be difficult for larger fingers to make chord shapes in such a small space at first. Concert sits in the middle, offering a slightly longer scale length often much easier for big hands!

Tenor has a larger body size and again, a longer scale length. We are often asked about Ukulele Banjos. What are they? How are they tuned? Are they more like a banjo or a ukulele?

However, the body of the instrument is a smaller version of the body of a banjo — giving the instrument a unique banjo-like sound. Like the uke size, tonewood choice significantly impacts the sound your ukulele produces.

Mahogany is king in the world of ukuleles. A ukulele neck is mostly made of mahogany, and among mid-range to high-end ukuleles, you can also find mahogany tops, back, and sides. Mahogany enables your ukulele to generate soft and warm tones that truly stand out. Koa plays a tremendous role in the history of ukuleles. When they were first introduced, almost all ukuleles were made of koa since it originates in Hawaii. Also called acacia koa, this is a dense tonewood with unique grain patterns and equally unique tones.

With koa ukuleles, you get balanced tonality in unmatchable ways. As you would expect, koa ukes are only used by high-end ukulele brands for professionals. Spruce is also among the exotic woods commonly used in the production of ukes.

Found predominantly in ukulele tops, spruce shines in the highs area, accentuating and amplifying them while also providing a dynamic mid-range. Rosewood is among the woods used for the backs, sides, and fingerboards of a ukulele. By transmitting vibrant low-ends and rich overtones, rosewood speaks sustain on so many levels.

And depending on your ukulele playing style, you can manage to get soft, warm, and dark tones out of a cedar uke. Which one should you choose? Ukes made of solid wood indicate that only one layer of wood has been used in their construction.

Great, what does that mean for you, though? It means vibrant and resonant sound all the way. On the downside, however, solid woods come at a hefty price. There are many different types and brands of strings for ukulele in the market. Strings play an important role in the sound of the ukulele. Good strings give good tension for ease of play and provide a good tone.

Aquila strings are the most popular and most recommended strings for ukuleles. In recent years, fluorocarbon strings have gained in popularity due to the tone and durability of the strings. Again, there are many brands out there and it really is a very personal choice when it comes to strings. Some like their ukuleles to sound bright, other like them mellow, and yet others want only clarity. There are generally 2 different types of tuning machines tuners for the ukulele; friction pegs left or geared tuners below right.

Friction pegs as the name suggests, tune the instrument through friction of the pegs. The strings are tightened or loosened with a slight twist of the pegs. It takes a bit of trial and error to get the tuning right and it is not as easy to keep the instrument in tune since a slight move of the peg can affect the tuning by quite a bit.

Tightening the screws at the tip of the pegs can help prevent it from turning after you have tuned your ukulele. Geared tuners are a usually a better alternative for the novice as they allow for more precise tuning. Depending on the gear ratio, each turn of the peg moves the gear by just a fraction as compared to friction tuners. Hence, ukuleles with geared tuners tend to keep in tune and is easier to tune than those with friction pegs.