Okay, here's my main argument: White People Have NO RIGHT To Play The Ukulele.
...Nah, just kidding. That's a discussion for another thread.
Actually, I have a friend (ethnicity irrelevant) who deserves a ukulele for the festive season and I would like to buy him one. I'm in the lower price bracket (read: lowest possible price bracket) but don't want to end up with a toy. I have a budget of approx $100/£60, although I'd certainly settle for less.
Can anyone advise me on a good vendor/make/model? Should I buy online or over the counter. I'm completely clueless about the uke market.
I'm in London, so a UK or European vendor is preferable.
bushman sells ukes. and these ukes are getting a good reputation. these ukes aint cheap in price or quality. however, he sells seconds. that is what i bought. i still cant find the blemish. talk to john hall. tell him eharp sent you. he does ship these around the world.
Under a hundred new is going to be a tough call. Bushman, Mainland, Kala, Honu, Washburn are all Chinese made solid wood ukes of good quality, all around 300.00, all sound about the same. I'd look for a cheap Kay or Hohner, under a 100.00, probably a laminate but not bad for a starter. If you want a serious uke you'll have to budget 500-1,000.00. Personally, I'd go vintage, find a nice all wood mahogany Regal or Harmony on ebay for less than 50.00. Lots to choose from, be careful. make sure it is in good shape, stay away from the plastic fretboard models. I just did an ebay search,lots to choose from.
Last Edited by on Nov 29, 2009 8:31 AM
My advice is to seek proper advice on how to tune it - the tuning system is a bit of a strange one!
"The standard tuning for soprano, concert, and tenor ukuleles is C-tuning, g'c'e'a'. The g string is tuned an octave higher than might be expected. This is known as re-entrant tuning."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukelele ---------- Kinda hot in these rhinos!
Last Edited by on Nov 29, 2009 9:09 AM
Elwood, last December I did ALL the research there is to do. My friend had grown an obsession with Uke's and he wanted one. So in my research I concluded that this is the best one to get under 100 $ (it's the one I got him)
