Yeah. I play mostly guitar, and I own many, different prices ranges ones. I have to say that my 700€ japanese Jackson doesn't sound worse than my 2000€ ESP Horizon II, for example. Both are comfortable. It just sounds different. Not better or worse. You can't go wrong with a 1500€/$ guitar, but you have to make a good choice at lower prices, that's up to you. I have to admit one thing, though; over the years, the cheapest ones are in poorest conditions.
Boy, that generalization is really not true. There are different areas where they're improved. For example, a $30 dollar will usually be plastic back and sides, with either a plastic front or plywood front. A $130 one will have plywood sides and back, and probably a plywood front as well, possibly an inexpensive, but good tonewood such as spruce or cedar. The $1300 one will be solid wood, with choice tonewoods such as Koa, mahogany, or maple. A solid wood ukulele will resonate from all sides, not just the front. Any plywood in the build won't resonate much, so the solid wood ukulele will likely have a much bigger sound. The more sophisticated tonewoods will sound richer and more complex harmonically. Better ukuleles will sustain more as well. A chord will last longer when strummed. Most ukuleles from about $800 will be US made, if that's a factor for you. The big thing is to try to find a place where you can play them before you buy. If that's not possible, make sure where you buy them from does setup. It will make sure that any faults in quality control are taken care of before they get to you. A properly setup ukulele will be easier and more comfortable to play,, and be better in tune.
Two different sizes ukuleles of course sound is a difference. The first is a soprano which gives you that stereotypical ukulele sound, really Hawaiian feel. The other looks like either concert or tenor which has a more smooth guitar like sound. The price is also a factor but not as much as the size. Good video and great skills.
LuckyCandi Definitely a concert uke, the difference between soprano and concert is quite small compared to the difference between concert and tenor, and a tenor is way bigger than that.
Fabio Matu actually, I just scrolled through the comments and saw that he replied to someone else who asked about it, saying that it's actually a tenor. I just wanted to double check before saying anything else (I watched the video again, and as mentioned before, looked through the comments). If I hadn't seen the comment, I would have said you were right, especially considering I watched this (the first time) 9 months ago, when I hadn't even been playing a year. My inexperience with ukuleles was more evident then lol
So I have an 80$ ukulele, and last year, my school ordered a class set for our music class. Mine sounded SO much better than the 15-20$ plastic crap they got, and so I got in trouble for using my own because it was "an unfair advantage."
Whaaaaat! I would encourage students to use their own. I have a student who uses a plastic toy. I tried changing the strings (D'Addario). It sounds marginally better. I might think of a way to get her one for cleaning the room or something like that.
okay just wanted to say. ( yes this is a really helpful comparison between expensive and cheap ukuleles ) but you are really good at playing! that little tune is awesome and your knowledge of this stuff is impressive!
Tina Quan The strings the ukuleles use are actually supposed to be put in account when it comes to a comparing a ukulele. Also even though one ukulele is a soprano and the other is a concert doesn't mean that one ukulele already has an advantage over the other, I've heard bad and good sounding soprano and concert ukuleles and the difference is pretty clear
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No, it's not a concert. I actually own another electric ukulele which is a concert, however the size difference is pretty close to other ukulele types so I can see how you might think that.
Yes, there were some video things that weren't really professional, but your MESSAGE was excellent! Your points were clear, you demonstrated them with your instruments, and I could hear and see exactly what you were teaching us. It all rang true to me. I purchased a $35 uke a year ago, and it wore out my fingers, precisely because the strings were so far from the frets. Now, armed with your video, I can make better choices. Keep up the great work!
The first Ukulele (cheap one) is actually wood. It doesn't feel like it. I know I have one, but we did research and it is actually wood, but covered in coatings of something so it feels fake. Smell it. It's wood.
I don't think spending the money makes too too much of a difference sometimes. I picked the ukulele back up a few years back buying a Gretsch banjo uke. it was about 200-300 dollars and it's nice but... has those same tuning keys your cheap uke has with the same problems. my other uke (my main one) is the same brand as the one you upgraded to and has a built-in tuner and pick up. it is my best one so far and wasn't as expensive as the banjo uke.
A problem I ran into on the cheaper ukuleles is that sometimes the build quality is so bad that the strings skip a semitone between the open string and 1st fret...
+JamesRodgers25 Not certain about the points made but ,if anyone else wants to uncover how to learn to play ukulele try Panlarko Amazing Uke Planner ( search on google ) ? Ive heard some incredible things about it and my friend got cool success with it.
A cheap soprano would be $65 and under A mid range would be $66 to $125 Anything above is expensive A cheap Concer would be $75 and under Min range $76-$135 Anything above is pricey A cheap Alto would be $80 and under A mid range would be $81 to $150 Anything above is pricey A cheap baritone is $85 and under A mid range is $85-$160 Anything above is expensive
$30-$130 isn't cheap vs. expensive when it comes to Ukuleles. $130 doesn't even touch the realm of high quality Ukulele. You need to compare a $30 or $130 to a Hawaiian Ukulele costing around $900-$1500.
Joseph Percy He talked about thousand dollar ukeleles in the video, so Im pretty sure he knows that $100 isnt that expensive. However $100 is a lot of money for some people.
looks like a Lanikai LU-21T but6 others are right, main sound difference is soprano vs tenor but others points such as height of strings are still valid
Good video. It's very interesting how so many young people are playing the ukulele now. I'm 53 and I've played guitar all my life just about. I started when I was 4. When I was young, Tiny Tim was the only player I knew about. Look him up. He's a little weird, but cool to listen to none the least. Great job on the video. I was given a Kala very similar to your nice one at a guitar camp I attended in Louisiana in June 2015. I have another $5 one from a Thrift Store (same quality) that my grandson plays when he comes over. Very cool instrument. Light. And easy to carry around. Wow, I just edited and want to add that my grandson's uke is the same company as yours.
you can lower the bridge and nut by taking of the strings and grinding down the plastic or tusk and if you played more often you fingers will get harder and learn how to play
My advice to anyone considering buying a first ukulele would be to ignore most of this video. A lot of it is wildly out of date. Even really cheap ukes are almost all made of wood these days. A plastic ukulele is a toy. The cheapest ukes e.g. Mahalo now have geared machine heads - not the friction kind shown in the video, and stay in tune pretty well. To get a proper comparison, the same age and quality strings should be fitted. If you just want to have a bit of fun the cheaper ukes e.g. $30 dollars are absolutely fine. You may even be able to correct or improve the action by filing down the bridge (which is the strip of white plastic the strings pass over at the bottom of the uke - and not the fingerboard, as shown in the video) a little. However, action (the distance from the string to the fretboard) is not as much of a problem in ukes as in guitars, especially since beginners usually confine themselves to chords within the first 3 or 4 frets. Once you know you are going to carry on by all means get a better quality instrument. By the way, I've just read a comment from someone wanting to "upgrade" from a soprano to a concert, the implication being that a concert is better than a soprano. It isn't - it's just a different size. The size obviously affects the tone but it really comes down to personal preference.
+Mike Williams - I completely agree. I bought a $39 soprano uke from a Chinese company called Kasch last year, rosewood, great tuners and I was surprised at how well it sounded. There are decent cheap ukes out there, people just need to really read reviews before they make a purchase.
My first ukulele was a Kohala soprano for around $40. For the price, it was pretty good. All wood, and regular tuners. I got a concert Luna a year later and prefer the size difference. I can't comment on the soprano's string action because I sanded it down and am getting ready to paint it.
Good job Qslick B. I've had a $30 Rogue Baritone uke for a couple years and it has all the shortcomings you spoke about plus one more. The tone is awful on the 2nd string (C). It's easy to check by just seeing if an open string is in tune with the 12th fret. My C is off and it makes all the chords sound off. I just bought a Luna Tenor Uke and it's much more fun to play. Do some more uke stuff. I'm a strings guy but just starting to get into the uke.
dumbportuguese80874 agreed. the soprano has a toy plastic tone that was very string dominant. the lanikai probably is a laminate for the stated price but at least sounded like wood and had resonance.
My mom surprised me with a $30 used one for my birthday (I'm an adult living on my own). I thought it was random and weird, but I'll be damned if I don't play it all the time.
Good informative video, thanks. Just one tip, before you record, write down what you want to say and then rehearse it twice. It'll just give you a slicker sound (i.e. less erm, umm, oh and also). I'll keep an eye out for your new channel and hope to learn more before i upgrade my cheap ass uke ($7) :D I already restrung it and i've just ordered some new tuning screws too. lol.
Dude, if you look hard enough, you can find a high-end ukelele priced at $40. I recommend buying any kind of string based instrument in a shop near the road. Mine is almost exactly like yours, just the branding is different...
+Zach Poblete ehh you can find a decent one for $40 but the feel and the string height will suffer making it harder to play and then it just doesn't sound as good lol. At least in my experience that's normally the case
Qslick B Well I did compare a uke potentially costing me 80$ (form the mall), or double the price of my own uke, and to my surprise, it was in worse shape the 40$ uke, but you know whatevs, btw the ukes you compared in the video were 2 completely different sizes of uke, but yeah the other one is cheap as hell
He may use the word swag but he's clearly a smart person who knows what he's talking about and a good musician. Guess you'll never know anything good if you are SO quick to judge.
I'm going to get a ukulele, but I am a TOTAL beginner. I don't know how to tune it or play it yet. I'm going to learn but first I need a Ukulele! I have no idea which to get.
well, 135 isnt expensive... in fact that is really cheap. when the strings are apart from the fretboard it means that the action is high. a 135 dollar uke probably has a laminated wood witch is ok for beginner/intermediate. an expensive uke is 500+ that has solid wood, specially acacia. if you want koa (the best sounding ukulele wood, native from hawaii) then it will probably be 700+. but the points that you did are probably good for beginners :)
Guilherme Tardelli if you're just starting out, definitely buy a $20-$60 soprano ukulele, since they are the cheapest and easiest to learn on. also, if you end up not enjoying the like as much as you though you would, there's no damage done to your wallet. :) after that. definitely work your way up to a $200ish concert or tenor, they have really nice, clean sounds, less rattling, and will tune much easier as well as have a more exact pitch. soprano ukuleles tend to have a more "nasally," "kiddish," or "bright" sound compared to a concert or tenor. if, eventually, you want a ukulele that has a much deeper sound, go for a bass ukulele, since it has a more guitar-esque sound to it. anyway, I got sidetracked. start off with a cheap soprano ukulele. hope this helped! :D
Real cheap ukes are the ones that cost like 20-30$ or something. They dont sound that good, but it is good if you are just starting to play the uke and be wondering if you gon continue to play with it or not
you got a lot of saddle showing on the cheap uke so it would be easy to lower the action,also some decent strings ie -nylgut would improve the tone , im guessing the dearer uke has a solid top, where the cheepo will be plywood,any I have a cheepo vintage brand ,soprano size as well as a all solid more expensive uke ,but when I go on holiday just chuck the cheepo in my suitcase ,without having to worry if it gets damaged,, I guess its true you get what you pay for, thanks for posting
I have a Gretch Tenor, which is very nice, I love the wood on it, but I also seen some of the fendors, even better but One of these days soon, I'm gonna buy a Koa Wood Tenor straight from Hawaii, maybe around 3-5 hundred dollars
I would say no, because if you get a shitty one you will more likely not like it and not stick with it. Thats what happened with me and my guitar. Dont get something super expensive but at least $80
Sure, the Rogue doesn't sound great but is it properly in tune to begin with? Friction tuners are harder to keep in tune but VERY traditional. If you lower the action it will sound better and be easier to play and notes won't become as badly sharp as you go up the neck. Also your other uke is a tenor or concert... so a different size! It's going to sound very different and fuller with more sustain than a soprano... Good video review, though! :-)
The ukulele with the friction tuner was in tune. I made sure of that before I started but it may have slipped half way through the video. And Yes the tenor does sound fuller because it's a tenor but a cheap ukulele is a cheap ukulele. The difference wouldn't have been as drastic if the prices were similar.
Qslick B I certainly agree in part... but don't forget that a large part of what makes any stringed instrument sound good or bad are two factors... One is good intonation, usually achieved by use of a compensating mechanism of some kind ie. a compensating bridge and the other is a slightly more difficult to pin down factor to do with Helmholtz resonance. You can be lucky with a cheap uke/guitar/balalaika etc and get one that reinforces the sound well and unlucky with an expensive one... although I agree that more expensive one's are usually better than cheaper ones. Also, you can always add a string compensation method to a cheap uke if it doesn't have it to get perfect or near perfect intonation. :-) You are very right, however, that your more expensive uke sounds far better. :-)
Napier Thompson You make a good point and I do agree that quality isn't a direct correlation with price. I will probably make a follow up video to this one next week taking into account everyone comments!
...you didn't even try on your first one and your trying to find the smallest imperfections in it people...do yourself a favour and don't spend so much if your just starting.
I have a semi-expensive soprano, but I think it's too nice to travel with it. So what cheap-ish brand would you recommend that might get busted but I won't really care??? I've seen MAHALO...would that be a good travel like?
Now I know what's wrong with mine I was wondering why it is making that muted sound I have a concert one and strings are pretty high from the fret board
Cuz you have an already huge hands and that's why the small uke are'n t fit to your hands btw i'm mark from the philippines, in my hometown (Cebu City) they have lots of reatailed ukulele that made from our neigboring urban areas which is "Lapu Lapu City" a guitar capital in our nation that which also producing sub-standard ukuleles, substandard means not-defined as Hawaiian standard and the consequences was they produced it w/ philippine flavor so it's so sad to hear it but they can produced suprano substitute w/ many ranges of suprano/supranino modifications that they retail w/ the ranges of + or - Philippine-Peso 500.00 which has converted to USD 10.99 (as of based on Philippine Exchanges) so my hometown ukes aren't standard or traditionally handcrafted so you were lucky to have a two decent ukes regardless of price ranges. me i am wondering to have a decent one until and sooner i could buy at least decent one :-)
can anyone tell me if the expensive ukulele is a concert or a tenor? i'm thinking about upgrading my cheap soprano to a concert or tenor but im unsure which size i'd prefer and the size of his looks just about right
Stef Shambrook The larger one is a tenor. I have every size from my small soprano to my large baritone and the tenor in my opinion is the best. Its large enough to make complicated fingering easy while retaining that classic ukulele sound!
Qslick B I've been wondering what size uke it was. Lots of people said it was concert, but I thought it was too big for that, considering the size difference between the soprano and the concert isn't that large.
Haha, yeah people for some reason don't believe me when I say it's a tenor. I've held it next to a concert, and like you said they're close, but mines is definitely a tenor. Maybe I should just make a video with my tenor and a concert sure my side.
HI guy under 200 $ or under 100 $ you can buy one just keep one think full wood... then Luna are good, cordoba are good, Kala are good, maybe ortega, careful with fender because they made some in false wood but with more than 100 $ you can, now a soprano is little and to build a good soprano is harder than a concert or tenor do if you have big hands choose concert or tenor... if you have small hand choose a good soprano... Now careful with this under 50 $ for your kids, It is criminal because you 'll not find something good, never... And why it's a crime because he must to develop the listening...
thank you for this video. i do plan on buying myself a cheaper ukulele package, but i am just startign. i know how to play, i just need one. soon, though, i should ourchase a electric acoustic one that is much better quality
$30 vs $130 uke = big sound difference.
$130 vs $1300 uke = minor sound difference
Parrot Brand so true😂
Yeah. I play mostly guitar, and I own many, different prices ranges ones. I have to say that my 700€ japanese Jackson doesn't sound worse than my 2000€ ESP Horizon II, for example. Both are comfortable. It just sounds different. Not better or worse. You can't go wrong with a 1500€/$ guitar, but you have to make a good choice at lower prices, that's up to you.
I have to admit one thing, though; over the years, the cheapest ones are in poorest conditions.
Parrot Brand So pretty much his video was spot on? Okay...Cool.
Boy, that generalization is really not true. There are different areas where they're improved. For example, a $30 dollar will usually be plastic back and sides, with either a plastic front or plywood front. A $130 one will have plywood sides and back, and probably a plywood front as well, possibly an inexpensive, but good tonewood such as spruce or cedar.
The $1300 one will be solid wood, with choice tonewoods such as Koa, mahogany, or maple. A solid wood ukulele will resonate from all sides, not just the front. Any plywood in the build won't resonate much, so the solid wood ukulele will likely have a much bigger sound. The more sophisticated tonewoods will sound richer and more complex harmonically.
Better ukuleles will sustain more as well. A chord will last longer when strummed.
Most ukuleles from about $800 will be US made, if that's a factor for you.
The big thing is to try to find a place where you can play them before you buy. If that's not possible, make sure where you buy them from does setup. It will make sure that any faults in quality control are taken care of before they get to you. A properly setup ukulele will be easier and more comfortable to play,, and be better in tune.
Ikr
Two different sizes ukuleles of course sound is a difference. The first is a soprano which gives you that stereotypical ukulele sound, really Hawaiian feel. The other looks like either concert or tenor which has a more smooth guitar like sound. The price is also a factor but not as much as the size. Good video and great skills.
It looks more like a tenor. The size difference is too great for that to be a concert. But I definitely know what you're saying.
LuckyCandi Definitely a concert uke, the difference between soprano and concert is quite small compared to the difference between concert and tenor, and a tenor is way bigger than that.
Fabio Matu actually, I just scrolled through the comments and saw that he replied to someone else who asked about it, saying that it's actually a tenor. I just wanted to double check before saying anything else (I watched the video again, and as mentioned before, looked through the comments). If I hadn't seen the comment, I would have said you were right, especially considering I watched this (the first time) 9 months ago, when I hadn't even been playing a year. My inexperience with ukuleles was more evident then lol
LuckyCandi Ah well, guess I'm sorry then. Thanks for the info.
Fabio Matu no, you're fine. I understood where you were coming from. it does almost look too small to be a tenor :)
So I have an 80$ ukulele, and last year, my school ordered a class set for our music class. Mine sounded SO much better than the 15-20$ plastic crap they got, and so I got in trouble for using my own because it was "an unfair advantage."
That's really dumb of them but good reason tho
+Art3mis Gaming honestly you should be able to use any ukulele you want as long as it was the same type like a tenor. At least you have your own!
+Art3mis Gaming honestly you should be able to use any ukulele you want as long as it was the same type like a tenor. At least you have your own!
I would say it is a big advantage to get a good uke, but it isn’t unfair AT ALL. It’s your money, you can use and spend it to get ahead.
Whaaaaat! I would encourage students to use their own. I have a student who uses a plastic toy. I tried changing the strings (D'Addario). It sounds marginally better. I might think of a way to get her one for cleaning the room or something like that.
4:03 Almost did the McDonald's theme
Bahahzhxyufayhahahahaha
okay just wanted to say. ( yes this is a really helpful comparison between expensive and cheap ukuleles )
but you are really good at playing! that little tune is awesome and your knowledge of this stuff is impressive!
It's not an equal comparison, different strings or even if we neglect the strings difference, both ukuleles are different sizes.
Tina Quan The strings the ukuleles use are actually supposed to be put in account when it comes to a comparing a ukulele. Also even though one ukulele is a soprano and the other is a concert doesn't mean that one ukulele already has an advantage over the other, I've heard bad and good sounding soprano and concert ukuleles and the difference is pretty clear
UA-cam
Hello UA-cam. I posted this video just for fun expecting to get maybe 5 views, 4 of which would be mine. When I saw over 1700 views 15 likes and 3 sub's. I thought "people actually care about what I have to say!?!". Because of this I have made a new Chanel "QslickSwagFeed" which will contain high quality DSLR videos. There are no videos yet but subscribe to know when they start coming out. The channel will have videos about (music, instruments, tech, and animation using AE). please keep up the likes and comments. They mean a lot!
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+Josiah Yedinak conciousness
+Qslick B 165,000 views now dude!
+Richard Harris Started at the bottom now we're here!
Qslick B I don't want to be rude or sound like a hater but just so you know the 1st uke is a concert
No, it's not a concert. I actually own another electric ukulele which is a concert, however the size difference is pretty close to other ukulele types so I can see how you might think that.
Yes, there were some video things that weren't really professional, but your MESSAGE was excellent! Your points were clear, you demonstrated them with your instruments, and I could hear and see exactly what you were teaching us. It all rang true to me. I purchased a $35 uke a year ago, and it wore out my fingers, precisely because the strings were so far from the frets. Now, armed with your video, I can make better choices. Keep up the great work!
The first Ukulele (cheap one) is actually wood. It doesn't feel like it. I know I have one, but we did research and it is actually wood, but covered in coatings of something so it feels fake. Smell it. It's wood.
1:30 called the fretboard the bridge.
wow you really hate your first uke xD
Anesths |-/
Rainbow Bunny |-/
Anesths |-/
Anestis |-/
aye |-/
Holy crap, the noise/quality difference is overwhelming. Im getting a ukulele this monday, and im a beginner. Its going to be interesting
+I Am Life Awesome! There're so much fun and really portable. I'm about to start posting song tutorials when I get some time. Good luck
+I Am Life Awesome! There're so much fun and really portable. I'm about to start posting song tutorials when I get some time. Good luck
Qslick B I already restrung it and learned almost all the chords. This is probably the best instrument i ever received :D
+I Am Life what type of uke did you get?
did you quit playing?
I don't think spending the money makes too too much of a difference sometimes. I picked the ukulele back up a few years back buying a Gretsch banjo uke. it was about 200-300 dollars and it's nice but... has those same tuning keys your cheap uke has with the same problems. my other uke (my main one) is the same brand as the one you upgraded to and has a built-in tuner and pick up. it is my best one so far and wasn't as expensive as the banjo uke.
A problem I ran into on the cheaper ukuleles is that sometimes the build quality is so bad that the strings skip a semitone between the open string and 1st fret...
JR25 This is exactly the problem I ran into with my first Uke. Friction tuners are pretty bad because they always slip
Yeah, I had the same problem and tried my best to fix it but then I just conceded and bought a decent one from a guitar shop. :D
No talking to itself here!
JamesRodgers25 If you’re new to ukulele, or if you want to improve your skills….then Go here ==> ukulelebuddy-new3.blogspot.com/
+JamesRodgers25 Not certain about the points made but ,if anyone else wants to uncover how to learn to play ukulele try Panlarko Amazing Uke Planner ( search on google ) ? Ive heard some incredible things about it and my friend got cool success with it.
A cheap soprano would be $65 and under
A mid range would be $66 to $125
Anything above is expensive
A cheap Concer would be $75 and under
Min range $76-$135
Anything above is pricey
A cheap Alto would be $80 and under
A mid range would be $81 to $150
Anything above is pricey
A cheap baritone is $85 and under
A mid range is $85-$160
Anything above is expensive
Late finding your vid. You are an outstanding teacher. Great vid. (I’m 67 and a newbie uke player)
So u just went from a Supreno to a Concert? Wow... ur fucking crazy!!! I LOVE IT
$30-$130 isn't cheap vs. expensive when it comes to Ukuleles. $130 doesn't even touch the realm of high quality Ukulele. You need to compare a $30 or $130 to a Hawaiian Ukulele costing around $900-$1500.
Joseph Percy He talked about thousand dollar ukeleles in the video, so Im pretty sure he knows that $100 isnt that expensive. However $100 is a lot of money for some people.
looks like a Lanikai LU-21T but6 others are right, main sound difference is soprano vs tenor but others points such as height of strings are still valid
You know my ukulele is a mixture of those
Good video. It's very interesting how so many young people are playing the ukulele now. I'm 53 and I've played guitar all my life just about. I started when I was 4. When I was young, Tiny Tim was the only player I knew about. Look him up. He's a little weird, but cool to listen to none the least. Great job on the video. I was given a Kala very similar to your nice one at a guitar camp I attended in Louisiana in June 2015. I have another $5 one from a Thrift Store (same quality) that my grandson plays when he comes over. Very cool instrument. Light. And easy to carry around. Wow, I just edited and want to add that my grandson's uke is the same company as yours.
you are calling the fret board the 'bridge'... it is not...
Thanks for the helpful review! I bought a $30 generic ukulele, and now I'm looking to upgrade to a LaniKai after learning.
you can lower the bridge and nut by taking of the strings and grinding down the plastic or tusk and if you played more often you fingers will get harder and learn how to play
My advice to anyone considering buying a first ukulele would be to ignore most of this video. A lot of it is wildly out of date. Even really cheap ukes are almost all made of wood these days. A plastic ukulele is a toy. The cheapest ukes e.g. Mahalo now have geared machine heads - not the friction kind shown in the video, and stay in tune pretty well. To get a proper comparison, the same age and quality strings should be fitted. If you just want to have a bit of fun the cheaper ukes e.g. $30 dollars are absolutely fine. You may even be able to correct or improve the action by filing down the bridge (which is the strip of white plastic the strings pass over at the bottom of the uke - and not the fingerboard, as shown in the video) a little. However, action (the distance from the string to the fretboard) is not as much of a problem in ukes as in guitars, especially since beginners usually confine themselves to chords within the first 3 or 4 frets. Once you know you are going to carry on by all means get a better quality instrument. By the way, I've just read a comment from someone wanting to "upgrade" from a soprano to a concert, the implication being that a concert is better than a soprano. It isn't - it's just a different size. The size obviously affects the tone but it really comes down to personal preference.
+Mike Williams - I completely agree. I bought a $39 soprano uke from a Chinese company called Kasch last year, rosewood, great tuners and I was surprised at how well it sounded. There are decent cheap ukes out there, people just need to really read reviews before they make a purchase.
My first ukulele was a Kohala soprano for around $40. For the price, it was pretty good. All wood, and regular tuners. I got a concert Luna a year later and prefer the size difference. I can't comment on the soprano's string action because I sanded it down and am getting ready to paint it.
The white dot underneath your tuners on the more expensive ukulele peel off in case you did not know.
The more expensive one I believe was a concert uke which would explain the fuller sound
Good job Qslick B. I've had a $30 Rogue Baritone uke for a couple years and it has all the shortcomings you spoke about plus one more. The tone is awful on the 2nd string (C). It's easy to check by just seeing if an open string is in tune with the 12th fret. My C is off and it makes all the chords sound off. I just bought a Luna Tenor Uke and it's much more fun to play. Do some more uke stuff. I'm a strings guy but just starting to get into the uke.
They sound different because one is a soprano and the other is a concert ukulele
They only sound different because one is shit
dumbportuguese80874
agreed. the soprano has a toy plastic tone that was very string dominant. the lanikai probably is a laminate for the stated price but at least sounded like wood and had resonance.
Devin Russell actually, its a tenor ukulele :)
I started with a $60 uke
I started with a 10 dollar ukelele from a gift shop!
AnActualCøral I started with a 15€ from the supermarket 😅
I just got a $180 one
AnActualCøral I got a $100 dollar one for Christmas, it was my first one 😝
My mom surprised me with a $30 used one for my birthday (I'm an adult living on my own). I thought it was random and weird, but I'll be damned if I don't play it all the time.
You have Brad Pitt's voice.
He still has his Mcdonalds uniform on.
Good informative video, thanks. Just one tip, before you record, write down what you want to say and then rehearse it twice. It'll just give you a slicker sound (i.e. less erm, umm, oh and also). I'll keep an eye out for your new channel and hope to learn more before i upgrade my cheap ass uke ($7) :D I already restrung it and i've just ordered some new tuning screws too. lol.
Thankyou
for the video mine was 50sterling uk after 4 weeks learning i can now feel diffence in sound your dearer one sounds better thankyou
Dude, if you look hard enough, you can find a high-end ukelele priced at $40. I recommend buying any kind of string based instrument in a shop near the road. Mine is almost exactly like yours, just the branding is different...
+Zach Poblete ehh you can find a decent one for $40 but the feel and the string height will suffer making it harder to play and then it just doesn't sound as good lol. At least in my experience that's normally the case
Qslick B Well I did compare a uke potentially costing me 80$ (form the mall), or double the price of my own uke, and to my surprise, it was in worse shape the 40$ uke, but you know whatevs, btw the ukes you compared in the video were 2 completely different sizes of uke, but yeah the other one is cheap as hell
People don’t understand the small one is a soprano and the big one is a baritone
Pretty good commentary and explanation, man. Good playing too!
This guy sounds more like Brad Pitt than Brad Pitt does
Qslick B, thanks so much for your information, you presented well and the differences were clear!
The moment I heard the word swag.. I made this comment and went to a different video.
same here
He may use the word swag but he's clearly a smart person who knows what he's talking about and a good musician. Guess you'll never know anything good if you are SO quick to judge.
+Rin Yoko man aren't u just a bright ray of sunshine
+cypressgold how could I be a swag fan if I have no idea what swag means
+Rin Yoko good riddance
what chords and strumming patters/picking patterns did you use? That seems really cool, and it'd be pretty cool to try that on my own uke!
I'm going to get a ukulele, but I am a TOTAL beginner. I don't know how to tune it or play it yet. I'm going to learn but first I need a Ukulele! I have no idea which to get.
stevenuniversetrash Get a uke that is cheap but is fairly decent( yeah I know this comment is old)
Thanks for the break down! I was about to buy a cheap second hand ukelele (I was nuts). Now I plan to by Cordoba's UP100 pack. Thanks again!
well, 135 isnt expensive... in fact that is really cheap. when the strings are apart from the fretboard it means that the action is high. a 135 dollar uke probably has a laminated wood witch is ok for beginner/intermediate. an expensive uke is 500+ that has solid wood, specially acacia. if you
want koa (the best sounding ukulele wood, native from hawaii) then it will probably be 700+.
but the points that you did are probably good for beginners :)
hey man great video I got a question for you which uke would you recommend me to buy as a very beginner thanks and keep it up
Guilherme Tardelli if you're just starting out, definitely buy a $20-$60 soprano ukulele, since they are the cheapest and easiest to learn on. also, if you end up not enjoying the like as much as you though you would, there's no damage done to your wallet. :) after that. definitely work your way up to a $200ish concert or tenor, they have really nice, clean sounds, less rattling, and will tune much easier as well as have a more exact pitch. soprano ukuleles tend to have a more "nasally," "kiddish," or "bright" sound compared to a concert or tenor. if, eventually, you want a ukulele that has a much deeper sound, go for a bass ukulele, since it has a more guitar-esque sound to it.
anyway, I got sidetracked. start off with a cheap soprano ukulele. hope this helped! :D
At 4:20 you don't know what the "dots" are called? Fret markers. You're young and adorable. Keep learning.
thanks! I'm a violinist/pianist and I'm starting ukulele very soon. this was helpful ❤
Glad to hear that!
So you tuned the cheap one before hand and then when you played it, it was already tightened??? Thats odd
Real cheap ukes are the ones that cost like 20-30$ or something. They dont sound that good, but it is good if you are just starting to play the uke and be wondering if you gon continue to play with it or not
Good info buddy, thanks for sharing this.
This is a great video! Very helpful and you seem so nice and funny - thank you
Its not quite fair to compare two difrent brands when they are also two difrent sizes too, thats kind of like comparing a bicycle to a porshe..
you got a lot of saddle showing on the cheap uke so it would be easy to lower the action,also some decent strings ie -nylgut would improve the tone , im guessing the dearer uke has a solid top, where the cheepo will be plywood,any I have a cheepo vintage brand ,soprano size as well as a all solid more expensive uke ,but when I go on holiday just chuck the cheepo in my suitcase ,without having to worry if it gets damaged,, I guess its true you get what you pay for, thanks for posting
I got a $135 concert uku for my first but i love it
I have a Gretch Tenor, which is very nice, I love the wood on it, but I also seen some of the fendors, even better but One of these days soon, I'm gonna buy a Koa Wood Tenor straight from Hawaii, maybe around 3-5 hundred dollars
best bang for Buck ive found in that price is kpk or koa pili koko i cant find a bad review for them
Nice idea, but this is like comparing oranges and clementines
I'm planning on buying a cheap one, and upgrading if I love it, should I stick with my plan?
I would say no, because if you get a shitty one you will more likely not like it and not stick with it. Thats what happened with me and my guitar. Dont get something super expensive but at least $80
Stay tuned. nice, I see what you did there.
If you want white aquila strings then you can just buy them for 10 bucks.
Is the intro a pun? Because you said "stay tuned" lol
A soprano ukulele with the price of 100$ isn't cheap but not very expensive. Some may cost over a thousand
for me 100 dollars is already way too expensive.
Rida Spica lol instruments get hella expensive
Rida Spica some ukuleles cost thousands of dollars. 100 dollars is just to get a pretty decent one though
nice video man, what model is your expensive ukulele?
Tenor Lanikai
Sure, the Rogue doesn't sound great but is it properly in tune to begin with? Friction tuners are harder to keep in tune but VERY traditional. If you lower the action it will sound better and be easier to play and notes won't become as badly sharp as you go up the neck. Also your other uke is a tenor or concert... so a different size! It's going to sound very different and fuller with more sustain than a soprano... Good video review, though! :-)
The ukulele with the friction tuner was in tune. I made sure of that before I started but it may have slipped half way through the video. And Yes the tenor does sound fuller because it's a tenor but a cheap ukulele is a cheap ukulele. The difference wouldn't have been as drastic if the prices were similar.
Qslick B I certainly agree in part... but don't forget that a large part of what makes any stringed instrument sound good or bad are two factors... One is good intonation, usually achieved by use of a compensating mechanism of some kind ie. a compensating bridge and the other is a slightly more difficult to pin down factor to do with Helmholtz resonance. You can be lucky with a cheap uke/guitar/balalaika etc and get one that reinforces the sound well and unlucky with an expensive one... although I agree that more expensive one's are usually better than cheaper ones. Also, you can always add a string compensation method to a cheap uke if it doesn't have it to get perfect or near perfect intonation. :-) You are very right, however, that your more expensive uke sounds far better. :-)
Napier Thompson You make a good point and I do agree that quality isn't a direct correlation with price. I will probably make a follow up video to this one next week taking into account everyone comments!
Qslick B :-)
Do you think it would be best to start off with the soprano instead of jumping into the the concert?
Thanks for the heads-up buddy!
Where your eyebrows at homie?
Junii you ate it
+Junii ohh, I used to be an Avox before Katniss killed president Snow, and part of being an Avox was to cover your eyebrows. Hope that clears that up
At a MCR reunion concert😂
Qslick B best answer ever 😂
I got one about 60$ Idk if it was too expensive or not? I'm also a beginner
...you didn't even try on your first one and your trying to find the smallest imperfections in it people...do yourself a favour and don't spend so much if your just starting.
This video helped me so much, thank you💜💜
I got an "expensive" uke for 50 dollars, eyh.
LOVE YOUR ACCENT
I have a semi-expensive soprano, but I think it's too nice to travel with it. So what cheap-ish brand would you recommend that might get busted but I won't really care??? I've seen MAHALO...would that be a good travel like?
Now I know what's wrong with mine I was wondering why it is making that muted sound I have a concert one and strings are pretty high from the fret board
The brand is Lanika.
FEED THE SWAG!
I didn't understand Of The More expensive one is a Tenor or what?
uli weber Concert probably
Poundacow oh thanks
Poundacow he said it was a tenor in a reply to one of the comments
Cuz you have an already huge hands and that's why the small uke are'n t fit to your hands btw i'm mark from the philippines, in my hometown (Cebu City) they have lots of reatailed ukulele that made from our neigboring urban areas which is "Lapu Lapu City" a guitar capital in our nation that which also producing sub-standard ukuleles, substandard means not-defined as Hawaiian standard and the consequences was they produced it w/ philippine flavor so it's so sad to hear it but they can produced suprano substitute w/ many ranges of suprano/supranino modifications that they retail w/ the ranges of + or - Philippine-Peso 500.00 which has converted to USD 10.99 (as of based on Philippine Exchanges) so my hometown ukes aren't standard or traditionally handcrafted so you were lucky to have a two decent ukes regardless of price ranges. me i am wondering to have a decent one until and sooner i could buy at least decent one :-)
Thanks for your video ! I'm going to put more money on my first ukulele (I already have 2 acoustic guitars)
I started with a 60$ ukulele but I got it at Black Friday so it was 30$
Awesome! BTW I thought the quality was pretty good!
I bought a kohala concert KO-C 65€ it's sounds very nice was this a good choice?
The first uke is a concert
Great comparison!
can anyone tell me if the expensive ukulele is a concert or a tenor? i'm thinking about upgrading my cheap soprano to a concert or tenor but im unsure which size i'd prefer and the size of his looks just about right
Stef Shambrook The larger one is a tenor. I have every size from my small soprano to my large baritone and the tenor in my opinion is the best. Its large enough to make complicated fingering easy while retaining that classic ukulele sound!
Qslick B That's exactly what I thought when I decided to upgrade from my Rogue soprano. I like the Tenor for the size and the sound.
Its quite large so I would expect it to be a tenor. Could be wrong though. Just look up some videos on the different sizes of ukes
Qslick B I've been wondering what size uke it was. Lots of people said it was concert, but I thought it was too big for that, considering the size difference between the soprano and the concert isn't that large.
Haha, yeah people for some reason don't believe me when I say it's a tenor. I've held it next to a concert, and like you said they're close, but mines is definitely a tenor. Maybe I should just make a video with my tenor and a concert sure my side.
oh god! youre sooo kind!!!!! i just looking and need it that explanations!!!! Hugs!
I got a uke with a really low action and I pressed too hard and got a b note out of the fret where you should get a. lol
what song where you playing around 4:02? 😍 it's sounded great
Thanks for the video, very interesting and good advice.
HI guy under 200 $ or under 100 $ you can buy one just keep one think full wood... then Luna are good, cordoba are good, Kala are good, maybe ortega, careful with fender because they made some in false wood but with more than 100 $ you can, now a soprano is little and to build a good soprano is harder than a concert or tenor do if you have big hands choose concert or tenor... if you have small hand choose a good soprano... Now careful with this under 50 $ for your kids, It is criminal because you 'll not find something good, never... And why it's a crime because he must to develop the listening...
I bought a $150 uke when I was a begginer lol 😂
was your 150 better
Well, i have a40$+ makala MN soprano which is kinda cheap and also nice. I'd give mine a 8.8/10 rating.
My first ukulele was 90 dollars
that is a big sound difference. But ur cheap one doesn't sound tuned.
What is you opinion on a Makala Concert uke? I got it for around $65 last year, and am curious about better brands.
thank you for this video. i do plan on buying myself a cheaper ukulele package, but i am just startign. i know how to play, i just need one. soon, though, i should ourchase a electric acoustic one that is much better quality
you can lower the sting very easily. use a file
That's a concert not soprano
Great info! Very much appreciated :)
Where’d this guys eyebrows go bruh