5 tips to choose a Ukulele

As a ukulele seller it has become customary to hear the question “What ukulele do you recommend to start?” To which I personally like to give a different answer for each type of person since we each have a different personality, different budget, different plans regarding music etc.

Check out these 5 tips to choose the right ukulele for you!

1.- Musical knowledge

I always ask the person if he already plays another instrument because it gives me a clear starting point, if he is going to start taking music lessons or just going from one instrument to another. If we already play a musical instrument, preferably I suggest a wooden ukulele because the sounds will be more pleasant to the expert ear. If this is going to be our first approach to music and we are not sure if we are going to like it, I recommend one laminated mahogany (economic wood) or one of acrylic like the Waterman that have become famous for being "all-terrain ukuleles" since they are resistant to water and shocks (Of course they are not indestructible either).

2.- What do I expect with the ukulele

El how I see myself playing the ukulele serves as an indicator How much we will practice and what goal we hope to achieve. There are three possible paths that have been repeated before this question.
1 I see myself playing the songs that I like in my room
2 I see myself playing, with friends and in some family gatherings
3 I see myself playing on stage
From the 1 and 2 options, a wooden and acrylic ukulele is recommended, for example three some solid, more resistant and electroacoustic wood is recommended.

3.- What is my budget?

As well as buying anything else, we first look at what our capital is in order to “invest” in what we are going to buy. We find in the market the existence of ukuleles of approximately 600 pesos up, if you ask me if any of those will last, I will say no, because generally the wood used is of the lowest quality. It will sound good but usually wear out soon. The wood, the decoration and the loudness is what puts the price on the ukulele. Here the phrase clearly applies “Cheap is expensive”.

4.- The activities I do

Take this point into account as the depending on the activities will be the type of ukulele you should choose. He wooden ukulele It requires certain care and can be somewhat delicate to take them to the beach or to very humid places, also for the little ones who barely get involved in a musical world it is recommended an ukulele that is resistant to shocks. For these cases it is widely recommended acrylic ukulele since they are submersible in water and are more resistant to the blows that we could give if we are very careless.

5.- My likes

At the end of these points if you have already discarded a thousand ukuleles and you are left with only two or three, it will be because you do not decide on the design, the color or the sound that it produces. You must keep in mind that it is an instrument that will last you a long time and therefore the design, its decoration and the sound will have to be something that you like very much. If you have a lot of trouble with this I recommend that you go by which one sounds best for you and choose the one of wood color, because they are a classic design that combines with everything.