Best Beginner Ukulele

I have taught hundreds, yes hundreds (no exaggeration), of beginning ukulele students and get asked all the time about what instrument they should buy. There are a lot of great ukuleles out there, many at reasonable prices, but my top pick for beginners is the Enya Nova U concert-sized ukulele for the following reasons:

1. It plays great, with a good action and a very nice tone (better tone than the soprano and tenor versions IMHO).
2. It is nearly indestructible. I left one of these in my car all year in 2021 with temperatures in the car exceeding a hundred in Summer and below freezing in Winter. It has been stepped on multiple times by my son and wife. After all this it still cleans up, tunes up and plays great, with no signs of body or neck warping.
3. Concert size is great for most body sizes and it comes with strap buttons installed (beginners have enough to worry about without learning to juggle the ukulele while playing it).
4. You can always invest in a really nice wooden model of ukulele after you learn the ropes and know what to look for.
5. The cost is really reasonable. They go for about ninety at the time of this writing, but I’ve seen them go on sale at times for eighty. No, this is not the cheapest, but I feel the value is stellar.

Most Accurate Ukulele Tuner

A tuner for fifteen bucks that has an accuracy of +/- 1 cent? I’ve bought two of these and use them regularly. I’ve been through many tuners over the last decade and none of them beat the simplicity and accuracy of the Fishman FT-2 … and when you’re trying to tune a whole class of ukuleles, fast, simple and accurate is important.

Best Ukulele Pick Ever

I hope to do a full video review on this later, as I had an injury that made me look at ukulele picks again more closely to relieve stress on my right index finger. I have tried lots of picks over the years (plastic, felt, leather, rubber), but I’ve never found one that was practical and sounded natural on the ukulele … that all changes with Honu Picks, which have a unique leather design that sounds more like a finger than anything else I have tried. Not everyone needs a pick, but if you do, these are simply amazing.

Best Overall Ukulele

Ha! There is no one-size-fits all ukulele that is best for all people in all situations. There is no substitute for going to a good ukulele store or festival and personally trying out every ukulele you can get your hands on. What should you look for? A good ukulele has …

1. A good build, with no warping in the body or neck.
2. Accurate fret placement, so the ukulele is in tune with itself. Frets should also be finished off properly with no sharp edges.
3. Has a good tone (highly subjective – you love it when you play it).
4. Aesthetically pleasing.
5. Well-adjusted nut and saddle for good action (these can be adjusted by a luthier if it has all the above going for it).

There is such variability between hand-made instruments that it is impossible to recommend a particular make or manufacturer. I’ve played inexpensive ukuleles that looked the same where one sang and the other sounded like a brick with strings tied to it. The same is true of expensive ukuleles; I’ve played some with lofty price tags that had no projection, no tone, bad fretwork …

For those that don’t have access to a good local store, the best you can do is read the reviews and hope for the best, but don’t be afraid to return an instrument that doesn’t speak to you and try again.

Best Ukulele Strings

Double ha! Nothing is more debatable than which strings are the best. I personally like fluorocarbon strings (many brands, one material) and Daniel Ho’s PHD strings come in a variety of configurations if you’re looking for a standard or unusual set up, and are reasonably priced. Beyond that, it is all experimentation and personal preference. I find no area of ukulele lore more frustrating than string selection. Sometimes I think it isn’t that important, and other times it feels like a new set of strings has given new life to what I thought was a clunky instrument.

Favorite Ukulele Accessory

By far, my favorite ukulele accessory is the String Swing … I have over twenty of these mounted around the house with various ukuleles on display. They keep the ukuleles handy and quickly accessible (without being in danger of being sat or stepped on) … the more readily available a ukulele is, the more it will get played.

Wishing you the best in 2022!

I hope you take joy in your ukuleles and the folk around you!

Post filed under All UkulelePlay! Blog Posts.