Whether you are looking for a cost-effective, professional, or user-friendly best ukuleles to buy on the market, this guide will help you find your best pick.
Our list of the top 10 best ukuleles features top-notch instruments based on different aspects. And like mentioned above, there is something for everyone regardless of your playability level.
Buying Guide
Before choosing between different ukulele models, we thought you could use some buying advice. When it comes finding your best or the overall best ukulele on the market, there are several factors that need utmost consideration.
The following explained factors are some of the most important things you need to consider when buying a ukulele.
Design
The design of a ukulele plays a significant role in its sound production than any other feature. This means that the material used to make a ukulele significantly affects the sound of the instrument in one way or another.
For instance, soprano ukuleles feature darker woods design, which highly contributes to their sound quality. On the other hand, brighter woods work better when used on baritone and tenor ukuleles.
Nevertheless, the best sound from any ukulele is completely subjective to your preferences.
Voicing
After construction, the next thing you should factor in is the voicing of ukuleles. As you may know, all ukuleles sound different depending on several factors. But with the soprano ukulele being the most common one, it might be easy to get confused especially if you are a beginner.
Categorically, there are three different types of ukuleles, including the soprano, baritone, and the concert. The sound produced by ukuleles under each of the three categories is different because of several factors.
These factors include the ukulele’s body size, re-entrant tuning or not, and the type of strings on the ukulele. Because the primary function of ukuleles is to deliver the best sounds based on your preferences, then you need to seriously factor in the instrument’s voicing.
With that in mind, below are our list of the top 10 best ukuleles to buy on the market.
READ ALSO: 10 Best Online Ukulele Songs
1. Mahalo Soprano Ukulele
Evidently, the Mahalo soprano ukulele is one of the most famous and preferred ukuleles globally. One the thing to love about this Sengon-built ukulele is its favorable asking price.
To some people, cheap is usually low quality but that isn’t the case here at all. The Mahalo soprano ukulele features impressive build quality, voicing and makes enhances the fun in playing a ukulele.
Like the name, the voicing of this uke is soprano and it features four nylon strings. Because it’s completely natural and has no electric enhancements, the Mahalo soprano ukulele gives you natural and vibrant tunes.
Although you might not see it around many professionals, the Mahalo soprano ukulele does sound decent, maintain good tuning, and is very durable. Moreover, this uke comes in different styles and colours and you can find one that suits both your style and playability skills.
2. The Kala KA-SBG Baritone Ukulele
Kala is an industry-leading name in the ukulele world. They combine different, high-quality woods to create elegant and voice-worthy ukuleles. Kala have been around for a significant time and their reputation simply precedes them.
As a baritone ukulele, the Kala KA-SBG ukulele delivers efficiently where needed. It features a 30.5†body (baritone) with a mahogany lamination on its backside. On top of this ukulele is a solid spruce, which gives you a classic design when combined with the mahogany lamination.
It is large and delivers both powerful and beautiful sounds for you to enjoy all the time. One thing to love about this uke’s sound is that it gets even better with time. This is thanks to its solid hardware build that favours its tone and your playability as well.
One things is for sure, the Kala KA-SBG baritone is an impressive instrument to have and any level of player can enhance their skills and creativity with this uke.
3. Fender Venice Ukulele
Aside from it being one of the best ukuleles on the market, the Fender Venice ukulele features an attractive and elegant design. So, if you are into the looks when it comes to ukuleles, then you’ll definitely love this beauty.
The construction on this uke features walnut and basswood materials that combine to create something beautiful. Like the Mahalo soprano ukulele, the Fender Venice uke features a soprano voicing, 4 nylon strings, and it isn’t electrical as well.
With a slim ‘C’ neck on its design, the Fender Venice ukulele gives you optimal comfort whenever you play. The only thing we didn’t like about this uke is its construction quality.
Don’t get us wrong, the Fender Venice looks elegant but the build-quality doesn’t give you any significant durability trust.
4. Martin T1K Tenor Ukulele
Unlike the first three options in our top 10 best ukuleles review, this is a bit pricier. The Martine T1K Tenor ukulele is another impressive consideration if you want the best overall uke on the market. However, this is to be expected considering Martin is a well-known brand with a good reputation.
The T1K Tenor ukulele packs impressive sounds made possible by the Tenor voicing and four nylon strings. As for construction, the T1K Tenor uke features solid Koa finishing on both its top and sides. This makes a highly durable ukulele that you can use to play for a prolonged period.
5. Lanikai ACST-B Acacia Ukulele
The Lanikai ACST-B acacia ukulele features a baritone voicing and delivers warm and deep sounds. This Lanikai baritone ukulele does deliver impressive playability regardless of the style of song. However, it works even better if you choose to play slower music on this uke.
As an acacia ukulele, the Lanikai ACST-B features a wider neck and is a bit longer than most models. Hence, it would be best to use this uke if you are an adult because its long build design might be overwhelming for a younger audience.
6. Yamaha Guitalele Ukulele
As you can tell from a part of its name, the Yamaha Guitalele ukulele was designed with guitarists in mind. Currently, it’s considered one of the best guitarists ukuleles on the market.
It is affordable, one thing that most users love about it. As for the build quality, this uke features a Maranti finish on both its back and sides, as well as a spruce top. Clearly it doesn’t get more natural than this.
The voicing is baritone and this uke comes with 6 nylon strings and doesn’t feature any electric enhancements. Because it’s from a guitar inspiration, the Yamaha Guitalele has better bass and thick tones than most ukes.
But if you are a ukulele purist, this one won’t be a top-notch experience. It works well if you like to diversify your creativity or if you are a guitarist. Nevertheless, the Guitalele from Yamaha does feature a wide range playability and you can still enhance your playing skills using it.
7. Ukutune UKE1 23†Concert Ukulele
This is our first concert type ukulele on our top 10 best ukuleles to buy on the market review. The Ukutune UKE1 has a great build quality, which is one area that it mostly excels in when comparing it to other models.
Similarly, the finishing on this instrument is even more natural with Ebony back, sides, and a spruce body. Thanks to a walnut fingerboard construction, the Ukutune UKE1 ukulele delivers great tone across its fretboard.
If you are planning to move away from your first uke, the Ukutune UKE1 23†concert ukulele is a great step towards your goals.
8. Cordoba 15cm Concert Ukulele
Measuring 14.5†in scale length, this is a great upgrade from an entry-level ukulele. The Cordoba 15cm ukulele features a Rosewood fingerboard and natural finishes consisting of a mahogany neck and body.
From our point of view, this is what a beginner who has outgrown their first uke needs. The tone produced by this uke is decent and its affordable price makes it a good deal to have.
9. Fender Grace VanderWaal Zuma Signature
This is the second concert type ukulele on the list and the first electric type on the list. Moving on, the VanderWaal Zuma signature ukulele comes with 4 nylon strings. The top, back and sides of this uke all feature Sapele finishes.
That finish gives this uke an attractive design and you can easily afford it thanks to its favourable asking price. It features a Fender headstock modelled on the uke’s Telecaster and a Fishman pickup.
This means that you can play the Fender Grace VanderWaal Zuma Signature unplugged or through a PA and amplifiers. Regardless of your choice, this uke sounds well on all the applicable situations. That’s why this uke is mostly preferred by or recommended to gigging musicians.
As for playability, the VanderWaal Zuma Signature offers better fingering capabilities because it’s a concert type ukulele. Therefore, it works really well especially if you have big fingers.
10. The Luna Dolphin Concert Ukulele
Luna is a recognizable brand when it comes to elegant looking and attractive ukuleles. And this Luna Dolphin concert ukulele isn’t different from their masterpieces. Its playability is decent as well and any level of player would be fond of playing this Luna dolphin concert ukulele.
Due to its all maple construction, the Luna dolphin concert ukulele delivers crisp and vibrant tones. Overall, the sound this uke produces is decent enough for its price range. Additionally, you can amplify the sound projection of the Luna Dolphin ukulele acoustically, made possible by a built-in 1/4†output jack on this uke.
