Hey, I'm thinking about getting into ukulele this fall but I don't know anything about it. I see tons of models on Amazon and Thomann between 50 and 200€, but I'm not sure which way to go. Are there brands that have become really essential recently or is it just marketing?
Do you have an idea of the style you want to play, or are you just exploring? Honestly at that budget you'll find decent stuff everywhere, the important thing is that the instrument tunes well and the strings aren't too high. Brands like Kala or Mahalo come up a lot for a reason - they make reliable ukuleles without breaking the bank, but honestly a no-name model at €70 can do the job just as well if the customer reviews are solid. What people forget is that a good cheap ukulele is better than an expensive one that discourages you after two weeks, so look mostly at what buyers say rather than trusting the brand name.
Do you actually get a chance to test instruments in a store before buying, or are you pretty much stuck with online? Because honestly, that's the huge difference between a ukulele that's gonna keep you motivated and one that'll turn you off after two weeks.
Budget-wise, don't forget that between $50 and $100 you're mostly getting junk that sounds hollow and has terrible action (string height) to play. It'll just tire out your fingers for nothing. Once you get to $120-150, you start finding stuff that actually holds up. Brands like Kala, Mahalo, or even the smaller Fender lines in that range - that's solid without being crazy marketing hype. It's just that the real entry price really isn't $50, even though you can find it everywhere online.
One thing nobody ever mentions: when you buy online, set aside $30 to go to a local luthier or instrument seller and ask them to dial in the action and tuning. Seriously, a ukulele from Amazon often arrives not quite right, and five minutes of adjustment will completely change how it feels to play. It sounds silly but that's literally what separates "I'm giving up after three sessions" from "I'm sticking with it".
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