Picking the best ukulele for beginners that will help you learn how to play uke can be tough. Good beginner ukuleles are made out tonewoods and are setup so they are easy to play. Don’t feel bad if you don’t know what to look for. That’s why we wrote this review.
When you start looking for your first ukulele, there are a few things that you should look for in a beginner uke. Here are the main things:
- Build quality
- Wood and materials
- Size
- Extras included: cases, bags, straps
Learning the ukulele is so much fun. It’s a completely different instrument than the guitar, but it shares a lot of similar features and finger patterns with the guitar. That’s why it’s so easy for guitarists to pick it up, but you don’t have to be a guitarist to learn. The uke is a great instrument for anyone.
Let’s check out some of the most popular, top-rated beginners ukuleles on the market today!
Compare the Top 9 Beginner Ukuleles in 2020
Contents
- 1 Compare the Top 9 Beginner Ukuleles in 2020
- 1.1 Luna Tattoo Beginners Ukulele with Gig Bag
- 1.2 Cordoba Protégé U100CM Beginner Ukulele
- 1.3 Lohanu Ukulele Beginner Kit
- 1.4 Cordoba Starter Ukulele
- 1.5 Flea Entry Level Ukulele
- 1.6 Bondi Beginner Ukulele Bundle
- 1.7 Kala KAA-15S Uke for Beginners
- 1.8 Pyle Pro PUKT55 Beginning Ukulele
- 1.9 Mitchell MU40 First Ukulele
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here’s a list of the best ukuleles for beginners that sound great, are easy to play, and will get you playing ukulele in no time.
- Luna Tattoo Beginners Ukulele
- Cordoba Protégé U100CM Beginner Ukulele
- Lohanu Ukulele Beginner Kit
- Cordoba Starter Ukulele
- Flea Entry Level Ukulele
- Bondi Beginner Ukulele Bundle
- Kala KAA-15S Uke for Beginners
- Pyle Pro PUKT55 Beginning Ukulele
- Mitchell MU40 First Ukulele
Luna Tattoo Beginners Ukulele with Gig Bag
Specs, features, and benefits
Luna Tattoo Concert ukulele is beautifully shaped and colored ukulele made of the finest mahogany, with Hawaiian ornaments on its body, which would help you experience real Hawaiian feel. The fretboard is made of Rosewood.
It is very light, weighs only 1.3 pounds, which makes it pretty useful if you intend to travel a lot and want to carry good music with you. Luna Mahogany ukulele features Open Gear Tuners and it comes with a Gig Bag, which is very nice.
Pros and Highlights
- Beautiful design – a combination of rosewood, mahogany, and traditional Hawaiian tattoo design makes this ukulele very pretty and it could be an awesome gift for beginners
- It produces very nice sound, allowing you to deliver the music you wanted to viewers and listeners
- Comes with a gig bag.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Smaller than usual concert ukuleles – the size could bother some experienced players, who are used to playing a bit larger instruments during their concerts;
- Thin body – the wood is very thin, so it could crack if you are not careful enough, which could lead to you having to pay for repairs.
Bottom line
All in all, Luna Tattoo Concert Mahogany ukulele is a very nice instrument, beautifully crafted, designed to deliver the true feel of Hawaii, while, at the same time, offering very high-quality sound. All of that makes it a perfect choice not just for beginners, but for regular players a well.
Cordoba Protégé U100CM Beginner Ukulele
Specs, features, and benefits
Protégé by Cordoba U100CM ukulele is regular-sized concert ukulele, which is beautifully made. Its top and back, as well as the sides, are made of the finest mahogany wood, while instrument’s bridge and fingerboard are made of rosewood.
Cordoba is famous for delivering high-quality instruments to the new players, who want to learn how to play ukuleles, and this product is no different. It is both very well designed and comfortable, which makes it easier for new people to learn.
Apart from that, it comes with a gig bag, which could save you some money on buying one for yourself, which, again, is very useful to young people.
Pros and Highlights
- Value for money – it offers very high-quality sound, with both fit and finishes being great while being very easy to tune. All this at the price which is not so high at all
- A gig bag is included – which is especially good for newcomers. It isn’t a top quality bag, but it gets the job done.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Buzz sounds – some people reported strange buzz sounds on some E and G strings, so it could require a bit of tuning to fix it;
- It is very light – which makes it ideal for beginners.
Bottom line
Despite having some buzzing issues, which are easily fixed by a bit of tuning, Protégé by Cordoba U100CM is a great instrument, especially for beginners, but could also benefit already experienced players, who would want to get a great instrument for a very accessible price.
Lohanu Ukulele Beginner Kit
Specs, features, and benefits
Ukulele Concert Size Bundle from Lohanu is an excellent choice for beginners! You will find everything you need here, at the accessible price.
Ukulele is standard concert size, capable of delivering high-quality tones. It is 24 inches long and it is made of mixed wood material. The top is made a combination of sapele and mahogany, as well as back, neck and the sides, while the fingerboard is made of technical wood. Ukulele also features the very best Aquila strings.
Apart from that, the package includes everything else you may need, such as two sets of strap buttons, the reserve set of strings, paracord hanger, and handcrafted ABS bindings. And as a special flavor to the cake come the video lessons, for new players.
Pros and Highlights
- Value for money – the package includes a lot of things at a very reasonable price, which is important for young people and beginners.
- Great-looking ukulele, which is capable of delivering very high-quality sounds.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Weird intonation – some people reported off intonation in the neck area, which would require some tuning.
- Workmanship – if not careful enough, you might lose ukulele’s neck, because there could be a weak spot where the neck joins the rest of the instrument.
Bottom line
Despite having several issues, Lohanu Ukulele Concert Size Bundle is a great way for you to start playing the ukulele, because it includes everything you may need, from the ukulele itself to video tutorials, some reserve parts in case you need them, while still offering high-quality sound at the reasonable price.
Cordoba Starter Ukulele
Specs, features, and benefits
Cordoba 15TM Tenor ukulele is similar to the 15CM, which is the best-selling Cordoba ukulele. What makes 15TM different is that it is tenor ukulele, which makes it a bit larger than its concert counterpart. That itself is a good choice for the people who don’t like smaller versions of Cordoba ukuleles,
It is a beautifully crafted instrument with top, back and sides made of the finest mahogany, which gives this ukulele very high-quality sound. What separates this ukulele from the other in the same price range is details like rosette in abalone style and ivoroid fingerboard, as well as silver tuners which have pearl-looking buttons. And, of course, Aquila strings, which are the main characteristic of every Cordoba Ukulele.
In case you would want this ukulele, but prefer concert sized ones, there is one available, which has the same characteristics and the only thing which is different is that it comes in concert size (15CM-E EB).
Pros and Highlights
- Great sound, which makes this ukulele very popular amongst both beginners and already experienced players, who want to deliver high-quality sound to their audience.
- Beautiful design and very comfortable setup make this ukulele perfect for newcomers to the ukulele world of music.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- It takes a bit of a time to tune it up and fix the strings, in order to achieve the tone you want.
Bottom line
Once again, we got very high-quality ukulele from Cordoba, with everything every beginner would need. Beautiful design, perfect size, so you wouldn’t get tired quickly and acceptable price makes 15TM ukulele one of the best choices for beginners.
Flea Entry Level Ukulele
Specs, features, and benefits
People who are new to ukuleles often tend to say how it is just another type of guitar, but when you take a look at the FLEA ukulele, you will see why it is not just a guitar.
Beautifully shaped and crafted, this ukulele made in the USA delivers very high-quality sound and offers great comfort to players. After all, Magic Fluke is known to make excellent products!
Although it’s a concert sized, it is very light. Its neck is made of maple and it is equipped with Grover tuners and fingerboard made of polycarbonate material, which makes this ukulele very durable and helps it deliver very high-quality tone, while still maintaining its simplistic looks.
Pros and Highlights
- Beautiful design – it has a very natural finish, along with very high-quality parts and it offers great comfort to players while maintaining the excellent sound.
- Lightweight – the perfect combination of the best materials helps this ukulele be very light, but also very durable, which is useful to have if you intend to travel with it.
- Gig bag included – it comes with a gig bag, which is pretty understandable when you look at the price itself.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Price – the price could be considered a bit high, especially for the beginners, who are usually younger people, who don’t have that much to spend on their first instrument.
Bottom line
Despite being a bit pricier, FLEA Natural Concert ukulele is one of the best products currently on the market, because it offers very high-quality sounds, very unique, durable and beautiful design, which make it a perfect choice for people who are aiming for the best quality ukuleles.
Bondi Beginner Ukulele Bundle
Specs, features, and benefits
If you are not experienced ukulele player, you will probably need some help to get started and learn how to play it. This ukulele starter kit is a great way of doing it because it includes 15 free bonuses.
So, first of all, you would get high-quality concert ukulele made by Bondi, which has engraved sound hole. It has the Aquilla strings, which are known to be some of the best strings on the market. Apart from that, this ukulele has a tuner that can function in dark, which makes it ideal for romantic midnight plays. Another very useful thing is a leather strap, used to help you hold the ukulele.
So, what else is there? Well, you would get some very neat bonus items. There are 11 video tutorials, all in HD, which could help you learn to play ukulele faster. Along with that comes free skype lesson taught by a professional ukulele player. Apart from all that, you get free note stickers, lifetime warranty, money-back guarantee, as well as free compression case and tote bag used for carrying all these bonus items.
Pros and Highlights
- Excellent ukulele – despite being starter kit, ukulele you get is very nice and of high-quality, capable of delivering very neat tones.
- A large amount of bonus content – this pack contains basically everything you would need to start learning to play the ukulele and much more.
- Lifetime warranty and 30-days money back guarantee, to ensure that people who are not satisfied could be well compensated.
- All-time customer support – constant customer support from Bondi that works 24/7 and 365 days a year.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Guide on video lessons not included.
Bottom line
This starter kit from Bondi is one of the best deals you would get on the market. It includes almost everything you may need to start learning how to play the ukulele, which makes it a perfect choice or a gift for complete beginners.
Kala KAA-15S Uke for Beginners
Specs, features, and benefits
Kala Mahogany KAA-15S Soprano ukulele is one of the best ones from KAA series. Its body and neck are made of mahogany, with walnut fingerboard and nut and saddle being GraphTech NuBone, while the finish is made of the finest satin.
All that helps this ukulele deliver very nice and sharp tones, which is very important for not just beginners, but also for experienced players as well.
Since it is soprano sized ukulele, it is very light and durable, which makes it an ideal choice for traveling gigs.
Pros and Highlights
- Affordable – with the price of $60, it is very affordable, but still high-quality ukulele, which is good for beginners, who are usually students or young people who don’t have too much money to spend.
- Beautiful design – very well-crafted ukulele, which is both comfortable and pretty, to make your experience even better.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- The finishing could be better – some customers reported having bad finishing. It really depends on what are your expectations.
Bottom line
KAA-15S is a very good choice for beginners because it is a very affordable instrument which is beautifully crafted and it is capable of producing high-quality sounds while being comfortable at the same time. It does require a bit of tune tweaking, but it doesn’t ruin the experience, especially if you are the beginner.
Pyle Pro PUKT55 Beginning Ukulele
Specs, features, and benefits
Just look at that design! Simply beautiful! This ukulele is probably one of the prettiest ones on the market. Made of solid mahogany wood, it is very durable and capable of delivering very high-quality tones. Its neck is 13.7” long, made of walnut, which is the case with fingerboard and bridge as well.
It features traditional gCEA tuning, which means you would be able to play almost every song you want with a bit of tuning. That, along with 4 Aquilla strings, makes this ukulele very good choice for both beginners and experts who are looking for cheaper, but also high-quality ukuleles.
Apart from that, it includes die-cast machine head tuners, which gives you the advantage of producing more precise pitch.
Pros and Highlights
- Beautiful design – this is probably one of the best-looking ukuleles on the market, with very nice light and dark brown colors and engravings, while still maintaining its durability.
- Affordable – since this is considered both expert and beginner’s ukulele, we can certainly say that it is very affordable while offering very high-quality tones at the same time.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- It can be a bit tricky to tune it the right way, so sometimes you have to adjust the tones more frequently.
Bottom line
Despite being very cheap, this ukulele is a great choice for both beginners and experts alike, who do not have too much money to spend on top-quality instruments. And this is one of the most beautiful ukuleles on the market, so there is really no reason not to try it, especially if you are a beginner.
Mitchell MU40 First Ukulele
Specs, features, and benefits
Mitchell MU40 Soprano ukulele is soprano sized ukulele made of high-quality Lindenwood. It comes with white ABS binding and fingerboard is made of bound rosewood, while the bridge is made of rosewood as well.
It features open-gear tuners, which has that vintage style feeling. Apart from that, the instructional booklet is also included, which could help you if you are new to playing ukuleles. Its finish is very beautiful and natural, which could satisfy everyone.
Pros and Highlights
- Value for money – it is very affordable ukulele, which manages to maintain its quality sound, which makes it a good choice for beginners.
- Beautiful design – it is a very well-crafted instrument, which is light and comfortable in hands, which helps you not to tire too soon.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Strings – they are not too bad, but most people who tried this ukulele suggest that you should replace strings with better ones.
Bottom line
Despite having some string issues, MU40 is very good soprano sized ukulele, which is both very affordable and capable of delivering high-quality sound, while being very comfortable and well-designed at the same time, which makes it a good choice for every beginner.
What We Recommend and Why
It wasn’t an easy choice to pick one out of these 9 ukulele and ukulele bundles as the best choice, but we did it and our choice is Lohanu Concert Size Bundle.
We picked this bundle over the others because it offers everything beginner needs in order to start learning how to play the ukulele at a very affordable price.
It offers very high-quality ukulele with premium Aquilla strings and comfortable design. Apart from that, you get some extra features, such as leather straps, paracord hanger, lifetime warranty, the best customer support and, of course, free ukulele video tutorials, which is very useful for beginners. And all that for just $90.