I think you will agree with me when I say: Choosing the right ukulele can be tricky, especially if you’re new to the tool. You will find a great variety on the market and deciding which is the best for you can be a challenge.
Smaller than an ordinary guitar, it also differs in its unmistakable sound reminiscent of the slightly languid sweetness of the Hawaiian islands, from which this instrument originates.
Although there are different types, the best known is the soprano, not surprisingly the most present in our ranking of the best ukuleles of the year. Here we will be listing the top 14 best tenor ukuleles.
- Gig Bag - Satin Natural Mahogany
- Tenor Ukulele Bundle with Strap
- Tuner
- Johnson, Frederick (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 109 Pages - 07/12/2020 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Upclaire, Peter (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 99 Pages - 11/29/2022 (Publication Date)
- ♫ Features with all solid mahogany, especially the head, neck, and center back are one-piece of mahogany wood, makes the ukulele...
- ♫ There is a unique hand-made inlay on the richlite fingerboard, makes this ukulele luxurious and worth to be one of your...
- ♫ Each ukulele comes with an AcousticPlus pickup system, you could get a reverb, chorus, and delay functions without connecting...
- ♫ Super thin varnish wiping process during 18 days let the ukulele sound could be released much full and the wood grain will be...
- ♫ Bundled with J87 tenor strings and 1:18 die-casting tuners to keep the ukulele stay in tune for a longer time.
- Acoustic-electric Ukulele with Teak/Mahogany Top
- Tenor size with ¾ body depth
- Custom fretboard inlays and back engravings
- Painted tops with matching 4-in-line Strat headstocks
- Fender-designed preamp system
- Custom gig bag
- Kala Ukulele, known for high-quality instruments, is the most recognized and sought-after ukulele brand in the world. Kala...
- The kit includes a Kala logo tote bag, a 20-page Quick Start Guide with information about your new ukulele, and all the tips you...
- It includes a high-quality Mahogany Tenor Ukulele with traditional Polynesian Shark Teeth laser etched rosette, Aquila strings...
- What makes the ukulele a great instrument to begin on is that you don?t need a lot of accessories to be successful. We can help...
- Kala ukuleles are played by some of the most renowned players around the world including: twenty one pilots, Vance Joy, dodie,...
- 🎅[Well Made Durable Mahogany Craftsmanship] Donner tenor ukulele with a smooth mahogany body produces a crisp and pleasant...
- 🎅[Warm Rich Sound] Donner Ukulele Mahogany top body and neck bring you a much richer, brighter, and warmer sound; High-density...
- 🎅[Become a Better Player, Faster] Tenor ukulele bundle pack includes a tenor ukulele, gig bag, strap, tuner, 4 extra Aquila...
- 🎄[Easy to Play Your Christmas Songs] Get started with Donner 26-inch ukulele and professional free ONLINE VIDEO lessons for...
- 🎄[Easy to Tune] Donner patented chrome-plated guitar-style tuners increase accuracy and keep the ukulele always in tune....
- 4 MB
- No hands needed
- Accurate
- Auto detect notes
- Display closest notes from both sides
- Pages: 48
- Instrumentation: Ukulele
- Craig Brandau (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 48 Pages - 12/01/2012 (Publication Date) - Hal Leonard (Publisher)
- Gig Bag - Satin Natural Mahogany
- Tenor Ukulele Bundle with Strap
- Tuner
- Ideal Gift: Are you interested in playing guitar or just like music? Do you want to pick up an instrument? Ulumac 26 inch ukulele...
- Easy to Play: The soft Italian carbon strings and ultra low action (string height) are easy to play. Brass gear tuners with good...
- Ingenious Craftsmanship: The arc design of back increases the ukulele box space, a benefit for the resonance and penetrating of...
- Solid Top Ukulele: The headstock and soundboard of our 26 inch ukulele are made of Mahogany solid wood while the sides and back...
- Perfect Set: The package comes with ukulele, carrying case, digital tuner (not included battery), replacing strings, strap and...
- Solid acacia top, back, and sides
- Handmade with Spanish heel neck joint and fan bracing, with a wider fingerboard for easy playability
- Rosewood bridge, binding, and fingerboard with abalone rosette
- Soft cutaway with L.R. Baggs Five.O pickup
- Includes Cordoba tenor polyfoam case
- Tenor size with ¾ body depth
- Custom fretboard inlays and back engravings
- Painted tops with matching 4-in-line Strat headstocks
- Fender-designed preamp system
- Custom gig bag
Things to Consider Before Buying Best Tenor Ukuleles
To choose a good model, it is good to pay attention to the quality of materials, user reviews, which indicate without fail if the sound is good, and the reputation of the manufacturer.
In this regard, some specialized houses such as Mahalo, aNueNue, Kala, mahiMahi, Ohana, are considered the best brands, in addition to the significant guitar manufacturers such as Fender, Ibanez and Yamaha.
For Beginners and For Those Who Already Know how To Play
On the online marketplace, you will find mostly ukuleles designed for beginners. Equipped with lower mechanics than the professional ones, on the other hand, they cost much less.
Wanting to compare prices, we can say that the low end is around 100 euros. To have something more, you must, therefore, go up to more expensive models, on the 300 euros, to arrive at prices of over 1000 euros in case you want the maximum.
Reading the various comments left by consumers, if you stay on the big brand ones, you can still find something acceptable in the economy. Even these instruments are made with beautiful wood and proper mechanics, the two characteristics that ensure, together with the strings and the case, the sound quality.
Electrified and Not
The ukulele has also often been used in jazz and pop, so it is not surprising that there are around electrified or electrifiable models, to which generally add a microphone and an amplifier.
Unfortunately, it must be said that the most common online ones hardly have these characteristics, perhaps because they are mainly used to make gifts or start learning. Rock and roll fans may, therefore, be disappointed to find that they have to spend more money to find an instrument worthy of their attention.
An excellent guide must also mention the weight of the tool – not to be overlooked if you want to carry it around – and the handling. Not all models are, in fact, the same, as confirmed by the comments of those who bought and played them.
The Other Types
Going down the chromatic scale, in addition to the soprano, there are four other types, gradually more massive in size. We will find, in order, the concert, the tenor, the baritone and the bass.
While with the soprano it is more than possible to make rhythmic accompaniment, with the show and the tenor it is possible to perform real melodic lines and improvise solos, arriving with the bass to be able to keep a rhythmic track.
On a practical level, another difference is related to space for the fingers, which will be tremendously reduced in the soprano to increase gradually in the other registers.
Finally, don’t forget the aesthetics. The ukulele is also a lovely gift and a perfect ornamental object, which often shows itself on the fireplace or in the living room; better therefore that it is in precious wood, and elegantly finished.
On the right, you can scroll the menu with advice on other string instruments: various types of guitars, basses and accessories. But we also have other pages dedicated to flutes, pan flutes, digital keyboards, etc. Discover them on our website!
Tool for Beginners
This ukulele is part of Mahalo’s Rainbow series, one of the most valuable companies in the sector. His stringed instruments are very famous. But there is no lack of the entry-level line such as the Rainbow. The availability of eleven colours characterizes the series, to think of it more than those of the Rainbow chosen for the name.
In our case, it is a white ukulele, but the choice is full and does not involve price differences.
If we talked about an entry-level instrument, it is because it is clear from the beginning to whom the MR1 WT is addressed, that is, who is learning or wants to learn to play this particular instrument. So don’t expect spectacular sound.
The Strings Are to Be Changed.
The body of the instrument is made of wood, discreet in quality but nothing more. The weak point, in our opinion, lies above all in the rather cheap ropes.
The suggestion is to change them at the first opportunity by replacing them with others of better artistry, even if the less demanding could also be satisfied with what they have on hand or, to be more precise, under the fingers.
The handle seems well made, quite smooth and free of defects worthy of being brought to light here.
It was probably to be expected, but the mechanics are not that reliable. It is a rather common problem in economic instruments.
Tuning holds long enough, but accuracy isn’t easy to achieve. We specify that we speak of perfectly tuned strings and the musician who seeks this does not even stop to read what is written here because it would certainly focus on more professional instruments.
Custody
If we consider the very negligible cost of this instrument, the presence of a case, although not exceptional, can only be appreciated.
We feel that we appreciate Mahalo’s effort, beyond the intrinsic quality of the instrument, to try to get the device into the hands of those who, in different numbers, would never have dreamed of buying one. Maybe the MK1 will be a springboard to other higher-level models.
Someone pointed out, complaining, about the absence of the shoulder strap, or rather the impossibility of using the shoulder strap except to do a little work on the instrument. We welcome and bring to the attention of our readers this shortcoming, but at the same time we point out that for this instrument you can easily do without it, even playing on your feet.