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.
- [Well Made Durable Mahogany Craftsmanship] Donner tenor ukulele with a smooth mahogany body produces a crisp and pleasant sound....
- [Warm Rich Sound] Donner Ukulele Mahogany top body and neck bring you a much richer, brighter, and warmer sound; High-density bone...
- [Become a Better Player, Faster] Tenor ukulele bundle pack includes a tenor ukulele, gig bag, strap, tuner, 4 extra Aquila nylon...
- [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. Digital...
- Better Sound: Known for its fuller and a bit louder, the KOA acacia wood infuses our tenor ukulele with a warm and resonant...
- Unparalleled Artistry: 200+ Sanding steps and 100% hand-rubbed color immerse yourself in the allure of meticulous craftsmanship....
- Precision in Every Note: Elevate your tuning experience with imported nickel-plated ferrous metal knobs and 21:1 pure copper...
- Resilience & Radiance: Strum with confidence, as our carbon strings offer exceptional durability and resistance to humidity and...
- Versatility Perfected: Whether you're a beginner venturing into the world of melodies or a seasoned pro seeking excellence, our...
- [Rich & Warm Tone] Tenor ukulele crafted from the mahogany body provides a clearer and warmer tonality to the ukulele. Fuller and...
- [Exquisite Appearance] 26 inch tenor ukulele combines the high-polished Mahogany for the smooth body & C shape neck. Lightweight &...
- [Comfortable Feel] Low action design deducts string pressure, pressing feels very comfortable under the fingers, thus pretty...
- [Easy Tuning & Stay in Tune] Anti-dust chromed plated fully closed tuning pegs guarantee accurate tuning and keep the ukulele...
- [All in One Set] Tenor ukulele starter kit includes tenor ukulele, gig bag, tuner, extra strings, fast learn book, 3 picks, capo...
- High-Quality Construction: The ukulele is crafted from Sapele wood, offering mahogany-like warmth with enhanced high-end...
- Premium Strings: Fitted with Aquila strings, made from Nylgut in Italy, this ukulele holds its tune longer and produces a soft,...
- Complete Starter Kit: Includes a padded carry case, spare Aquila strings, an adjustable strap, a clip-on tuner, and a cleaning...
- Ideal for All Levels: Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, this ukulele kit offers quality and versatility, making...
- Attention to Detail: Designed with a focus on quality and durability, the RockJam Premium Ukulele Starter Kit ensures a satisfying...
- ✅[Fine Workmenship] Selected smooth AAA African mahogany body produces bright and warm sound. Open style finish with 9-cycle...
- ✅[Rich and Warm Sound] As the largest size in ukuleles, 26 inch ukulele produces warmer and richer sound than other size...
- ✅[Precise Tuning] Quality tuning pegs guarantee smoother and more accurate tuning. Chrome-plated sealed design is anti-dust and...
- ✅[Considerate Design] Low action deducts string pressure to make it feel comfortable when pressing strings under the fingers,...
- ✅[Practical Beginner Kit] Vangoa mahogany ukulele prepares guide book for getting started, extra strings with number label for...
- Round-edged Body: We've elevated the ergonomic designing elements of this brand new Enya Nova tenor ukulele. The body edge is...
- Hand-installed Semi-Hemi Frets End: The frets are upgraded to metal material this time, with rounded edges. They never wear, and...
- Carbon Fiber Composite Ukuleles: This Nova U Pro tenor ukulele comes with our enhanced carbon fiber composite material, as well as...
- Impervious to Temperature & Humidity Changes: We build for you to take it on travels, from chilling at Venice Beach to take a...
- Free Color-match Accessories: Free custom case made of EVA material. Extra strings, color-matching capo and strap are included....
- Unparalleled Craftsmanship: To ensure excellent tone and smooth neck design. So lankro ukulele manufacturing process is extremely...
- Riches up Your Sound: Lankro ukulele solid mahogany soundboard have undergone a long period of drying to achieve the best...
- Easy to Tune: Lankro has the great collaboration with High-grade brass opening tuner with the stable feature. With digital clip-on...
- All-in-One Starter Set: Lankro 26 inches ukulele tenor comes with padded gig bag, lankro beginner ukulele book,tuner, capo, strap,...
- Perfect Gift: Padded gig bag and exterior pocket for easy comfortable carry and well protection for ukelele, which is a decent...
- 26 inch Tenor Ukulele with Okoume Neck and Headstock - Rosewood Finger Board and Bridge
- Includes a padded fabric Ukelele Gig Bag
- Elegant Sapele Ukele top
- 12 Online Uke Lessons
- Aquila Strings
- EXOTIC HIGH GLOSS ZEBRA WOOD BODY - Caramel CT103 26 inch Tenor Ukeleles are made of Zebrawoods and edge framed by xylonite makes...
- ONE STEP TO AN UKULELE PLAYER - Do you want to learn to play Ukulele? This starter Ukelele kit gets you started! Comes with: 1x 26...
- UNMATCHED UKULELE - 3 bands EQ built in tuner with LCD color display,ready this one-of-a-kind acoustic-electric for...
- HIGH QUALITY - Start your musican journey with a real wood ukulele ,stop buying PLASTIC TOYS !Tenor ukuleles, 26 inch size is...
- PROFESSIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE- The Caramel team has years of industry experience and is committed to providing you with...
- ROOMY FRETBOARD: This uke's larger tenor-sized body exhibits an impressive level of projection and volume, making it perfect for...
- DYNAMIC RANGE: Featuring all-mahogany construction, the 15TM produces a well-balanced tone, with superb dynamic range and pleasant...
- TOP QUALITY WOODS: This handmade tenor ukulele features mahogany top, back, and sides, giving this small bodied ukulele a full,...
- EASY TUNING: Córdoba Silver with Pearl Button Tuners make it a breeze to tune your ukulele. 19 frets with fret position marks at...
- SOLID CRAFTSMANSHIP & ELEGANT DETAILING: Appointments like the 15TM’s abalone-style rosette and cream body and fingerboard...
- Ulumac Sound: The ukulele is crafted from carefully air-dried solid mahogany wood, naturally aged for 10 years. This meticulous...
- Beginner-friendly: The ukulele kit comes with everything you need to get started, including 26 inch tenor ukulele, digital tuner,...
- Stable Tune: Each Ulumac ukulele is carefully tested for tone before shipping to ensure that you receive only simple adjustments...
- Unparalleled Craftsmanship: Ulumac ukuleles feature Italian nylon strings, the fingerboard and lower yoke are meticulously crafted...
- Perfect Present: The Ulumac Ukulele is a meaningful present. Whether you're commemorating a birthday, holiday, or simply want to...
- The world's MOST COST-EFFECTIVE professional ukulele musical instrument. Equipped two-set American-made OEM YB-EJ87C Titanium...
- HIGH CONFIGURATION - 18:1 ratio tuning pegs, excellent strings adjustment, and great stability keep stay in tune when you playing...
- AMAZING COMFORT PLAYING - Horse Tenor Ukulele comes with standard low action and nicely finished frets with no sharp edges so that...
- SUPER HIGH-QUALITY UKULELE ACCESSORIES. If you buy them separately on Amazon will cost you about 40 dollars. The full set of...
- PROFESSIONAL LEVEL. The horse ukulele is suitable for real performances rather than toys. It is suitable for adults and children...
- Gig Bag - Satin Natural Mahogany
- Tenor Ukulele Bundle with Strap
- Kala Ukulele, known for high-quality instruments, is the most recognized and sought after ukulele brand in the world; Kala...
- THE KALA MISSION: Kala Brand Music Co; is one of the fastest growing music companies in the US; We design, manufacture, and build...
- TOP INTONATION: Equipped with an 18:1 ratio tuner machine and high quality carbon string, this ukulele can get in tune and stay in...
- COMFORTABLE TO PLAY : With lower action and carefully sanded frets, this ukulele has superb playability, easy press down the...
- FREE UKULELE ONLINE LESSONS: Kmise ukulele is the instrument of choice for schools - more people learn to play on it. Offer Free...
- A GREAT GIFT FOR MUSIC LOVER - Whether you¡¯re looking for a birthday, Valentine's Day, Christmas or graduation gifts, send this...
- CUSTOMER PROTECTION PLAN: Kmise responsible for every item we sold and do our best to offer the best shopping experience, feel...
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.