If you are looking for the very best soprano ukulele, the absolute top, it would have to be the Martin 5K (generally regarded as the Rolls Royce of ukuleles). Unfortunately, the best 5Ks (the vintage models) can fetch over $10,000 and even the new ones retail for over $5,000. Here are a few ukuleles that might be more in the price range of the average ukulele buyer.

Best Soprano Under $50

The best of the cheap soprano ukuleles is the Makala. As with any cheap ukulele you buy, try to find a seller who is willing to include set up and some good strings within the price of the ukulele (musicguymic on eBay offers this service on all his instruments). On eBay:

Beginner Ukulele: Blue Makala Soprano Uke with Case    US $32.00

MAKALA SOPRANO UKULELE.MK-S setup w Aquilas..See video    US $42.95

MAKALA SOPRANO UKULELE.MK-P setup w Aquilas..See video    US $42.95

Best Soprano under $200

Most ukuleles you'll find for under $200 are laminated (i.e. there is a thin layer of expensive wood on the top and cheaper wood underneath) which affects the tone of the ukulele. The Ohana soprano ukuleles are solid wood which makes them good value for money. My personal favorite ukulele at the moment is my Ohana (although it's a tenor) so I can highly recommend them. On eBay:

Ohana SK-20S Soprano Ukulele Mohagany Top New    US $99.99

Ohana Soprano Ukulele Gig Bag    US $15.00

Ohana SK-10S Soprano Ukulele Great Beginner Student Uke    US $59.99

Best Electric Soprano

The most popular electric soprano ukulele around is the Applause by Ovation. I don't know anyone who has one who doesn't rave about it. On eBay:

Applause UAE20 Acoustic-Electric Deluxe Soprano Ukulele    US $159.00

Applause by Ovation UA10 Mini Applause Soprano Ukulele    US $91.95

NEW Applause UAE20 Electric Deluxe Soprano Ukulele    US $159.00

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I recently bought a Kala Lacewood soprano (which goes by the rather complex name of Kala KA-ASLAS-SP) and I love it. Kala ukuleles have been growing considerably in popularity recently and it's not hard to see why. They have a good coverage of low and mid price ukuleles and they are all well put together and good value. So picking one of them up for myself was a bit of a no-brainer.

Construction

It's not obvious from the name, but the top of the ukulele (the most important part for the tone) is made of solid spruce. Spruce isn't a material traditionally used for ukuleles - it is more common on mandolins - but it gives the ukulele a very punchy tone.

Most of the rest of the ukulele (back, sides and neck) is made of solid lacewood. The big appeal of lacewood is its spotty grain. Which gives this ukulele a great look.

The ukulele is well put together. The finishing is very good (although the glueing between neck and bridge is a little messy.

Sound

The Kala soprano has a great tone to it. It is loud and very forceful. It's sounds great when you're strumming it. I love the sound of it strummed at speed. Here's a clip of me doing just that.

Picking the ukulele doesn't give you quite the same force. It's not terrible, but I find it hard to give it enough force to get a satisfying tone and volume. Here's me doing some picking on the ukulele.

Playability

Again there's a divide between strumming and picking. Strumming feels great. In fact, it's already my favourite strummer.

Picking, however, I find to be more tricky. As with all sopranos, I find my fingers tripping over themselves when I try to fingerpick a soprano. It's definitely possible (as you can see in the video below) but this uke wouldn't be my first choice for someone wanting to concentrate on fingerpicking.

Overall

I'd highly recommend this ukulele - particularly for those of you who want plenty of bite and volume in your strumming.

Other Kala Soprano Ukuleles

Kala do an excellent range of soprano ukuleles. The lacewood model is more in the mid-range of prices. If you're looking for something on a budget, the Kala Makala soprano ukulele is probably one of the best entry level ukuleles around - you can find a selection of these currently for sale in the sidebar.

On Video

Here's an excellent performance of Andante by David Beckingham on his Kala KA-ASLAS-SP lacewood spruce soprano. He gets a nice, sweet tone out of it. Although the sound isn't anywhere near as punchy and forceful as that you get when strumming.

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Electric ukes have become increasingly popular recently. With more and more ukers venturing out and playing live, demand for them has grown. So if you are looking for an electric soprano ukulele, what are your choices?

Applause Electric Ukulele

The striking looks and excellent sound of the Ovation Applause ukulele have made it the most popular dedicated electric ukulele around. It is a highly playable and high quality instrument.

BugsGear Eleuke

Unlike the Applause, the BugsGear Eleuke is a solid electric ukulele. That means that without amplification it is very quiet. This makes it perfect if you want to play it late at night or early in the morning without disturbing anyone. Which is why I bought mine.

The Eleuke isn't as well made as the Applause. But I still regularly play mine and it is perfect for the purpose for which I bought it.

Cheap Electric Ukulele

If you are looking to buy an electric ukulele but don't want to spend much, your options are quite limited. With the additional electrics required, there are very few electric ukes for sale for under $100. But one that is available is the Oscar Schmidt OU2E.

Soprano Ukulele Pickups

If you already have a ukulele and don't want to shell out for a new electric one, the simple option is to buy and external pickup for your ukulele. These are attached to the body of your ukulele and pick up the vibrations. It's the easiest and cheapest option to get an electric soprano ukulele. Look around for transducer pickups. Don't worry if it says 'guitar', they will work on the ukulele also. If in doubt, ask the seller for their opinion.

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