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:

KALA MAKALA SOPRANO UKULELE MK-S W/CASE FREE SHIPPING    US $59.95

MAKALA SOPRANO UKULELE STARTER PACK mk-s Video of Uke    US $94.95

MAKALA PINEAPPLE SOPRANO UKULELE STARTER PACK MK-P    US $94.95

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 SOPRANO solid Mahogany SK-35 ukulele w cs.    US $169.95

OHANA SK 70MG SOPRANO UKULELE W CASE    US $169.95

NEW OHANA SK 70 solid ROSEWOOD SPRUCE SOPRANO UKULELE    US $219.00

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 by Ovation UA20 Soprano Ukulele - Trans Black    US $149.99

Applause UAE20 Acoustic-Electric Deluxe Soprano Ukulele    US $154.99

Applause Roundback Soprano Ukulele Gig Bag    US $29.00

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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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The soprano ukulele is the smallest and most common size of ukulele. It is the ukulele that almost everyone starts on. Why is it so popular? And is it the right ukulele for you? Here are some of the advantages of soprano ukuleles.

The Soprano Sound

I think the biggest appeal of the soprano is the sound it makes. It has the traditional ukulele sound. It can also be played in a very forceful and punchy way. The larger the size of ukulele, the more you lose this and the sound becomes more guitar-like.

Strumming

The soprano ukulele is the world's most natural instrument to strum. It feels exactly right.

Price and Availability

Most of the least expensive ukuleles for sale are sopranos (although there are certainly many expensive sopranos around). If you are on a tight budget (or don't want to spend to much before you know if you're going to keep playing) then you'll have a much greater choice of soprano ukuleles than you will any other size.

Size

With it being the smallest uke, the soprano is a perfect instrument for kids and is very popular in schools. But the advantages stretch to full size people as well. It makes it relatively easy to stretch for notes and to form chords.

Downside

There is the other side of the coin as well. The soprano might be great for strumming, but it is not quite so suited to fingerpicking. I find my fingers have a tendency to trip over themselves fingerpicking on the soprano. And sopranos tend not to have the sustain of the larger ukes.

And many players find the soprano a little too small. They find it easier to play with more room on the fretboard. Although this doesn't seem to be related to hand size as you might expect.

Is It Right for You?

The soprano ukulele is the perfect ukulele for many people. If you are a beginner, I'd recommend you start with a soprao. It is easy and natural to play, sounds fantastic and it's cute!

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Soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles are all usually tuned the same. So tabs and chords for any one will work for the soprano ukulele. The best places to find them are:

Ukulele Hunt (Tabs and Chords)
Dominator (Tabs)

I am completely biased on the first one though. It's my site.

But there are plenty of other sites around. You can find a comprehensive list of them here.

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Using Your Computer

If you have a mic on your computer you can use a program called AP Tuner. It's free an will show you when your string is in tune (when it points to the zero and says the name of the note).

Using a Tuner

Of course, there are probably going to be many times when you want to tune your ukulele but your not at the computer. So it's very useful to have a portable ukulele tuner such as the Intelli Tuner. This has a display similar to the AP Tuner but works by clipping on to the headstock of your ukulele and detecting the vibrations as you play. That means you can tune even in noisy environments such as a uke group - a big advantage.

Using Your Ears

If you are confident of your ability to match pitches, you can tune a soprano ukulele to a piano, guitar or pitch pipes. Or tuning notes such as these:

Ukulele Tuning Notes in C (MP3)

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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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Lanikai soprano ukuleles are some of the most popular ukes around - particularly with beginners. Lanikai are part of the Hohner company who make a wide range of musical instruments. They make a wide range of ukuleles with the most popular being the LU-21.

Lanikai LU-21

The Lanikai LU-21 range is by far their most popular. They are cheap and well made which makes them one of the best ukuleles around for beginners. But it isn't just beginners who love them, even Zach Condon of Beirut plays an LU-21 (although it's a tenor rather than a soprano). If you are looking for a starter soprano, you'd do well to get one of these. And if you're really out for a bargain, pick up an LU-21P: the pineapple shaped Lanikai soprano. It's even cheaper than the standard shaped model.

Lanikai LK

Lanikai's LK Range. They are a more recent addition to Lanikai's range (being added in 2007).

These ukuleles are made from solid koa wood (the traditional Hawaiian wood for ukuleles). They are much higher quality than the LU-21 (which is a laminated ukulele i.e. it has only a thin layer of expensive wood over cheap wood) but, obviously, more expensive.

Whichever one of these fits your budget, the Lanikai soprano ukulele is a great way to go.

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The widest selection of soprano ukuleles for sale online is definitely at eBay. No matter what level of ukulele you're looking for, you'll find one that suits you there. Here are a few recommendations:

Makala Soprano

If you're just getting your first ukulele, the soprano is a good choice: they tend to be the cheapest and most readily available. But for a beginner it's more important than ever that you get a ukulele that is well set up and will play well right from the off. Nothing will put you off playing quicker than a ukulele that sounds bad no matter what you do. So it's worth spending a little more than the very cheapest ukulele.

One of the best buys for a beginner is the Makala soprano ukulele (you can find a selection of them in the sidebar). It's made Kala, who have a very good reputation. If you buy from either musicguymic or ukulele4u, the will make sure it is well set up and has good strings on it. Here are some currently available on eBay.

KALA MAKALA SOPRANO UKULELE MK-S W/CASE FREE SHIPPING    US $59.95

MAKALA SOPRANO UKULELE STARTER PACK mk-s Video of Uke    US $94.95

MAKALA PINEAPPLE SOPRANO UKULELE STARTER PACK MK-P    US $94.95

Lanikai LU-21 Soprano

Another very popular uke with beginners is the Lanikai LU-21. Like the Makala, the LU-21 range is from a company who often make more expensive ukuleles. So they know what goes into making a good ukulele and bring that expertise to a lower cost instrument.

Here are some currently on eBay:

LANIKAI LU-11 SOPRANO UKULELE - EASTERN MAHOGANY    US $42.00

NEW Lanikai LU-21 Soprano Ukulele!    US $58.99

GREAT NEW MODEL LANIKAI LU-21 SOPRANO SIZE UKULELE    US $59.00

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There are four basic sizes of ukulele: soprano, concert, tenor and baritone.

These ukuleles are classified according to their size (unlike opera singers where a tenor isn't just a fatter version of a soprano). Of four, the soprano is the smallest and the oldest. The scale length of a soprano ukulele (i.e. the distance between the bridge and the nut) is around 13 inches or 33 centimeters. Any ukulele that fits this definition is a soprano.

It is the traditional size for the ukulele: the one most people think of when they hear the word ukulele. That also means that it is the most common. Most people's first ukulele is a soprano: partly because they are the most common and partly because the cheapest ukes tend to be sopranos. And it is a good place to start. The small scale length means that it's easy to stretch for chord shapes. Making it a great instrument for strumming chords on.

The most common tuning for a soprano nowadays is gCEA (with the g string being pitched higher than the C string - also known as re-entrant tuning). Another tuning that you may well come across is aDF#B - this used to be used much more often that it is now. A rare but growing trend (particularly in Japan) is for sopranos to use a low-G tuning. But the best tuning to go for is gCEA.

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