Soprano Ukulele

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.

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.

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 KA-MK-S Makala Soprano Ukulele    US $44.99

Kala KA-MK-P Makala Pineapple-Style Soprano Ukulele Bundle    US $52.00

Kala KA-MK-S Makala Soprano Ukulele Bundle w/ Gig Bag,Tuner & Polishing Cloth    US $59.99

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-21 Soprano Ukulele Bundle w/ Gig Bag, Cherub Tuner, & Polishing Cloth    US $79.00

Lanikai LU-21 12 Fret Soprano Acoustic Ukulele NEW    US $50.02

Lanikai LU-21 12 Fret Soprano Acoustic Ukulele NEW    US $48.00

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.