Best Concert Ukuleles 2024 – Our Top 6 Picks

The best concert ukulele primarily depends on the player’s preference, but this article narrows down your choices based on our expert opinion.

Written by Jay Searle / Published July 19, 2024

Last updated: July 22, 2024

Concert ukuleles are remarkably popular among players at all skill levels. They’re light and portable and compensate for their naturally low volume with solid resonance.

Compared to the petite sopranos, concert ukes usually boast a more defined tone. They’re equally easy to play as sopranos and significantly more straightforward to pick up than tenors, not to mention baritones and bass ukuleles.

If you are looking for a high-quality concert uke, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve prepared a comprehensive review of the six best concert ukuleles in 2024 from leading brands like Kala, Lanikai, Makala, and others. Without any further ado, let’s jump straight into it.

READ MORE: The Best Tenor Ukuleles (2024 Edition)

Best Concert Ukuleles Reviewed

Kala KA-C Concert Ukulele

Kala’s KA-C Concert ukulele has all the qualities of a well-made beginner’s instrument. It boasts a warm, punchy sound derived from high-quality tonewoods, a sufficient degree of durability to withstand years of use, and just a tad shorter scale length so that your fingers won’t hurt when you’re learning chords.

With mahogany being KA-C’s primary material, the only part that stands out is the fretboard made of rosewood. Both are warm and bassy, meaning that while playing this uke, your tone will always have a robust foundation.

It’s also cheap, even by the standards of the budget price range. Low-tier ukes are often known for having terrible hardware, but KA-C stands out with its NuBone nut and saddle. If you’re buying it directly from Kala, it will likely come pre-strung with Aquila’s Super Nylgut strings as well.

As far as aesthetics go, it’s quite an eye-catcher with a beautiful satin finish that helps the mahogany showcase its natural glow. The cream binding on the edges is a classic detail that gently blends with the soft grains on the body and sides.

Overall, Kala KA-C Concert uke is a safe pick, regardless of your skill level. As a budget instrument that looks, plays, and sounds good, it’s understandable why beginners favor this ukulele. It can also be beneficial for more experienced players looking for a backup.

Ohana CK20 Concert Ukulele

Even though it’s one of the youngest brands in the ukulele industry, Ohana brought quite a few innovations to the market since its establishment in 2013. The CK20 is a good representative of what its artisans can do – a highly versatile, low-cost concert uke with a level of performance comparable to instruments that cost twice as much.

One of the main advantages of this ukulele stems from its initial setup. With a default 15-inch scale length, you’d assume its action is sky-high where it’s not. It doesn’t sacrifice playability for the sake of intonation, which is rare for budget ukes.

Similar to Kala KA-C, Ohana’s CK20 Concert ukulele is an all-mahogany instrument with a strong emphasis on warm, bellowing tones. The hardwood in its fingerboard isn’t helping the sound’s diversity, but it does aid in containing the unwanted buzz.

The only real downside of this instrument is its laminated construction. However, we can hardly hold it against CK20 since the manufacturers build the vast majority of budget ukes the same way.

Lanikai FMC Concert Ukulele

Lanikai named FMC after the Flamed Maple, which comprises most of the uke’s architectural makeup. Exceptionally warm in tone, rich in sustain, and renowned for its chirpy overtones, this instrument is nothing similar to the deep, warm mahogany you’ll find in most low-tier ukes.

The brand built the fretboard a bit differently from the rest. Its material, “Bloodwood,” is an exquisite type of Australian hardwood that boasts superior durability but doesn’t overly contribute to the uke’s sound.

To complement the rich acoustics and resonance of the FMC, Lanikai equipped this ukulele with D’Addario EJ88 Nyltech monofilament concert strings. This practically guarantees stable intonation and reinforces the already excellent playability of this Lanikai ukulele.

On the downside, FMC is a laminated uke that struggles to keep its tone together when played over warmer instruments. Its bass is not necessarily weak, but it pales in comparison to what KA-C and CK-20 can provide.

Cordoba 15CM Concert Ukulele

Widely hailed as the king of budget concert ukuleles, Cordoba’s 15CM is among the scant few instruments in the entry-point price range, with the whole construction being laminated.

This is why the 15CM’s tonal clarity and power soar high above popular budget concerts. Its sustain is outstanding, and you can expect your chords to sound full and detailed as long as the instrument is re-strung correctly and maintained.

Speaking of which, Cordoba typically outfits this model with the latest New Nylgut 7U concert strings from Aquila. This ensures exceptional playability and brings another dimension to its already remarkable tone.

Makala MK-C Concert Ukulele

The MK-C concert ukulele by Makala is a formidable, low-cost instrument. Specs-wise, it’s barely different from the usual all-mahogany budget ukes, but Makala’s engineers ensured it sounds, feels, and plays better than most by refining its tonewoods to perfection.

What helps MK-C stand out from its contemporaries is an elegant satin finish complementing the sleek rosewood fretboard design. Beautiful, remarkably easy to play, and characterized by its outstanding volume, it’s a no-brainer for first-time players.

The only field where this ukulele falls short of being magical is the hardware part (excluding the great string quality). Unfortunately, Makala made MK-C’s nut and saddle from plastic, which is considerably less durable and flexible than the golden standard NuBone GraphTech, or even composite wood as the runner-up.

Enya Nova U Concert Ukulele

Striving to create a uke that would stand out among the sea of seemingly identical (mahogany) instruments, Enya made the Nova U Concert. This manufacturer constructed it entirely from polycarbonate and carbon fiber, making every aspect unique.

Sound-wise, Nova U is neither overly warm nor bright. Its sustain isn’t overly impressive. However, the strong overtones and solid presence are beyond pleasant.

The initial action of the Nova U concert uke is quite a bit higher than you’d expect, mainly because its scale length measures 16 inches. Fortunately, you won’t have any intonation problems because of this.

One of the best attributes of this ukulele is how light it is. It’s a perfect outdoor concert uke, although it might not be a perfect choice for gigging and touring musicians since its body is quite flimsy.

Concert Ukulele FAQs

What is the size of a concert ukulele?
A standard concert ukulele is typically 23 inches large and has a 15-inch scale length.

How many frets does a concert ukulele have?
Concert ukuleles typically come equipped with 14 to 19 frets, although some models may feature up to 20.

What tuning does a concert ukulele use?
The smallest ukulele sizes, including Sopranos, Concerts, and Tenors, typically use the standard G-C-E-A tuning. An alternative re-entrant tuning of G-c-e-a is also a viable option.

What is the difference between a concert ukulele and a tenor?
A concert ukulele is slightly smaller than a tenor. Both types might have the same number of frets, but the ones on a concert uke are usually slightly smaller and narrow, and, as such, are easier for players with smaller fingers to press. Tenors are somewhat louder than concert ukes but are also a tad heavier and less compact.

Is a concert ukulele easier to play than a tenor?
Objectively, most players find concert ukuleles easier to play, mainly because the frets and strings are closer.

How much should I spend on a ukulele?
For beginners who have never played an instrument, there are hundreds of well-made concert ukuleles that are available in the price range of under $200.

Conclusion

Choosing the best ukulele size isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor, especially if you are determined to dive deep into playing and not just satisfy a passing curiosity. You need to pick one that suits your preference in terms of size and sound. But then, different brands and models offer various features that might add to the confusion that you might already have.

If you’ve already set your mind to go for a bit of the mid-sized, we hope that the choices for the best concert ukulele we presented above are a good starting point.

Jay Searle

Website Founder & Writer

Jay is a self-professed music nerd and ukulele lover. When not working on the website you’ll find him strumming along to his favorite tunes, spending time with his family, or learning to play the piano.