Best Ukulele For Beginners 2025

Our list of the best ukuleles for beginners; complete with a buyers’ guide to help you make an educated choice when choosing your first ukulele. 

Written by Jay Searle / Published January 3, 2024

Last updated: January 20, 2025

Non-musicians and inexperienced players often confuse “beginner ukuleles” with “budget ukuleles”. In truth, a beginner’s ukulele is an instrument that feels comfortable and is easy enough to play for someone to learn the ropes. It should also be a decent-sounding instrument since playing a uke with poor tone won’t inspire you to pick it up too often. 

It all boils down to personal preference. Some players might love baritone ukuleles while others could find them unwieldy due to the massive size. Some people prefer the well-rounded tenors, but not everyone can afford a quality one. 

Before diving into the reviews, we’d like to mention that first impressions matter the most – whether you fall in love with ukuleles or treat them as a hobby is often decided when you first start playing. With that in mind, let’s jump into the best beginner ukulele reviews.

Our Pick: The Best Ukulele for Beginners

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Kala Learn to Play Soprano Ukulele Starter Kit

The Kala LTP Series Soprano Ukulele Starter Kit contains everything a beginner needs to start their ukulele journey. Gig bag included.

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There are many ukulele starter packs out there on the market, but for us, Kala’s Learn to Play Soprano Ukulele Starter Kit rises above the rest when it comes to affordability and included features. Priced at under $100, Kala’s LTP-S bundle represents great value for those looking to dip their toes in the world of ukulele with the pack containing a number of great beginner essentials: a gig bag, a spare set of Aquila ukulele strings, quick-start guide and a great Kala Soprano uke.

Whilst there are better ukes out there at similar price points and above, for someone just starting out this bundle more than adequately provides beginners with a great incentive to grab a uke and learn to play. As you become a bit more experienced though, and want to get a little bit more from your uke, some of the other options in our list provide a great next step up.

Best Beginner Ukuleles: Our Reviews

1. Kala Learn to Play Soprano Ukulele Starter Kit

The most popular beginner’s uke bundle from a premier ukulele brand, Kala’s Learn to Play Soprano is an ideal option for first-time players. 

As an instrument, Kala LTP is an archetype uke, featuring an all-mahogany construction and a fingerboard made of walnut. Its tone isn’t overly impressive (even by budget uke standards), but it’s stable and pleasant, characterized by distinct warmth and bassy undertones. 

The main reason why Kala Learn to Play is objectively one of the best beginner ukuleles is that it comes with a variety of gratis features. From the complimentary gig bag and free strings to Kala LTP lessons, you’ll be all set to start learning how to play your uke and take your practicing sessions anywhere you want. 

On the downside, this uke doesn’t particularly excel in any field of performance. It plays well, but the walnut board isn’t as smooth as Pau Ferro. Its single-tonewood design makes its sound a bit one-dimensional, but it’s good for the price. 

Overall, the free goodies and the fact that it’s a plain Soprano uke made it remarkably popular among beginners, not to mention that it’s among the cheapest uke packs in the current market. 

2. Cordoba Soprano Ukulele Player Pack

The second-best beginner’s uke bundle comes from Cordoba, one of the prime shakers in the uke space – the Cordoba Soprano Ukulele Player Pack.

The instrument provided in this bundle is a basic all-mahogany U1 Soprano ukulele. Inexperienced musicians probably couldn’t tell it apart from Kala’s LTP, although it does have a slightly stronger tone, courtesy of its exquisite soundhole design. 

Not necessarily built to last, but this uke can withstand years of use if given proper and regular maintenance. The composite wood on the fretboard is highly durable but somewhat stiff; again, this isn’t a major drawback if you haven’t played uke before. 

Similar to Kala Learn to Play, Cordoba’s Player Pack comes laden with free accessories. Besides the free gig bag, the complimentary items include a set of replacement strings, a free tuner, and ukulele lessons. 

3. Kala KA-EBY-TE Tenor Ukulele

In an ideal world, all beginner ukulele players would start with a boutique model. Getting accustomed to high-quality sound, good playability, and zero intonation issues is a recipe for falling enamored with ukuleles, and that’s precisely what Kala’s KA-EBY-TE Tenor embodies. 

As a ukulele made of exotic ebony, its ultra-bright tone is incomparable to the warm mahogany ukuleles that are far more common in this price range. Moreover, it’s one of the cheapest (yet high-quality) semi-electric ukuleles. It’s a keeper that you can reliably use for gigs, band practice, rehearsals, and recording music once you’ve learned the ropes and perhaps bought an amp.

4. Luna Vintage Mahogany Baritone Ukulele

Baritone ukuleles are ideal for first-time uke players who are moving away from classical or acoustic guitars, featuring the same standard tuning and similar dimensions. If you’re looking for an affordable yet dependable, good-sounding Bari uke, we warmly recommend Luna’s Vintage Mahogany Baritone.

With the top, back, sides, and neck made of aged mahogany, this already bass-heavy instrument bellows with a deep resonance and articulate loudness. It’s a perfect uke for people who are forming a band or plan to perform live, but it’s equally good for playing in your bedroom. 

Its smooth neck is one of its finest features, allowing the player to seamlessly access any string or fret despite the extra space between individual frets. We particularly liked its tone, which is surprisingly coherent for a bari uke. 

5. Martin 0XK Concert Ukulele

Martin’s 0XK Concert is an honorable mention on this list and a recommendation for beginner ukulele players who don’t mind investing a bit more in a premium quality instrument.

What sets this ukulele apart from contemporary alternatives is the assortment of varied tonewoods it’s made of. Starting with koa on the top, back, and sides, to brown birch on the neck, and mahogany on the fingerboard, each piece of wood resonates at a different frequency and provides a unique, clearly recognizable tone. 

Martin used some of the finest quality hardware to ensure that 0XK Concert’s intonation and aesthetics are on par with its sonic performance. It stays in tune for extended periods and unlocks new possibilities in terms of exploring other tunings. 

Its only drawback is the hefty price tag, but it’s an ideal ukulele for beginners who want to get accustomed to top-notch quality from the start. 

Beginner Ukulele Buying Guide

While making the list of the best beginner ukuleles, we adhered to strict criteria encompassing build quality, tonewoods, price, and size, as well as the reputation of the brand offering said instruments. In the following sections, we’ll dissect each of these elements.

Ukulele Build Quality

The term “build quality” defines the durability, structural integrity, and design of any instrument. A well-made beginner’s ukulele should remain physically sound for years, or at least long enough until you’ve learned the ropes and are ready to upgrade to a “proper” uke. 

The main factors that affect the build quality of any ukulele include manufacturing techniques and the quality of tonewoods. In the case of the former, we mainly make distinctions between solid ukes and laminate ukes. Solid ukuleles are built from single pieces of wood that are thoroughly refined while “laminated” ukuleles essentially feature layers of processed wood. 

Solid ukes usually cost more, but they are considerably sturdier and sound incomparably better relative to laminate ukes. 

The Differences In Ukulele Tonewoods

Tonewoods are, in simplest terms, the woods used to construct woodwind and acoustic stringed instruments. Each wood has its own acoustic characteristics that can really help distinguish one instrument from the next.

Though there’s not a lot of variety in terms of tonewoods as far as budget ukes are concerned, some feature superior materials whilst others are little more than wooden planks with four strings. 

The most cheapest and most abundant tonewood around is mahogany, which tends to dominate the beginner uke space. Mahogany is known for its warm szound and bass-heavy undertones. There are many models made exclusively from this tonewood in the price range of $50 to $200. 

Better quality ukuleles will often feature rosewood or walnut in the fretboard, while some premium models may even feature Pau Ferro fretboards. None of them are necessarily “bright” tonewoods, but they do alter the overall sound a bit while having significantly different effects on the overall playability and feel. 

Since ukuleles are traditionally made of Koa, only a select few brands still specialize in manufacturing instruments from this tonewood. As a beginner, you probably don’t want to spend upwards of $400 on a Koa ukulele, but models like Martin’s 0XK Concert Ukulele stand out by being a cut above the rest quality-wise without having too steep of a price tag. 

Overall Ukulele Price

It’s important to get your money’s worth, even if you’re paying as little as $50 for a ukulele. The price is not necessarily reflective of the quality – things like shipping fees and the scarcity of material are also factored into the overall cost. 

However, the performance of entry-level ukuleles is usually predictable. All-mahogany construction and basic hardware are usually what you’d get for ukuleles around $100. There are exceptions though, such as Kala’s Learn to Play or Cordoba’s Player Pack ukes. 

It’s up to you to determine how much you’re willing to invest, but as a beginner, you shouldn’t overpay for an instrument you will likely replace when your skills improve. 

Which Ukulele Size to Choose?

The most subjective criterion of the five is the size of the ukulele. From tiny pineapple and soprano ukes to mid-sized concerts and tenors to the massive baritone, there are a few types that you can choose from. Sopranos are currently the most popular ones despite being the smallest type.

The size of the ukulele affects virtually all aspects of its performance. Smaller ones aren’t as loud as baritones, and their tone is somewhat chirpier. Baritones and tenors are comparable to acoustic basses while concert sits in the “golden middle”. Typically, people with small fingers prefer sopranos while players with large hands choose larger types like tenor and baritone. 

Ukulele Brand Reputation

It’s important to understand that new brands have entered the scene and are contesting household names that have been around for over a century. As a rule of thumb, older brands have delivered consistent quality you can trust while newer brands usually innovate with different uke shapes, styles, tonewoods, and designs. 

For beginners, we recommend brands that specialize in beginner-tier ukuleles, such as Kala and Cordoba. Luna is a good choice as well, although their ukes are often pricier because they feature quirky graphics (that do not affect the uke’s performance whatsoever). You can read more about the best ukulele brands here.

Conclusion

As a beginner, it can be hard to find a ukulele that is just right. That’s why it’s important to try as many as you can at your local music shop if that’s an option. Ideally though, you want to choose an instrument that is affordable, and of good enough quality to sound decent and last for a while. Whether your just dipping your toes into this hobby, or looking to launch your music career, our recommendations have you covered. If you’re a complete newcomer, do check out the Kala Learn to Play Soprano Ukulele Starter Kit which is our top pick for the best ukulele for beginners.

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.