Martin ukuleles are probably the most sought after brand of ukulele around. It’s many ukers’ dream to come across a vintage Martin ukulele at a car boot sale for a tenner. You’ll often see the ukenoscenti throw around the names of different styles of ukulele, so I thought I’d knock together a quick and easy […]

Am I shallow for judging ukuleles almost entirely by how sexy their headstock is? Clockwise from top left: Martin 3K: It’s a classic shape. Sharp, sleek and sexy. Been ripped of a million times. Gibson Mele ukulele Inelegant in comparison. Fluke: Part of the rip it up and start again approach of the Fluke. One […]

Ovation’s Applause ukuleles are probably the most popular electric ukes around. Ukulele4u are currently selling the new Applause Tenor ukulele. Personally, I much prefer the natural wood look of these ukes to the black finish of other models. On the Martin front, there’s a Martin 2K and a Martin Tiple. The most unusual uke up […]

The uke that’s most tempting me to reach into my pocket at the moment is the Kelii Koa Pili Koko. The ukes are solid wood and, while not actually koa, are made from a close relative of the koa. They’re as pretty as koa and sound very similar judging by this video by musicguymic. But […]

The head-doctors said it wasn’t possible, but I’ve fallen in love. Here she is: 20s/30s Martin 3K. Bids start at $1,600. If you want a bit of Martin magic but can’t afford that, you might like to check out this battered and bruised Martin ukulele. Full credit to the seller for the extensive and very […]

The most head-turning uke on eBay at the moment is this 1930’s Abbott Monarch banjo ukulele. It’s pretty much identical to the one made for George Formby and was part of the near mythical Akira Tsumura collection (I’m going to throw a few allegedlies in at this point just to be safe: allegedly, allegedly). Tsumura […]

When you’re giving someone a gift, you do want it to be that little bit more special. Ukuleles with an added design give that extra ‘wow factor’. You could commission yourself a painted uke. Or, if you’re a bit more strapped for cash and time, buy off-the-shelf. Fluke Ukuleles Flukes seem to be almost universally […]

If you can’t stand the sound of your loved one strumming incessantly, it might seem a little counter-intuitive to buy them an electric ukulele. Were it not for one word: headphones. Ovation Applause With their round backs and distinctive sound-holes, Ovation Applause tenor ukuleles are heavily based on their guitar big brother. In my opinion, […]

Deciding which ukulele to buy is tricky even for seasoned uke players. If you play uke for long enough you’ll discover the right answer to the question ‘which ukulele should I buy?’ is ‘all of them’. If you’re buying your first ukulele or you’re buying someone else’s first uke it can be difficult to know […]

A quick guide to what little gift to get your uke obsessed love one for Christmas. (Or what you might like to get for yourself because everyone else is getting you socks). Ukulele Strings A good set of strings is the fastest and cheapest way to improve the sound of any ukulele. But if you’re […]