Ukulele Online

There are very few dedicated ukulele shops around, so most people find they have to buy a ukulele online. There is a massive selection of ukuleles for sale online, so it can be very difficult to make a choice and be confident in your selection.

Finding the Right Ukulele

Before you buy a ukulele, it’s well worth doing a bit of research first. Look at the ukuleles in your price range and make a short list to check out. There’s an increasing amount of information online about various brands of ukulele. I have written a ukulele buyer’s guide with reviews submitted by readers.

Search for the ukulele on YouTube: As well as finding reviews, you’ll also get a good idea of the sound and the popularity of the instrument.

Look on ukulele forums: There are endless discussions on forums about the the qualities of various ukuleles. If you can’t find anyone talking about the uke you’re interested in, ask and you’ll most likely find someone who has played that ukulele before.

Buying on eBay

There’s no doubt that the biggest selection of ukuleles for sale online is to be found on eBay. That includes both new and vintage ukuleles. Some people are wary of buying on eBay, but there’s really no need to be. The important thing is to check the reputation of the particular seller. The most respected ukulele sellers on eBay are musicguymic and ukulele4u.

One thing to check when you’re buying on eBay is whether the seller provides setup. A big advantage of a specialised ukulele seller is their expertise. For a beginner in particular, having a ukulele professionally set up can be the difference between getting a ukulele that’s a pleasure to play and one that’s so frustrating you give up.

Buying on Musicians Friend and Guitar Center

There are high-street retailers who sell ukuleles online Musicians Friend and Guitar Center in particular. Their selection isn’t as wide as eBay and they don’t have the same expertise, but they do have a reasonable selection and there are advantages. You do have the reassurance of real, physical stores that, if required, you can go to with problems and return the ukulele if you’re not satisfied. The sites are also useful in that they usually have a number of reviews of each ukulele.

The internet is a great place to get a ukulele – all my ukes except my first were bought online. So if you have to buy a ukulele online, don’t feel you’re settling for second best.

There are no shortage of ukulele chord charts around, but there aren’t that many that also show you what fingers you should be using when you are fretting these chords. But this one from Kiwi Ukulele does:

Indispensible Chord Chart(PDF)

It’s a very well laid out chord chart and even though it isn’t exhaustive, it does have pretty much every first position chord you’ll want. And the layout of it, going from chords you’ll use all the time to chords you hardly ever see, is a much better way of doing it than the standard way of grouping all the A based chords, then the B chords etc.

Scrubs is one of my favourite comedy shows and it just went up even further in my estimation now that they’ve recruited a ukulele girl to be Ted’s sweetheart in the episode

Who was the ukulele girl on Scrubs?

The character of Stephanie Gooch (the Scrubs ukulele girl) is played by Kate Micucci. She’s been a comedy actor for a number of years having appeared in small roles in Malcolm in the Middle, How I Met Your Mother and Four Kings.

She’s also the ukulele half of the duo Garfunkel and Oates with fellow comedy actress Riki Lindhome (Pushing Daisies, Life is Short).

It’s great to see Kate – and the ukulele – getting exposure on Scrubs. Let’s hope it’s the start of big things for her.