Hunting down the best Baritone ukulele isn’t easy!
In fact, it’s actually quite a mean feat. As baritone ukulele’s are actually one of the rarest breeds of ukes out there, not to mention the largest; Soprano & concert ukulele’s are smaller + much easier to come by! But you see, that’s exactly what makes the Baritone so special…
Baritone ukes get their name from the male singing voice – a dig at their truly unique (& somewhat more masculine) sound. One that you won’t find in any other ukulele. Baritones are tuned differently & usually sit down a 4th, starting with E opposed to A. Hence why they’re often regarded as a midpoint between a guitar & uke – a guitarlele then, I guess.
But anyway, to help you find which uke is right for you, here’s our rundown of the 14 of the best Baritone ukuleles you can buy.
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The best baritone ukuleles @ a glance…
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14 of the best baritone ukuleles you can buy
There’s a LOT of ukulele’s out there – especially Baritones. All of which can make choosing a ukulele a bit of a mind-bender, as let’s face it, there’s no shortage of music manufacturers these days. Compared to 5 years ago, the market is incredibly crowded! But no matter, as for you that’s not an issue.
See, we’ve done the majority of the legwork for you! Simply read on & we’ll reveal not only reveal what we feel are the best baritone ukuleles on sale today, but also answer your common FAQs…
Acoustic baritone ukulele
1: Lanikai (ACSTB) baritone uke
2: Kala Solid Spruce Baritone Ukulele
3: Yamaha GL1 Mini Guitarlele
4: Kala KA-SA-B Solid Acacia Series Baritone Uke
5: Kala KA-B Satin Mahogany Baritone Uke
6: Kepohk 30 Inch Baritone Uke
7: Kala KA-BEM baritone ukulele
Other notable mentions…
8: Tanglewood Tiare TWT 20″ Baritone Ukulele
9: Ashbury AU-15B Baritone Ukulele
10: Stagg Baritone Ukulele Epicea with Gig Bag
Acoustic-electric baritone ukuleles
11: Ortega Guitars (Bonfire Series) Acoustic-Electric Baritone Uke
12: Caramel CB103 electric baritone ukulele
13: Kala Kabe-ukulele baritone
Cheap baritone ukulele: the best baritone ukulele for beginners…
14: Kmise Baritone Ukulele (with gig bag, strap & picks!)
Which baritone ukulele is best? Our editor’s choice…
SPOILER: When it comes to deciding in the best Baritone ukulele, we’re torn. And that’s no word of a lie. See, on one hand, we’d say the way to go is the…
Lanikai (ACSTB) = Best All-Round Baritone
Because as far as we can tell, this Baritone ticks all the boxes. It’s lightweight, built to a very high standard – you can really tell the craftsmanship that’s gone into this uke – & most of all, it sounds incredibly distinctive. The kind of ‘distinctive’ that makes it memorable, & very much recognisable after a couple of strums.
Team that with it’s ‘out there’ acacia wood finish & we’d say it’s seriously hard to beat. You really do build up a relationship with this uke – it’s swimming in character – & given time, we’re pretty much certain this is one instrument that you won’t want to let go of in a hurry!
Yet on the other hand, you’d also be silly to ignore the sheer popularity of the…
Yamaha GL1 Guitarlele = Most Popular Baritone Uke
A Baritone uke that’s amassed such popularity for good reason.
It’s familiar… & albeit kind of retro-mod in terms of design. If you feel at home on a guitar, then it’s likely that this uke will be your first port of call. The design, shape – everything – just screams ‘guitar that’s shrunk in the wash’. A subtle hint at the fact that the Baritone is the closest to a guitar you can get. Unlike a conventional uke, it has 6 strings not 4. A dealbreaker for many.
But what’s more, being a product of Yamaha – experts in all things ‘sound’ – you could say it’s got the upper hand when it comes to reputation too. The build quality, feel & tone of this uke are all up there with the best. But whether that’s on par (& if not exceeds) that of a dedicated ukulele brand like Lanikai, is really up to you to decide.
Enjoy this review of the best baritone ukulele and eager for more? Don’t miss out on all our latest String Instrument Reviews, as well as the lowdown on all things Musical Instruments. Recently, we also did a write up of the Best Wah Wah Effects Pedal + another on the Best Lyre Harps, which may also be a good read!
Or, if you’ve still got as burning question about the best baritone ukulele, keep reading to discover even more about why these kooky string instruments are such fun to play…
The lowdown on everything Baritone Ukuleles
Playing the best Baritone Ukulele can be a daunting task, but yes – you can play a baritone if you’re left handed. However…
While there are some left hand Baritone ukes, they are few & far between. So really, you have 3 options. Either spend hours hunting around online to find a left handed Baritone ukulele, flip a right handed uke upside down & learn the chords back to front. Or commission an instrument builder to have one custom made.
Unless of course you’re down for a bit of DIY. In which case, you could restring a right handed uke back to front, so that when flipped all the notes are in the right order. However, the majority of Baritones aren’t symmetrical in shape, so that is something to bear in mind before attempting such a procedure.
If you’ve not got your heart set on a Baritone, you could also switch to a Tenor or Concert ukulele. Both variants that do come with more left handed options. For instance, the Kmise Soprano uke (for lefties) & the Oscar Schmidt OU7TLHK-A.
The Baritone ukulele has 5 beginner chords.
G major chord is the simplest of all. But before you attempt to play it, be sure your uke is tuned to DGBE. Once you’ve done so, watch the video below to see how it’s done…
Stringing a ukulele is much like stringing a guitar.
The two are very alike, especially in the case of the Baritone being the biggest uke you can buy (usually around 30 inches). Although, it’s worth noting that difficulty will depend on your type of ukulele; cheaper ukes do tend to be more of a pain to string + go through strings faster. Something to bear in mind when making your choice.
99.999% of ukes are strung in the G C E A pattern. For best results, we’d recommend tuning your G string (the bottom one) nice and low. Do so & you should be able to increase your tonal range. As for how to string a ukulele though, we’d suggest just watching somebody do it. This lady perhaps…
The main difference between a Baritone & tenor ukulele is size.
The standard size of a Baritone uke is 30 inches, compared to the 26 inches you get with a Tenor. As a result, not only is a Baritone easier to string & easier to play, but there’s typically also a larger selection of notes too. That extra bit of fret board goes a long way!
Listen to the two being played side by side & it’s easy to tell them apart. The Baritone is a lot deeper in tone, while the Tenor tends to be more high pitched. As a result both are stringed differently – the Baritone is strung lower. And the strings used on each also tend to differ.
Before deciding on the best Baritone ukulele for you, you NEED to take size into account, as it’s a major factor in how you play.
Baritone ukes are the biggest of the lot at 30 inches. Take a step down & you’ll reach a Tenor ukulele at 26 inches. Below that you’ll find a Concert at somewhere in the region of 22-23 inches. And finally, below that there’s a soprano at just 20 inches.
The general rule of thumb is that Baritone ukuleles (due to their size) tend to be the best for anyone who’s used to or looking for the feel of a guitar. The Yamaha GL1 Guitarlele being a perfect example. Or just someone with big hands, as for a burly weightlifter, something like a Soprano is going to be a struggle.
Really, the clue’s in the name.
An acoustic ukulele is much as it sounds. A traditional hollow body attached to some strings that makes the signature ukulele sound. Not too complex.
Whereas, an acoustic electric ukulele is all that, but it includes an electronic pickup which allows it to be hooked up to an amp. It also allows players to make slight adjustments to the sound too, beyond that you get with the traditional uke. Hence why sometime’s it’s referred to as the EQ.
Electro-acoustic ukuleles are often used on stage & for the purpose of recording in a music studio. Although if you ask us, we’d rather grab a condenser mic & sample a traditional uke if we were making a song. Reason being that aside from sounding more ‘true’, electric acoustic ukes also come at a premium. All those electronics don’t come cheap. Saying that though, whether that’s a dealbreaker really depends on your situation & how you intend to use the ukulele.
