Ukulele Brands — All you need to know

There are a wide variety of brands of ukuleles available onthe market for you to buy. If you are here for an orientation of which ukulele brand to buy as your first or second ukulele, you are in the right place.
This post will cover only the subject of ukulele brands , not about where to buy them.

We seek to make all brands. We do not want to put any mark on this list.
As I do not know all the available brands, we will update this list according to your contribution in the discussion here in the comments of this post. So if you are looking for greater guidance, comment here at the end of the post to see if our community can help you with their experience.

Ukulele Brands — Useful list

Ana’ole — Hawaiian manufacturers headed by Gareth Yahiku.
Anuenue — high quality ukuleles from Taiwan
APC Instruments — Manufacturers of ukulele from Portugal and their ancestors.
Applause (Ovation) — the most popular brand of electric ukulele in the world.
Aria — UK guitar manufacturer has entered the ukulele market with an instrument of cheap and poor quality.
Ashbury — UK manufacturer with wide range of instruments including reasonably cheap ukuleles and good quality for anyone who is starting out.
Ashton — Cheap ukuleles from the UK, being colorful and cheerful.
Blackbird — San Francisco company that make instruments from carbon fiber, leaving them waterproof, sturdy and strong, being well priced.
Brownsville — listed in the range of less than $ 100. You’ll have a ukulele with a solid top and laminated back and sides.
BugsGear EleUke — a Japanese ukulele company created in 2004. They are famous for their electric ukuleles.
Bushman — Many people have had problems with this manufacturer, do not buy this brand.
Clearwater — a UK-based musical instrument company selling copies of ukulele brands.
Cole Clark — Australian Luthier who also have a range of Ukuleles
Collings — have been a respected name in the world of guitar making a stir in 2010 when they started doing uke.
Cordoba — popular guitar makers with a ukulele line. They are in California, but their ukes are made in China. They have built a good reputation and have some followers like Leonard Cohen.
Earnest Instruments — high quality ukes, which has already been used by Eddie Vedder.
Eddy Finn — has been in the ukulele market since 2010, based in Indianapolis. Your ukes are recognized by a different sound.
Favilla — a US guitar company that was quick to pick up the trend for ukuleles in the 1920s, being most of them from that era.
Fender — The biggest name in guitars in the world began making ukuleles in early 2009.
Flea — comes in two sizes soprano and concert, with a range of colors and designs available.
Fluke — is one of the most different ukuleles — immediately recognizable by its shape. It is also one of the most popular.
Gibson — are no longer manufactured and have become a collector’s item with quite high price.
Greg Bennett (Samick) — are cheap ukuleles made in Korea, but have had good reviews.
Gretsch — ukes vintage 1950s style from a legendary guitar maker.
Hamano — is a brand of China, but that does not mean they are low quality ukuleles.
Hilo — There have been more than one company that have used this ‘Hilo’ brand over the years. The most common is based on the island of Hilo, Hawaii (although the ukuleles themselves are made in China).
Honolele — a brand newly created in Thailand. They make a number of ukuleles, however they specialize in long neck ukuleles.
Honu — their instruments are made by the Big Island Ukulele Company and are distributed by the Kala company. They used to be made in Hawaii as well, but they are now made in Vietnam with Hawaiian wood.
Ibanez — has a long history with the production of guitars. They are made by a Japanese company called Hoshino Gakki. In 2009 they released their first ukuleles.
Johnson — are made in China and sold for a price account.
Kala — are a great choice for anyone who wants a good quality ukulele at a decent price.
Kalani — instrument of low quality. Only beginners should buy, those people who want to test the ukulele. It is a brand easily found in Mercado Livre and in instrument stores throughout Brazil. I recommend putting quality ropes, like the Aquila brand.
Kamaka — their latest instruments are of the highest quality and have a high price. Jake Shimabukuro uses this brand.
Kanile’a — a Hawaiian company that produces ukulele of superior quality and high price. All your ukuleles are made in Hawaii and you can take a tour of the factory on Oahu. More recently, they have created a more ukulele line called Kanile’a Islander, which has been receiving excellent reviews.
Kau’wela — is a Hawaiian company based in Kailua. Its distinctive feature is the zebrawood wood, coming from Africa, named for its natural stripes.
Keli’i — a Hawaiian brand with ukuleles more in mind because they are produced in China and finalized in Hawaii.
Kiwaya — Japanese company best known for its Martin and Fender-style prints.
Keech — The inventor of commercial name “banjulele”. This brand is very popular among uke banjo collectors.
Ko’olau — is a manufacturer of high quality ukulele in Wahiawa, Hawaii.
Koa Pili Koko — have good looks and sound at a reasonable price. They are made of acacia wood.
KoAlana — are produced in China and finalized in Hawaii at the KoAloha plant.
KoAloha — KoAloha started making ukuleles in 1995 and quickly became very respected. They are all made from solid Koa wood at your factory in Hawaii. They are more expensive ukuleles.
Korala — uke-level cheap introduction and plastic, made by a Malaysian company.
Laka — a range of vintage ukuleles.
Lanikai — Probably the best ukulele for a beginner. It is produced in China. The LU-21 was my first ukulele.
Lazy — cheap and colorful ukulele sold mainly in the UK.
Lehua — changed their production to Portugal.
Leolani — Make sure you’re buying one of your decent ukuleles instead of one of your low-quality ones.
LOCALS — say their ukuleles are made of solid koa in Hawaii. But stand back.
Loprinzi — their instruments are not cheap, but they come with a great reputation.
Luna — They have more than six models. The best are the tenor and concert of model “High Tide”. Luna is one of the few female ukulele instrument makers.
Maccaferri — In the 1950s, it was one of the most sought after plastic ukuleles. Unfortunately, today’s ukuleles are no longer so cheap.
Mahalo — a very cheap ukulele originally made in China and now in Indonesia. They are the most popular in the UK.
Makai — Makai ukuleles seems to be very similar to other ukuleles such as Hilo and Ohana
Makala — low price ukulele line brand Kala. An excellent choice for beginners.
Manea Ukuleles — located in Hawaii, feature ukuleles in Hawaiian and also Tahitian style.
Martin — began producing in 1916, being considered the largest producer of ukuleles. After a while they stopped producing new models. However, they were not well accepted. Then, they reintroduced the old models.
Mele — There are two existing brands. The first was a New York company that disappeared (although there are some Ukes being sold used) and the other is a Hawaiian company created in 1992. Its most sophisticated instruments are made in Hawaii with solid wood.
Melokia — They have plenty of solid ukuleles in mahogany and acacia. They are made in China so prices are more reasonable for ukes than solid wood.
Mid-East — make a wide variety of instruments worldwide. Its ukuleles have an oriental style.
Mitchell — is a mid-priced brand fueled very heavily in two US online stores.
Morelli / Santini — are sold very cheap (about $ 35) and have a shape very similar to other ukueles like the Fluke.
Mya-Moe — even though they only produce since 2008, there is already an impressive list of artists using their ukuleles.
Ohana — are some of the most solid wood ukuleles in account. Made in China, this means that the finish will not always be perfect. But the price is worth it.
Ortega — a German ukulele manufacturer since 1996.
Oscar Schmidt — very popular brand for beginners, being cheap but with a good reputation for quality.
Pono — the highest -quality line from Ko’olau brand. The Ponos are made with solid wood and quality materials. In order to be able to reduce the price, they are manufactured in Indonesia and assembled in Hawaii at the Ko’olau factory.
Riptide — are made by the company Boulder Creek Guitars in China. Its most evident feature are holes placed in different sites on the ukulele.
RISA — German ukulele company, with all its ukuleles manufactured and assembled in Europe. They have a number of innovative designs of electric ukuleles.
Savannah — ukuleles from Australia at a low price.
Shelby — sold in quantity in Brazil, but it is a low quality instrument, but it is a good price for a first ukulele, for those who just want to know the instrument before making a good investment in a better ukulele.
Slingerland — Nowadays, the brand is most famous for its drums. However, it began in 1912 with the sale of ukulele and banjoleles.
Stagg — manufacture one of the most basic ukuleles for the European market. Great for a first ukulele as it is very cheap.
Swagerty — became popular during surf fashion in the 50s and 60s — the pointed tip of uke were meant to be threaded into the sand as you caught waves. They do not manufacture more.
Tanglewood — a British company best known for its guitars. Your ukes are more for a low to medium price.
Universal Worldwide Trading — low quality ukuleles aimed at tourists in Hawaii.
Uluru — made by the company Ayers Guitars in Australia.
Vineyard — Chinese brand of questionable quality.
Yamaha — the most popular manufacturer of guitarlele.