Thinking of buying a ukulele ...... if you are just starting I recommend a 'tenor' model - the name 'tenor' refers to the size of the instrument.
Smallest to largest in the ukulele range starts with the 'soprano' (the 'baby Uke' or Standard) which measures about 33 cm / 13 " from nut to bridge (see photo).
Slightly larger is the 'concert' (about 38cm / 15").
Next the 'tenor' (43 cm / 17").
The largest ukulele is the 'baritone' (48 cm / 19").
Soprano, Concert and Tenor models are usually tuned GCEA. The baritone ukulele is tuned like the bottom 4 strings of a guitar D G B E.
Just for your own information there is also a 'pineapple' ukulele, 'banjo' ukulele and ukuleles with 6 and 8 strings. Lets just concentrate on the standard models which fortunately only have 4 strings.
I recommend the concert or tenor ukulele because I find them easier to hold than the smaller soprano model .... also I prefer their sound or tone. Go into a music shop and hold each of the models .... some of you may also find the soprano model just too small for the size of your hands. You can also listen to the different tones of the various models and you will notice that price also increases with size and of course quality of build.
Finally you may also see different modern shapes of ukulele on offer - some are in the 'Les Paul' guitar shape others 'Telecaster' (see below) and some 'Flying V'. I recommend the traditional shape for a more authentic sound and unless you aim to go 'public' electric models should be avoided. Put your money into the quality of the materials used to construct the ukulele and not the electronics.
Watch the video below to see and hear the different sizes of ukulele.
Ukulele Starter © 2012