This is really about the best budget you can have when looking for a ukulele. Beginners, intermediate, and even advanced students can all find what they need at roughly the $200 price. Ukuleles are not complicated instruments; they do not have as much string tension which keeps the building, labor, and price down. There are a bazillion ukulele makers out there, and not only because of popularity but also from having a pretty basic product. This is good news as you have a lot of selections, bad news in that it can all seem overwhelming to find a quality inexpensive ukulele.
As you move up in price one of the key features that changes is the wood. At lower prices it is laminated wood and at higher prices the wood is solid. Solid wood is what you want, and of course better sounding tone woods in general. If you read a lot of customer reviews, you will see the ukuleles under $100 are a world apart from the best ukuleles under $200. Of course at the $200 price you can still get a problematic uke, in general though you will find a great instrument that projects and sounds wonderful. Below we have put together a list of some of the best ukuleles under $200.
| Lohanu Spalted Maple | Spalted maple tenor Electric acoustic with 3 band EQ Gig bag, tuner, and strap | Buy on Amazon Our Review |
| Cordoba 20CM | Solid mahogany concert Gig bag, cloth, tuner, DVD lessons | Buy on Amazon Our Review |
| Enya | Solid mahogany tenor High gloss and pearl inlay Soft premium case, instruction booklet | Buy on Amazon Our Review |
| Luna Maluhia | Mahogany tenor “Peace” etched in multiple languages Gig bag | Buy on Amazon Our Review |
| Kala KA-B | Mahogany baritone ukulele Hard case, tuner, strap, Fender Play and Austin Bazaar DVD | Buy on Amazon Our Review |
| FLEA Ukulele | Composite concert Hardwood maple neck Birch soundboard | Buy on Amazon Our Review |
Concert
Cordoba 20CM
Cordoba 20CM Concert Ukulele bundle
Cordoba 20CM Mahogany Body Concert Ukulele
If you are looking for the best concert ukulele under $200, then check the 20CM out! It is a very gorgeous instrument with a natural satin finish. The top, back, and sides are all solid mahogany and the fingerboard is rosewood. It doesn’t come with a pickup and is simply acoustic. It has basic accessories like a gig bag, tuner, Hal Leonard book, DVD lessons, a polishing cloth, just the normal add-ons. It does have a gator soft case but if you are spending about $200 on a ukulele than you might want to get a better case. Really it depends on how much you love your uke! This uke has no special designs or art, they focus all on building a great sounding instrument.
User Reviews
“The Cordoba 20CM has wonderful construction and a nice finish, a well-made ukulele. It is not fancy or flashy, but it sounds way better than you would expect. When using it for holiday carols or any public playing it gets all the attention.”
Amy J.
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“Cordoba always makes high quality instruments and the beautiful satin finish of this uke was what sold me. It looks and sounds like a more expensive instrument. A great uke for beginners or long time players!”
Mary C.
FLEA Ukulele
FLEA Ukulele
Since 1999 the Magic Fluke company has been making these very unique FLEA ukuleles. Only the neck and soundboard are made of wood, and that is hard maple and birch. The rest including the fretboard and back is composite. This is a mixture of synthetic materials, a little similar to the Ovation guitar company. The FLEA ukuleles are known for generous fretboard spacing and easy playability. It may look a lot different than other ukuleles, but it is a durable and great sounding instrument. The biggest cons for this uke is simply if you don’t like the style. Also not everyone likes the way composite sounds, it is different than wood. That is a couple of main points that will either interest you or not. If so, the FLEA is one of the best ukes under $200!
User Reviews
“This is my second ukulele from the Magic Fluke Company, well my third if you count my Firefly banjo-lele. This uke is a wonderful addition to the family.”
Jimmie Jones
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“Very different from a lot of the ukes out there on the market. The construction is superb, and the composite back really helps project sound. I would gladly recommend this to anyone who wants a different kind of quality inexpensive ukulele.”
Bernard
Tenor
Lohanu Spalted Maple
Lohanu Spalted Maple Tenor
Lohanu Spalted Maple Concert
This glossy Lohanu ukulele has a pickup included with 3 band EQ. It also has an amazing sound, lifetime warranty, and two strap buttons included. Other accessories are the gig bag, tuner, and strap to go on the buttons. If you want the best tenor ukulele under $200 then this Lohanu will suit your needs. One of the downsides of this is some of the money you are spending is going towards extra goodies and a pickup, take those away and the tenor will be lower price. It is up to you if you want the extras and the electric-acoustic now (as opposed to installing it later). Another potential downside is for the price the wood does not appear to be solid, but laminates can sometimes surprise our ears!
User Review
“This ukulele has a slightly wider neck than my other ukes and much better action. I have a bit of a ukulele buying problem and even though this Lohanu isn’t my most expensive, it is my favorite.”
anonymous
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“This ukulele is so beautiful, the maple gloss alone made me want to buy it immediately. My eyes did not deceive me either as it is impressively built and sounds better than I can even play!”
Laura J.
Enya
Enya EUT-MAD Tenor
Another contender in the best ukulele for under $200 is the Enya. The best part of this uke is the solid mahogany top, back, and sides, with a rosewood fretboard. It also comes with a premium soft case and an instruction booklet. Enya’s are known for having very unique designs. This ukulele has a high gloss finish and pearl inlay on the fretboard, for those players who aren’t just worried about sound quality, but also looks. Surprisingly this is a beautiful uke and solid wood for a pretty low price. And speaking of looks they have six unique colors to choose. The “black” one here is simply stunning. If you want a good inexpensive ukulele with a little flash, the Enya will be a good choice.
User Review
“This is my second and upgraded ukulele. I would rate this uke 9 out of 10. My only complaint is the strings that it comes with are D’Addario and I prefer Aquila, they make it sound a whole lot better. But still an incredible deal for the price.”
Robert Pryor
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“I couldn’t choose what color to get they all look so unique and interesting. I would recommend this ukulele to beginners or intermediate uke players.”
anonymous
Luna Maluhia
Luna Maluhia Peace Tenor
This Luna is a little lower in price than the others we have seen so far. It appears to be made with laminated mahogany rather than solid wood. The fretboard is walnut, and the finish is natural. The main sales feature of this ukulele is having the word “peace” etched in different languages around the sound hole. In fact this uke is a good example of how you pay more for design, which can be a pro or a con depending upon your needs. If you want something with a pretty design, you will have to sacrifice other aspects. The Luna is not that much lower in price so it is doubtful you will be losing too much on sound.
User Review
“I was initially concerned the art would affect the sound, but I bought it anyway based upon budget. It did no such thing; the Luna sound is fabulous and the most resonant uke I have ever heard. I would absolutely recommend it.
Donald Rainey
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“I already have a soprano ukulele and decided to get a tenor, this one is a much higher quality than the other. And because of the artwork, I get way more comments on the beauty of this instrument.”
Jose
Baritone
Kala KA-B
Kala KA-B Mahogany Baritone
Of course the Kala brand is going to be a great place to find one of the best ukuleles under $200, and here we get a baritone for that price! Now granted at this price range the baritone is going to be laminated and not solid, but still you are getting a whole lot more uke. It isn’t too fancy with just a satin finish; however it looks very nice. It has a ton of accessories the best of all being the hard case and access to Fender Play lessons. If you have played other sizes like soprano, concert, or tenor and you are ready to jump into the world of a baritone, this is a great deal!
User Reviews
“I bought this baritone as I was switching from guitar to uke. I now see the folly in that as they are different, but I couldn’t be happier with my baritone. It is so convenient to play I pick it up more than my guitar.”
Frank B.
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“I thought for sure at this price it was going to have some major flaws. Everything was fine. Yes it isn’t as sturdy as some of the other ukes in that price range, but it is a great intro baritone. Highly recommended!”
Daniel
So there you have some of the best ukuleles under $200, and of course this is just a starting point. Now that you have an idea of what is a good buy you can take that knowledge and do even more research if you want. As long as you stick to the $200 price range you will likely have a wonderful ukulele delivered to your door!
Is all this stuff in bundles really important?
The short answer is no. You can save with bundles but if you are on a low budget you can stick to “instrument only” offers and buy everything you need later. Fot examle, ukulele tuners are quite handfull but you can easily use app tuners instead.