Ukuleles
Best tenor ukuleles
The size adults with large hands or a guitar background should be looking at, and the one that gives up the most of what makes a ukulele sound like one.
By Sawyer V. · Published · Last updated
Most ukulele advice stops at “soprano or concert”, which leaves the people who most need a bigger instrument — adults with large hands, players coming from guitar — without a clear answer. This page is for them.
Both picks state their Starter Path band, and we have not played them — the method is on how we pick.
A tenor is 17 inches of scale with 18 frets and about 26 inches overall — the most fret spacing available in standard GCEA tuning. Buy one if your hands are large or you play guitar and a concert still feels cramped. Otherwise a concert is the better default.
Where a tenor sits
| Size | Scale | Frets | Overall | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soprano | 13.6" | 12 | About 21" | Bright, plinky, the classic sound |
| Concert | 14.75" | 18 | About 24" | Fuller, rounder |
| Tenor | 17" | 18 | About 26" | Full, warm, most sustain |
| Baritone | 19–20" | 18–19 | About 30" | Deep — and tuned differently (DGBE) |
The step from concert to tenor is about two and a quarter inches of scale, which is roughly the same jump as soprano to concert. The step from tenor to baritone is not a size change at all — it is a different tuning and effectively a different instrument.
Who should actually size up
Guitarists. The most common case. A hand used to a 25.5 inch guitar scale finds a 13.6 inch soprano genuinely fiddly, and a tenor is the closest a standard-tuned ukulele gets to familiar spacing.
Anyone with large fingers who has already tried a smaller uke and found two fingers competing for the same fret.
Players who want sustain. A longer scale under more tension rings longer. If you want to play melodies rather than strum chords, that matters.
Who should not
Anyone buying for a child. A 26 inch instrument is not something a seven-year-old holds comfortably. Soprano, every time — see our kids picks.
Anyone who wants the classic ukulele sound. Worth being blunt: the bright, percussive, slightly comic voice people have in mind when they say “ukulele” is a soprano. A tenor is a lovely instrument that sounds noticeably less like that.
Anyone whose problem is string spacing rather than fret spacing. The Kala KA-15T#ad is 1.39 inches at the nut, barely wider than the soprano in the same series. Going up a size adds room between frets, not across the neck.
The pick
The Kala KA-15T#ad carries the same specification set as the rest of that line: mahogany top, back and sides, a GraphTech NuBone nut and saddle, and Aquila Super Nylgut strings fitted at the factory. It adds a walnut fingerboard and 18 brass frets on the 17 inch scale.
The NuBone nut is the reason it is here rather than something cheaper. It is the part that decides whether the instrument plays in tune up the neck, and it is what separates a real ukulele from a decoration — the mechanism is explained in are cheap ukuleles worth it.
If a tenor turns out to be more instrument than you want, the Cordoba 15CM concert#ad gives you most of the ergonomic gain over a soprano in a body two inches shorter.
One thing to check before ordering
Tenor strings are size-specific. A soprano or concert set will not reach, and a tenor set on a smaller instrument will be slack. When you buy spares — and you should — buy the tenor set. Details in ukulele accessories you actually need.
Quick picks
Tenor — the most room between frets
A 17 inch scale with 18 frets and a NuBone nut, with Aquila strings fitted from the factory. The largest standard-tuned ukulele.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image Kala KA-15TA 17 inch tenor scale with 18 frets, a NuBone nut and saddle and Aquila strings fitted. | Tenor, adult handsEnough | 9.0 | Check price on Amazon → #ad How we’re funded |
The concert alternative, if a tenor is too much instrument
About 14.75 inches of scale — most of the ergonomic gain over a soprano, in a body two inches shorter than a tenor.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image Cordoba 15CMA 375 mm concert scale with 18 frets and a 35 mm nut. | Adult hands, concert sizeEnough | 9.0 | Check price on Amazon → #ad How we’re funded |
The picks in full
Kala KA-15T
Kala Brand MusicBest for: Tenor, adult hands
A 17 inch tenor scale with 18 frets, a NuBone nut and saddle and Aquila strings fitted. The most room between frets of any standard-tuned ukulele.
Published specifications
- Size:
- Tenor
- Scale length:
- 17"
- Overall length:
- 26.125"
- Body length:
- 11.75"
- Frets:
- 18, brass
- Top / back / sides:
- Mahogany
- Neck / fingerboard:
- Mahogany neck, walnut fingerboard and bridge
- Nut and saddle:
- GraphTech NuBone
- Nut width:
- 1.39"
- Body depth:
- 3.12"
- Strings:
- Aquila Super Nylgut
What it gets right
- 17 inches of scale is the most fret spacing available in standard GCEA tuning, which is exactly what adult fingers want
- 1.39 inch nut is marginally wider than the soprano and concert in the same line, so strings are less crowded across the neck too
- Same NuBone nut and factory Aquilas as the rest of the KA-15 series
Where it gives ground
- 26 inches overall is a large instrument, and it loses the pocket-sized charm people buy ukuleles for
- The bigger body is fuller and warmer, which means less of the bright plink that says 'ukulele'
What it is not good at
Children, and anyone who wants the classic sound. If the appeal is the small bright instrument, size down to a soprano — the tenor is a different experience.
How the specs score against a beginner’s needs
Scores are our reading of the published specifications above against what a beginner physically needs. They are not test results — we have not played this instrument.
Specifications from Kala Brand Music — KA-15T tenor specifications.
Cordoba 15CM
CordobaBest for: Adult hands, concert size
A 375 mm concert scale with 18 frets and a 35 mm nut. The extra inch and a bit of scale over a soprano is the difference between cramped and comfortable for most adults.
Published specifications
- Size:
- Concert
- Top / back / sides:
- Mahogany
- Fingerboard:
- Rosewood
- Scale length:
- 375 mm (14-3/4")
- Frets:
- 18
- Nut width:
- 35 mm (1-3/8")
- Body / overall:
- 280 mm body, 610 mm (24") overall
- Strings / finish:
- Aquila, satin finish, abalone rosette
What it gets right
- 18 frets against a soprano's 12 — a whole extra register that a soprano simply does not have
- The 375 mm scale gives noticeably more room between frets without becoming a tenor-sized instrument
- Aquila strings and an abalone rosette; it looks considerably more expensive than it is
Where it gives ground
- Identical 35 mm nut width to the Kala soprano — the extra room is between the frets, not across the neck
- 24 inches overall is a lot of instrument for a small child
What it is not good at
Sounding like a ukulele in the postcard sense. The concert body is fuller and rounder; the bright, plinky voice people picture is the soprano's.
How the specs score against a beginner’s needs
Scores are our reading of the published specifications above against what a beginner physically needs. They are not test results — we have not played this instrument.
Specifications from Cordoba Guitars — 15CM.
Questions people actually ask
Is a tenor ukulele good for beginners?
It is a fine first ukulele and it is not the obvious default. A tenor is 17 inches of scale and about 26 inches overall, which is a lot of instrument. It suits adults with large hands and players coming from guitar; most other beginners are happier on a concert.
Is a tenor ukulele tuned the same as a soprano?
Yes — standard GCEA, same as soprano and concert. Every chord shape and every songbook transfers between the three without adjustment. Only the baritone is different, tuned DGBE like a guitar’s top four strings.
Does a tenor ukulele sound better?
Fuller and warmer, with more sustain, which is better if that is what you want. It is further from the bright plinky voice most people picture when they think “ukulele” — that sound is the soprano’s.
Is a tenor ukulele easier to play than a concert?
For large hands, marginally — the frets are further apart. Note that going up a size gives you room along the neck, not across it: a Kala tenor is 1.39 inches at the nut against about 1.375 on their soprano. If your fingers crowd each other side to side, size will not fix it.
Sources
Still deciding?
Every recommendation on this site is built the same way, and the method is published in full — including what we do not do and what would get a pick dropped.
Read next
- Soprano vs concert vs tenor ukulele
Real scale lengths and fret counts across all four sizes, with the hand-size rule and buy paths for the two that matter.
- Best beginner ukuleles: what's worth it from $60 to $120
Segmented by hand size rather than price, with the nut-material spec that separates a real ukulele from a decoration.
- Ukulele vs guitar for beginners
Why the ukulele is genuinely easier, exactly which skills transfer to guitar, and when the stepping-stone plan is a detour.
- Ukulele accessories you actually need
The three items that genuinely matter, the best cheap upgrade, and what a bundle is really padding with.
- How much should a beginner ukulele cost?
Four bands from $30 to $200, defined by nut material and tuner type rather than by brand, with the accessory list included.