Ukuleles
Best gifts for ukulele players
There are four sizes of ukulele and most gift buyers do not know there is more than one. That single fact decides what is safe to buy.
By Sawyer V. · Published · Last updated
The honest answer for a ukulele player is a method book if you cannot ask anything, because all three common ukulele sizes share the same tuning so a book cannot be the wrong size. If you can find out the body size, a padded gig bag is the most useful thing on this page. Everything physical about a ukulele — cases, strings, straps — depends on which of the four sizes they own, and that is the fact this whole page turns on.
Every pick states its Starter Path band, and we have not handled any of them — the method is on how we pick. Dimensions and material specifications come from the makers' published pages, cited at the bottom.
There are four ukulele sizes — soprano (about 21 inches), concert (23 to 24), tenor (26 to 27) and baritone (30 to 31) — and cases and strings are specific to them. With no information, buy a method book: soprano, concert and tenor all use GCEA tuning so a book always fits. With the size confirmed, buy a padded gig bag. A humidifier only helps a solid-wood ukulele, and most beginner ukuleles are laminate.
The four sizes, and why they govern everything
A guitar comes in a few body shapes and essentially one scale for adults. A ukulele comes in four distinct sizes that are each a different instrument, and the listings routinely say only “ukulele”.
Soprano is about 21 inches overall and is the classic ukulele sound. Concert is about 23 to 24, slightly louder and easier for adult hands. Tenor is about 26 to 27. All three use GCEA tuning, which is the crucial point for gift buying.
Baritone is about 30 to 31 inches and is tuned DGBE — the top four strings of a guitar. That makes it a genuinely different instrument: its chord shapes are different, its strings are different, and a soprano chord book is wrong for it.
So the gift logic falls out directly. Anything that depends on the tuning — a chord book, a method — is safe for the three common sizes. Anything that depends on the body — a case, a stand, a strap — needs the size. Anything that depends on the string length — strings — needs the size too.
The criteria
Does it survive not knowing the size? The first filter, and the one that puts the method book at the top rather than the gig bag, which is the more useful object.
Is it a consumable? Strings get used up, so they cannot be a duplicate. That makes them a strong gift the moment you know the size.
Does it address something they have not thought about? The humidifier pick exists because of this, and it comes with its own qualifier: it is only meaningful on a solid-wood instrument.
The picks
Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 1#ad is the no-information pick. It teaches from the beginning with online audio, and because it is written for GCEA tuning it works on a soprano, a concert or a tenor without modification. Buy this if you know nothing except that they have a ukulele. Skip it if they have a teacher or an existing method — and note it is the wrong book for a baritone. Our ukulele books roundup covers the alternatives.
Martin M600 strings#ad are the consumable pick, in fluorocarbon, gauged for soprano and concert. Fluorocarbon is brighter and more stable than the nylon that ships on cheap ukuleles, so this is a genuine small upgrade rather than a like-for-like replacement. Buy these if the ukulele is a soprano or concert. Skip them if it is a tenor or baritone, which need different sets.
The MusicNomad Humilele#ad is the gift nobody thinks of. A ukulele-sized sound-hole humidifier using the same anti-drip Humid-i-Bar sponge as the company's guitar units, published as holding ten times its weight in water and taking distilled water only. Buy this if the ukulele is solid wood. Skip it if it is laminate, where it does nothing at all — and most beginner ukuleles are laminate, so check before buying.
The Gator GBE-UKE-CON gig bag#ad is the most useful object here and the one with the sizing trap. Ten millimeters of foam in a 600-denier nylon shell with backpack straps, at about a pound, sized for a concert body with published interior bout widths. Buy this if you have confirmed it is a concert ukulele. Skip it if you have not — a soprano slides around inside it and lands on its headstock, which is the part that breaks. Our cases roundup has the published dimensions for every size.
What we did not list, and why
A strap. Conventional ukulele straps need strap buttons that many ukuleles do not have, and fitting them is a workshop job. The sound-hole hook style needs nothing and works on anything, which is the one we would suggest if you want to give a strap — we have not picked a model because the market at that price is almost entirely unbranded with no published specification.
A stand. Useful, cheap, and sized to the body like everything else.
A clip-on tuner. Genuinely universal and genuinely likely to be a duplicate — a tuner is usually the first thing a ukulele player buys, often in the same transaction as the instrument. It is a better gift for a guitarist, which is why it leads our guitar gifts page instead.
A baritone chord book for a soprano player, or vice versa. Worth naming as the specific error: the tuning difference means the chord shapes are genuinely different, and a book bought for the wrong tuning is not slightly wrong, it is unusable. Our baritone against tenor page explains the gap.
Quick picks
Safe if you know it is a small ukulele
Fluorocarbon strings for soprano or concert, which is what most beginner ukuleles are. Strings are a consumable, so no duplicate risk. For: a soprano or concert player. Skip if: the ukulele is a tenor or baritone — different set.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin M600 ukulele stringsClear fluorocarbon strings for soprano and concert ukuleles with the gauges and set tension published. | The cheapest real upgradeThe honest floor | 7.8 | $6.49 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded |
Safe with no questions at all
A method book works on any size of ukulele because the tuning is the same across soprano, concert and tenor. For: a beginner on any of the three common sizes. Skip if: they already have a method or a teacher.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 148 pages by Lil' Rev that teach tab and standard notation together, with 46 demonstration and play-along tracks online. | The standard first courseThe honest floor | 7.8 | $9.95 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded |
If it is a solid-wood ukulele
A sound-hole humidifier sized for a ukulele. The gift nobody thinks of, and the one that prevents the expensive winter problem. For: solid-wood instruments. Skip if: it is laminate, which most beginner ukuleles are.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  MusicNomad Humilele (MN302)A sound-hole humidifier sized for a ukulele, using the same anti-drip Humid-i-Bar sponge as the company's guitar units. | The ukulele gift nobody thinks ofThe honest floor | 7.2 | $9.99 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded |
Only if you can check the size
A padded gig bag, which is the most useful thing on this page and the one with a real sizing trap. For: a concert-size ukulele specifically. Skip if: you cannot confirm the body size — a soprano rattles inside it.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gator GBE-UKE-CON Concert Ukulele Gig Bag10 mm foam core inside a 600-denier nylon shell, with backpack straps and an accessory pocket, at one pound. | The honest floor for a ukulele caseThe honest floor | 7.4 | $29.99 · View on Amazon #ad How we’re funded |
The picks in full
Martin M600 ukulele strings
MartinBest for: The cheapest real upgrade
Clear fluorocarbon strings for soprano and concert ukuleles with the gauges and set tension published. The least expensive way to hear what a cheap ukulele is actually capable of.
Published specifications
- Material:
- High-tensile clear fluorocarbon, no wound strings in this set
- Model:
- M600 (M620 tenor, M630 baritone)
- Gauges:
- A .019, E .025, C .034, G .022
- Set tension:
- 35.4 (Martin's published figure for soprano/concert)
- Fits:
- Soprano and concert
- End type:
- Not published by Martin
- High-G or low-G:
- Not published by Martin
What it gets right
- Full published gauges plus a set tension figure, straight from Martin
- All four strings are fluorocarbon in this size — no wound string to wear through
- One part number spans both soprano and concert bodies
Where it gives ground
- Martin does not publish the end type, so bridge compatibility has to be checked on the instrument
- No high-G or low-G designation is published — only the raw gauges
- Tenor and baritone need different part numbers with different gauges and tensions
What it is not good at
Tenor or baritone ukuleles. Martin assigns those scales to M620 and M630, and the gauges are not interchangeable.
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 Martin Guitar — ukulele strings, M600 soprano/concert.
Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 1
Hal LeonardBest for: The standard first course
48 pages by Lil' Rev that teach tab and standard notation together, with 46 demonstration and play-along tracks online. The method most ukulele teachers work from.
Published specifications
- Author:
- Lil' Rev
- Pages:
- 48
- Format:
- Softcover with audio online, TAB
- Audio:
- 46 tracks, download or stream, with PLAYBACK+ tempo, looping and key change
- Notation:
- Tablature and standard notation
- Covers:
- Tuning, strumming, reading music, melodies, chords, scales, tremolo
- Item number:
- HL 00695832; ISBN 978-0-634-07726-5
What it gets right
- 46 demonstration and play-along tracks with tempo and looping controls, the richest audio of any ukulele book here
- Teaches tab and standard notation together, so the player is not locked into one system
- Goes past strumming into scales and tremolo, which most beginner ukulele books never reach
- Hal Leonard publishes Spanish, French and a genuine left-handed edition of the same method
Where it gives ground
- No song list and no chord list is published, so you are buying the curriculum unseen
- The audio unlocks with a single access code printed inside the book, so a used copy may have a spent code
- Short at 48 pages, and Hal Leonard listed it on back order at its own store when we checked
What it is not good at
Buying secondhand. The online audio is most of the value and it is gated behind one printed code.
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 Hal Leonard — Ukulele Method Book 1 (HL 695832), Hal Leonard — Ukulele Method series page.
MusicNomad Humilele (MN302)
MusicNomadBest for: The ukulele gift nobody thinks of
A sound-hole humidifier sized for a ukulele, using the same anti-drip Humid-i-Bar sponge as the company's guitar units. A solid-wood ukulele in a centrally heated house through winter is the one that cracks, and almost nobody buys this until after it happens.
Published specifications
- Fits:
- Ukulele sound hole
- Sponge:
- Humid-i-Bar, published as holding ten times its weight in water
- Material claim:
- Anti-drip, no-mess sponge material
- Water:
- Distilled water only, per the maker
- Replacement sponge:
- MN301, shared with the MN300, MN303 and MN311
What it gets right
- Solves a genuine winter problem for solid-wood ukuleles that the owner probably has not thought about
- The shared MN301 sponge means refills stay available and cheap for years
- Anti-drip material, which matters because the failure mode of a cheap humidifier is water on the soundboard
- Cheap enough to be an add-on gift rather than the whole present
Where it gives ground
- Does nothing for a laminate ukulele, which is most beginner ukuleles — the gift is only meaningful on solid wood
- Needs distilled water, so tap water shortens its life and the giver has to pass that on
- No hygrometer, so the owner is still guessing at the room's humidity
- Needs a closed case to do much; in an open room it is mostly decorative
What it is not good at
Laminate instruments. A laminate ukulele barely responds to humidity swings, which is exactly why laminate is recommended for beginners — so check the instrument is solid wood before giving this.
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.
Gator GBE-UKE-CON Concert Ukulele Gig Bag
GatorBest for: The honest floor for a ukulele case
10 mm foam core inside a 600-denier nylon shell, with backpack straps and an accessory pocket, at one pound. For a ukulele that cost under a hundred dollars and travels to a weekly lesson, this is the entire requirement.
Published specifications
- Size:
- Concert
- Padding:
- 10 mm dense foam core
- Exterior:
- 600-denier nylon, water resistant
- Interior body dimensions:
- 12.0 x 2.9" (30.5 x 7.3 cm), overall length 25.3" (64.1 cm)
- Bout widths:
- Lower 8.8", middle 7.5", upper 5.0"
- Exterior dimensions:
- 26.0 x 9.0 x 2.5" (66.0 x 22.9 x 6.4 cm)
- Weight:
- 1.0 lb (0.5 kg)
- Carry:
- Nylon handle plus built-in backpack straps
- Storage:
- Exterior accessory pocket
What it gets right
- Gator publishes interior bout widths, which is the only way to check a case actually fits before buying
- Backpack straps on a one-pound bag, which is what gets a child to carry their own instrument
- 10 mm of foam is enough to survive being leaned against a wall and knocked over - the way most beginner ukuleles get damaged
- Costs a fraction of the instrument, which is the correct proportion for a first case
Where it gives ground
- A gig bag will not survive the instrument being sat on, dropped from height, or checked as luggage
- No humidity control of any kind, which matters for a solid-top ukulele
- The single accessory pocket is small - a tuner and spare strings, not a music book
- Concert sizing only; a soprano rattles inside it and a tenor will not go in
What it is not good at
Protecting against crushing. Foam absorbs knocks; it does not resist weight. Anything that involves a car boot with luggage on top needs a hard case.
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 Gator Cases published specifications for the GBE-UKE-CON concert ukulele gig bag (10 mm foam core, 600-denier nylon, interior and exterior dimensions, bout widths, weight, backpack straps).
Questions people actually ask
What is a safe gift for a ukulele player?
A method book#ad, because soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles all use the same GCEA tuning, so the book works whatever size they own. Everything physical — cases, strings, straps — depends on the body size, which is the thing gift buyers usually do not know to ask about.
How do I find out what size their ukulele is?
Measure the whole instrument end to end, or ask. Roughly: 21 inches is a soprano, 23 to 24 a concert, 26 to 27 a tenor, 30 to 31 a baritone. If you can get a photo next to something of known length, that is usually enough. Our page on soprano against concert against tenor explains what the sizes change musically.
Are ukulele strings size-specific?
Yes, and this surprises people. A soprano and concert set is a different gauge from a tenor set, and a baritone is tuned differently altogether — DGBE rather than GCEA — so it takes an entirely different set. A soprano set on a tenor will be slack and unplayable. Strings are otherwise a great gift because they are a consumable.
Will a humidifier help their ukulele?
Only if it is solid wood, and most beginner ukuleles are laminate. Laminate barely responds to humidity swings, which is exactly why it is recommended for beginners. A solid-wood ukulele in a heated house through winter is the one that can crack, and ukulele care and humidity covers how to tell which you are looking at.
Can I buy them a ukulele?
More defensibly than any other instrument on this site, because ukuleles are cheap enough that a mistake is not ruinous and the sizing question is simpler than a guitar's. If the recipient is a complete beginner, soprano or concert is the conventional starting point and our beginner ukulele roundup is the honest shortlist. For a child specifically, see ukuleles for kids.
What about a strap?
Ukulele straps come in two kinds and one of them needs a hole drilled. A conventional strap needs strap buttons, which many ukuleles do not have; a hook-style strap that sits in the sound hole needs nothing. If you want to give a strap, give the sound-hole kind — the alternative is a gift that comes with a workshop visit.
Sources
- Martin — M600 ukulele strings, fluorocarbon, soprano and concert gauge
- Hal Leonard — Ukulele Method Book 1 with online audio
- MusicNomad — Humid-i-Bar sponge page (ten times its weight in water, anti-drip material, distilled water only, MN302 compatibility)
- Gator Cases — GBE-UKE-CON concert ukulele gig bag published dimensions (10 mm foam, 600-denier nylon, interior bout widths)
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
- Ukulele accessories you actually need
The three items that genuinely matter, the best cheap upgrade, and what a bundle is really padding with.
- 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 ukulele cases and gig bags
Soprano, concert, tenor and baritone need four different cases, and the published interior bout widths are the only way to check. Three cases from gig bag to hard shell, and when each is worth it.
- How to look after a ukulele
The 40 to 60 per cent rule, the early warning signs of a dry instrument, and what genuinely needs cleaning versus what does not.
- Best ukulele books for beginners
Why a method book matters on the easiest fretted instrument, what to check before buying, and three picks for adults, self-teachers and children.
- Best stocking stuffers for musicians
Under about twenty-five dollars and useful whatever they play. Four that pass, three that are usually duplicates, and the one segment where you do need to know the instrument.