If you're just looking to buy a ukulele for the first time, the huge range of choices out there can be very daunting. Here are a selection of ukuleles that are very popular with first time buyers and will give you a decent quality ukulele at a good price so you can test the waters of ukulele playing without breaking the bank.

Lanikai LU-21 Ukuleles

From what I've seen, the Lanikai LU-21 is the best choice for a first time player and it's very popular. The LU-21 range is Lanikai's budget range of ukuleles. It has geared tuners which are pretty much essential for a budget ukulele (cheap friction tuners tend not the keep in tune very well).

It's one of the few budget ukuleles that comes in all the standard ukulele sizes. Making it very appealing to the increasing number of people wanting to start on the tenor ukulele.

Makala Ukuleles

Makala is the budget line of ukuleles for Kala. As well as coming in the standard natural wood look, they also come in bright shades with a dolphin motif: very popular with kids. The best place to buy these online is from musicguymic. He makes sure these ukuleles are well set up and have good strings on them. For a beginner, this is a life saver. So many cheap ukuleles are poorly set up and if you're a beginner you're likely to get frustrated and give up if you can't produce a decent sound.

Mahalo Ukuleles

Probably the most popular beginner ukulele in the UK, Mahalos are cheap and cheerful. Being cheaply produced, the ukuleles can be a little inconsistent. But there are legends that one in every five Mahalo ukuleles sounds fantastic. So if you get a chance to try before you buy, be selective.