eMedia Ukulele Beginner Pack Review – The King of Beginner Ukuleles?

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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eMedia is a brand that’s pretty well-known in the entry-level market, whether that’s electric guitar, acoustic guitar, or – what we care about today – ukuleles. They’ve put together a beginner ukulele package that’s both convenient and affordable, and one that includes a range of tuition and digital tools that can help any beginner get up and running. We’re reviewing the adult pack but, for around the same price, note that eMedia have a similar package tailored specifically for children.

Body & Neck

A ukulele and accessories for under $50 – the uke must be a piece of junk, right? Wrong! It’s actually a very decent instrument. The design is nothing spectacular – just your everyday simple ukulele, with a clean look and full-size soprano body (21” in length). The entire body is crafted from solid linden/basswood. It’s not the greatest tonewood, but you don’t often see solid wood in this budget range so it impressed us. It results in a sturdy instrument that feels worth more than the price tag suggests.

The neck is made from birch and is smooth to get up and down. It features a catalpa fretboard, with 12 frets, all in the clear. While there are better looking ukes out there, for a complete beginner ukulelist, this is a solid little instrument.

Hardware

Matching the fretboard, the ukulele features a catalpa bridge, while there are four tuners at the top, with black tuning keys. As well as the ukulele, this set comes with a few extras including a nylon gig bag and a spare set of strings. The bag isn’t anything special – a little flimsy but, for an extra, it’s suitable for storage.

As you’d expect from eMedia, you get some tuition in the shape of their Ukulele Basics toolkit, which includes software offering 65 interactive lessons from ukulele instructor Tim Carey, as well as a digital tuner, a chord dictionary and a metronome. In addition, you get a DVD copy of Ralph Shaw’s Complete Ukulele Course, which is a very useful hour-long course by an excellent player and teacher.

Sound

For a budget instrument, the ukulele in this package isn’t bad at all. The solid wood construction goes a long way to creating a slightly fuller sound than what’s on offer elsewhere. It certainly doesn’t have any high-end character, but it’s clear and bright enough, and that’s all you need to get started.

Conclusion

It doesn’t feel as polished as some other bundles out there, but overall eMedia’s package offers beginners very good value. The solid wood ukulele itself is worth the small asking price, but the instructional software and the extra DVD featuring Ralph ‘King of the Ukulele’ Shaw just adds to the worth.

For more info about the eMedia Ukulele Beginner Pack, click here.
For more Best Ukulele For Beginners you might like, click here.