Full review at www.ukulelemag.com/gear-revie...
0:06 Cordoba 24B
0:56 Kala KA-B
1:53 Kala KA-ABP8-CTG 8-String
2:51 Lanikai MA-B
3:49 Loprinzi AM-B
4:45 Ohama BK-7
5:46 Ortega Ruaca-BA Acacia
The baritone is typically tuned like the highest four strings of a guitar, D G B E, in a non-re-entrant format (meaning that the string pitches are ordered lowest to highest). With a smaller body and shorter scale-length than a guitar, it has a different voice than both the guitar and other members of the ukulele family. These features also give uke players new opportunities, like sitting in with guitar-playing friends, adding gravity to your uke ensemble’s sound, or opening some artistic doors for yourself as you play at home and explore this lower, huskier voice.
For all of these reasons, and more, we decided it was time for a baritone roundup. One thing that playing this diverse array of instruments showed the players who tried these out is that the quality of ukuleles available right now, at very affordable prices, was unthinkable just a few years ago. All of our test ukes had great tuners, impeccable construction, and very playable setups right from the start. In short, you can’t lose if you have one of the instruments in this group. Several of them, including some of the least expensive ukes here, also come with a gig bag-an important feature for anyone who might be toting one around.
A few things to keep in mind: The lower-priced instruments will be made from laminated woods, and as you go up in price, you will start to see more solid woods and perhaps more decoration, though that’s not a given, as our most expensive uke in this roundup is fairly austere. All have 14-fret necks and, oddly, only two have the double-dot inlay at the 12th-fret octave, which is a helpful visual landmark.