My favorite ukulele store in the Bay Area! An enormous selection of ukuleles with a range of brands, sizes, specialty types (electric, banjolele, travel size, flukes, resonator) and price ranges. Particularly focused on Hawaiian brands, so if you are looking for American brands or small local independent brands this is probably not the right place to go. Also good selection of uke accessories. I love the PhD strings that Smiley recommends here, they sell sets with unwound low g strings which are hard to come by. Smiley and Janet are super friendly and helpful, and you can try any uke in the store easily, even the expensive ones. If you love ukuleles, come here. read more

Went in Saturday afternoon had one heck of a great time. Janet was so patient with me, showed me then played multiple ukes for me. Then it was my wife's turn!! Great place, good assortment of beautiful instruments and the best customer service I've had in a long time..... We'll be back. read more

I came in on Halloween on an impulse buy. The store closes at 5, but I came around 4 after work. Honestly was worried they were going to close early but nope, they were still open! I've never played any instruments before, period, and spent weeks watching YouTube videos about ukuleles before gathering the courage to finally come in person to touch one! After reading all these reviews, I was nervous that the owners were going to give me a hard time for not knowing anything, but the opposite happened! The gentleman helping me gave a good overview of the different ukuleles and even helped pluck some tenor ukuleles of my choice since I came unprepared with long nails. He gave me some tips for beginners, made sure I had everything I needed, and even offered some quick lessons if I want to drop in briefly sometime in the future. Best experience hands down!!! I'm so excited to learn and I'm glad I came here for my first ukulele! read more

I never knew this place exist in Japan Town, San Jose! I always walk near by but I never seen it. It's a hidden treasure. There are many ukulele of all price range and the lady was really nice, too. I bought a concert and a bag. I will come back for maintenance. Highly recommended. read more

Great selection of ukulele. Very knowledgeable and patient. They let me play all the high end ukes. Surprisingly they had the kamaka and kanilea in stock. In this day and age the Internet stores have taken over. There's nothing like great customer service and an actual brick and mortar store where you can actually play and compare instruments rather than reading others reviews online or watching YouTube videos. I'm all about supporting mom and pop shops and ukulele source definetly earned my business. I ended up picking up the kamaka hf3 and I am so pleased with it. read more

I was SOOOOOO excited to come here after getting into uke's a few years back. Me and my wife went on down on a saturday afternoon just to kill some time. The area they are in is amazing, Like it was almost lost in time which was really cool. We found parking which was really easy and walked on in. There was already a customer in the store, i'm guessing was a regular because the way they were laughing and carrying on. The owner's proceeded to say nothing to us which is a shame because I had about $600 to spend that day. I really wanted to get my hands on some quality uke's but they made me feel like I wasn't supposed to touch them. I wanted to buy some stands for the uke's I already own but never got to ask about them(stands). The store is small, MAYBE 700sqft. They do have a TON of uke's which was really nice, but I didn't know what brands were good, i'm sure their(ukes) price's reflected their quality, but that's what I came to learn, and never did:-( I come from playing bass and guitars so I am more aware of quality names with those instruments (ie;fender martin taylor gibson etc) so I have resorted to collecting uke's from these companies as they match my guitar/bass collection better. I wish I could have found a mom and pop shop to support in my backyard but I guess it wasn't meant to be. The only reason they have two stars is because i suspect they have really good stuff with spotty customer service. I really wish I could bring myself to come back but I wont. read more

I play guitar but I'm a complete uke novice---so... I can follow along if you stick music chord sheet in front of me. At the Japan Town Oban festival last week I stumbled upon this place. Since my little nieces and nephews are learning uke, it was natural for me to browse. I thought it was a great place to go to get educated and learn about brands such as Kala, Nala, Ohana etc.. I'll recommend that the little guys browse through here. read more

I was visiting family in the Bay Area and made a point of stopping by the Ukulele Source. I initially went in looking for a solid spruce top tenor and picked Smiley's brain for about two hours! Obviously, he was very patient with me and I spent my time going back and forth between four instruments, finally settling on an ukulele by Romero Creations (solid spruce top, solid acacia back and sides). I didn't quite like the feel of the neck of the instrument in the store, but his wife, Janet dug around their stock and found another one to my liking. I've had the instrument now for about two months and want to thank Smiley and Janet for their time. My appreciation of the sound of this ukulele grows each time I play it. It is so much better than the all laminate ukulele that I had been playing for the past two years. I highly recommend the Ukulele Source if you want to get a good ukulele! read more

You would think that the only ukulele store in the area would be a lot more professional and even remotely useful. The two owners/employees that work here are absurdly unfriendly. I've visited this store two times and both times I've left in anger at how rude and unhelpful these owners are. Some of the worst service I've experienced in my entire life and I gladly will resort to the local guitar shop over this ukulele store. I highly do not recommend and will never step foot in this store again due to the lack of ukuleles, strings, and without question the service and ukulele knowledge. Save yourself the gas. read more

Smiley is true lover of ukes! NO pressure and so friendly service. Feel like back in Honolulu as a young tourist again. Aloha spirit lives on here! Rare gem of a place. read more

Been looking around for a ukulele and come across the Ukulele Source on the internet. A nice ukulele shop locates in San Jose's Japan Town. Janet and Smiley are very knowledgeable and helpful. I am glad that I visited their store; Janet let me try different ukuleles to compare sound and materials quality. I am now on a wait list for the tenor Kamaka, 100th Anniversary headstock. read more

Great local business. And yeah, that bad review below... I'm sure the guy laughed (but not in a bad way, but you know, in that Hawaiian jovial/making fun way... it's a cultural thang, get over yourself lady). Anyway, I just bought a new 'starter' uke and was surprised that I could get a decent one for under $200. He was very patient with me and demonstrated all the different price ranges and the tone quality. I enjoy the causal ambiance and the low pressure Hawaiian style sales. I also felt really good about supporting a J-town community business, you know what I mean? I feel like San Jose and surrounding neighborhoods should support the arts and culture of this old community. Wonderful. I can't wait to be the next Jake Shimabukuro! (hah~ jk, jk!) read more

All my friends have been raving about Ukelele Source because of their one of a kind pieces and friendly service. I have to say Smiley & Janet (the owners I'm assuming) were so friendly and helpful and really took the time to explain to me the difference between each Uke and even gave me a little lesson! They also throw "jam" sessions and street concerts throughout the year! If your thinking of picking up the Uke definitely stop by here for all your goodies! read more

This is my favorite ukulele shop in the area. In fact, I can't think of any place here locally where the entire store is ukuleles. I've tried out many of the ukes there from the Kalas to the Kanile'as to the KoAlohas. Even tried a Kala U-bass there. They are in the know when it comes to ukuleles. I highly recommend this store for their expertise. Smiley told me that Herb Ohta Jr. and Daniel Ho often do private lessons when they are in town. I'm so glad they told me that because that would be awesome! read more

I cannot say enough about Smiley & Janet Kai. Their customer service is beyond generous! In fact, they are huge contributors to the SJ community and their care for it is very genuine!!! = ) read more

Definitely worth it to come into a nice store like this rather than buying blind online, not to mention risks with shipping something like a ukulele. Just bought a concert uke and played for a few hours at home. It sounds awesome, couldn't be happier. read more

Janet you are awesome! thank you for helping us. Koa is so cute! everyone come here for all your ukulele needs! try out all the different types they carry a lot!!! read more

This is an awesome shop in Japan town. Pretty much all need is here.

A great find from the wife of a long time friend.

Had a great selection and were super helpful! When I went in I had just started playing a vintage uke. He helped me learn a couple chords and figure out how much I could do with the uke I had. Very sweet and really knows what he's talking about. I also appreciate the wide range of pricing they have. Definitely my go to place! read more

Best uke store in Japan town (San Jose). More ukuleles than you can shake a stick at, well I guess that's not really true because I could shake a stick at a lot ukes given enough time. It's a small place but they manage to fit in a ton of ukuleles as well as books and they even carry amps. Every time I go there they seem to have just the ukulele I was looking for. It's a mom and pop shop for sure and I love that. Prices are the same as online so support your local ukulele shop instead of amazon or whatever and besides don't most people want to play the instrument before they buy it? Here you test drive an instrument first then decide if you want to buy it not the other way around. read more

Return visit! Still a wonderful store for the ukulele enthusiast. I asked for help/instruction on changing strings for my instrument. No problem now I know and can do my own. Happy took the time to show my husband how to do the same on his instrument which was a different way then mine. While waiting I tried different instruments. Somehow another ukulele came home with us. Very knowledgeable and helpful. A great place for a quality instrument. read more

the owner is awesome very friendly helped me with all the questions i asked and just a really great guy. the store is nice and neat kind of small but there are plenty of high quality ukes to chose from. after an hr or 2 of looking at ukes we decided to return a uke we bought a week ago at guitar center and then go back to his store to pick up the uke we wanted when we got back mr smiley offered us the uke we chose at a discounted price because of this really minor blemish that i dont believe i would have ever noticed. if your looking for a uke i would strongly suggest coming to ukulele source and checking it out. read more

Bought a beginner ukelele for our granddaughter. No problem. Great service. Good options. Got an affordable instrument and case. Also our daughter took her Kamaka in to get restrung. They restrung it and replaced a bad tuning peg. Very affordable. read more

My daughter's travel tenor Ukelele broke and we went into this store to see what they had to replace it. We were met by Smiley and informed him on what we were looking for. He is very knowledgable about the instrument and fit to the customer and I liked that he informed and advised accordingly. We ended up choosing a Uke still a little larger than what my daughter needed but considerably smaller than what broke. I believe we made a sound decision and Smiley was happy to let us choose even after he advised on a smaller Uke. He also pointed out the reason he advised smaller, which I liked. I will be back again for the honesty and integrity of this business. To the bad mark on this review about the experience not finding a cheap Uke. There were a few inexpensive Ukuleles available at this store. If you are wanting to "just try it out" then you have to spend enough on an instrument that will be fair quality that will keep tuned while you learn the notes. Smiley was right saying he would not advise such a cheap instrument to "try it out". I would advise a visit to this store if you are looking to try Ukelele just to see the beautiful wood finishes available in this instrument. read more

As the saying goes, good things come in small packages, or in this case small places. Ukulele Source isn't a big place, but don't let that fool you. They have the best brands of ukulele's represented. I went in looking for a new ukulele and the owner Smiley showed me a few in the style i wanted and in my budget. He was really knowledgeable, friendly and never pushy(like some other places) in answering my questions. I ended up picking up a Kanile'a tenor ukulele from them. I will definitely be going back to pick up some strings and other accessories. read more

Was missing playing the guitar - was becoming too painful. Saw a YouTube video of someone playing the uke and was off and running. Spent hours on the Ukulele Underground site researching ukes and found out about Ukulele Source. What a treasure! Smiley was very patient with me and let me play to my heart's content. They have a wonderful selection and I really like knowing that there's someone local to guide me through that first string-change experience. I ended up getting a KoAloha tenor uke and am thrilled with it. They also had a nice electronic tuner and the perfect case to protect my new baby. If you have any desire to find out if the ukulele is for you, don't hesitate to visit this friendly shop. You will not feel pressured. I got the feeling that they really want their customers to be happy with their choice and they offer lots of very tempting ones! read more

Ukulele Source is my go to place for my ukulele needs in the Bay Area. Back when I first went shopping for a ukulele, I tried the various music shops around, and the ukulele selection reflected a general disinterest by these shops in the ukulele as an instrument. They each had some low quality ukuleles in stock, and most of these would be great for the very beginner who didn't really expect to stick with learning or who would quickly learn that they loved the instrument and would then want something better. Ukulele Source recognizes the ukulele as an instrument, and its shop reflects this attitude. The shop is pretty small, but it gets the job done. The left wall has a couple dozen high quality ukuleles ($500-$1,500) from several top manufacturers like Kanile'a and Koaloha. They have soprano, concert, super concert, tenor, etc. sizes in stock. The right side of the wall starts with the next step down in price (around $500). Here you have the Nalu and Ohana's show up. The Nalu ukuleles are like pieces of art with all the inlay designs. As you go further back, you get into the sub $500 range all the way to about $90. The shop has just about every budget covered. Now you just need to decide which one you want. That is where the owners Smiley and Janet come into the picture. They are both very friendly and helpful. My first time in the shop Smiley spent an hour with me as he went through playing ukuleles for me so I could see how they sounded. He gave me a lot of instruction on the different sizes, brands, and quality of the ukuleles in his store. I got a nice concert Ohana for around $300. I am left handed, and Smiley was kind enough to change out the strings so I could play left-handed, while he did this, he took the time to show me how to change strings. Then before letting me out of the shop he showed me how to tune the ukulele and he gave me a lesson on strumming and taught me four chords so I could practice my first chord progression. Since then I have used Ukulele Source for all ukulele needs, and they have been great in getting me what I needed. read more

After calling and visiting numerous stores in the Bay Area trying to find a concert ukulele that was pineapple shaped, I was happy to hear that Ukulele Source had one. I drove from San Francisco to Ukulele Source with high hopes. Janet surpassed all expectations that I had. After trying the ukulele, Janet ordered a couple of other pineapple shaped concerts for me to come back and compare. On top of this, she went out of her way to help me with a ukulele to use at my classes while I waited for the new ones to arrive. The ukuleles arrived sooner than expected, and she was very patient and helpful as I compared them. I am SO happy with my purchase! And, I'm happy that it came from such a good, family establishment. I recommend them to everyone I know, and I will definitely make the drive to San Jose for all my future ukulele needs! read more

The staff let me take my time trying out different ukeleles without trying to sell me on something. Made a very welcome change to other stores I'd visited read more

After reading so many rave reviews, I was expecting more customer service. I went in this store 4 different times and each time I was ignored - no one ever once offered any assistance and I needed help. With a store front the size of a large closet, it is impossible to be ignored but both the owners managed to do so - 4 SEPARATE TIMES! I did manage to make eye contact but they averted my gaze and went to help someone else instead with not even an "I'll be right with you". Yes, they have an excellent selection and I did purchase a Uke on my last visit but I literally had to walk outside with unpaid UKE in hand looking for someone to help with my intended purchase that I was never assisted with. I WAS THE ONLY ONE IN THE STORE!!! I've had better customer service at Starving Musician and Guitar Center. I'm not ugly or mean and I don't smell - why was I completely invisible to them? Where was all the Aloha? All said, if you know what you want and can decide for yourself, this store has the best selection. If you are a novice such as I and need that extra helping hand - this is not the place for you. Go to Starving Musician where they are eager to help you then go back to Ukulele Source when you know what you want. Although I love my purchase, I am disappointed in my shopping experience there. UPDATE: After posting my lukewarm review, Smiley almost immediately responded back to me apologizing for my bad experience. I feel I must reiterate that this store does have THE BEST selection of Ukes so my experience should not deter anyone from shopping there. I still love my purchase and would buy there again if I'm ever in the market for a higher end instrument. I'm changing my rating from 2 stars to 3 stars. read more

I stumbled upon the "Ukulele Source" while searching for high-end ukuleles. I was surprised to find a music store devoted exclusively to ukuleles in San Jose. The store is conveniently located off Highway 87 in Japantown . (Be sure to bring quarters for the parking meters.) Although the interior is small, the store is well laid-out and stocked with various sizes and brands of Hawaiian ukuleles including banjoleles. The owners (Smiley and Janet Kai) are very knowledgeable and friendly--even their little dog ("Koa") is friendly too. I received a great deal on a Kamaka ukulele and the entire purchase experience was pleasant. Incidentally, this store sells the "Uke Leash" and other unique accessories that will compliment any player's needs. Although this store does not offer major repair services, it will outsource these types of repairs locally. I highly recommend checking out this store before purchasing your next ukulele. It's a "must see" for any serious ukulele player. read more

This is a great store! The owners are friendly and helpful, and the dog is so cute! In a small space, they offer a large selection of products. Although the ukuleles are somewhat pricey, they patiently allowed me to try out several instruments, and didn't try to pressure me into buying the most expensive one I tried (which I did anyway, but that was my decision!) They "customized" it by changing a string, and, as others have noted, gave me a laminated chord chart. The only "minus" is that parking is somewhat difficult, at least when I went there Saturday midday. read more

If I can give this place more that 5 stars I would. I went in on two occations. My first visit I was in looking for a solid uke. Probably 2 hours before closing and a day before Smiley and Janet were preparing to go to NAMM down south in so cal so things were a little hecktic on their end. Smiley still practically answered all my questions about all the ukes they sold. He was very patient with me, although i think he may have been a little annoyed at my questions-at least that's the vibe i got. After trying out about all the ukes, I ended up purchasing a tuner which Janet was so helpful in helping me with. I felt no pressure at all. My second visit I came in because I was in for new strings. Not only did Smiley help me with the right string i was after (Worth CT) he installed it for me (just the g string, went from low to high). I ended up leaving with new strings and a gig bag for my mess around uke. A small shop that I am a fan of and where I know I will be going to for all my uke needs. Looks like they picked up some new ukes from NAMM. Check them out! Aloha! read more

What a special little store this is! Their inventory includes the biggest names in Hawaiian ukuleles. The owners are super nice and have made some great connections to the Hawaiian makers. Their prices rival those on the internet. I love spending my money locally. Great customer service. Highly recommend. read more

I heard about this place and stopped by after work to buy strings and look at the selection of ukuleles. I revisited the next week and walked out with a solid mahogany Ohana tenor which I love and play constantly. The shop is small but the selection of quality ukuleles and brands is unrivaled in the Bay area and maybe even California(cant really say having never gone Uke shopping in So cal). The owners were very nice and helpful and allowed me to try out a lot of ukes. Ill definetly go back the next time I have any ukulele needs read more

Smiley & Janet have got to be some of the nicest people I've ever met. Heck, I call them Uncle & Auntie in the Hawaiian style for respect and also because they feel like good family friends. What can I say, great customer service and good selection of ukes from high, mid & beginner. They definitely know their stuff and have relationships with many Hawaiian music artists. I had referred many people to them including my own students. Just purchased a Kanilea there and couldn't be happier. Pricing is very comparable to online. It might be a tad bit more, but you get to try any uke to feel and hear yourself up close & personal. If you are looking for an uke or accessories, you will not be disappointed! read more