I've played ukes for many years and just love them. I have a few vintage, higher end instruments, Martin, Gibson, and Favailla, and have passed many along. Stay away from the lower end laminated instruments on the market. You want a solid wood instrument. For under $200, I"ve read how the Bushman ukuleles are excellent value. Here is one link to a site: http://www.ukes.com/bushman-ukuleles.html You might also check out the market section of fleamarketmusic.com, one of the major uke boards. By the way, Jeff Tweedy is a uke player. The Rollingstone article on Jeff & Wilco in