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FROPPE
Akahai
USA
81 Posts |
 Posted - 06/04/2006 : 6:26:09 PM
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Aloha, everybody!
I'm hoping to purchase my first "real" ukulele in the near future. I've pretty much narrowed my choice down to Koaloha. I've been "playing" a very cheap, almost toy uke that I bought many years ago. I am very serious about really learning to play this very intriguing instrument.
My present dilemma is: On a soprano, would I be satisfied with a regular neck, or would I prefer the extended one? I've played guitar for about three years, and have really enjoyed my Taylor cutaways. I guess that I'm just worried about running out of room at the 12th fret. This uke will last me a long time, so I want to make the wisest decision possible. (There's also the lingering hope in the back of my mind that someday I will wind up with a tenor, as well!)
I would greatly appreciate anyone's thoughts, experiences, inputs, ideas, etc.
Mahalo,
Ben Sterling
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musicguymic
Aloha
6 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2006 : 10:04:58 PM
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| Aloha Froppe..As a guitar player I find it better to have the longer neck. One of my favorite bash around player is a soprano with a tenor neck. It seems that the increase string tension caused by the longer necks also bring out the maximum sound in the bodies. The longer neck also makes the fret spacing wider and allows us guitar player more room to finger chords more towards what we are used to. A soprano regular scale feels cramped to me.. |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2006 : 08:37:47 AM
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Hi -
If you are worried about running out of frets, why not start with a tenor? I'm guessing that, as a guitar player, you are looking to play melodies, leads, chords up the neck, etc. A tenor lets you do alll that with a minimum of fuss, and has the advantage of being slightly more guitarist-friendly. Nowadays most tenors are tuned exactly like sopranos and concerts, too.
Just a thought.
Happy ukein'! |
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GUke
Lokahi
188 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2006 : 1:37:37 PM
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e Ben,
I have a Koaloha extended neck soprano -- 17 frets, neck joins body at 14th fret. My G String concert has 19 frets, neck joins body at 14th fret. I believe Koaloha also has an extended neck concert which neck may be a tenor size. Anyway I like playing chords up the neck and someday when I learn to pani I expect benefits, too. My hands are not big -- men's small glove size. So the smaller ukes don't make me feel cramped. But do consider the sound you want, too. The larger the uke the mellower and bassier. When I want the brightest sound I strum the soprano which is why I have one. Otherwise I prefer my slightly mellower concert. Enjoy the journey in finding your ukulele.
Genaro
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Genaro
Should I? Itʻs only $, and where Iʻm going itʻll burn or melt. |
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daniel ho
Aloha
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2006 : 9:49:45 PM
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hi froppe,
i have a koaloha concert with a tenor neck. the first one they made. it was an experiment because i asked them for a tenor before they made tenor bodies. i love the sound. it sustains longer than a regular concert and has more presence than a tenor body. you can hear and see it on my cd pineapple mango:
http://www.danielho.com/html/pine.html
i haven't tried their soprano w/extended neck, but i bet it's cool.
aloha,
daniel |
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GUke
Lokahi
188 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2006 : 08:27:07 AM
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e Daniel,
Do you string your Koaloha extended neck with concert strings or tenor strings? What does Koaloha recommend?
aloha,
genaro |
Genaro
Should I? Itʻs only $, and where Iʻm going itʻll burn or melt. |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2006 : 3:41:18 PM
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Genaro,
I just played a KoAloha Pineapple Sunday which is essentially a pineapple concert body with a Tenor neck. It has more volume and sustain than the standard concerts. I have two KoAloha tenor ukuleles (one is a D-VI) and they have a fell closer to my Taylor guitars than other, smaller ukuleles. The ukuleles still will not have the volume or sustain of any of your Taylor guitars, but they will have the best tone of any ukulele I have played. I would go with the longer neck and the high tension clear, Worth Tenor strings (which is what Herb Jr and Daniel use). |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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konacat
Aloha
36 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2006 : 09:35:26 AM
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Ben,
I have a Koaloha extended neck soprano and love it. The other good ukulele I have is a Les Reitfers custom concert with a regular neck and it sounds and feels great. However, I have found myself playing the Koaloha much more often. It is much brighter and has that ukulele sound. I don't think you would do wrong by choosing the extended neck soprano.
Philip |
Philip The only thing worse than my playing is my singing. |
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FROPPE
Akahai
USA
81 Posts |
Posted - 07/05/2006 : 5:00:30 PM
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Mahalo to everyone for your input!
I solved my dilemma by purchasing a KoAloha tenor from Bounty Music on Maui. (Mahalo, Paul B.!)
It is a beautiful instrument, as well as sounding great. As a guitar player (more or less), I am very satisfied with the extra room up the neck. I've been utilizing the "Ukulele Chord Finder" link on Taropatch, and it has proven invaluable for finding alternate chord positions.
Again, many thanks to all who responded. Your input was very helpful.
Aloha,
Ben Sterling |
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