Side sound port: Does it improve the overall sound/tone of a uke?

gyosh said:
You know. You're spending the money to get a Hive.

Spend a little more to get exactly what you want now because you can't undo a custom later. The money? You'll find a way.

You're getting the absolute best sounding uke out there IMO from one of, if not the best builder.

::jealous::
Click to expand...

This was basically my thought process going into my custom Hoffmann. For the foreseeable future, my Hoffmann represented to me what should be my most expensive instrument purchase for a very long time, and I went ahead and got all the things I wanted now that I could afford. I remember thinking along the process, "wow, these options are starting to escalate cost a bit," but I knew they would create the instrument that I truly wanted to enjoy for a very long time.

As of now, I see my Hoffmann as a long-term, life-loving instrument. So essentially, I am taking the cost of it, and amortizing the cost of it for at least 20 years or so in my head as justification, and thinking of it in that way, it seems reasonable :) I had the funds at the time, no pressing needs financially anywhere else, and ran with it!
 
Nickie said:
Ha ha John, that was funny. I'm sure that's not what my luthier did, LOL!
Click to expand...

Nickie...

Thanks. After I posted it I was a little concerned that you might think it was personal on your luthier.

I was actually looking at how a side port could be added and it surprised me as much as anyone; and thought it might be worth a laugh.

I'm glad you liked it an congrats on your successful side ports.

John
 
hawaii 50 said:
that is what I thought too...but I have many ukes with a SSP and i know many builders that use the SSP...so being called "a plain ripoff: was a surprising choice of words....did not go well over with me(a buyer) and Beau(a builder) but that is only me....I don't know what Nickie does for work but if someone told her her job was ripoff she would defend herself too....


no big thing this is a chat room so all kinds of opinions are good....but feelings get hurt sometimes....

but back to the topic..i have played a few 4-5 Hive ukes and I believe the SSP does give the uke a better sound/tone...
Click to expand...

hawaii, I work as a hospice nurse. I will tell you that I believe that American medicine is a rip-off, a lot of the time, especially chemotherapy, but sometimes that even works, like my $20 soundhole does. I hold people's hands as they die, and give them comfort meds, but I know that's not the best way to die. I'm not even offended anymore if people call me the "angel of death." I shrug it off.
I apologize for calling a $150 soundhole a ripoff, but it sure sounds steep. But then all custom ukes sound expensive to me, I'm just an LPN (Low Paid Nurse) living paycheck to paycheck.
 
Recstar24 said:
This was basically my thought process going into my custom Hoffmann. For the foreseeable future, my Hoffmann represented to me what should be my most expensive instrument purchase for a very long time, and I went ahead and got all the things I wanted now that I could afford. I remember thinking along the process, "wow, these options are starting to escalate cost a bit," but I knew they would create the instrument that I truly wanted to enjoy for a very long time.

As of now, I see my Hoffmann as a long-term, life-loving instrument. So essentially, I am taking the cost of it, and amortizing the cost of it for at least 20 years or so in my head as justification, and thinking of it in that way, it seems reasonable :) I had the funds at the time, no pressing needs financially anywhere else, and ran with it!
Click to expand...

I agree with your thinking 100% Ryan. When you compare the short term pain to the long term gain (which you describe well), there is no other way to go once you have made the purchase decision to commission a custom. After spending that much money the last thing you want is buyers remorse every time you open the case.
 
Nickie said:
$150 is ridiculous, and a plain ripoff.
Click to expand...

Ouch!
As with everything in the ukulele world there are varying degrees of quality. On a $100 uke a repair person might spend 10 minutes and punch in a $20 side sound port for a customer. (Honestly, I wouldn't do it at all after the fact.) It'll look like a $20 SSP and will match the quality of the uke and the customer will be happy. More is expected of a custom builder though and he/she will spend much more time on installing a SSP than that which can be had for $20. At a minimum, all SSPs need to be reinforced from the inside. The better ones may be bound. And better yet, they may have purling to match the rest of the uke. All of this takes time and will be charged at the same hourly rate that the builder's shop requires to stay in business.
 

Attachments

  • ssp.jpg
    ssp.jpg
    89.9 KB · Views: 26
It is always interesting how much reality is based on perception.
 
Rllink said:
It is always interesting how much reality is based on perception.
Click to expand...
Reality is whatever bites your butt, i.e. if it affects you, it's real, and if it doesn't, it's irrelevant. If you perceive that your butt has been bitten, whether or not it actually has, then you feel something. If you think a change makes a difference then it does -- for you anyway. My mileage may vary.

But that's a philosophical point. I'm interested by some SSP implications. Seems to me that for a sideport-only instrument, 1) body shape is not critical, hence the fluke-shaped SSP 'ukes; 2) laminated sides rather than solid would better support the SSP(s) and need less reinforcement; and 3) the most flexible soundboard possible would be desired. Would top bracing be lighter than the back? Could they both be lighter?

And I wonder if an SSP-only axe does better with one SSP (and how does its size affect the body's resonant frequency?) or with an arrangement of smaller ports scattered over the side(s). Dang, wish I had some simple-to-use acoustic modeling software!
 
I've got a Rebel ukulele that has four SSPs. It sounds good to me. In fact it sounds four times better than it would without them ... maybe.

attachment.php
 
gyosh said:
You know. You're spending the money to get a Hive.

Spend a little more to get exactly what you want now because you can't undo a custom later. The money? You'll find a way.

You're getting the absolute best sounding uke out there IMO from one of, if not the best builder.

::jealous::
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm really looking forward to it.
 
The side sound bevel mounted flutes in the in the Kevin Ryan guitar pictured above are a $900 option. He has two guitars with the flutes available for sale. One is $14,555, the other $27,000.

The Hive with a side sound port is a relatively good deal. This is another thumbs up for the SSP on your new Hive, especially since you say the build has started.
 
Dan Uke said:
getting more response and self gratification to the player is worth it IMO.
Click to expand...

I totally agree. The majority of the time that I play is just for myself, so why not get the best sound experience possible, rather than projecting it all away from the only person who's listening? Haha.
 
mds725 said:
I'm curious, Beau. Do you think a side (or bevel) sound port (or ports) in the lower bout have a different effect on an instrument than a side sound port in the upper bout?
Click to expand...

Not sure- ive heard people say both- that they do and don't.

One thing I do know through logic is that it doesn't make such a difference as to turn a great instrument bad, or bad instrument great.
 
Mark, I've installed side sound ports in the upper bout, in the lower bouts and even both, upper and lower bouts. Doesn't seem to matter where it is but if installed in the lower bout can get covered up with your arm. The flutes in Kevin's guitars are awesome but I see that as Kevin's thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

I
Side sound port
Replies
18
Views
597
PauoaPoiDog
P
Randy1
Sold Blackbird Farralon w/side sound port
Replies
7
Views
661
scarver
S
J
  • Locked
FS--Koa Concert Flea with wooden fretboard, sound port, and side markers
Replies
4
Views
496
jimafornia
J
B
  • Locked
FS: Blackbird Farallon w/Side Sound Port and Radius Fretboard
Replies
1
Views
702
bretterb
B
U
  • Locked
FS: 2019 Blackbird Farallon $1350 ( Side Sound port+ radius fret board)
Replies
7
Views
1K
Ukujiji
U
Top Bottom