Soprano options

The Islander would be a fine choice. Mine is a tenor, but the resonance is wonderful, even compared with other tenors I played when shopping.

Don’t rule out the Flea, either. Upgrade the fretboard to solid wood and you’ve got a friend for life.
 
Islander AS-4, I have one and they are great, with a great sound to boot. It ticks off all your boxes, laminate, matt finish, 1-1/2" nut. It is a long neck at 14-1/2" but not quite super soprano which is 15" scale length. I really like mine and so has everybody else that has played it, punches way ABOVE its price point.
 
Islander AS-4, I have one and they are great, with a great sound to boot. It ticks off all your boxes, laminate, matt finish, 1-1/2" nut. It is a long neck at 14-1/2" but not quite super soprano which is 15" scale length. I really like mine and so has everybody else that has played it, punches way ABOVE its price point.
If the Islander AS-4 is a 14 1/2" scale, then it's virtually the same as the Kala long neck which is listed at 14 7/8"
 
If the Islander AS-4 is a 14 1/2" scale, then it's virtually the same as the Kala long neck which is listed at 14 7/8"

I suspect that there is some error or confusion. The MS-4 has a 13 1/2” scale per the Souther Ukukele Store ( http://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/Product/0__dot__354/ ) and I would anticipate the AS-4 to be similar with the bridge just moved up the body by two frets (12 to 14). This post might help too: http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?108947-Islander-AS-4-scale-length
 
Ok, now I'm really confused. Maybe Down Up Dave can clarify.
 
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I don't like gloss either. I have changed a gloss neck to a more matte feel by using a sandpaper around 600 grit. It'd be safer to start with 800 grit first to see if that does it. Just make sure you go up and down the neck instead of in circles or you can leave some swirl marks behind. No need to apply pressure. Just let the paper do the work and check frequently during the process. It doesn't take long.

That is basically the advice I got from a guitar builder.
 
FWIW, my Islander AS-4 has 20 frets, measures 13.75 inches from nut to saddle, 1.50 inches wide at the nut and 2.05 inches at the saddle. The actual distance between #1 and #4 strings at the nut is 1.19 inches and 1.73 inches at the saddle.

And it's a damn fine ukulele which is under priced IMHO.

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Thanks cyber3d. That helps a lot, and those diagrams are very helpful.
 
Just for info, & in case you don't know, there are also, sopranino (smaller than soprano) usually about 11" scale, long neck/super concert 17" scale on concert body, long neck/super tenor, baritone scale (often 19") on a tenor body. :)
 
FWIW, my Islander AS-4 has 20 frets, measures 13.75 inches from nut to saddle, 1.50 inches wide at the nut and 2.05 inches at the saddle. The actual distance between #1 and #4 strings at the nut is 1.19 inches and 1.73 inches at the saddle.

Thanks, I found that information helpful too.

To form a fuller picture for RafterGirl I measured my Kala KA-SLNG for her.
It has eighteen frets, measures 14-13/16” (14.81”) from nut to saddle, 1-3/8” (1.375”) wide at the nut, roughly 2-1/16” at the saddle. The actual distance between #1 and #4 Strings at the nut is 26.0 mm (1.02”) and 37.5 mm (1.48”) at the saddle. FWIW I don’t regard lots of frets as a much of an advantage - eight is about the most that I use and five is more typical.

For additional detail as on the pictures the (Kala’s) overal length and body length are (respectively): 22-5/16” and 9-7/16”.

A video by Mim was a help to me when I bought my Kala: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YToJZJpa8-c . I was very happy with the Kala but find that I play more comfortably with the wider spaced strings on my Pineapple Sopranos, as in all these cases YMMV.
 
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One thing I did notice with those diagrams is that it lists the overall length of a concert at 22 7/8 compared to 22 for a super soprano. That doesn't sound quite right to me, or at least based on the concerts I currently own. My KoAloha measures 23.5 and my Bonanza measures 24. Since I'm looking for a slightly smaller uke to fit better inside my sea kayak, size definitely matters.

So far, my contenders are ......
Islander - slighter longer regular soprano with a 1.5 nut. Under $200, satin finish.
Kala - two choices in laminate long neck, but gloss neck to deal with. Under $200.
Leolani - long neck, laminate, 1.5 nut, under $200, available at Uke Republic, semi-gloss finish, a little lacking in fret markers, don't know this brand?
Kumu - long neck, laminate, 1.5 nut, under $200, satin finish, looks gorgeous, listed on Uke Republic but not currently available, don't know this brand?

Then there's the Flea. Since the intended purpose of this uke is for use while camping, kayaking, rafting, many of you have suggested it. Size wise, either the soprano or even the concert would be more compact than my current outdoor uke, which is the Bonanza. The soprano Flea scale is 14 inches, and the overall length is 20.5 inches. The concert Flea scale is 15.5 inches, and the length is 22.25 inches. In comparison, the Kala longneck is 22.5. So it appears that a concert Flea would be a contender.
I'm still leary of ukes that are made of plastic, since I really didn't care for the Kala Waterman at all. The Fleas & Flukes seem to get high praise from many UU members, and I don't think HMS or Uke Republic would sell them if they were duds. If I got one, I'd definitely get the wood fretboard and the upgraded UPT tuners. They are much more expensive, but I'm not in a big hurry to buy anything until I find the perfect fit. I won't start paddling until spring.
 
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One thing I did notice with those diagrams is that it lists the overall length of a concert at 22 7/8 compared to 22 for a super soprano. That doesn't sound quite right to me, or at least based on the concerts I currently own. My KoAloha measures 23.5 and my Bonanza measures 24. Since I'm looking for a slightly smaller uke to fit better inside my sea kayak, size definitely matters.

It may be that the data isn’t current in that at one time Concert Ukes used to be mostly 12 frets to the neck. Fashion has it now that they are mostly 14 frets to the neck and so the overall length goes up.

There’s plastic Ukes and there’s plastic Ukes. Whilst there are things about the Flea that I don’t like (fingerboard and strap button issues) a lot of people do still love them. The sound board is wood and that sets it aside from the cheaper plastic Uke that you tried - I read here that 90% of what a Uke sounds like is down to the sound board - and the shape is different too. As size is important I’d just check out the depth of the Flea too, though I don’t remember it being large I suspect it might be slightly deeper than a standard soprano.
 
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The flea is a great sounding and great playing instrument and would be a great candidate.
 
Depth is important, since this uke gets tucked into a small space inside my kayak. Depth on my Bonanza is 2.75-2.88 at the deepest part. The Flea depth is listed at 2.75. The Kala is listed at 2.25. All things to consider. Can I just say.....thank you to Magic Fluke & Kala for clearly listing the specs on your instruments. Larravee is also very good with this, but many others aren't. It sure makes it hard to compare things.
 
I just noticed the Gretsch long neck on Elderly website. $109, open pore semi-gloss finish. Don't see much posted about them?
 
If depth is a condideration, you can't do much better than a Famous (by Kiwaya) FS-0. Very thin depth to the body, but great sound and playability. There's also a few vendors on Rakuten Global website selling them. Stangely, their full-depth soprano FS-1 costs less. The Kiwaya laminate is also very durable. Mine compares very well with my more expensive solid sopranos, and is so much more than your average travel uke.

https://global.rakuten.com/en/search/?tl=0&k=Famous+FS-0+ukulele&l-id=search_regular

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FS-0c.JPG
 
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I just noticed the Gretsch long neck on Elderly website. $109, open pore semi-gloss finish. Don't see much posted about them?

I have no personal experience, but I had been reading another thread on here somewhere where they didn't seem to be very good/consistent quality wise.
(I think it was a tenor that was being discussed, but QC sounded as though it was lacking.)
 
If depth is a condideration, you can't do much better than a Famous (by Kiwaya) FS-0. Very thin depth to the body, but great sound and playability.

I believe Wolfgang (WS64) played it in this video:



It was this video that got me looking into their laminate models. :)
 
Then there's the Flea. ....... They are much more expensive, but I'm not in a big hurry to buy anything until I find the perfect fit. I won't start paddling until spring.

I don’t want this to sound rude or disrespectful but won’t the Flea models that you are now considering (with their enhancements) bust your ($ 200) budget by some wide margin? I think that your budget is plenty big enough for you do get what you need (first needed) within it, some other models under your consideration are more towards half of your budget. Of course being flexible is good but price drift is less so and might also unwittingly lead you away from your original objectives (a passable sounding Uke that fits into a small space, has space for your particular fingers, is intended for camping and water travel use and doesn’t cost that much). I’ve copied some of your original post as below in italics:

“So my thought is either a soprano or long neck soprano in the future. I've messed around with a couple sopranos and they are ok, but a little tight on room for my short chubby fingers. Definitely like the spacing better than the tenor.

My requirement would be either a soprano with a 1.5 inch nut, or a long neck soprano. Satin finish only. Prefer a laminate since it will be a camping & water travel uke. Under $200 would be great.”


A while back there was a thread or two on wide nut Sopranos, it might be worth your while checking it/them out. I think that you’d be surprised to discover for yourself that a wide nut Soprano has more finger space than a conventional Concert scale and nut (well that’s what I find with my own short chubby fingers).
 
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