Acoustic Guitarist - debating which ukulele size to get

LNW

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Hello, all. I appreciate all the helpful feedback I got on my other post on this forum. I know these sort of questions are asked 1000x on here, so I appreciate the individual answers you all pass along to folks like myself.

I've played several ukuleles in stores, but I'm really having a hard time deciding which size to get. In terms of SOUND, I guess I'd lean towards a concert size (halfway between soprano & tenor) or a soprano (traditional uke sound). In terms of FRET SIZE, I have long fingers perfect for guitar, so I'm not sure if eventually my hands would adapt to a small fret size like on concert or soprano, or if I should go with tenor (which at first felt best in terms of fret size). In terms of PLAYING, I guess I also lean toward the smaller size since those may be a bit better for strumming?

Thank you!
 
Just to throw this out there, you can also find soprano size body with concert scale necks (a.k.a. super soprano), and concert size body with tenor scale necks (a.k.a. super concerts), so there's extra options to consider that might settle the compromises between different sizes.
 
You’ll end up with them all, so pick one now and enjoy the ride!

Too true! :rotfl:

Seriously though, you won't know your preferences until you live with a few for a while.

@LNW, regarding the things you mentioned in your post, IMHO:
- Yes, with a little practice, you will adjust to the scale of a soprano.
- I don't think it is necessarily true that sopranos have a more traditional sound.
- All ukes work well for strumming.

It is also true that:
- Smaller scale instruments tent to have a crisper, more percussive sound.
- Larger scale instruments tend to be more resonant, with a richer tone and a longer sustain.
- Larger scale instruments may have more playable area depending on the size of your fingers and your dedication/dexterity.

You gotta just pull the trigger and dive in! I would say the quality of the instrument you choose is more important than the scale. If you get a factory-made instrument, make sure you have a luthier or experienced technician tweak the action and intonation for you--this can make your instrument much more enjoyable to play!

FWIW I recommend a mid-level Ohana for an excellent quality, affordable option. I took this advice from others on this forum and I am very glad that I did!:D

It sounds like your first gut instinct was for a tenor. There's nothing wrong with following that instinct. You know you better than we do.
 
You’ll end up with them all, so pick one now and enjoy the ride!

Yup. I started with a tenor.......I now have multiples of all the sizes. Too much fun to just have one.

If tenor felt comfortable for you to play then go with that size to start. I know others recommend the concert because it is in the middle but coming from guitar they will all seem small to you.
 
Take this with a grain of salt, it’s just my experience coming from the guitar. Also, I tend toward fingerstyle rather than pure strumming so this is also a difference.

I started with a decent k brand concert. It’s great and sounds and plays well. For me I had trouble with the lesser sustain from the smaller body size. It is significantly less than guitar. The tenor size worked out well for me and has enough depth and sustain. Admittedly, this is a reflection of my preferences.

Scale size really wasn’t an issue once I adapted. You may have different goals and prefer a more percussive sound but I wish that I was more aware of this when I started.

You’ll probably end up with multiple ukes as mentioned above, and you will eventually find your preference.

Good luck!

Adam
 
Guitar to uke

Coming from a 25 year background playing acoustic guitar, I started with a tenor. I now own 7 ukes in all sizes as well as a banjole and bass uke. What I personally have discovered is that if you play mainly on the first five frets the difference in spacing on the different sizes is much less a factor than the width of the neck. I tend to pick up my lone concert when playing at home. The tension on the concert seems much more comfortable. As others have said, a good set up from someone like Mim or Mainland ukes is of utmost importance. Good luck and happy playing. Uke is a long journey.
 
I still recommend starting with a concert scale, small enough physically, big enough to get a nice tone when picked, has reasonable sustain, & plays well with a low G. :)

But if you're looking for a small 'guitar' replacement, then a baritone or tenor tuned DGBE, would be the way to go. ;)
 
I have played guitar the last 61 years and banjo the last 48, ukulele the last two. I started with a soprano ukulele, tried a concert and tenor and still prefer the soprano. I now have a few instruments due to BAS. The sopranos out number the rest!
 
For the strongest contrast to the guitar possible, pick a soprano (or a long neck soprano, if you're too worried about narrow fret spacing). This will give you that lovely punchy jingle jangle sound traditionally associated with the ukulele. Or, if you want something like a small version of a classical guitar, with longer sustain more suited for fingerpicking, you'll be better of with a tenor (or baritone).
 
I don't think scale length will be a problem, you'll adapt with a little practice.

More important is what you want to play.

If you want to learn strumming and chord melodies, with picking as an occasional fill/solo passage, then go for a soprano or concert. Remember that this style of playing is almost as much percussion as melody/chords. Look up Ukulele Uff, Remco, the Winin' Boys, and also Roy Smeck to see this style. Works particularly well for 20s/30s music. Technique is very different from guitar.

If you want to play mainly melodically, buy a tenor. Jake Shimabukuro is the model here, I guess. Technique is much more guitar-like. Low G is more like guitar, high G (re-entrant) takes you to different methods of melody playing.

By looking at videos of these players you might decide you want to do something different, but they'll give you an idea about which size would fit best with that.

I wouldn't recommend a baritone, because to a guitarist it's just a short scale guitar with two strings missing, so it won't give you anything much different.
 
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