Concert vs Tenor

Bazyliszek

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I was wondering if a tenor ukulele has any advantages, like playing more advanced songs up the fingerboard?
 
I prefer a tenor for playability and tone.
 
Can you play any songs on a concert and tenor equally or will a tenor be better/easier?
 
Check your favorite pros and type of plays. My favorite guiter players use dreadnotes and they take advantage of its size.
 
Can you play any songs on a concert and tenor equally or will a tenor be better/easier?

The tuning and chord shapes are the same. You should have more room between frets with a tenor. If you have short fingers you may prefer a concert.
 
Just in general, I was wondering if you up the fretboard, will you still be able to play them as beautifully as a tenor. I only have a concert flea, and the higher notes barely ring out (don't know if that's because half the instrument isn't real wood). It really makes the higher frets sound dull.
 
Just in general, I was wondering if you up the fretboard, will you still be able to play them as beautifully as a tenor. I only have a concert flea, and the higher notes barely ring out (don't know if that's because half the instrument isn't real wood). It really makes the higher frets sound dull.

In my (admittedly limited) experience, whether notes ring out up the fret board has more to do with the type of strings than the length of the scale.

The longer scale of the tenor will give you a few more notes to play with, but the chances of you playing anything that high up the A string are limited. I think it comes down more to personal preference about what feels comfortable.
 
Can you play any songs on a concert and tenor equally or will a tenor be better/easier?

Hand size problems here. Bought a beautiful sounding tenor as my first instrument, then found I couldn't play it because my hands are too small. I personally loved that tenor because it has a deeper sound like a guitar to me. Like everyone else was saying, go to a store and see what's comfortable and what sounds good to you.
 
I have tried each model and feel that any size can be mastered, given time. I came from violin to guitar and now ukulele, so difficult fingering/chords aren't a problem XD. Such a hard decision, but if I HAD to choose between all the sizes, it would be between a concert and tenor.
 
I have tried each model and feel that any size can be mastered, given time. I came from violin to guitar and now ukulele, so difficult fingering/chords aren't a problem XD. Such a hard decision, but if I HAD to choose between all the sizes, it would be between a concert and tenor.

The answer is in the instrument itself and to a certain part the strings. A well made higher priced instrument will usually sound clearer and ring out more as you go higher up the neck. If I take a $100 uke and a $1500 uke the latter will sound better. Tenor will give a better tone because of physics, pressing down on the 12th fret there is more string length between that fret and the nut for the string to oscillate. Also the larger sound board and body contribute to "more" sound.

If you have every played a high quailty barritone high the neck it is a joy to hear. Lots more string length to vibrate. Then compare that to a soprano, not much ringing in comparison. I have probably offended owners of fleas, sopranos and sub $1500 instruments. Not my intention just my experience from actually owning and playing a bunch of all of them. If your highest prioity is to hear bell like tones above the 12th fret the above usually applies.
 
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I agree with the above, it matches my experience of things.

“I was wondering if a tenor ukulele has any advantages, like playing more advanced songs up the fingerboard?”

The different Uke sizes are, amongst other considerations, a trade-off between various things. All other things equal the Tenor will be louder, longer in sustain and deeper sounding than the Concert for any given note or chord. However the extra distance between frets can make the Tenor more difficult for some people to play it, the Tenor is more bulky, the Tenor is more expensive and some people are happier with a little more chirpyness in the sound and a slightly reduced volume. What works for you will be what fits your particular needs - it can take some time to understand what they are, what will meet them best and what's tolerable in that trade-off.

In more specific answer to the OP a lot of very skilled folk play Sopranos up to and beyond the 12th fret, so smaller scales are not necessarily that limiting in what can be played. I suggest that the Concert scale is a good compromise and I think that it’s more popular than the Tenor size, but that’s amongst the adults that I see playing in Uke Clubs.
 
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Just my personal take, but I don't see how a long neck concert would be "best of both"? You're not gaining much in terms of portability, you still have to stretch your fingers more (if that is a concern), but lose the fuller sound of a bigger body that you'll get from a real tenor. If you like the punchy sound of a smaller body, then why not just go with a regular concert - or a soprano, for that matter? I can see the long-neck concept appealing to someone who wants that punchy sound but is afraid that their hands/fingers might be too big at a shorter scale. But then again, there are plenty of big guys mastering the soprano.

My advise would be to choose a size according to what sound you want: For that "traditional", percussive ukulele sound, go with a soprano (or a concert); for a more "modern" and versatile sound, go with a tenor. Reentrant tuning (high G) will work on all of them, linear tuning (low G) will generally work better with the scale and body volume of a tenor.

Like most of us, you'll probably end up with both anyway...
 
If you have every played a high quailty barritone high the neck it is a joy to hear. Lots more string length to vibrate. Then compare that to a soprano, not much ringing in comparison.

I'm not claiming to be an expert by any means, but I've found that the lower string tension of a concert offsets the extra string length of a tenor in this regard.
 
I'm not claiming to be an expert by any means, but I've found that the lower string tension of a concert offsets the extra string length of a tenor in this regard.

I am not an expert either, just my experience. You have a valid point about lower string tension, a larger body size does help though. It really does come down to individual instruments. Some ring out better than others higher up the neck
 
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This is a bit off topic, but I really like satin necks on all my instruments (coming from violin). Do I run the risk of scratching a satin/oil finish on a ukulele over time with strumming techniques? I wish ukulele companies made gloss bodies with natural/oil/satin necks.
 
You can make a glossy neck satin using mild abrasives, or remove the finish entirely if you wish. Or if you don't trust your abilities, have a luthier do it for you.

bratsche
 
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