More common nut size on tenor ukes

Boomershakalaka

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Hey all...so I just purchased an OS tenor uke and noticed the neck is wider than my Luna which lead me to this question...what size is more common or standard on a tenor ukulele....35mm or 38mm? I wasn't sure I would have to think about that when purchasing but I'd like to try and stay consistent going forward. Thanks in advance.
 
That is pretty much the normal range of nut widths on ukes of all sizes. Some players seem to be able to adapt to any instrument in this range and some have a definite preference. String spacing can also be a factor. You might find that 35mm with close spacing feels very different from 38mm with wide spacing. Or maybe not! Once you figure out what works best for you, there will be many choices that fit your needs.
 
35mm is the size usually found. Kanile'a is 38mm (1.5"), as are a few high-end Ohanas. I'm sure there are a few others that have the wider nut, too, but it is not typical. I prefer the wider ones, preferably with a radiused fretboard which is very hard to find.
 
35mm is the size usually found. Kanile'a is 38mm (1.5"), as are a few high-end Ohanas. I'm sure there are a few others that have the wider nut, too, but it is not typical. I prefer the wider ones, preferably with a radiused fretboard which is very hard to find.

I know the Cocobolo has a radius fret board and I'm dying to try one of these out but getting a Cocobolo looks near impossible. Do you know of any other brands that offer a radius fret board?
 
I know the Cocobolo has a radius fret board and I'm dying to try one of these out but getting a Cocobolo looks near impossible. Do you know of any other brands that offer a radius fret board?

The Pono Pro Classic series and the MTD series have a radius fret board. Pro Classics start around $750 and MTD start around $550.

Enya X1 also have a radius fretboard. They are made from phenolic laminate, ie formica type counter top material.

To address your nut width question more ukes come standard with a 1-3/8" (35mm) nut width than 1-1/2" (38mm)
 
The above listed nut width comparison list has KoAloha incorrect.....they aren't 38mm / 1.5 inch. They are 1- 7/16 inch or 36.6mm, so kind of in between.

My main player is a KoAloha. When I had a Loprinzi built, I had it made with a 1- 7/16 nut for consistency. However, consistency went out the window when I got an Islander soprano (1.5 inch) and a Gary Gill short neck tenor (1-3/8). The soprano was on purpose because I wanted a little extra finger space. I honestly can't tell much difference between the Gary Gill and my other two with the larger nuts. String spacing seems pretty much the same. After trying out a bunch of ukes in the past 10 months, I've found that neck shape is way more important to me than nut size.
 
The Pono Pro Classic series and the MTD series have a radius fret board. Pro Classics start around $750 and MTD start around $550.

Enya X1 also have a radius fretboard. They are made from phenolic laminate, ie formica type counter top material.

To address your nut width question more ukes come standard with a 1-3/8" (35mm) nut width than 1-1/2" (38mm)

I just ordered an Ibanez that apparently has a radius fret board and a wider nut width. Thanks everyone...good info!
 
Exactly this ^^. I find it frustrating that you can't easily obtain string spread at the nut and at the 12th fret. Small differences, at least to me, make a big difference in playability.
 
WOW...after going on a spending spree, I bought three new tenor ukes and got rid of one. After ordering and playing an Oscar Schmidt, I realized the Luna Tribal just wasn't cutting it for me. Narrow nut, high action, some weird issue that was only moderately helping with practice...my strum finger kept "clicking" on the fret board. I got good at hitting ONLY the strings but if I played even a bit hard, the clicking was there. The OS was so much roomier and much easier to play and the "clicking" issue is non-existent. So then I said "F" it and got a couple more wide-nut tenors...an Ibanez and a Fender. Both with 38mm fret boards and I'm struggling to determine which I like more though I am a huge fan of the radius fret board.

Thanks everyone...you all really helped me find ukes that suite me perfectly. You all ROCK!
 
the ukulele string spacing at nut is larger than in a normal acoustic guitar.

It has to be for 2 reasons: The fret spacing is smaller and secondly for nylon strings and retaining their proper proper spacing at picking point and also suitable for strumming it would look funny if the nut string spacing was small.

A tenor uke needs a less a wider nut than a soprano, except maybe for the finger tip size of users. That is maybe why all ukulele scales seem to have a same string spacing (or neck width) more or less.
 
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