Favorite size?

Croaky Keith · May 7, 2017

As of today, tenor & concert are equal, followed by soprano, then baritone.

I started out with a tenor, quickly bought a soprano, then a concert, & I stayed with the concert scale for most of my first year.
But then I found I could play the tenor scale easier, now that my hands had loosened up playing concerts, so I switched to tenor scale.

Both concert & tenors were in low G, so I thought I'd try a baritone, what a revelation that was, fantastic tone - but the scale was too long for me.
So back to tenor scale I went, but tried it with different sized bodies, still in low G, & that's where I am today, using a tenor scale/concert body solid mahogany as my main uke.

(I still have all the others, so that if I fancy a change of tone, I can just pick one up to play it.)

TopDog · May 7, 2017

I have tried every scale size available, and for me, soprano all the way!
I still own one tenor,which hardly ever gets played,and two concert scale
ukes, which do get some play. And to be honest, my 'main' and most played
ukulele is a luthier built sopranino! As ever, what suits YOU is right for you!

Osprey · May 7, 2017

I started on Tenors and have owned several of them. Still own two that I really like. However, several months ago I bought a Baritone. I really love that size. A week or so ago one of the newer players in our group was having trouble with a chord, so I took her soprano to show her a technique. I really enjoyed the little soprano. I may have to get a decent soprano someday myself

DownUpDave · May 7, 2017

Doc_J said:
Found it interesting that baritones are only 5-6% of most size-preference polls.

Guess this might explain why baritones can take longer to sell in the marketplace, it is much smaller market than for the other sizes.

Good points Hodge. I voted tenor but I spend almost as much time playing baritone. It appears there are plenty of people that play baritone........it just isn't their #1 choice.

ukuleleden · May 7, 2017

Nice to see so much love for the Concert...

Doc_J · May 7, 2017

DownUpDave said:
Good points Hodge. I voted tenor but I spend almost as much time playing baritone. It appears there are plenty of people that play baritone........it just isn't their #1 choice.

True, Dave. Many of us like playing baritones, but may prefer another size (if we had to pick only 1).

Interesting snapshot of inventory at HMS website this morning:
Soprano (31)
Concert (40)
Tenor (117)
Baritone (26)
Guitalele (6)

I'd guess they probably sell more tenors than the other sizes.

JJFN · May 7, 2017

It depends on what I am playing. Concert's for picking, tenor's and baritone for strumming. And then whether I want low or high G. In short, it depends on my many moods.

Ukulele Eddie · May 7, 2017

I like them all, but play soprano the least. If I had to have only one uke, it would likely be a 16" which is sort of like cheating as it splits the difference between concert and tenor.

UkerDanno · May 7, 2017

Doc_J said:
True, Dave. Many of us like playing baritones, but may prefer another size (if we had to pick only 1).

Interesting snapshot of inventory at HMS website this morning:
Soprano (31)
Concert (40)
Tenor (117)
Baritone (26)
Guitalele (6)

I'd guess they probably sell more tenors than the other sizes.

Odd, because in this poll, concerts are the favorites by a small margin. Also, seems like most of the discussion and marketplace listings are for tenors.

I play concert the most, but really enjoy my old Martin. Tried tenor, but the reaches are too much.

If I had to whittle down to 1 uke, I would keep the old Martin, it's the most fun! :shaka:

Rakelele · May 8, 2017

I have a clear preference for the bigger sizes (and linear Tuning), with Tenor probably being my all time favorite, but followed by things like the Pono Baritone Nui and their UL models. While most Baritones have a relatively small body and thus a limited resonance at lower frequencies, I find that the UL is an ideal size for tuning to DGBE but still small enough to hold and play comfortably.

Measured in playing time, I would say it's Tenors, then Baritones and their big brothers, and then there's a wide gap to Concert and an even wider gap to Soprano. I do like the typical reentrant Ukulele Sound, but most of what I enjoy playing works better with linear tuning and the increased sustain of a Tenor or Baritone.

hikaru · May 8, 2017

I like the concert scale a lot, either long-neck sopranos or just plain concerts. Tenors seem just too much a stretch for my hands...

If there is such a thing as a short-neck tenor in concert scale, I might get it one day as well!

bratsche · May 8, 2017

I wish there was such thing as a short-necked baritone in tenor scale. ;-)

bratsche

Doc_J · May 9, 2017

bratsche said:
I wish there was such thing as a short-necked baritone in tenor scale. ;-)

bratsche

Kanile'a does make a super tenor (tenor scale with a body a wide as a baritone).

bratsche · May 9, 2017

Yeah, I saw that one. Hard to evaluate, as it sounds like a tenor. I'd love to hear it strung as a baritone. Heck, I couldn't afford it, anyway, so never mind...

bratsche

Tigermelon · Sep 6, 2017

I was interested in the ukulele because it's such an approachable instrument but I just didn't like the traditional sound associated with sopranos. The first time I heard a guy playing a tenor I was intrigued by the sound and astounded to learn that it was an ukulele. It only took a minimum of hemming and hawing before I invested in one and I've never regretted it.

While I have learned to respect the full range of instruments, the tenor will always have my heart.

zztush · Sep 6, 2017

DownUpDave said:
Good points Hodge. I voted tenor but I spend almost as much time playing baritone. It appears there are plenty of people that play baritone........it just isn't their #1 choice.

Same as Ringo Starr in the Beatles. It just isn't their #1 choice.

Croaky Keith · Sep 6, 2017

As of now, my main players are small body tenor scale, followed by concert scale soprano body, & occasionally my baritone, but I still find the scale a bit big for me.

The soprano scale, I have decided, just doesn't work for me, so concert scale & above.

Pleasure Paul · Sep 6, 2017

Someone here had a quote "soprano - anything else is cheating". I like the quote. But discussing personal preferences is useless... To each his own. I'm interested in the stats though.

JackLuis · Sep 7, 2017

bratsche said:
I wish there was such thing as a short-necked baritone in tenor scale. ;-)

bratsche

While they make Bari-Tenor strings I've found regular Tenor stings work well tuned dGBE. Aquila Nylguts not so much. My fav's are D'Addario Carbons EJ99T and Fremont Black lines, or Worth Brown Fats for a 'warmer" tone. Fremont makes a Bari-tenor set but they aren't much different in diameters. I have two Tenors tuned dGBE and play my Bari re-entrant as well. Low D bari sounds too much like a guitar to me. Tenors are my fav's but Concert in C6 tuning is very nice.

Debussychopin · Sep 7, 2017

I like soprano bc it is very difficult to finger but still is a bona fide instrument capable of producing complex classical music.

Favorite size?

What size?

Soprano

Concert

Tenor

Baritone

Other

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