Looking for a wide neck

Papa Bear

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My daughter has an Ohana concert and my son has a Kala Tenor. With my fat fingers, I can not play a D chord and several other cramped chords to save my life. I'm looking for a tenor with at least a 1.5" or wider neck at the nut. After doing a search, I decided to see if this info could be updated. Recommendations, anyone? I'd like to keep my budget at 325 or less.
 
The widest neck on a commerically produced uke that I know of is 1-1/2". In your budget you are in luck because Islander ukuleles have a 1-1/2" neck. These are the import line from Kanilea and are very good instruments. You will be able to get an all solid mahogany Islander tenor close to your price range

Just checked "Hawaii Music Supply" andnthey have the MST-4 (the uke mentioned above) in stock for $348.00. I don't know if you are at the buying stage or the just lookin stage. This is a good deal from the best ukulele retailer out there. Supply comes and goes so just a heads up
 
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The Oscar Schmidt OU6W (tenor) has a 1-3/4" neck. It's a laminate and runs in the $180-200 range.
 
With my fat fingers, I can not play a D chord and several other cramped chords to save my life.

I find it difficult to play a D chord the "traditional" way (using 3-fingers, one on each string 2-4) as well and instead have learned to barre those three strings with my middle finger and leave the 1st string free.

I am not trying to sway you from finding a uke with a wider neck, just offering the advice that if the "traditional" way does not work for you it is okay to play around and find alternate ways to play the same chord. I will often use different fingerings for a chord based upon the transition to/from the chord before/after.
 
Papa Bear, I am selling a year-old 1.5"-at-the-nut Cordoba tenor -- solid spruce top, rosewood laminate back and sides. It has a MiSi pickup and an Oahu case, and my price is within your budget. If that's what you might be interested in, you can message me or find it on the Flea Market Music Marketplace site. (I haven't put an ad on UU yet.) If not, good luck with your search.
 
The Oscar Schmidt OU6W (tenor) has a 1-3/4" neck. It's a laminate and runs in the $180-200 range.
:agree:Yes, I think this one would be the easiest solution.

Have you tried playing D with your index finger on the 3rd string, middle finger on the 4th string, and ring finger on the 2nd string? It forms a triangle type shape (all behind the one fret), that might help you squeeze those fingers together.

–Lori
 
An alternate D that I am liking more and more is to bar all strings on the 2nd fret and dropping your pinky done on the 1st string on the 5th fret
 
Have you tried playing D with your index finger on the 3rd string, middle finger on the 4th string, and ring finger on the 2nd string? It forms a triangle type shape (all behind the one fret), that might help you squeeze those fingers together.
This is what I do. I started playing the guitar's A chord the same way several years ago, and it became second nature quickly. Naturally, that shape is tighter on the ukulele, but I even play some uke tunes in D now.
 
The widest neck on a commerically produced uke that I know of is 1-1/2". In your budget you are in luck because Islander ukuleles have a 1-1/2" neck. These are the import line from Kanilea and are very good instruments. You will be able to get an all solid mahogany Islander tenor close to your price range

Just checked "Hawaii Music Supply" andnthey have the MST-4 (the uke mentioned above) in stock for $348.00. I don't know if you are at the buying stage or the just lookin stage. This is a good deal from the best ukulele retailer out there. Supply comes and goes so just a heads up

Flea Market Music Marketplace has an ad for a used Spruce top, Koa B/S Kanile'a Islander KSTCUT-4 Tenor Cutaway for $300.00 delivered!

NICE!!!
 
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Both my KPKs (soprano and tenor) have 1.5 inch nuts. A great buy in a solid wood instrument.

bobinde
 
Maui Music - my tenor has a lovely wide neck (1.5"). Love it.

Doug
 
My friend, who has the same problem bought a OU6W (tenor). The neck is WWWWIIIIIIIIDDDDEEEE. I had to wait to play it cause they were landing F18's on the neck. It sounded great! Looked fantastic, and I was surprised how good it sounded, as I've has some Oscar Schmidts that were a tad overbuilt and were not that loud. This one sounded sweet. But the neck is WWWWIIIIIIIIDDDDDDEEEEE. If that is what you are looking for, this the 1963 Caddy sized neck uke (no wings).
 
My daughter has an Ohana concert and my son has a Kala Tenor. With my fat fingers, I can not play a D chord and several other cramped chords to save my life. I'm looking for a tenor with at least a 1.5" or wider neck at the nut. After doing a search, I decided to see if this info could be updated. Recommendations, anyone? I'd like to keep my budget at 325 or less.
You can also put tenor strings (& tune like a tenor) on a baritone ukulele which gives you a lot more space and sounds awesome. (Yeah, I know this is a dead post but if anyone has a similar problem☺)
 
A little less than what you want, but Lanikais are slightly wider (1.47") at the nut with a string spacing of about 1.18". It is noticeable.
 
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