Concert uke vs tenor

fumanshu

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Hi I have a soprano and concert uke and was thinking about getting another uke..... I would like to know if there's a big difference between the concert and tenor uke in term of size and sound....

So if you have tried both....I would like to hear you and any suggestions for something around 500$....

Thanks a lot
 
I own two concert ukes and a tenor, but the tenor is a solidbody electric, so I can't give you any hints on sound, since acoustics and electrics are not the best things to compare.

However, I can give you some info on the size part.

The main difference size-wise to me is the fret spacing. On a tenor the frets are quite a bit further apart than on a concert. This makes narrow chords easier to play, but at the same time chords that require a lot of stretching on a concert require even more on a tenor.

Also, the concert ukulele still retains some of the 'cute' factor that a soprano definitely has, and the tenor, being larger, looses a bit of it. I don't know if this matters to you, but to me, it is a plus for a uke when you're performing for people....

I personally do not prefer one over the other: they both have advantages and disadvantages, and are both great instruments.
 
^^ ditto. my tenor is a relic that was given to me an it cant hold a tune for anythin.

cute factor in looks and sound, imo. i'd say go for a concert.
 
I have tenors and concerts (a Fluke tenor, a Flea concert, a pono tenor, a kala 6 string tenor and my new baby, a maui music (pre-fire) concert - yeah I have UAS big time). For me, it's more about comfort in playing, I'm a big guy and sopranos are just too small. I also come from a guitar background and tenors seem a better fit for me.

As for sound, I think that that depends on construction. My Maui Music concert is as loud as the Pono Tenor, but more "ukey".

Try this. Go to a music store with a variety of ukes and play some. Nothing like direct experience to answer this type of question.
 
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Hey Chris, glad to see you over here. Email me sometime.

As for the tenor vs. concert question, fumanshu, try both. One reason to lean towards the tenor is that you get an instrument that is pretty different from the soprano. Plus Jake and James play tenors and they are Gods!
 
The tenor is just a deeper sound and more frets than a concert. So it would be more full than the concert or soprano.
 
Play a tenor because it has a much better sound than a concert and it has more frets ass well. And most people play tenors like Jake,Imua Garza etc...
 
my concert has the same amount of frets as my tenor (FYI),

I doesnt sound better as it does different.

Its more of a feel, what is comfortable and what not.
 
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tenor uke + low g strings= Awesometacity

get a tenor uke.


beautiful sound and its very nice.

get a nice kurly koa one though.

the wood has a great sound too it.

and it looks beautiful too.
 
It would probably be best to play some tenors before deciding. I like them because they tend to be louder and have more projection. Of course, since they are bigger, I also find them suitable for fingerstyle.

According to our own poll, 55% of UU respondents favor the tenor while nearly 30% favor the concert. Only 9% prefer the soprano.
 
not much differences, just size, sound (some what, depends on what you wait to sound like.) and price! so like chiyo said, try some tenors out and have fun with it!
 
I own 10 ukuleles, 4 sopranos, 4 concert, and each one tenor and a baritone.
I got one soprano (ovation) and a no-name baritone back in 2002, and all others in the last 3 years. But the 4 concerts are the last 4 I got.
This is what I will stick with, concert.

Maybe it is just the one tenor I have (again ovation), but this is WAY more a guitar than a ukulele.
Tenor makes some things easier than concert, but then again it is too big already for other things that I can still do on a concert (and are easiest on a soprano).

So for me goes:
Baritone: a castrated guitar
Tenor: Easy to play, but too close to guitar, some specific ukulele things I can't do there anymore.
Concert: Mostly easy to play. This is THE ukulele
Soprano: If you can play a song on a soprano you should do it. It sounds the most ukulelish. But sometimes it is pretty hard, especially in the high frets.

(And for all of those (including baritone) goes: high first string (don't get me started which string is the first string when you call these strings GCEA!). Low first is even more guitar. But don't get me wrong, I like guitars, played them for most of my life. But nothing is better for playing a guitar than a guitar, no need to get a ukulele for that!)
 
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