terminology

NukeDOC

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i just have some questions about certain words that i see used in the guitar/uke world and was hoping that someone could shed some light on them to make it easier to understand.

re-entry: pertaining to strings. i see it used to describe strings, mostly for ukulele.

super: ie super tenor, super concert, etc. on the kanile'a site, the super tenor is characterized by the larger "bell" part of the body. giving it a distinct tone i guess. whereas ive seen super-soprano described as a concert neck on a soprano body... and a super-concert described as a tenor neck on a concert body... and so on.

soundboard: ok i know the top and the back for sure. so does that make the soundboard the sides?

maybe on the main site we could have a glossary of terms and a diagram of a uke/guitar pointing out each part of it?
 
the Super Series...means that it has a bigger body and a different neck. Meaning that the Super Tenor has the body of a baritone but is still has the neck of a tenor, you get a little brighter and deeper sound in my mind. i think the super concert is a tenor body with a concert neck. and so forth

i hope that helps
 
I could be wrong on this but I always thought that the "super" designation meant the scale or neck was longer but the body size stayed the same. So I always thought a super concert was a concert body with a longer scale (tenor) neck. Maybe someone can confirm your interpretation and square me away.
 
Hey guys
i think im with dom on this one. My cousin picked up a uke for me on her trip to hawaii (never been but want to go!) and i got a super- concert. the salesman said it was a concert body and a bigger neck like on a tenor. hope this helps
 
re-entry: pertaining to strings. i see it used to describe strings, mostly for ukulele.

Re-entrant tuning is the octave higher g string, gCEA, instead of being tuned lowest to highest like guitars are.

I'm pretty sure soundboard is the top of an acoustic instrument.
 
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I could be wrong on this but I always thought that the "super" designation meant the scale or neck was longer but the body size stayed the same. So I always thought a super concert was a concert body with a longer scale (tenor) neck. Maybe someone can confirm your interpretation and square me away.

That was my understanding as well.

I've got a Leolani Super-Soprano and that certainly seems to be the case with that particular instrument. (soprano body + concert neck)
 
the Super Series...means that it has a bigger body and a different neck. Meaning that the Super Tenor has the body of a baritone but is still has the neck of a tenor, you get a little brighter and deeper sound in my mind. i think the super concert is a tenor body with a concert neck. and so forth

i hope that helps

Whoa....where have you been Ceniza? We thought you abandoned ship. Good to see you back in the UU:D
 
i just have some questions about certain words that i see used in the guitar/uke world and was hoping that someone could shed some light on them to make it easier to understand.

re-entry: pertaining to strings. i see it used to describe strings, mostly for ukulele.

super: ie super tenor, super concert, etc. on the kanile'a site, the super tenor is characterized by the larger "bell" part of the body. giving it a distinct tone i guess. whereas ive seen super-soprano described as a concert neck on a soprano body... and a super-concert described as a tenor neck on a concert body... and so on.

soundboard: ok i know the top and the back for sure. so does that make the soundboard the sides?

maybe on the main site we could have a glossary of terms and a diagram of a uke/guitar pointing out each part of it?

My Koaloha super concert is a concert body with tenor neck. You get the cool concert punch and the finger room of a tenor on the neck...nice!
 
i just have some questions about certain words that i see used in the guitar/uke world and was hoping that someone could shed some light on them to make it easier to understand.

re-entry: pertaining to strings. i see it used to describe strings, mostly for ukulele.

super: ie super tenor, super concert, etc. on the kanile'a site, the super tenor is characterized by the larger "bell" part of the body. giving it a distinct tone i guess. whereas ive seen super-soprano described as a concert neck on a soprano body... and a super-concert described as a tenor neck on a concert body... and so on.

soundboard: ok i know the top and the back for sure. so does that make the soundboard the sides?

maybe on the main site we could have a glossary of terms and a diagram of a uke/guitar pointing out each part of it?

Re-entrant: the poster is correct- it means the bottom (read the one closest to your face and furthest from the floor) string is tuned up high, in our case, it is the second highest pitch on the instrument. When someone says the uke is tuned "low-g" that is the tuning that is much closer to that of a guitar. Lowest pitch strings are further from the floor, and they get progressively lower as you go from the top (closest to the floor) to the bottom. Confused? I was for a long time, until I realized that the strings at the bottom on the instrument if you are holding it are called the "top strings" and the strings at the top of the instrument are called the "bottom strings." Looney.

"Super" does indeed mean that the scale is one size larger. In the case of Kanile'a, a "super concert" has a tenor neck on a concert body. A "super tenor" is a little different in their case, as it is more about having a wider lower bout on their instrument. "Super" does generally mean a larger scale on a smaller instrument.

Soundboard is the top. Sides and back are just that, but the top can also be called the soundboard.
 
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I have wondered about string choices for a super concert. Do most people prefer re-entrant tuning or low-G?
 
One thing I've never gotten straight... what are we?

I know I'm a cellist... I know my friend is a guitarist... I know my other friend is a drummer... one a percussionist... pianist... violinist... violist... bassist... organist.... you get my point?

Anyhow... what are us uke-players?

Ukuleleists? Ukulelists? Ukulele Players? Ukers?
 
it is my understanding that the soundboard is the top only, not the back or sides.

Yep, the top is the soundboard and the soundbox refers to the top, back and sides as a integral unit. The sound board plays the biggest role in the sound of the ukulele but the back and sides also have an effect in the overall sound and projection of the instrument.
 
oh yeah, so where were you guys when i asked this question 4 months ago? back when i didnt know what any of this meant?

hahaha just kidding. its awesome that this thread came back to life because im sure there are people out there that wanted to know the meaning to these same terms.
 
Okay, fill in the blanks:

Headstock - HS, "top" of the instrument where the tuning machines go
Headstock veneer - thin piece of wood covering the headstock
Tuning machines -
Nut - Bone or synthetic material used to separate strings at the HS, slots cut into them
Fretboard - hardwood (Ebony, Rosewood, etc) used to hold frets
Fretwire -
Fretboard markers -
Fret work - the process of leveling and crowning frets, along with dressing the ends
Soundhole -
Rosette - artistic decoration around the soundhole
Plates - refers to the top (soundboard, SB) and back
Sides -
Neck -
Heelblock - structural hardwood block that "joins" the neck, sides and plates
Tailblock - Structural hardwood block that "joins" the plates and sides, usually where the jack is drilled into.
Heelcap - piece of shell, wood etc found on the bottom of the neck heel.
End graft - inlay piece at the okole of the instrument, right on the side joints at the tailblock.
Bridge -
Bridge patch - bracing material under the bridge, usually a flat hardwood (although some use softwoods)
Saddle - bone or synthetic material that can be used to set intonation (once the bridge is set), and is used to set the action at the bridge.
Break angle - angle at which the strings break over the saddle into the bridge, bridge pins or tie block
Compensated Saddle - saddle cut or saddle slot angled so that intonation is set per string.
Lining - used to increase the gluing surface to join the sides to the plates, allows for binding and purfling installation; can be kerfed or solid. Tentallones do the same, but are usually separate pieces. Kerfing? Not a word worth discussing.
Binding - wood or plastic (ugh!) used to protect the edges of the instrument where the sides join the plates; also used around the FB and HS; more useful on guitars, decoration on `ukulele
Purfling - decorative appointment (usually shell) around the top edges of the SB; also done on the sides and back; also refers to black/white/black, BWB, or combination thereof of wood or fiber strips to set off the binding or shell purfling.
Backstrip - inlay down the back of the instrument; can be used to increase the glue joint when bookmatching the plates.
Bracing - structural pieces that support the plates
Fan, X, Lattice, Kasha - bracing styles
Tonebars - pieces that tune the plates (usually refers to the SB).
Cutaway - allows access to higher frets, not necessary if player doesn't go above the 3rd position
Florentine Cutaway - pointed and jointed
Venetian Cutaway - curved and bent
Compound cutaway - see Cumpiano (I stole that idea, challenging to do)
Side port - hole cut in the side of the instrument, instead of or in addition to the SB soundhole
SBT - soundboard transducer
UST - undersaddle transducer (my preference - major surgery, major ROI)
Active pickup - no preamp necessary, battery not included
Passive pickup - usually needs outboard preamp, battery not needed (but you may need a powered pre-amp)

I know I missed a few things - someone else can finish up. Whew!
-Aaron
 
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Yup, Kekani is right.

Sound board refers to the top of the body ( the part that faces the audience)
Back board refers to the bottom, or back of body ( part that faces the player )

And super refers to a longer than usual scale on a same sized body.
For example:
A super concert= concert body with a tenor scale


Headstock - HS, "top" of the instrument where the tuning machines go
Headstock veneer - thin piece of wood covering the headstock
Tuning machines - peg,geared, or machined tuning pegs, used to tighten and tune the strings.
Nut - Bone or synthetic material used to separate strings at the HS, slots cut into them
Fretboard - hardwood (Ebony, Rosewood, etc) used to hold frets
Fretwire -Metal wire that is cut, and pressed into the fret slots, then it is shaped and beveled.
Fretboard markers -Inlays used to tell the player what fret their fingures are at. often placed at frets 3,5,7,10,12, and sometimes 15
Fret work - the process of leveling and crowning frets, along with dressing the ends
Soundhole -Hole, cut into either the soundboard, the sides of the body, or both. allow vibrating air to escape the body and go out to audience.
Rosette - artistic decoration around the soundhole
Plates - refers to the top (soundboard, SB) and back
Sides - Sides of body, one faces up, and the other down while playing.
Neck -Pieces of wood that are shaped ind attached to body. holds tuning machines, nut and fretboard.
Heelblock - structural hardwood block that "joins" the neck, sides and plates
Tailblock - Structural hardwood block that "joins" the plates and sides, usually where the jack is drilled into.
Heelcap - piece of shell, wood etc found on the bottom of the neck heel.
End graft - inlay piece at the okole of the instrument, right on the side joints at the tailblock.
Bridge -Piece of wood that holds bridge, glued to soundboard in the lowerbout. must be correct distance from nut for scale to be correct.
Bridge patch - bracing material under the bridge, usually a flat hardwood (although some use softwoods)
Saddle - bone or synthetic material that can be used to set intonation (once the bridge is set), and is used to set the action at the bridge.
Break angle - angle at which the strings break over the saddle into the bridge, bridge pins or tie block
Compensated Saddle - saddle cut or saddle slot angled so that intonation is set per string.
Lining - used to increase the gluing surface to join the sides to the plates, allows for binding and purfling installation; can be kerfed or solid. Tentallones do the same, but are usually separate pieces. Kerfing? Not a word worth discussing.
Binding - wood or plastic (ugh!) used to protect the edges of the instrument where the sides join the plates; also used around the FB and HS; more useful on guitars, decoration on `ukulele
Purfling - decorative appointment (usually shell) around the top edges of the SB; also done on the sides and back; also refers to black/white/black, BWB, or combination thereof of wood or fiber strips to set off the binding or shell purfling.
Backstrip - inlay down the back of the instrument; can be used to increase the glue joint when bookmatching the plates.
Bracing - structural pieces that support the plates
Fan, X, Lattice, Kasha - bracing styles
Tonebars - pieces that tune the plates (usually refers to the SB).
Cutaway - allows access to higher frets, not necessary if player doesn't go above the 3rd position
Florentine Cutaway - pointed and jointed
Venetian Cutaway - curved and bent
Compound cutaway - see Cumpiano (I stole that idea, challenging to do)
Side port - hole cut in the side of the instrument, instead of or in addition to the SB soundhole
SBT - soundboard transducer
UST - undersaddle transducer (my preference - major surgery, major ROI)
Active pickup - no preamp necessary, battery not included
Passive pickup - usually needs outboard preamp, battery not needed (but you may need a powered pre-amp)

I filled in the few that were left. Hope this helps
Aloha
Acabo'oe
 
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