Same brand and model Concert versus Tenor sound

pix.fairydust · Dec 28, 2018

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone has played a concert and tenor ukulele of the same model from the same brand side by side with the same strings, and if they have what they thought of the difference in sound?

I know tenors have a bigger body etc but just wondering how much of the difference is really audible? If I got a tenor of the same model, would it be audibly deeper / louder / more resonant?

Thanks

strat4me · Dec 28, 2018

Yes, yes, and yes. We have done this experiment repeatedly. Tenors offer a significant boost in volume, bass, etc. The tenors in our house get most of the attention b/c of their larger personalities. YMMV but I will never buy a concert again. My wife plays them all
but is spending the majority of time with tenors as well.

pix.fairydust · Dec 28, 2018

strat4me said:
Yes, yes, and yes. We have done this experiment repeatedly. Tenors offer a significant boost in volume, bass, etc. The tenors in our house get most of the attention b/c of their larger personalities. YMMV but I will never buy a concert again. My wife plays them all
but is spending the majority of time with tenors as well.

Thanks for your reply

Rakelele · Dec 28, 2018

I agree with everything Strat said. Tenors and Concerts are different animals, even from the same maker. A Tenor of the same brand will always sound fuller and deeper than a Concert. It's not just because of the body size, but also the string length and tension. The Concert size does have its place as something in between the percussive sound of a Soprano and the sustain of a Tenor.

merlin666 · Dec 28, 2018

strat4me said:
Yes, yes, and yes. We have done this experiment repeatedly. Tenors offer a significant boost in volume, bass, etc.

Indeed, due to larger size and longer scale it results in more volume and projection at lower frequencies. But I think that there is also drop at the higher frequencies and particularly for re-entrant strung ukes the tenor may sound much less brilliant and punchy for strumming than a smaller size. That's why I got a concert sized uke to complement the tenor because I wanted a more traditional uke strumming sound. Now I'm even contemplating getting a soprano and having it tuned to D to enhance the old style songs that I have learned this year even further.

Jerryc41 · Dec 28, 2018

Yes, the tenor does offer more volume and a deeper tone, but I like them all. Put a low-G on a tenor, and it's a whole different animal.

PereBourik · Dec 28, 2018

At one time I had both a Martin C1K & T1K, each with Martin strings. Very different, but with something of a family resemblance. As others have said, the tenor was bigger in every way: louder with longer sustain. I mostly play tenor now. But I started with a concert and still long for their friendliness.

pix.fairydust · Dec 28, 2018

Thanks for the replies everyone! Really helpful as always
:-D

Ukecaster · Dec 28, 2018

Yup, everyone has different tastes. I don't have any concerts, but would like to try a good one, K-brand, Kiwaya, etc. I find it interesting how some folks just don't like concerts much at all, but instead play both sopranos and tenors exclusively.

Same brand and model Concert versus Tenor sound

pix.fairydust

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strat4me

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pix.fairydust

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Rakelele

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merlin666

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Jerryc41

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PereBourik

Ukulele don't judge

pix.fairydust

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Ukecaster

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