14 fret to body sopranos

andy2353

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I'm intrigued by the idea of a 14 fret to body soprano (not an extended/concert neck). I noticed that the new Kiwayas (the KPS series) have 14 frets to the body with a standard soprano scale. I also noticed that Kanile'a sopranos are 14 frets to the body. It would be nice to have access to those two extra frets without changing the scale or tension. Does anyone have a 14 fret to the body soprano and recommend it?

Thanks
Andy
 
I did have one, but the fret spacing was just too tight for me (was a fairly narrow nut though, so that might've been the issue). Was fun, but in the end, not for me.
 
JesterBlod, I'm puzzled by your response. A soprano uke with fourteen frets to the body has the same fret spacing as any other soprano. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the issue.

John Colter
 
I know for concert ukuleles, conventional wisdom indicates the optimum position of the bridge sets it lower on the lower bout using 12 frets and 14 is a compromise. Although more modern luthiers have probably modified bracing to accommodate 14 frets without tone/volume impacts. I imagine the same holds true for a soprano. And there’s not a lot of real estate up there.

John
 
Andy, I have 3 Sopranos that are 14 frets to the body.

Romero Creation Soprano XS.

Barron River Soprano. https://www.brguitars.com/gallery/soprano/tigermytle_soprano/

Fred Shields Soprano Oval
https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?137850-Londonderry-Air-(Fred-Shields-Oval-Soprano-Campanella-Style)

The sound of these Sopranos are great. Now of course, without a direct comparison of 12 vs 14 fret to the body built on a same box, I can't really tell what is better. I like easy access to the higher frets. There are songs that I would avoid using the 12 fret to the body Sopranos I own. Space really gets cramped high up in the Soprano neck, so the easy access does make a difference.
 
You're quite correct John, I was comparing it to the string spacing of either a concert or a tenor fingerpicking up at or near the 14th fret, just felt too tight for me.

JesterBlod, I'm puzzled by your response. A soprano uke with fourteen frets to the body has the same fret spacing as any other soprano. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the issue.

John Colter
 
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