Uke Size Sound Comparison

smoothice

Member
Joined
May 25, 2009
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
So I keep reading how a tenor has a warmer sound then a soprano or concert uke.

Because I am very new I can't quite grasp what that truly means.

So I am issuing a challenge.

1 person with all 4 sizes of ukulele record the same song with each size.

-Requirements:
--Pick 1 song you can play 4 times perfectly (or at least the same throughout)
--Play song on each size of uke. Soprano, Concert, Tenor, Baritone. (if you have other sizes then please do them also)
--Record songs. I don't really care if you just record audio or if you make a video.

I did a search to see if this had been done before. All I found was 1 that compared a bunch of different sopranos and another one that compared some tenors.

More then 1 person can accept this challenge. But you must have the 4 different sizes of uke.

I really think this could be helpful to someone new who is just starting to think about what size uke they will want to play.

Thanks in advance:shaka:

Oh..If this has already been done then please post up a link and call me stupid ;)
 
Last edited:
So I keep reading how a tenor has a warmer sound then a soprano or concert uke.

Because I am very new I can't quite grasp what that truly means.

So I am issuing a challenge.

1 person with all 4 sizes of ukulele record the same song with each size.

-Requirements:
--Pick 1 song you can play 4 times perfectly (or at least the same throughout)
--Play song on each size of uke. Soprano, Concert, Tenor, Bass. (if you have other sizes then please do them also)
--Record songs. I don't really care if you just record audio or if you make a video.

I did a search to see if this had been done before. All I found was 1 that compared a bunch of different sopranos and another one that compared some tenors.

More then 1 person can accept this challenge. But you must have the 4 different sizes of uke.

I really think this could be helpful to someone new who is just starting to think about what size uke they will want to play.

Thanks in advance:shaka:

Oh..If this has already been done then please post up a link and call me stupid ;)

I have about 6 different sizes in ukuleles. 2 are sub-soprano or "sopranino".
 
truthfully, you're gonna have to find somebody that has all the same maker as well. because a kanile'a product is a whole lot different than a koaloha product up and down the line. best bet is learn something easy like Drop baby drop then head out to a place that sells a bunch of one brand and try it out for your self.
 
truthfully, you're gonna have to find somebody that has all the same maker as well. because a kanile'a product is a whole lot different than a koaloha product up and down the line. best bet is learn something easy like Drop baby drop then head out to a place that sells a bunch of one brand and try it out for your self.

I see what you are saying. But if someone owns all of the sizes. I would like to think they own each one for the difference in sound each one produces.

Would you like to volunteer to play Drop baby drop at a music store that sells each different size and record it for the betterment of ukulele community? :p
 
Consider tunings and strings as extraneous variables... people talk strings and usually everyone ends up accepting that aquila has a brighter tone or something whereas Worth-browns are accepted as having warm tone. I don't know if this is true but in order to make the test consistent, the song as well as the strings should remain the same.

Tuning too. Probably wouldn't wouldn't want to go from ADF#B for soprano, then GCEA for concert and then low g for tenor, and then EGBD for baritone, otherwise you'd probably just end up evaluating tunings.

Good luck, its a good idea. I'd help but I don't have a tenor, and I use all different tunings on the ukes I have.
 
To all the naysayers--You are all right.

But if someone thinks their collection of ukes shows a good representation of what each size has to offer then please accept my challenge.
 
I see what you are saying. But if someone owns all of the sizes. I would like to think they own each one for the difference in sound each one produces.

Would you like to volunteer to play Drop baby drop at a music store that sells each different size and record it for the betterment of ukulele community? :p

Also, you want to consider having all the same string setup as well(all low g or all high g). Actually, you're going to want all the same BRAND of strings as well. Example, on my KoAloha Tenor the difference between Ko'olau golds with metal wound 3rd and 4th string vs say Worth Clear hard tension strings is like night and day.

Next off, baritones(what I think you meant by saying "bass") are like the top 4 strings of a guitar and will have completely different notation/chords placement(which is why they arn't quite as popular) as soprano(nino) through tenor, which are like the bottom four strings.

As a general rule of thumb, at one end of the scale sopranos are going to be the brightest/liveliest/most traditional Hawaiian sounding since they have a small body, whereas larger body tenors are going to have the richest, warmest, deepest sound more close to a guitar(besides baritones). Not to mention different woods produce completely different sounds so what I said above can vary as for example a vintage martin soprano with original strings will have a warm deep sound for such a small body.

I think you're going have a hard time with this one. Instead I would recommend telling us what sound your looking for in general and we can start from there. High/bright/lively.....deep/warm/rich...inbetween/outside...etc. If you can't get into a shop and play them yourself, start by watching all the ukulele demos on youtube you can take, and post the links of the sounds you like best and will work from there. Also consider things besides the sound, some people are comfortable playing the small soprano scale neck, others prefer a larger neck so their fingers have more room..etc
 
Last edited:
wish i could help you but i only have sopranos and concerts. do you live near a store that sells ukes? that would probably be the best way to evaluate the differences in sound.

I'll have to check. Wonder if Guitar Center has uke's. If not then I am probably out of luck.
 
gc, at least the couple i went to, doesn't have much. where you stay? try looking at dealers listings for ohana, kala, lanikai ie some of the lower to middle end quality `ukulele to see if there is a dealer near you. i found a few that i never thought would carry `ukulele.
 
This is not precisely what you were looking for, but it comes close. Marcy Marxer sponsored by Kala and House of Musical traditions in Takoma Park Maryland comparing solid mahogany Kalas of varying sizes, aquila strings, along with a banjolele. Bonus: She also shows how to correctly hold a uke, and shows how differently strung ukes sound (low G and the older adf#b). http://www.hmtrad.com/catalog/strings/stringsmisc.html#ukes This was very helpful to me in making my decision.
 
And then to really get nit-picky, the recording equipment and your own audio gear come into play. And the audio compression of how they compressed it for upload. Are you just listening with pc or laptop speakers? Do you have an external DAC and amp with some decent speakers or headphones plugged in? It's really a mess. For great science! For me personally, I want to one day get a tenor, but I won't spend much money on one. My superconcert feels as big as I want to go. Concert feels juuuuuust right. But you could feel a tenor or baritone and just feel right at home. Good luck on your quest!
 
If you YouTube MusicGuyMic, he has recorded pretty much the same little tune on a zillion different ukuleles with all sorts of strings.

I think there is an issue in that your challenge isn't a challenge. It's a favour.
 
No baritone but Aldrine did a size comparison, playing the same thing, with Kamoa ukuleles.

 
well you could look at the MK-T compared with the MK-C on youtube and then you could find a youtube for the MK-S. I can hear the diff between the MK-C and MK-T on that video.
 
Top Bottom