I just can't decide...

KC8AFW

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Okay...so I've been playing ukulele for all of 2, maybe 3 weeks and I've already contracted UAS. So I gave hoosierhiver a call today and figured everything out that I want...mahogany, gold geared tuners with ebony buttons, gloss finish (sweet). Well, everything except for the size. I just can't decide between the soprano or the concert. Unfortunately, I live in a ukulele-baren wasteland and can't try out the different sizes to see which one I like.

I have a Lanakai LU-21 soprano, and it really fits my lifestyle. The only times I get to play it...I'm either laying in the bed, walking around the house, or sitting in the car waiting to pick my kids up from work. And the scale length is really comfortable for me. I can actually play most chords without ever looking at the fretboard (something I was never able to master playing guitar).

But on the other hand...I really like the sound of the concert (although the sopranos that russbuss, shanifawni, and UKISOCIETY have sound amazing...could just be the artists:D). I just don't know if it will be too big for how I play. And getting the "next size up" is better justification to my wife than just "it's a better one". And...I already have a soprano.

I know that it is all personal preferrence...so I'm not going to ask "which one should I get" That's my own demon to battle. But, what I am going to ask is...if you have both, could you post a side-by-side picture so I can have a reference to the size difference? Or...could you measure from the tail (not the bridge) to the nut and post the dimensions...or maybe from the nut to the 3rd fret...just so I can have a point of reference.

Thanks,
-KP
 
here are some photos that might help you decide. for what it's worth, i think you should go for the concert, but i know that's your "demon to battle" :)


concert - concert - soprano - soprano:
con-con-sop-sop.jpg



soprano neck on top, concert neck on bottom
sop-con-neck.jpg



good luck with your purchase!
 
If you're comfortable with the soprano, there will only be a slight adjustment to the concert sized neck. I think you will be OK, and if you play high on the neck (around the 8th fret higher) you might appreciate the extra space!

–Lori
 
I have the same Lanikai soprano, and I love it - it's so small and lightweight, but with a really nice sound. But I recently bought a Flea with a concert neck, and I find it MUCH easier to play. Particularly in the first 3 or 4 frets (where I do 90% of my playing), I have so much more room for my pudgy fingers. It definitely made a "concert convert" out of me, although I still love plinking on my little Lanikai.

I too am jonesing for a Mainland concert, but I'm wary of going to that larger body size. One of the things I dig about my Flea is that even with a concert neck, the body size is the same as the soprano, so I still have the feeling of playing a pretty small instrument, which for some reason I find quite appealing.

Here's a crappy photo that gives you an idea of their respective sizes:

fab1_and_fab2.jpg


There are some companies that make soprano-sized ukes with concert necks: Lehua is one, and I know there are some others. I plan to check them out before I succumb to my next round of UAS. But those Mainland ukes are freaking sweet - I think someday I've gotta get me one!
 
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I, too, live in a ukulele desert. The only oasis in it is my own collection, purchased online.

Mainland is a good brand, and you'll like it. I personally prefer tenor scale because of the added space and the fuller sound. Don't neglect that size. Of late I've been practicing with an Ohana soprano to become more proficient, but I still prefer to play tenor scale. If I had to choose between concert and soprano - I'd go to concert.​
 
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I really think that the concert is a great idea. I don't think you'll find the size jump that challenging. Plus the concert neck will enable you to play more complex tenor-style arrangements (because you just KNOW you'll want to learn Gently Weeps sooner or later).
 
you can't go wrong with any size really... I mean, with the right strings, a concert can be just as loud as a tenor. and soprano can be just as loud as a concert.
I would suggest putting down like.. 50 bucks, and buy one other size for cheap. This way, you can figure out if you like that size. If you think that size is still too small, then you can "splurge' on a tenor. That way, you won't be unhappy with your purchase.
 
it is all preference.
but if i were you i'd go for soprano! :D
i feel the concert is the awkward stage between the soprano and the tenor.
at the same time i do show a lot of favortism for the soprano.

i have a soprano mainland mahogany gloss finish uke. it honestly is a great sounding uke. i love it i love it i love it. im actually sending it back to mike so that he can install a MiSi on it. it's a uke i see myself playing for a long time.
i was hoping my love for the mainland would help me fight UAS.... but it ended up making me just want different mainland ukes.
 
I can't post any photos right now, although Russ's should do it. But I prefer the concert scale.

That's funny too, in that I own about 17 sopranos and only 4 concerts. But I'm just yakking. Don't listen to me.:)
 
Concert it is...

Thanks for all your feedback. I've spent time lurking today while I was in meetings (shhh, don't tell anybody), but didn't have time to reply.

So, I pulled the trigger (well..clicked the mouse) and went with a Mainland mahogany concert. I fretted over this quite a bit (pun intended), but in the end I decided that there wasn't enough size difference to worry with to get a slightly "bigger" sound. So, hopefully, it should be here early next week (I'm pretty excited).:nana:

Again...thanks a bunch everyone! Especially hoosierhiver for letting me bend his ear while I struggled with my indecisiveness.

So here's some of the replies I would have made if "Big Brother" weren't watching...

here are some photos that might help you decide. for what it's worth, i think you should go for the concert, but i know that's your "demon to battle"...

Thanks for the pics...they really helped me compare the two sizes. BTW, I really like the oopsulele...very "Picasso":)

...Here's a crappy photo that gives you an idea of their respective sizes:

Thanks for the comparison. I like the pattern on the flea. I think that'd be a great in-the-car uke. :)

Don't spend too much time worrying about it. Within a year you'll sell that motorcycle and have a dozen ukes of all sizes.

Never gonna happen. *laughes nervousely* How many ukes did you say I could get for my bike? :rolleyes:

...I would suggest putting down like.. 50 bucks, and buy one other size for cheap...

That was kinda my original plan, but I ended up selling something to a friend of mine that I didn't know I wanted to get rid of (you know how that goes). So I knew this was going to be my only opportunity to get a "good" uke in the near future...so I had to sieze the moment.

...But I prefer the concert scale...

I'm kinda surprised by this. I would have guessed you a soprano man (as that's what I've seen in most of your videos).
 
here are some photos that might help you decide. for what it's worth, i think you should go for the concert, but i know that's your "demon to battle" :)


concert - concert - soprano - soprano:
con-con-sop-sop.jpg



soprano neck on top, concert neck on bottom
sop-con-neck.jpg



good luck with your purchase!


Russ...what is that uke on the far right...the "far out" one?
 
Good call! I love the flashy rope binding on those Mainlands. Walks the line between gaudy and classy in a wonderful way.

I'm looking forward to getting a Mainland myself, but I'm hoping to try out a mango when I go to buy.
 
i have a soprano with all of the characteristics you mentioned and i really need to sell it. bought in the end of march, and really need money. pm me if you want it and i am very negotiable with the pricing
 
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