StereoJoker
Well-known member
I've been eyeing the Ohana sopranino for quite some time, but since coming across some semi-affordable (at least for my dirt-poor Ramen noodle budget) Kala thin body sopranos, I'm torn. I know they're two completely different machines, but I can't really make up my mind in terms of preferring one over the other - I love both of their sounds, their designs, their playability and I trust the production quality of both companies. My biggest concern for another acquisition (if I even bother to purchase another, which I'll explain in a minute) would be portability.
Ideally, I'd like to have the smallest version of uke as possible. My fingers are fairly slender and nimble (is it possible to be Narcissistic about hands? geez), so fretting and fingerpicking aren't issues for me when it comes to managing smaller fret spaces. I'm also aware of what kinds of tones I'd be sacrificing the more compact a string instrument is. Of course, it's going to be impossible for me to play some kind of custom, ridiculously small twelve-inch ultra-sopranino (or whatever; it doesn't exist, as far as I know) properly, so I've got the smallest ukes narrowed down, for the most part.
Here's my problem: I'm not entirely sure if I should dish out the extra cash for another uke if the size difference isn't really all that substantial. Then again, "substantial" is a pretty subjective assessment, but I guess that's where you guys come in. The difference between the standard soprano and the sopranino is a couple inches in length, right? Do those couple inches really increase the portability? Or is it the size of the body that affects it more?
I'm not sure if I articulated my question very well, but I'm basically asking if it's all that significant a size difference from a soprano (especially the models I mentioned, since I factored in the width of the design, too). What do you find is the most portable ukulele?
Ideally, I'd like to have the smallest version of uke as possible. My fingers are fairly slender and nimble (is it possible to be Narcissistic about hands? geez), so fretting and fingerpicking aren't issues for me when it comes to managing smaller fret spaces. I'm also aware of what kinds of tones I'd be sacrificing the more compact a string instrument is. Of course, it's going to be impossible for me to play some kind of custom, ridiculously small twelve-inch ultra-sopranino (or whatever; it doesn't exist, as far as I know) properly, so I've got the smallest ukes narrowed down, for the most part.
Here's my problem: I'm not entirely sure if I should dish out the extra cash for another uke if the size difference isn't really all that substantial. Then again, "substantial" is a pretty subjective assessment, but I guess that's where you guys come in. The difference between the standard soprano and the sopranino is a couple inches in length, right? Do those couple inches really increase the portability? Or is it the size of the body that affects it more?
I'm not sure if I articulated my question very well, but I'm basically asking if it's all that significant a size difference from a soprano (especially the models I mentioned, since I factored in the width of the design, too). What do you find is the most portable ukulele?