Bound necks?

Hi all.
I'm helping one of my teachers buy a starter ukulele for her daughter and I came up with a quick little question.
What is a bound neck and how is it different?
I was just wondering as I couldn't get any answers online and I noticed that the prices for bound necks was generally higher.
Thanks alot.

See the white part surrounding the neck? That means it's bound.



Binding can be made of plastic, other woods, mother of pearl, puau, etc. It is also down around the body and headstock.

SMillette92 said:

Hi all.
I'm helping one of my teachers buy a starter ukulele for her daughter and I came up with a quick little question.
What is a bound neck and how is it different?
I was just wondering as I couldn't get any answers online and I noticed that the prices for bound necks was generally higher.
Thanks alot.

Click to expand...

Fretboard bindings are basically thin strips of wood/plastic that run along the side of the fretboard. The advantage is that they give the side of the fretboard a "smooth" feel and you won't have to worry about the fret wires sticking out on the sides. It adds to the price because it takes longer to do.

I've played some ukes with unbound fretboards that felt perfectly fine, but at the same time I've played unbound ukes with horribly finished frets that actually felt like they snagged my fingers...so YMMV

Thanks for the help guys :worship: