Jake's Kamaka

drubin

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Does anyone know if Jake's Kamaka's fingerboard is radiused?
 
Dan Scanlan (coolhanduke) says it's radiused.

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/ukulelemadness/message/1830

He plays a custom Kamaka tenor, with an extended scale length,
compensated bridge, extra-wide frets (for sustain) and radiused
fretboard. My friend Fred Fallin got to play it before Jake picked it
up at Kamaka. A luthier friend got a good look at it when Jake played
here in Grass Valley CA last summer. His specs are pretty much what I
like, too, although I prefer a standard scale length.

Dan Scanlan
www.coolhanduke.com
 
A couple questions:

"He [Jake] plays a custom Kamaka tenor, with an extended scale length, compensated bridge, extra-wide frets (for sustain) and radiused fretboard."

1. Does "extended scale length" just mean a 14 fret tenor, or might it mean something else?

2. What does "extra-wide frets" mean and how would extra-wide frets contribute to greater sustain?

3. Does a radiused fretboard make playing things like bar chords easier?
 
A couple questions:

"He [Jake] plays a custom Kamaka tenor, with an extended scale length, compensated bridge, extra-wide frets (for sustain) and radiused fretboard."

1. Does "extended scale length" just mean a 14 fret tenor, or might it mean something else?

2. What does "extra-wide frets" mean and how would extra-wide frets contribute to greater sustain?

3. Does a radiused fretboard make playing things like bar chords easier?

I don't know about 1 or 2, but in theory, a radiused fingerboard should make bar chords easier. My King tenor is the first radiused ukulele I've owned. It has an 18" radius, which is pretty mild. I don't really feel much of a difference compared to a flat fingerboard, but perhaps it's very subtle. It's the easiest playing uke I have but I don't know how much the radius contribute to it.
 
A couple questions:

"He [Jake] plays a custom Kamaka tenor, with an extended scale length, compensated bridge, extra-wide frets (for sustain) and radiused fretboard."

1. Does "extended scale length" just mean a 14 fret tenor, or might it mean something else?

2. What does "extra-wide frets" mean and how would extra-wide frets contribute to greater sustain?

3. Does a radiused fretboard make playing things like bar chords easier?


1. AFAIK an extended scale just means that the distance from the nut to the saddle is longer than the typical 17". the number of frets doesnt play a part in that, but in theory, extending the scale length would give you more room for more frets... but that all depends on the builder and when the sound hole is located.

2. no clue

3. when barring a chord, your index finger will want to naturally curve a little. just like whenever you grab something. having a radius on the fretboard accomodates that, making barred chords less stressful on the muscles. just makes it more natural... ergonomic if you will. it makes a huge difference in guitars since you have potentially 6 strings to cover and fret, over a distance of 2 inches (give or take).
 
A couple questions:

"He [Jake] plays a custom Kamaka tenor, with an extended scale length, compensated bridge, extra-wide frets (for sustain) and radiused fretboard."

1. Does "extended scale length" just mean a 14 fret tenor, or might it mean something else?

2. What does "extra-wide frets" mean and how would extra-wide frets contribute to greater sustain?

3. Does a radiused fretboard make playing things like bar chords easier?

for #2, the extra wide frets wouldn't actually contribute to sustain...they're extra wide because it's an extended scale...since it's an extended scale you have more string stretched across it so it'll vibrate longer, hence the greater sustain
 
The "extra wide frets" being referred to here means the fretwire itself is wider. The spacing between the frets is automatically wider if it is indeed a long scale tenor but this has nothing to do with sustain IMHO. Some believe that the wider fretwire will produce more sustain but I'm not sure if the data has been documented and available to back this up.
 
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