Wide Neck Ukes
- Thread starter albee
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Ambient Doughnut
Well-known member
I had a go on an Oscar Schmidt one at a group meet and was pretty impressed. I've got skinny fingers anyway but it really was about the easiest instrument to play I've ever picked up. I would have thought it was quite a bonus for the larger fingered player.
Skitzic
Well-known member
I think it's just a matter of comfort. No real pros or cons. If a neck is too thin it may be difficult to finger pick. That's really the only thing I can think of.
Just buy what's comfortable.
Just buy what's comfortable.
kissing
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The thicker neck makes some things easier.
I guess it depends on preferences, but it may make finger picking easier, and it also makes some chords, like the infamous E and Eb chord easier too.
However, it makes bar chords at higher frets a bit harder.
My Oscar Schmidt baritone has a rather wide neck.
I guess it depends on preferences, but it may make finger picking easier, and it also makes some chords, like the infamous E and Eb chord easier too.
However, it makes bar chords at higher frets a bit harder.
My Oscar Schmidt baritone has a rather wide neck.
Uke Republic
Well-known member
A few you may consider Kelii tenor, LoPrinzi will custom make broader neck and the Aria Guitalele is 2" wide @ nut
franulele
Well-known member
I had a Pono tenor that had a wider neck with a less rounded edge than my Lanikai tenor. I had to sell it (the Pono) because bar chords actually hurt. Too bad because the Pono had a very nice sound. A lot of people like the wider necks though, and the Gerald Ross ANueNue signature model has a wider neck than their useual specs. It's supposed to make finger picking a bit easier.
ukulelecowboy
Well-known member
Pono are real exceptions. And they are really an "acquired taste." Many players don't realize this but they typically use lower profile frets than other ukulele manufacturers. Barre chords require more pressure and the ukulele can be more difficult play.
Indianarick
Active member
I have had the same issue with my Pono tenor. I love the look and sound, but the neck is so thick and round, it really fatigues my hand. Feels like a guitar player's uke. I am actually on my way later today to trade it in on a LoPrinzi...
r
GX9901
Well-known member
By wide neck you mean wider nut width right? I personally prefer the nut to be 1.5" as opposed to the more standard 1-3/8" width for all sizes, not just tenor. It just feels more manuverable for me when finger picking and doesn't make much of a difference when holding chords to strum.
I borrowed a Mya Moe tenor once, and it had a wide neck (across the fingerboard) but also had a slim profile. In other words the neck wasn't thick in the hand. It also had the bonus of a radius'd fretboard. It was the most comfortable neck I had ever played on a Uke. Great combination of factors.
pulelehua
Well-known member
The thing I learned with my MP custom is that a tiny difference at the nut magnifies itself down the neck. My ukulele is a dream for fretting awkward chords, but some strums are a bit trickier, as I've got that much more width to get my finger(s) across at the soundhole. My left hand is happy. My right hand is in a period of adjustment.
BTW, MP necks are very thin depth-wise.
BTW, MP necks are very thin depth-wise.
I have two sopranos. One is a KoAloha. The nut is 1 1/2" wide. The other (Eleuke) is 1 3/8" wide. Interestingly, the string spacing is the same.
View attachment 21392
70sSanO
Well-known member
One of my tenors is just over 1-1/2" at the nut and has a thin profile, the other is just under 1-1/2" and has a fat profile. Both ukuleles have slightly wider than normal string spacing at the nut and about the same at the bridge because the neck width doesn't get a lot wider moving up the fret board.
The wider string spacing is really nice when playing some barre chords; especially a barred D shape with two fingers because the wider spacing give more room to arch the fretting finger over the A string. Not sure if everyone follows that.
For me the wide thin neck is better/faster for fingering and the wide fat neck seems a little better/more substantial for playing barre chording.
John
The wider string spacing is really nice when playing some barre chords; especially a barred D shape with two fingers because the wider spacing give more room to arch the fretting finger over the A string. Not sure if everyone follows that.
For me the wide thin neck is better/faster for fingering and the wide fat neck seems a little better/more substantial for playing barre chording.
John
Pippin
Well-known member
I have an Oscar Schmidt OU280SWK and an OU5LCE in my collection. Both have wider necks and are very comfortable to play. The OU280SWK is in some of the videos I posted on YouTube... http://www.youtube.com/PW320M (I'll be moving those videos to the Ukulele Player Account when I get the chance).
PeformanceUke
Well-known member
I have experimented with wide, skinny, medium etc i like um all.
Wide neck pros:
Faster rapid picking with less chance of none selective string interference.
Faster multiple finger picking.
Wider range of note pull ups. (when you hit a note and push up the string while holding a note).
---------------------------------------
Cons of wide neck.
Possible a chance of increasing the difficulty of quick chord change ups. Strumming
Slight difficult increase in holding intricate chords
timing adjustments.
Just to name a few.
Wide neck pros:
Faster rapid picking with less chance of none selective string interference.
Faster multiple finger picking.
Wider range of note pull ups. (when you hit a note and push up the string while holding a note).
---------------------------------------
Cons of wide neck.
Possible a chance of increasing the difficulty of quick chord change ups. Strumming
Slight difficult increase in holding intricate chords
timing adjustments.
Just to name a few.
70sSanO
Well-known member
I will second that opinion on quick chord changes, especially some of the more complex chord changes where the fingers don't feel as lock in together, possibly because of the wider spring spacing... at least in my case.
But weighing the pros and cons, I still prefer a little more room.
John
Thanks - especially to the Koaloha players - for the info. I can't wait to try a few of these different necks because I think the whole thing differs for each player. On the guitar I find Gibson necks to be preferable to Fender necks (for me), while others like the thinner necks because they have smaller hands. Now I just need to get around to some NYC area shops and find some ukuleles!
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