Collings 13 frets to the body

Kevdog

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I recently got a Collings Tenor and was wondering why they went with 13 frets to the body vs the more common 14 frets.

Is there a sound/tone advantage? Does it shorten the overall length of the Uke for some tonal reason?

Anybody have any feedback?

Thanks

Kevdog
 
I can't really answer those myself, but to say that it worked for the Koaloha concert and that uke is legendarily good. Maybe it's an audio sweet spot. I don't know.
 
I'm not certain, but I do think the choice has something to do with what Plainsong writes. The 12th fret is always at the center of the scale length. So, when you change where the neck joins the body, you also change where the bridge is located on the body. It's my understanding that you derive the best response when the bridge is located on the top at such a point as the lower bout is the widest.
 
I'm not certain, but I do think the choice has something to do with what Plainsong writes. The 12th fret is always at the center of the scale length. So, when you change where the neck joins the body, you also change where the bridge is located on the body. It's my understanding that you derive the best response when the bridge is located on the top at such a point as the lower bout is the widest.
The bridge placement for classical guitars has always been placed for optimum tone. With the 14 fret neck there is always a trade off for the tone versus the extra unhampered reaching of the notes. That being said there are a lot of classical cutaways out there now. Perhaps the 13 fret to the body Collings tenor is an experiment for a nicer tone.
The quest for the perfect tone never ends.
 
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I have recently discussed this idea with a luthier friend here in Australia. His design was 13 frets to the body also. I understand the thinking behind this design was related to the positioning of the bridge, trying to find a more central location or sweet point on the body.
 
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