long-neck sopranos and finger style?

Thinker

Thinker

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Hi,

I'm in the market for a second uke - largely because I've lost my mind - but for some other good reasons, too. (Oh - and I've lost my mind..)

I've been having trouble, as I've been getting better, reaching from fret 2 or 3 to 5. It's clooosseee. But not quite. Seven is out of the question! Since my second uke is going to be smaller anyway - I'm wondering if I shouldn't get a long-neck soprano (I'm thinking pineapple) as it'll be easier to reach. Even if this gets easier, it'll be a nice way to start.

But here's my question: Would a concert neck make that much of a difference? Should I just go to a soprano?

Thanks!
 
Thinker said:
Hi,

I'm in the market for a second uke - largely because I've lost my mind - but for some other good reasons, too. (Oh - and I've lost my mind..)

I've been having trouble, as I've been getting better, reaching from fret 2 or 3 to 5. It's clooosseee. But not quite. Seven is out of the question! Since my second uke is going to be smaller anyway - I'm wondering if I shouldn't get a long-neck soprano (I'm thinking pineapple) as it'll be easier to reach. Even if this gets easier, it'll be a nice way to start.

But here's my question: Would a concert neck make that much of a difference? Should I just go to a soprano?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I've lost my mind to the uke craziness too!

If what you have is a tenor, then yes, a concert neck will help. A soprano is going to be even smaller, but then you might have problems if you play on the frets higher than 7. If you are going to have to do barre or 4 finger chords that high, the space gets a bit tight. Also note that many sopranos only have 12 frets, and some song arrangements go higher than that. I like long neck sopranos.

–Lori
 
A concert will be easier than a tenor. A soprano for me is trickier. I play a super concert. But you know what? With playing, any neck size will get easier. Isn't a long neck soprano one with a concert neck?
 
sukie said:
A concert will be easier than a tenor. A soprano for me is trickier. I play a super concert. But you know what? With playing, any neck size will get easier. Isn't a long neck soprano one with a concert neck?
Click to expand...

Some have concert necks and some tenor, so you have to make sure you know what you're buying. The KoAloha longneck soprano is a concert scale neck. Some others are tenor scale.

John
 
Lori said:
I've lost my mind to the uke craziness too!

If what you have is a tenor, then yes, a concert neck will help. A soprano is going to be even smaller, but then you might have problems if you play on the frets higher than 7. If you are going to have to do barre or 4 finger chords that high, the space gets a bit tight. Also note that many sopranos only have 12 frets, and some song arrangements go higher than that. I like long neck sopranos.

–Lori
Click to expand...

So it's Fret 12 where it starts to get tight on a standard soprano?? That was actually my next question. Thanks.

I definitely want a std. soprano at sometime - but maybe not just yet. Sounds like the longneck will solve my immediate worry.

@John - I had no idea that there were tenor necks on some sopranos (other than the pineapple sunday...which seems different than everything). Not to repeat a thread I started elsewhere, but I'm thinking of a Kamaka or a Koaloha pineapple. I'm pretty sure both of those are concert necks.
 
Thinker said:
So it's Fret 12 where it starts to get tight on a standard soprano?? That was actually my next question. Thanks.
Click to expand...

For me, it gets a bit cramped around the 8th fret and higher on the smaller scaled ukes. The string tension is a bit lighter on the smaller scale ukuleles, so that makes things easier too. Most long neck sopranos I have seen are concert neck on soprano body. Ohana has a tenor neck soprano, and you can get a Flea with a tenor neck, and I think that Kala had one in their catalog at one time. It is kind of hard to find the tenor necked sopranos.

–Lori
 
I'm not really crazy about the tenor neck sopranos - I mean, it's good that KoAloha is offering that option to folks that want it - but I just like the concert scale better and, honestly, the tenor neck on a soprano body just looks a bit strange to me. Kind of like the giraffe of ukuleles... :)

John
 
Thinker said:
I dunno. Is it me, or does it look a little "too much".
Click to expand...
In the phot it looks just fabulous - I don't know what you mean by a little "too much"... do you too much neck? I haven't seen a long neck soprano "in the flesh" yet so it's hard to tell from a picture. But the KoAlohas are just beautiful instruments - no bling. I like the beauty of the wood, and the craftsmanship. Perhaps one day I'll get to handle one!
 
IMHO you simply cannot go wrong with the KSM-02 by koaloha. The concert neck makes fretting alot more comfortable, the quality is out of this world! I just LOVE mine, its an amazing instrument!!
 
Last edited:
chris667 said:
I'm quite satisfied with my uke(or rather, I have told myself I mustn't buy another). But if I were looking for a long neck soprano, I'd want one of these:
http://www.brueko.de/shop/product_i....html&XTCsid=3653fdb485e9869d4fd34962c8599ff7

My no.5 soprano is gorgeous, I don't think you can get better quality. Considering the price, they're incredible.
Click to expand...
They do look interesting - and affordable. I like the friction tuners. A bit annoying that you have to set up an account to see prices of everything though... haven't done that - probably will later.
 
Also have to decide what sound you want. While the longer scale length on a long neck soprano may give you more "depth" than a standard, the soprano size body may not give you the mids and upper lows you desire for fingerpicking. Just another aspect to consider when choosing a concert scale soprano vs a concert uke with it's larger body.
 
OldePhart said:
I'm not really crazy about the tenor neck sopranos - I mean, it's good that KoAloha is offering that option to folks that want it - but I just like the concert scale better and, honestly, the tenor neck on a soprano body just looks a bit strange to me. Kind of like the giraffe of ukuleles... :)

John
Click to expand...

I agree with John. Soprano body/Tenor neck looks odd to me. Though, it's KoAloha after all! I'm not a big fan of super-sized ukuleles. I'd go with a soprano or a concert as I like how the body and the neck are well balanced.

For fingerpicking, I'd go for a concert. But that's me though.
 
I have no real interest in a long neck soprano. If you want a concert size neck, which I like, get a concert instrument and get more sound to boot!
 
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