Terms used on Moore Bettah site, help?

Asrafrate

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Hi all,
am looking to invest in a new ukulele, specifically a Moore Bettah uke.

I'm still a newbie and I am no where near skilled enough to do justice to an instrument created by Chuck... BUT... that doesn't mean I can't own one and use it as inspiration to "get there"!

Plus I have a severe case of UAS and when I saw an example of his work I fell in love... :eek:

Ahem... anyway... what do the following terms mean?

body purfling
Rope binding
Bound fret board
Radius fret board

Came across these terms on this page:
http://www.moorebettahukes.com/FORSALE.html

Thanks :)

 
body purfling is the decorative line on the top edge of the instrument

rope binding would be a body binding that is in a rope pattern with contrasting colors being "braided" to form a rope pattern

a bound fret board (I think) refers to adding a strip of wood to the outside edges of the fretboard.

Radiused fretboard refers to the fretboard having a slight curve instead of being flat straight across. It is supposed to make it easier to play as it mirrors the natural curve of your fingers.
 
Alls I can say, is "get in line' after me" lol.

If you're still a newbie, I suggest you look at a few higher end ukes and save the custom til you know what you want and how you want it setup. Since you already have a couple with the flat fretboard, your idea of a radiused fretboard is great. I really like a radiused fretboard and plan to have them with the rest of my future ukes. What I thought I wanted for a uke when I started and what I'm using now that I'm experienced is completley different and much more plain.

Have the ones you have now ever been setup professionally. That will make a big difference. UAS... it never ends. I swore to my dear one" I promise, this one will be the last". Now to tell her abut the Ubass coming in this Tuesday.
 
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Thanks SmilingPanda!

So I take it you wouldn't have body purfling AND rope binding at the same time? It would be one or the other?

Why would you have a bound fretboard?

And do you have any pictoral examples of a radiused fretboard? I don't think I've ever seen one (or maybe have but never recognised it for what it is.)

I think it would be easier if I saw examples of all of these so I can visually see what each means XD

LOL don't worry Patrick, I still need to save up for it first :)
 
Here's a graphic of a flat fretboard versus a radiused fretboard. The graphic makes the curve seem greater than it is; it's really fairly subtle, but you can feel it. A fairly high percentage of guitars have radiused fretboards; they are much less common on ukes.

Binding a fretboard is primarly a decorative choice. Binding on tops made of softer wood like spruce and cedar help to protect the wood from dings (and also looks nice). Fretboards made of ebony and rosewood don't need a lot of protecting, but fretboard binding really makes and instrument look sharp.

fretboardRadiusClassical.jpg
 
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Thanks SmilingPanda!

So I take it you wouldn't have body purfling AND rope binding at the same time? It would be one or the other?

Why would you have a bound fretboard?

And do you have any pictoral examples of a radiused fretboard? I don't think I've ever seen one (or maybe have but never recognised it for what it is.)

I think it would be easier if I saw examples of all of these so I can visually see what each means XD

LOL don't worry Patrick, I still need to save up for it first :)

Generally binding is on the outer margins of the sides, while purfling is on the outer edge of the top. So hypothetically you could have both... sometimes if the rope binding extends up onto the edge of the top then purfling can be added inside of the rope binding... At least that's what I've seen.

As for fretboard binding, I didn't really know what it was until I was ordering my Mya-Moe... and Gordon sent me this link explaining it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H00zibmqdPE&feature=player_embedded

Mya-Moe's site has some really great visual examples of what the different components are. You can see a lot of them by going here:
http://www.myamoeukuleles.com/orderClassic.php

Click on the little yellow links for "browse binding", "abalone purfling" etc.
 
The others have explained well the decorations, all I can add is this...once you play a radiused fretboard, you will have dreams about it. I have dreamt about mine since last summer, and it will finally be built in 24 days...
 
Thanks for the help guys, really helpful and also gives me food for thought.

Patrick I have checked out some of the higher end ones and had settled on a Kamaka until I saw the Moore Bettahs. Figured if I was going to spend that kind of money, I'd try my hand at customising, obviously taking on the advice Chuck and you guys give :)

It's not something I'm taking lightly or just as a passing fancy. Money doesn't come easy these days so while I'm saving, I'll be doing LOTS of research :)
 
Make sure that you save a lot. When I add up how much I've spent on my 12 instruments, they don't some close to a custom Moore Bettah ukulele.

Not that that is keeping me from dreaming about one from Chuck either, just being realistic. It is about the cost of First Class Round-trip airfare from Albany, NY to Kailua-Kona, and a week at the Keauhou Beach Resort (Love that place!) So when I can afford 3 trips (me, my wife, and a Moore Bettah) I'll call Chuck about one. (g)


-Kurt​

Thanks for the help guys, really helpful and also gives me food for thought.

Patrick I have checked out some of the higher end ones and had settled on a Kamaka until I saw the Moore Bettahs. Figured if I was going to spend that kind of money, I'd try my hand at customising, obviously taking on the advice Chuck and you guys give :)

It's not something I'm taking lightly or just as a passing fancy. Money doesn't come easy these days so while I'm saving, I'll be doing LOTS of research :)
 
Binding a fretboard is primarly a decorative choice. Binding on tops made of softer wood like spruce and cedar help to protect the wood from dings (and also looks nice). Fretboards made of ebony and rosewood don't need a lot of protecting, but fretboard binding really makes and instrument look sharp.

Fretboard binding also hides the fret ends. When instruments get dried out, fret ends can start to protrude from the fretboard. Fretboard binding helps prevent this from happening.

The others have explained well the decorations, all I can add is this...once you play a radiused fretboard, you will have dreams about it. I have dreamt about mine since last summer, and it will finally be built in 24 days...

I've had 2 ukes with radiused fretboards (a Mya Moe and a Breedlove) and I really prefer a flat fretboard. Before I tried those, I had asked Chuck for a radiused fretboard on my Moore Bettah. He told me that on ukes, it doesn't make a very big difference as the radius is so small so it might not be worth the extra expense. After trying a radiused fretboard on the Mya Moe and Breedlove, I'm very glad I listened to him. Many people love radiused fretboards...but there have also been threads on here with people who much prefer a flat fretboard (myself included).

Thanks SmilingPanda!

So I take it you wouldn't have body purfling AND rope binding at the same time? It would be one or the other?

I don't know if I've seen many examples of ukes with both rope binding and purfling, but I don't think it would be a problem. Many ukes have both binding and purfling (just look at Jake Shimabukuro's Kamaka) and rope binding is just a decorative type of binding.

There was a link awhile ago where someone had asked for definitions of terms also. They were looking at what a radiused vs. flat fretboard was as well as fretboard and headstock binding. I posted a couple of pictures in that thread. You can see my response to that thread here.

Here is an example of rope binding:
Rick_Vito_002.jpg


A couple of examples of purfling and binding together...the first shows an abalone purfling with an ebony binding. The second shows a koa binding with a black/white/black striped purfling.
IMG_1266.jpg


909c.jpg
 
Thanks for the help guys, really helpful and also gives me food for thought.

Patrick I have checked out some of the higher end ones and had settled on a Kamaka until I saw the Moore Bettahs. Figured if I was going to spend that kind of money, I'd try my hand at customising, obviously taking on the advice Chuck and you guys give :)

It's not something I'm taking lightly or just as a passing fancy. Money doesn't come easy these days so while I'm saving, I'll be doing LOTS of research :)
:)

Better ask Chuck if you can get on "the list". Unfortunately ya can't just tell him you want one. They are a tad pricey but oh, so worth it.
 
P.s. -- that bamboo sound hole makes me drool every time I see it. Wow. Just wow! 'Course mine's better.
 
Ksiegel - yup! I'm thinking I need atleast US$3500 and that's just for the ukulele! I'll need to probably add another $500 for shipping, insurance and customs costs.

Nuprin - THANKYOU! Really appreciate your detailed response and photos. That's really helped me get my head around this :)
Would a radiused fretboard help if I have small fingers though?

Sukie - I thought it might be wiser to first have the money on hand before I bothered Chuck about it? I don't mind waiting, but I just want to be sure that when Chuck IS ready to do mine (no matter how far away that may be) I have the money ready!

And hey I see you got the flamingo one?! That's a beauty :)
 
Nuprin - THANKYOU! Really appreciate your detailed response and photos. That's really helped me get my head around this :)
Would a radiused fretboard help if I have small fingers though?

No problem. As seen in the picture that RichM posted, a radiused fretboard has a curve to it. The idea behind this is that it more naturally follows the natural shape of the finger. Therefore you're not hyper-extending your finger. I don't think it matters too much how large your fingers are...I think it's just more of a matter of preference. Again, I don't like it as much but there are plenty who do.

Gordon from Mya Moe does a nice job of explaining it in this video:

 
Ksiegel - yup! I'm thinking I need atleast US$3500 and that's just for the ukulele! I'll need to probably add another $500 for shipping, insurance and customs costs.

Nuprin - THANKYOU! Really appreciate your detailed response and photos. That's really helped me get my head around this :)
Would a radiused fretboard help if I have small fingers though?

Sukie - I thought it might be wiser to first have the money on hand before I bothered Chuck about it? I don't mind waiting, but I just want to be sure that when Chuck IS ready to do mine (no matter how far away that may be) I have the money ready!

And hey I see you got the flamingo one?! That's a beauty :)
Not even sure Chuck it taking orders now..but it is a long list if you get on....good luck contact him and discuss it .....may be worth to get on the list now if you can
because it will take some time...over a year for sure...don't count on he might see this post here...:)
 
Actually in Nuprins example of the abalone purfling it is actually b/w/b-abalone-b/w/b. Chuck does amazing work. I suspect that purfling with a rope binding would look way too busy.

I like radius boards on guitars but I don't notice them much on ukes (tenor and concert). They make more sense to me than flat boards.

I'd love to do another one with Chuck. It is an amazing experience.
 
I suspect that purfling with a rope binding would look way too busy.

One of the great things about working with Chuck is his eye for aesthetics. He will definitely tell you his opinion on whether he believes something will work or won't work. If you wanted purfling with a rope binding, it might be a case where Chuck would suggest against it.

For mine, I wanted a maple rosette. Chuck said he would only do it if he could find some koa with the right coloring (he ended up finding a piece that had lighter striations in the wood that complement the maple so nicely). I originally wanted an ebony fretboard but he suggested that it might be too much of a contrast with the lighter koa and maple rosette and bindings. I also originally asked for abalone fret markers but he said, in his opinion, mother of pearl works much better against rosewood (whereas he likes abalone against ebony). After picturing the different combinations, I have no doubt that he was right.

If you can get on his waiting list, trust in Chuck's vision. He won't lead you astray.
 
Hi all,
am looking to invest in a new ukulele, specifically a Moore Bettah uke.

I'm still a newbie and I am no where near skilled enough to do justice to an instrument created by Chuck... BUT... that doesn't mean I can't own one and use it as inspiration to "get there"!

Plus I have a severe case of UAS and when I saw an example of his work I fell in love... :eek:

Ahem... anyway... what do the following terms mean?

body purfling
Rope binding
Bound fret board
Radius fret board

Came across these terms on this page:
http://www.moorebettahukes.com/FORSALE.html

Thanks :)




good luck chuck has a 2 year wait and almost everbody on this site waiting lol...you should email chuck as he says the machine is getting older so do the best you can to pursuade him// ha ha// in 2 years you should be a better player and will know all the terms above
 
Hi all, I followed the advice given and emailed Chuck.

Chuck was very quick to respond and explained that he was un-able to ship outside of the USA because of the restrictions imposed by the Lacey Act regarding the exportation of plant and animal species.

Naturally I am saddened by this, but also have even more respect for him too. Thanks Chuck.

This doesn't stop me from wanting a Moore Bettah though, so I'll be keeping an eye out for any that go on sale, and also hoping things change re that law (I can dream ok!?)

Also thanks for all the help everyone provided. It's helped me greatly in terms of improving my own knowledge of ukuleles. MUCH appreciated :)
 
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