Scale length and Bridge Positioning

AndrewKuker

AndrewKuker

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I seem to like 12 fret ukes, any size. A warmer full tone often that I attribute to the bridge sitting right in the middle of the top. At the widest part of the belly, seems sensible it would be boomiest there.
Of course most everyone want 14 frets to the body and so I was thinking.... on a 14 fret concert maybe the best tone would be closer to a 16" scale and tenor at closer to 18. In which case the bridge would sit further back. I haven't tried but wondered if any of you have played around with this factor. Scale length and it's affect on bridge placement.
Why is does everyone seem tied to the 15 and 17 inch scale?
 
It would make more sense to adjust the size & shape of the body than to mess with accepted scale lengths.
Small variations in scale, like a 15" concert scale is no big deal, but large variations will brand you as a rebel, hard to live that down.
 
To say nothing of string gauge and tension!

If you lengthen the scale, but do not adjust string gauging, the tension goes up if you're trying for standard tuning.
 
How and why does Kamaka make the tenor HF-3L extended neck tenor?
 
Because they can? As long as you can get a good balance of string tension you can do pretty much whatever pleases you.
 
Getting strings for a 16" concert or an 18" tenor isn't a problem. Southcoast, for example, has a very broad range.
 
coolkayaker1 said:
How and why does Kamaka make the tenor HF-3L extended neck tenor?
Click to expand...

Ya, that is a 19" scale and tension with regular strings is just fine. i like it a lot better than their regular tenor. Only thing is the 19 is a bit of a stretch on certain chords. 18 would be just right, i presume.I think people stay the same out of convenience of available fret slot jigs but that doesn't mean it's necessarily optimal. The 16" concert scale for 14 fret to body would be best in my mind at least. Started thinking about it when I noticed kiwaya going a little longer on the 14 to body. 15.25 maybe but a little longer and...
Different body shapes and sizes seems way more radical and the finding cases etc. this would hardly be noticeable to the player. I may try the math and give it a shot hand cutting slots. Thanks for your thoughts guys
 
My 2 Compass Rose ukes have 12 frets to the body and i really like the sound..it has a warmer more mellow sound.. like you say Andrew.. i think having the bridge lower makes a big difference..

My CRs will be the only 2 ukes i have with 12 frets..

all the rest of my ukes have 14 frets>> to afraid to try 12 frets on those as i have not seen/played any other custom builders ukes with 12 frets..you have any Ko'olau ukes with 12 frets at the shop?

by the way>> why are ukes with 14 frets the standard nowadays? i thought older ukes were mostly 12 frets to the body..but only repeating what i heard..
 
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I'm yet to build a uke without a 12 fret neck for the reason already outlined.

I place 14 fret necks up there with cut-aways and pick-ups as almost completely unutilised. 95% of players I've seen, even pro's, rarely go above the 7th fret. And pick-ups are only for playing live. If you want to record get a nice condenser mic.
 
liam_fnq said:
I'm yet to build a uke without a 12 fret neck for the reason already outlined.

I place 14 fret necks up there with cut-aways and pick-ups as almost completely unutilised. 95% of players I've seen, even pro's, rarely go above the 7th fret. And pick-ups are only for playing live. If you want to record get a nice condenser mic.
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Maybe the 14 fret ukes are an American(USA) kind of thing?..someone told me Jake S. made it more popular..but again only repeating what i have heard..Lol

i am not a good player but i do go above the 7th fret Haha..no problems going up to the 14th fret if i have too..
 
It really depends on the particular body shape and sound hole position on whether you have some leeway in changing from 12 to 14 frets to body. For instance the Hana Lima plans have both options, and I've built to those body shape in both styles without a drastic change in volume or tone. You do need to modify the shape of your bracing though. It's not just a matter of moving the bridge about.

I do get a lot of people say that they want 14 frets to body in a custom build, but when I ask them if they play up there I've only had one person say that they regularly do. Most say that its rare that they even get to the 12th. So we usually settle on 12 frets to body.
 
Allen said:
It really depends on the particular body shape and sound hole position on whether you have some leeway in changing from 12 to 14 frets to body. For instance the Hana Lima plans have both options, and I've built to those body shape in both styles without a drastic change in volume or tone. You do need to modify the shape of your bracing though. It's not just a matter of moving the bridge about.

I do get a lot of people say that they want 14 frets to body in a custom build, but when I ask them if they play up there I've only had one person say that they regularly do. Most say that its rare that they even get to the 12th. So we usually settle on 12 frets to body.
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Hey thanks Allen..my Compass Rose ukes(12 frets to the body) sound so good i always wanted to know why all the ukes i see here have 14 frets to the body..
 
I agree with Allen completely. When asking people why they want a 14 fret uke, mostly its because their uke hero has one, not because they would play beyond the 12th fret. Much like a slotted head stock design.

I have built 14 fret concert and tenors, but they are never as good as I wanted them even when I did modify the bracing. So now I only build 12 fret ukes unless it is some off the wall hybrid.
 
BlackBearUkes said:
I agree with Allen completely. When asking people why they want a 14 fret uke, mostly its because their uke hero has one, not because they would play beyond the 12th fret. Much like a slotted head stock design.

I have built 14 fret concert and tenors, but they are never as good as I wanted them even when I did modify the bracing. So now I only build 12 fret ukes unless it is some off the wall hybrid.
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Wow Thanks for the feedback..
i guess my old ears can still hear pretty good.. Lol
 
We're building 14 fret tenors with our usual shape now, and I don't hear a significant difference. But we also are making some micro and nano jumbo shaped bodies for 14 fret tenor and 14 fret concert ukes. The shape is derived from the 1934 Gibson Super 400 archtop which changes the aspect ratio of the body to put the bridge very much in a sweet spot at the center of the lower bout. The shape is very, very non-uke-traditional, but I like it. I'm just now finishing up a cutaway micro-jumbo "Le Jazz" model in spruce and tight flame maple, bound in white, top, back, peghead, and fingerboard, with lots of black/white purfling, and MOP block inlays in the fingerboard. I'm going to do a subtle 'burst on it, and it'll look right perfect in the jazz guitar tradition, but with a round hole. I may do an 'f' hole version for myself at some point, but I'm not all that keen yet on ukes with tailpieces, though I played one of Tony Graziano's Selmer-Macaferri inspired ukes and thought it sounded fantastic...one of the best of Tony's that I've played.

I have to say, a lot of my customers now want 14 fret ukes, but it's just a personal preference thing. I know that I want one for playing the jazz stuff I like; I run out of convenient room on my 12 fret Compass Rose.

Always need another one...
 
I'm having a custom tenor built and was deciding between 12 or 14. My main use for the 12 fret and above is harmonics and a few fingerstyle pieces. However, I've always loved 12 fret guitars and appreciate the advantages of lower bridge placement. In my usual indecisive fashion... I choose 13 frets to the body. So excited!
 
jwieties said:
I'm having a custom tenor built and was deciding between 12 or 14. My main use for the 12 fret and above is harmonics and a few fingerstyle pieces. However, I've always loved 12 fret guitars and appreciate the advantages of lower bridge placement. In my usual indecisive fashion... I choose 13 frets to the body. So excited!
Click to expand...

That's awesome Josh what are you having built?
 
bluesuke said:
That's awesome Josh what are you having built?
Click to expand...
Dave Newton - I had admired his "primitive style" ukes for a while then I saw that taropatch he posted and I could stop watching the videos. Next I started visiting his site and seeing his amazing guitars. http://davidnewtonguitars.squarespace.com/
Before you know it we are chatting and I basically asked him what kind of tenor would he enjoy building and playing. When he said he had 1 piece Honduran mahogany back and top that would make a terrific tenor, I could write the check for the deposit quick enough.

Sort of back on topic... I seem to remember reading an article where Jerry at Boat Paddle was experimenting with 16 inch scale tenors. He was looking for the tone of a tenor with increased playability and greater capacity to stretch across the frets. With his Venetian body shape, it seems like he could still get the bridge in a sweet spot.
 
jwieties said:
Dave Newton - I had admired his "primitive style" ukes for a while then I saw that taropatch he posted and I could stop watching the videos. Next I started visiting his site and seeing his amazing guitars. http://davidnewtonguitars.squarespace.com/
Before you know it we are chatting and I basically asked him what kind of tenor would he enjoy building and playing. When he said he had 1 piece Honduran mahogany back and top that would make a terrific tenor, I could write the check for the deposit quick enough.

Sort of back on topic... I seem to remember reading an article where Jerry at Boat Paddle was experimenting with 16 inch scale tenors. He was looking for the tone of a tenor with increased playability and greater capacity to stretch across the frets. With his Venetian body shape, it seems like he could still get the bridge in a sweet spot.
Click to expand...

Boat Paddle 16" scale tenors? Andrew is inquiring about 16" scale concerts and 18" tenors. The famous Radio tenor uke was a 15" scale. Then of course you have the Mezzo sopranos of 14" plus and the 17.5" to 18.5" scale length tenors. I am not even going to talk about all the long neck, super this and that hybrids on the market. Maybe that is why the industry has adopted the standard lengths of 15" and 17" scale lengths?
 
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