My bizarre uke tone theory*

Cheeso

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I find the clothes I'm wearing strongly affect the tone and sustain of a uke.

When I play without a shirt, ukes sound dead and somewhat muted. Presumably, the wood laying across the fat, flab of my belly resonates less, killing any sustain and chime the strings might produce, since they are vibrating less.

A cotton polo shirt improves the sound greatly, and a cotton t-shirt is brighter and clearer still. The thin layer of cotton allows the uke enough separation to vibrate more.

Best of all is a silk shirt. It's the perfect material for chimey, shimmering tone.

Also, I would describe myself as stocky, and my body acts as a resonator, giving the uke more volume and an open, rounded tone.

*Of course, this is all un-scientific and could be all in my head. Who knows?
 
:smileybounce:
 
LOL Cheeso!!! I picture you with clothing strewn all over your room while trying to find that perfect tone, LOL.

Now you got me thinking.....
Hmm, I thought it was just my imagination that my uke sounded better when I wore pastels. Now I notice the darker the color the louder I play. I am going to try some plaids and stripes and see what happens :) :) :)
 
You guys laugh. Rick is on it with those tone guards. There's definitely something to it, but the question is: is it worth the effort?
 
Now wondering if I will tell a difference if I try playing "topless"..... hmmmm, probably won't give that one a whirl at our next uke jam. :stop:
 
You could have an amplifier implanted...or not. I'd go with the tone guard. I think I recall seeing pictures or a video of someone using a homemade one. Or keep your shirt on and use your belly to an advantage, like so:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjUWZLwJlUk
 
I find my ukulele sounds better if someone else is playing it.
 
Check out the "Tone Gard" for mandolins. http://www.tone-gard.com/

I may get him to make some for our ukes.

I had a Tone-Gard made for the Kala tenor I used as the primary instrument in my band. We played "Floribbean" style music and there was an upright bass, banjo, acoustic guitar, and 3-part harmony in addition to my uke. It didn't make a lot of difference when we were plugged into the PA, but acoustically, it helped me to cut through the mix. It kept the tone brighter and gave me more volume as the uke was completely separated from my body. I also used a John Pearse armrest that I cut down to size and shaped for the uke. Rather than my arm resting across the soundboard, it was on the rest that was held to the body by a thin strip of adhesive that rides above the kerfing inside. No tone or volume lost there either.

They did add some bulk, but not so much as to be annoying. The Tone-Gard comes on and off easily, only being held on by pressure pads. When I want to get cozy with the uke at home where volume isn't an issue, it easily comes off. The arm rest doesn't come on and off like that.

When I ordered the Tone-Gard and sent in my tracing, I was expecting to receive a standard guard with the sunrise in the center circle. Instead, he surprised me with a truly customized one that has my initials in the circle. I thought that was a nice touch. I've been using my Tone-Gard for nearly 4 years now and am still glad I got it.

Here's a link to the original thread when I had it made. There's also a picture of the installed armrest farther down the thread.

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?32693-ToneGard-for-Ukulele&highlight=Tone-Gard

DSC_0475.jpg
 
I had a Tone-Gard made for the Kala tenor I used as the primary instrument in my band. We played "Floribbean" style music and there was an upright bass, banjo, acoustic guitar, and 3-part harmony in addition to my uke. It didn't make a lot of difference when we were plugged into the PA, but acoustically, it helped me to cut through the mix.
Aha! See? It sounds wacky, but I'm onto something!
 
I'm not sure about any of the fabric theories being espoused here, but I do know that I slightly angle my ukes when playing them to minimize the amount of back that is in contact with my body.
 
I find my ukulele sounds better if someone else is playing it.

Mine sounds best if I have a few beers in my stomach. I think the sound waves travel through and then reflect off of the back of my stomach lining more efficiently with carbonated liquids in there. IPAs seem to work better than Pilsners.

Rum and whisky have a similar effect but only up to a point. Beyond that point different notes appear to be reflected at speeds that are different enough to make it sound as if I've plucked the wrong strings - but there's no way that can be.

Kidding aside, I do sometimes notice a muted sound depending on how much contact my uke and my belly make with each other - and I'm not terribly round either.
 
Mine sounds best if I have a few beers in my stomach. I think the sound waves travel through and then reflect off of the back of my stomach lining more efficiently with carbonated liquids in there. IPAs seem to work better than Pilsners.

Rum and whisky have a similar effect but only up to a point. Beyond that point different notes appear to be reflected at speeds that are different enough to make it sound as if I've plucked the wrong strings - but there's no way that can be.

Kidding aside, I do sometimes notice a muted sound depending on how much contact my uke and my belly make with each other - and I'm not terribly round either.

I guess a rounder belly would decrease the amount of body in direct contact with the uke.
 
I do think that you're onto something, Cheeso: I just played my Martin soprano before lunch and after lunch. It sounded much better after lunch, when my belly was full and round like a pooh bear.

And here all these years I thought it was just that my ukulele "opened up" during noon hour.
 
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