Ukes with Cutouts

[rustydusty]

I have one baritone ukulele with a cutout, but don't use it. I can't help but believe that it must somewhat affect the tone...

What I mean is: I don't use the cutout. I play the uke quite often...
And the bout of an instrument was shaped the way it was for acoustics. I've gotta think that a cutout is going to affect that. (Also pickups, pre-amps and assorted wiring inside the body...)

 

[aaronkb]

What I mean is: I don't use the cutout. I play the uke quite often...
And the bout of an instrument was shaped the way it was for acoustics. I've gotta think that a cutout is going to affect that. (Also pickups, pre-amps and assorted wiring inside the body...)

There has to be some impact, but gorgeous sounding ukes come in so many shapes…. I have a pineapple uke I love, and a tiny tenor that I love. I have some standard double-bouts that I love. My Mya Moe with a cutaway sounds the best by far, though. I’ve never played a Mya Moe without a cutaway so maybe it would completely change my mind!

 

[ripock]

One thing to note is that not all changes are diminutions. The shape and placement of the sound hole as well as the altered shape of the upper bout may affect the timbre a little...if at all. But the difference is just a difference and not a degradation.

 

[KohanMike]

I've played many ukes, cutaway and not, I don't hear any difference at all, in fact, I'm very surprised at how much projection my thinlines have. I've had Florentine and do like that look too.

 

[anthonyg]

Here's the problem with frets beyond fret 12. Intonation goes to hell.
Ukulele's aren't known for great intonation at the best of times, and the shorter the scale length, the harder it is to get decent intonation.
Even with a tenor ukulele, we are talking about a theoretical 8 1/2 inch scale length when playing above the 12th fret, and also, the sound is just SOO trebbly.
Guitarists play up there because the guitar is pretty bass sounding in the open position, yet this isn't a problem with ukuleles.

 

[aaronkb]

Here's the problem with frets beyond fret 12. Intonation goes to hell.
Ukulele's aren't known for great intonation at the best of times, and the shorter the scale length, the harder it is to get decent intonation.
Even with a tenor ukulele, we are talking about a theoretical 8 1/2 inch scale length when playing above the 12th fret, and also, the sound is just SOO trebbly.
Guitarists play up there because the guitar is pretty bass sounding in the open position, yet this isn't a problem with ukuleles.

I check my intonation pretty often and it seems fine on my ukes. It probably helps that when I tune, I check the strings played open and then check again at a higher fret usually somewhere in the 7-12 range. I often find the latter notes to be slightly off, but then I make minute adjustments until I’m getting the notes spot on at the higher frets as well as the open strings.

 

[Canada Jim]

I spend very little time above the 14th fret, so I have no ukuleles (or acoustic guitars) with cutaways.

There are a few acoustic guitar slide tunes where a cutaway might come in handy, but I can manage quite well without.

 

[Tin Ear]

Play all tenors and I own one cutaway - bought one from the Pono blowout on reverb - pretty much just because and I got a great deal. Otherwise personally for me not needed in the least. Put me in the 5 fret crowd. I could see having a custom made for myself with less frets and a cool inlay in the rest of the fretboard if tastefully done and not overboard. Hmmm - maybe in the future. Geeze now you got me thinking a bit.

 

[Jerryc41]

It's interesting, Jerry, that you said "get down" to the frets on the body. To me, that would be going up.

Yes, I know. I hesitated before typing that. It looks like down, but it's called "up."

 

[lakesideglenn]

I don’t like them…anything higher than 12 I get a nosebleed

 

[bacchettadavid]

My first uke had a cutaway. Since then, I’ve preferred to have at least one uke with improved ease of access to the upper frets.

I’ve tried a variety of means toward this end: 14th fret neck/body joint, cutaway, comparatively narrow sides on the body, and an asymmetrical heel.

My favorite so far have been cutaways (venetian — the softer the better), steep-sided medium-length heels with hard corners (for lead work), and asymmetrical heels a la J. Rieck (for chording). No puns intended.

 

[ukudancer]

I play a lot single line melodies, so I definitely use the higher frets. The song I'm currently working on requires me to hit a C on the high A.

 

[Canada Jim]

I play a lot single line melodies, so I definitely use the higher frets. The song I'm currently working on requires me to hit a C on the high A.

Since all of my ukes join the body at the 14th fret, I have no problem hitting a high C at the 15th fret. In fact a high E at the 19th is quite accessible with no cutaway. I'll admit that I wouldn't want to make a 4 note chord above the 14th fret, but I don't like the sound of chords that high up anyway.

 

[frets alot]

I don't need a cutaway uke or guitar, because I never go higher than the 15th fret, which I can access without one. Some are attractive, others not so much.

 

[TerryM]

I check my intonation pretty often and it seems fine on my ukes. It probably helps that when I tune, I check the strings played open and then check again at a higher fret usually somewhere in the 7-12 range. I often find the latter notes to be slightly off, but then I make minute adjustments until I’m getting the notes spot on at the higher frets as well as the open strings.

What adjustments are you making to get it spot on at both open and high frets? I have a uke that the 1st and 4th strings are slightly off at the 12th fret when in tune open. If I tune at the 12th they're off when plucked open. If I split the difference, they're off everywhere.

 

[ukudancer]

Since all of my ukes join the body at the 14th fret, I have no problem hitting a high C at the 15th fret. In fact a high E at the 19th is quite accessible with no cutaway. I'll admit that I wouldn't want to make a 4 note chord above the 14th fret, but I don't like the sound of chords that high up anyway.

I agree, but I don't particularly enjoy being that high on the neck with a non-cutout body. But that's just my personal preference.

 

[aaronkb]

What adjustments are you making to get it spot on at both open and high frets? I have a uke that the 1st and 4th strings are slightly off at the 12th fret when in tune open. If I tune at the 12th they're off when plucked open. If I split the difference, they're off everywhere.

I just tune the open strings first like you normally would, and then when I check on higher frets I’ll make VERY small adjustments vids the tuning pegs in the same way you would normally. If the note is flat I tighten it, if it’s sharp I loosen it…. I find at this stage that as long as I’m only making tiny adjustments to get it where I need it, when I go back and check the note open it’s still reading as correct because it barely changes.

 

[TerryM]

I just tune the open strings first like you normally would, and then when I check on higher frets I’ll make VERY small adjustments vids the tuning pegs in the same way you would normally. If the note is flat I tighten it, if it’s sharp I loosen it…. I find at this stage that as long as I’m only making tiny adjustments to get it where I need it, when I go back and check the note open it’s still reading as correct because it barely changes.

Ah, so you're just talking about tuning and not actually changing intonation by altering the saddle or otherwise changing the ukulele. Mine needs something more than tuning, and maybe I misunderstand the meaning of intonation.

 

[anthonyg]

Ah, so you're just talking about tuning and not actually changing intonation by altering the saddle or otherwise changing the ukulele. Mine needs something more than tuning, and maybe I misunderstand the meaning of intonation.

I believe that you understand "intonation" just fine. No amount of fine tuning is ever going to have any effect at all on intonation.
Intonation is tuning the open strings accurately and having the fretted notes playing in tune as well.
Excellent intonation past the 12th fret on a ukulele is quite difficult to achieve.

 

[ukecaitlin]

Here's the problem with frets beyond fret 12. Intonation goes to hell.
Ukulele's aren't known for great intonation at the best of times, and the shorter the scale length, the harder it is to get decent intonation.
Even with a tenor ukulele, we are talking about a theoretical 8 1/2 inch scale length when playing above the 12th fret, and also, the sound is just SOO trebbly.
Guitarists play up there because the guitar is pretty bass sounding in the open position, yet this isn't a problem with ukuleles.

Intonation is where luthiers earn the dough. Most of my ukes play cleanly above the12th fret. It's one of the tests I do to see how good the instrument is. If it's out of tune on the 12th fret, it's out of tune further down the neck too.

And cutouts suit melody players, so if you play open chords, yeah, I see little point. But why not use all the notes the instrument has?