Anyone own both a standard and a long neck Soprano ? Which do you prefer ?
- Thread starter DJ Mango
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I have 3 soprano's, 2 customs and 1 KoAloha pineapple and enjoy them all but I mostly play tenors and by far my fav soprano is a KoAloha KSM-T2 with a pickup. Still gives me that plinky planky soprano sound I enjoy with the tenor neck real estate. I'm in an all ukulele band and the KSM-T2 adds a nice different voice to the mix. Come to think of it, I've never changed strings on it yet... wonder what KoAloha uses for it?
mikelz777
Well-known member
I don't own a standard soprano but I do own a long neck. I like the sound so I really wanted a soprano but after testing several in a music store I knew that I wouldn't be comfortable with the soprano scale. I could play it but it was really cramped for me and it only worsened moving past the 4th fret. I couldn't get a clean sound and my fingers were too mashed to want to learn to try and play it better. The long neck soprano was just what I needed to get that soprano sound in a scale I was comfortable in.
I think you should just play the crap out of your long neck soprano for the rest of this year.
Don't get curious about other sizes (i.e. soprano) or you'll end up with more than just a soprano and waste lots of time messing with uke and not practicing. <-- Take my word for it. I bought more than 25 ukes during my first year.
Don't get curious about other sizes (i.e. soprano) or you'll end up with more than just a soprano and waste lots of time messing with uke and not practicing. <-- Take my word for it. I bought more than 25 ukes during my first year.
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Why do you want the thread closed and locked? It seems like an OK discussion to me. And, to answer the OP, yes, I have both long neck and standard Soprano Ukes. I actually like the standard neck better on the Soprano. The long neck seems as big to me as a Concert, and if you already have the Concert neck, why not the have the Concert body too? So, I prefer to play a Concert Uke if I'm looking for that longer neck.
mikelz777
Well-known member
It's not really about the size of the uke. A long neck soprano is a soprano body with a concert scale. It's an ideal uke for those who like the soprano sound but prefer a concert scale over a soprano scale.
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You can buy Koaloha strings from Pops at his ukesahawaii.com website.
PeteyHoudini
Well-known member
I have a long neck Kamaka pineapple soprano. I really like the extra frets.
I bet in your hands it sounds magical .
PeteyHoudini
Well-known member
Graham Greenbag
Well-known member
I owned a long neck Soprano for a couple of years and very much enjoyed it, certainly it was right for my fingers at the time - that bit more space helped. Later I moved to Concert body and scale and played that for a couple of years, I liked the fuller sound. Now I almost always play a standard Soprano, the fretboard no longer feels cramped and I like the Soprano’s compactness. As you can see my preferences have changed over time and so has my familiarity and skill with ‘Ukes’ - I’m not much of a player but the more that I practice the better I get.
Edit. Some people do find the Soprano scale cramped, the issue is significantly changed for the better when the strings are more widely spaced apart (as they were on the early Martins). Getting a replacement nut with wide spaced strings is hard to do; I’ve made my own replacements out of bone blanks, it’s not quick to do but it isn’t dreadfully hard to do and it’s been very worthwhile. YMMV.
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I agree with some other posts before, but want to sum up my take on it. The sopranos have the most "original" uke sound, but the fretboard in many cases does not allow to play some pieces (beyond the 12th fret). So if you like the soprano sound and want to play literature with an extended range, then soprano longnecks are for you. On the other hand, concertos almost sound like sopranos, maybe a little fuller and darker (depends on the instrument and make). I have sopranos and concerts, mostly play concerts. I had a soprano longneck (Flight TUSL) which I sold to my neighbor who really wanted to have it. Have not gotten a replacement yet, because the fretboard for that one almost felt like a tenor fretboard -- which is a size that is not for me due to small hands. (there is a Flight TUS in the house, so that can serve as an outdoor/travel uke, but without the extended fretboard).
I massively prefer a normal scale soprano for the simple reason that I find it easier to play the kind of fast tempo music that I enjoy. I had one long neck soprano, a long neck Cocobolo which was really nice. I only sold it because I got the chance to get an actual concert uke from the same brand. But even though the long neck soprano was nice I didn't play it similarly to my regular sopranos because the longer scale length just isn't as versatile for faster playing for me.
If you're more comfortable with a concert scale neck/fretboard, however, the long neck soprano is a great compromise. And if you're curious about a regular soprano be sure to test one out in a shop before you buy. Just any kind of soprano that you can find, not necessarily the one you have your eye on. Lots of people struggle with the more cramped fretboard if they play higher up the neck. If you mostly play below, say, the fifth fret then it probably won't matter that much.
If you're more comfortable with a concert scale neck/fretboard, however, the long neck soprano is a great compromise. And if you're curious about a regular soprano be sure to test one out in a shop before you buy. Just any kind of soprano that you can find, not necessarily the one you have your eye on. Lots of people struggle with the more cramped fretboard if they play higher up the neck. If you mostly play below, say, the fifth fret then it probably won't matter that much.
In my experience, a standard soprano is no harder (and sometimes easier) than any other ukulele scale up to about the 7th fret. I need to be more careful with finger placement in the 8th through 12th frets and the long neck soprano will give you more finger room in that part of the fretboard, especially if you are a little sloppy when playing.
If you like playing songs with notes above the 12th fret, then a long neck soprano can be significantly easier because most (maybe all) long neck sopranos will have 14 frets to the body while most standard sopranos only have 12 frets to the body. I believe Kanile'a standard sopranos have 14 frets to the body; don't know if any other major brands do this.
Sing-and-strum players almost never play above the 10th fret, so standard soprano ukuleles should be fine if this is your style. A lot of fingerstyle songs do go up to or past the 12th fret, so you need to think about what kinds of songs you are playing when choosing your instrument.
If you like playing songs with notes above the 12th fret, then a long neck soprano can be significantly easier because most (maybe all) long neck sopranos will have 14 frets to the body while most standard sopranos only have 12 frets to the body. I believe Kanile'a standard sopranos have 14 frets to the body; don't know if any other major brands do this.
Sing-and-strum players almost never play above the 10th fret, so standard soprano ukuleles should be fine if this is your style. A lot of fingerstyle songs do go up to or past the 12th fret, so you need to think about what kinds of songs you are playing when choosing your instrument.
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achutch3
Well-known member
I switch between soprano and concert scale all the time. I like both for different reasons. Although concert scale gives more room it also makes you stretch further for some cords. Soprano scale can be more cramped but is easier to move around the scale because things are more close together. Just depends on what you're playing. I think like others have eluded to that if your strumming then soprano scale, if more picking and finger style then concert scale.
For me some things are easier on soprano and some things are easier on a concert scale.
For me some things are easier on soprano and some things are easier on a concert scale.
