Larger Sopranos

[bsfloyd]

Hello Everyone! And by larger soprano I am referring to body size, not scale length. Yes, a wonderful assortment of concert scale long neck sopranos, but I am interested more in a soprano scaled concert-ish body size. I understand this is more rare, but what sopranos are currently out with larger bodies? I know my Pono soprano has a noticeable larger body than my Martin sopranos, and I appreciate that very much. My Ohana SK-28 has a noticeably, yet slightly smaller body than my Martin sopranos - but it’s the larger bodied sopranos I’m interested in knowing about. I understand that it may not quite reach concert body size, but please let me know what you all have found to be on the larger soprano spectrum. Thanks!

 

[Ed1]

Romero Creations is the first one that comes to mind. It sounds more like a concert than some other concerts I've owned in the past.

If you're a little adventurous, you can pm David Hanson (Tukanu here). I asked him to make me a concert scale with a tenor body and it is definitely one of my keepers. The man can build just about anything that interests him.

 

[Cadia]

Yup, the Romero Creations S series. I have the S-K, which is a larger bodied koa. The sound and volume are great and more akin to a concert, while the scale remains a soprano. I really like mine a lot. I had actually wanted the S-M mahogany bodied, but after months of waiting and looking a really pretty koa one came up on HMS and I jumped on it. Baz did a review on the S-M, and I got the impression that though he liked the uke very much, it didn't sound like a typical soprano so he didn't quite know what to make of it.
Baz's review -


You'll find sound samples in here -

Romero Creations Mahogany Soprano (S-M Select from Available)

Big Warm Tone in a Soprano Scale! This is a new all solid wood soprano from Pepe Romero Jr. and we are loving the tone and feel! The design and sound are different than any other soprano we've experienced. Kalei and Corey give this newly designed soprano a sample. Pictures show the exact...

theukulelesite.com

 

[Dohle]

Romero Creations is the first one that comes to mind. It sounds more like a concert than some other concerts I've owned in the past.

Romero Creations would've been my first mention as well. They have the soprano with a significantly larger/wider body and also the XS soprano with the boat paddle shape. To be fair, I'd say any kind of boat paddle or pineapple shaped body will generally result in a deeper tone so you can look for those. Lots of different brands that do that sort of thing these days.

The aNueNue Bird series sopranos also have a slightly wider body at least for the lower bout which, at least in my opinion, results in a very deep and lovely tone.

 

[Ukecaster]

As far as standard sopranos (not large body designs like Romero, or long neck super soprano designs) the Kiwaya and Famous sopranos have overall larger body specs. Comparing vintage Martin sopranos to Kiwaya/Famous sopranos I've owned, I've seen the following body specs:

Body length: both about the same (Martin at 23.8cm, Kiwaya at 24cm)

Width of top bout: Kiwaya 5.7% wider (13.3cm)
Depth of top bout: Kiwaya 11.7% deeper (5.7cm)

Width of bottom bout: Kiwaya 5% wider (16.8cm)
Depth of bottom bout: Kiwaya 6.8% deeper (6.2cm)

Of the 20 or so sopranos I've measured over the years, the Kiwaya/Famous ukes usually have bigger body specs, especially the depth, which is always deeper. I think the deeper body makes the most difference, adding depth to the sound of the Kiwaya/Famous ukes. Not that they are better than vintage Martins, just that they seem to have a bigger/deeper sound, with more volume, than many similarly priced sopranos.

 

[John Colter]

Some Ohana sopranos have an appreciably larger than standard body. I have an Ohana SK300G, all solid Koa, which is one of my all time favourite ukes. It is quite expensive new, but I got mine second hand and in need of repair. The body is big enough that it won't fit into some soprano cases, but it fits snugly into a concert sized case..

I also have an SK50MG - laminate mahogany back and sides, solid cedar front - with the same dimensions. There are several types of SK50, all made from different combinations of wood. I recommend them thoroughly, if you are looking for a soprano with a fuller figure.

 

[ScooterD35]

The Flea soprano from the Magic Fluke Company has a larger body than your typical soprano.

Scooter

 

[kerneltime]

Larger than what? It is very easy to build larger than Martin’s sopranos. What sound are you chasing? Vintage, very plucky, Hawaiian, very resonant, and modern? With Sopranos the vintage Martin and Kamaka are the 2 most famous sound profiles. Anything else starts sounding like a modern instrument and closer to concerts. Check out this soprano, it does not have a larger body but the sound is something else.

 

[merlin666]

@Ukecaster this is good answer as Martin and Kiwaya have similar shape. I wonder if Martin also changed their dimensions over time. Info like this on Hawaiian shaped ukes might also be useful.

 

[Ukecaster]

@Ukecaster this is good answer as Martin and Kiwaya have similar shape. I wonder if Martin also changed their dimensions over time. Info like this on Hawaiian shaped ukes might also be useful.

I've also measured some newer Martins like the S1 and OX, and their bodies are pretty close in size to the vintage models, but still not as large as Kiwaya. All the Martins, new & old, have slightly wider nuts, with generous string spacing at the nut of 29-30mm.

 

[richntacoma]

My Kala Elite Dogwood is on the larger side, and has a big voice. While I have not measured, the KoAloha sopranos "feel" bigger, and also has a very large sound with good projection

 

[actadh]

My Kala bamboo soprano is much bigger than my Kala ASOV soprano.

 

[man0a]

Has anyone tried the Kiwaya KPS soprano ukuleles? I have not tried one in person, but in YouTube videos, they look larger than the more common Kiwaya KTS and KS models. GotAUkulele recently gave the concert-scale KPC version of this series a good review.

 

[merlin666]

Hello Everyone! And by larger soprano I am referring to body size, not scale length. Yes, a wonderful assortment of concert scale long neck sopranos, but I am interested more in a soprano scaled concert-ish body size. I understand this is more rare, but what sopranos are currently out with larger bodies? I know my Pono soprano has a noticeable larger body than my Martin sopranos, and I appreciate that very much. My Ohana SK-28 has a noticeably, yet slightly smaller body than my Martin sopranos - but it’s the larger bodied sopranos I’m interested in knowing about. I understand that it may not quite reach concert body size, but please let me know what you all have found to be on the larger soprano spectrum. Thanks!

Technically the terms soprano, concert, tenor, or baritone refer to scale length only as body dimensions are not as straightforward to quantify or even measure as it is an irregular three dimensional object that should be quantified in liters or cubic centimeters. Few manufacturers actually state their body sizes at all. What would be helpful to quantify this would be average depth, surface areas (or diameters) of upper and lower bouts, as well as total volume. Maybe a new project for volunteers to compile a table of these dimensions and then assign ranges to the various scales. So when people talk about body size they should also specify which of the four dimensions length, depth, width of upper or lower bouts they actually refer to if they don't know the total volume of the instrument.

 

[ukulelekarcsi]

Technically the terms soprano, concert, tenor, or baritone refer to scale length only as body dimensions are not as straightforward to quantify or even measure as it is an irregular three dimensional object that should be quantified in liters or cubic centimeters. Few manufacturers actually state their body sizes at all. What would be helpful to quantify this would be average depth, surface areas (or diameters) of upper and lower bouts, as well as total volume. Maybe a new project for volunteers to compile a table of these dimensions and then assign ranges to the various scales. So when people talk about body size they should also specify which of the four dimensions length, depth, width of upper or lower bouts they actually refer to if they don't know the total volume of the instrument.

Not really. The length of the vibrating string, along with its initial tension, are more of a factor in the sound production, than the size of the resonance chamber. The largest soundbox I've seen on a soprano, is the Dominique Chevalier ukaferri - it's almost as wide as a tenor uke.

 

[merlin666]

Not really. The length of the vibrating string, along with its initial tension, are more of a factor in the sound production, than the size of the resonance chamber. The largest soundbox I've seen on a soprano, is the Dominique Chevalier ukaferri - it's almost as wide as a tenor uke.

I am not sure what you are disagreeing with. The length of vibrating string is known as scale (i.e distance between the nut and fret 12 times 2). Those lengths are used to define the sizes, and not the volume of the body.

 

[Ziret]

I've also measured some newer Martins like the S1 and OX, and their bodies are pretty close in size to the vintage models, but still not as large as Kiwaya. All the Martins, new & old, have slightly wider nuts, with generous string spacing at the nut of 29-30mm.

Have you measured the KTS line? If not, I can add to your data.

 

[DuckyI]

As far as standard sopranos (not large body designs like Romero, or long neck super soprano designs) the Kiwaya and Famous sopranos have overall larger body specs. Comparing vintage Martin sopranos to Kiwaya/Famous sopranos I've owned, I've seen the following body specs:

Body length: both about the same (Martin at 23.8cm, Kiwaya at 24cm)

Width of top bout: Kiwaya 5.7% wider (13.3cm)
Depth of top bout: Kiwaya 11.7% deeper (5.7cm)

Width of bottom bout: Kiwaya 5% wider (16.8cm)
Depth of bottom bout: Kiwaya 6.8% deeper (6.2cm)

Of the 20 or so sopranos I've measured over the years, the Kiwaya/Famous ukes usually have bigger body specs, especially the depth, which is always deeper. I think the deeper body makes the most difference, adding depth to the sound of the Kiwaya/Famous ukes. Not that they are better than vintage Martins, just that they seem to have a bigger/deeper sound, with more volume, than many similarly priced sopranos.

I would be interested to know what series these figures are based on. KS series (eco), KSU series (made in China), KPS (strummer series), or KTS (vintage)? I know KS have a slightly larger Hawaiian profile, I always assumed KTS follows the classic Martin profile, and I know the KPS is more modern, large profile.

 

[Ukecaster]

I would be interested to know what series these figures are based on. KS series (eco), KSU series (made in China), KPS (strummer series), or KTS (vintage)? I know KS have a slightly larger Hawaiian profile, I always assumed KTS follows the classic Martin profile, and I know the KPS is more modern, large profile.

My measurements were based on Eco Series laminate instruments, the Famous FS-1, FS-5, FS-0 and Kiwaya KS-1. Of course, the depth of the thinline FS-0 is much shallower at 3.4mm and 4mm, but FS-0 length and width are the same as the others.

 

[Ukecaster]

Have you measured the KTS line? If not, I can add to your data.

Don't have those...bring it on, thanks!