I don't get the long neck soprano/concert thing ...

More isn't always better.

DownUpDave said:

@mountain goat........Jon another 16" scale is the Kamaka Ohta San.

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Best value at 16" right now is the Cocobolo super concert ("which I have" #inigomontoya) . They will also build you a soprano 16" if you ask though they probably haven't built one yet as I'm the only nut to have thought of it .

If you don't mind losing half an inch, there are two I know of with 15.5" scale sopranos - "concert" Flea and KPK.

Yeah, everyone has already said it but the big reason is soprano sound, tenor scale for easier (IMHO - YMMV) fingering.

I have been playing a Koaloha KSM-12 Soprano Tenor Neck for about 4 years now. It is my absolute favorite uke. Lovely soprano sparkle with a little extra "real estate" to wiggle my flying sausages. Everyone who has heard and or played it comments on its voice and play-ability. A real winner.

But, hey, the best solution is to have several ukes, including a long-neck soprano! ;-)

I'm not a fan of the long necks. I always felt that they had a hybrid sound that wasn't one or the other. But...I've never played a high end long neck.

That said, I have a friend who owns a Koaloha Sceptre, Jukulele, Pineapple Sunday, a 6 string and a bunch more. He says that the Koaloha Long Neck Soprano is his favorite uke of all time. He says no matter what new ukulele he gets, he always comes back to the it.

I feel that is really high praise for the long neck.

I am not sure I understand the concept entirely, a few questions:

If the scale of a longneck soprano has the length of a concert uke, is it then strung with concert strings?

And would that not make it a concert, with the proper term "small-body-concert" rather than "long-neck-soprano"?

Edit: I understand that it will have a soprano-like sound, but it the length of the scale seems like a more definite thing to distinguish between soprano and concert than sound, as I am sure both soprano and concerts come with various shapes and sizes of bodies yielding different sound.

UkingViking said:

I am not sure I understand the concept entirely, a few questions:

If the scale of a longneck soprano has the length of a concert uke, is it then strung with concert strings?

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Depends on the string brand! I mostly use Martin Fluorocarbons, which are sold as "soprano/concert" - so you'd use the same strings for either. There are other brands that aren't scale-length specific (Oasis, I think, is one - I think they are sold as one-size-fits-all, including tenor).

But then for other brands, I've been known to use concert strings on regular-neck sopranos, and tenor strings on regular-neck concerts...

UkingViking said:

If the scale of a longneck soprano has the length of a concert uke, is it then strung with concert strings?

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Technically, yes, but personally I have never bought strings that were not labeled as being for both soprano and concert. If you use them on a soprano, you just have a bit more leftover string. It's usually just tenor strings that are sold separately and their own thing. (I'm sure there are exceptions, though.)

And would that not make it a concert, with the proper term "small-body-concert" rather than "long-neck-soprano"?

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Yes, but the sound you get is closer to a soprano than a concert, so calling it a longneck soprano describes it more accurately, I feel. The term "concert" is kind of confusing anyway; it should be called "alto".

I have owned and enjoyed a tenor-necked soprano from KoAloha. It's a superb ukulele, and the longer neck provides increased volume, increased sustain, and more playable frets than a standard soprano. For one that wants a soprano "sound"--and it does sound more like a soprano than a tenor--with those features, it cannot be beat. I wish I kept mine, Steve.

That said, in my experience, this particular model necessitates a strap, with heel pin and cordage around the headstock; it's head heavy, undeniably.

Enjoy!

Yeah, I don't get it either.

UkingViking said:

Edit: I understand that it will have a soprano-like sound, but it the length of the scale seems like a more definite thing to distinguish between soprano and concert than sound, as I am sure both soprano and concerts come with various shapes and sizes of bodies yielding different sound.

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I feel that "longneck" is a pretty descriptive term that creates a very apt mental image of what the instrument is: a soprano that has a longer neck with probably more frets. In that sense it's less ambiguous than "mini concert", which is a term that at least one manufacturer uses. I also find "super soprano", which is a rather common name for longneck sopranos, kind of meaningless, because the body isn't "super". To me, this is a super soprano!

I agree that "small body concert" would work too, since that is what it is. But it's equally a soprano with a long neck. It just depends which of its two main parts you focus on, and perhaps why you want it. I just wanted a soprano with more frets than the manufacturer offered with the "standard" soprano model of theirs. The aim wasn't more fret space, and I'd have gotten the standard soprano if it had been available with 15+ frets, like from various other builders. It sounds very much like a soprano, more so than any concert I have heard in videos (I do like the extra sustain, though, which was an added plus and convinced me of the longneck design). But yes, it's just semantics, in the end.

I sometimes wish there was only one size ukulele, but I think that is just me looking for liberation from the tyranny of choice. A lot of people seem to eventually settle on one size, but I'm still going back and forth when it comes to preferences. I guess a positive spin on that is that I just like all ukuleles and that different sizes fit different moods. It feels more like indecisiveness and fickleness to me, as far as my own situation is concerned. In a way, the longneck soprano really addressed this indecisiveness, though. I wouldn't have been happy with 12 frets, but I wanted the KoAloha soprano sound, and this was the way to get it. The KoAloha concerts have, at least in the videos I've seen, a distinctly different sounds. The longneck gave me the compromise I wanted.

For manufacturers and dealers this is all rather splendid! Instead of one ukulele, we just buy three or four. Or ten. But it's also fun!

UkingViking said:

I understand that it will have a soprano-like sound, but it the length of the scale seems like a more definite thing to distinguish between soprano and concert than sound, as I am sure both soprano and concerts come with various shapes and sizes of bodies yielding different sound.

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You know, I don't think there's a definitive "concert" type of sound. A soprano uke is distinctive for its percussive quality, less sustain than the larger models. Tenors have more bass, you get a more guitar-ish sound, and baritones even more so. I have a concert that sounds like a soprano, but it has more sustain at the higher frets. A very "classic uke" sound but it just chimes/rings longer. My other concert uke's sound is more like a tenor, it has an extra half inch in scale, and it's just a little bit bigger overall.

I know we say it here a lot, but the builder's choices really make a difference. I'm sure there is a variety among longneck sopranos in their sound as much as there is in standard scale sopranos. And there is a variety in body sizes as well as scale lengths no matter which size we're talking about. The scale is part of it, but so is the size of the resonating body, the thickness of the neck, how heavily or lightly built, and numerous other luthier secrets I'm not privy to.

Mivo said:

I sometimes wish there was only one size ukulele, but I think that is just me looking for liberation from the tyranny of choice. A lot of people seem to eventually settle on one size, but I'm still going back and forth when it comes to preferences. I guess a positive spin on that is that I just like all ukuleles and that different sizes fit different moods. It feels more like indecisiveness and fickleness to me, as far as my own situation is concerned. In a way, the longneck soprano really addressed this indecisiveness, though. I wouldn't have been happy with 12 frets, but I wanted the KoAloha soprano sound, and this was the way to get it. The KoAloha concerts have, at least in the videos I've seen, a distinctly different sounds. The longneck gave me the compromise I wanted.

For manufacturers and dealers this is all rather splendid! Instead of one ukulele, we just buy three or four. Or ten. But it's also fun!

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Well, I have yet yet to determined what even makes a ukulele a ukulele.

Rllink said:

Well, I have yet yet to determined what even makes a ukulele a ukulele.

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Yea there have been a few threads about that. It's a ukulele if you say it is a ukulele

This is a great discussion of LN sopranos--what I am learning is my preferred uke--and related issues.

bearbike137 said:

I understand why someone might want a long neck on a Tenor. But why buy a long neck concert instead of a tenor? And why buy a long neck soprano instead of a concert? After all, the bigger body size generally has more sustain, volume and low end.

Just wondering...

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Sustain and low end are not necessarily desirable ukulele sound characteristics. I started out with tenor size and low G, but the last uke I bought was a long neck soprano. I like it.

(Without reading through the whole thread...)

A long neck allows for more sustain & the use of a low G string, (soprano & concert particularly).

The overall combination is very attractive too, you get the scale without the bulk of a bigger body.

They're just that bit easier to finger pick on too. :music:

More choices means happier players.
Long neck sopranos are fun to play; they have the nice soprano sound with a bit more room on the fretboard and up the neck.

janeray1940 said:

I'm a longneck soprano fan. With a longneck soprano, I get more sustain and volume from the longer string length (concert scale instead of soprano) - I'm no luthier or expert on tech stuff, but it's my understanding that body size is only part of the equation, string length plays a role as well.

The longnecks I play also have a join at the 14th fret, which is uncommon in sopranos or even concerts. I play high up the neck a lot and find this little extra bit of space to be useful in reaching those higher notes - I frequently go up to the 15th fret.

If my hands weren't too small to comfortably play tenor, well - I'd probably just play tenor, because all of those features are common in tenors. But I've tried and I can't, so for me, the longneck soprano is a good middle ground between the comfort of a soprano and the sound qualities of a larger uke.

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It’s all a matter of getting used to the size of the tenor. Petite women with small hands(me!) and even children play guitars! Yes, the neck feels big and the stretches are hard at first, but it’s more due to it being positions and movements one isn’t used to than a physical issue. Women even play double basses!

janeray1940 said:

Depends on the string brand!...

But then for other brands, I've been known to use concert strings on regular-neck sopranos, and tenor strings on regular-neck concerts...

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Lanikai Nylgut strings are scale-specific sets: S,C,T, and Baritone. Each string in the sets is chosen for the different scale lengths.

bearbike137 said:

I understand why someone might want a long neck on a Tenor. But why buy a long neck concert instead of a tenor? And why buy a long neck soprano instead of a concert? After all, the bigger body size generally has more sustain, volume and low end.

Just wondering...

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Because it's there. Why not?