I'm seeking a mid-price ukulele ($250-$450) where neck meets body at 12th fret vice 14th. Any & all suggestions will be appreciated very much.
Neck to body at 12th
- Thread starter bellgamin
- Start date
OP
OP
Preferred scale: tenor (9/10) or baritone (10/10).
Reason: I have a 12th fret crossover steel-stringed guitar that has a really nice sound & it likes the way I play. In fact, we really like each other. All of my 19 ukes are 14th join, so I want to try a 12th & see if we like each other.
Theory goes: 12th join puts the bridge on the lower bout's sweet spot.
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OP
OP
No matter the scale length, a 12th fret join will move the bridge further toward the lower bout's sweet spot.
Here is Taylor guitar's write-up. I quote in part:
Other write-ups on this topic are HERE, HERE, & a YouTube thingee is HERE.
Of course all these articles are written relative to guitars, but my luthier friend assures me a uke is simply a small guitar.
Yes, it will do that - all I am saying though is if you are expecting a sound difference because of it, there are also many other variables that affect tone. Not all 12th fret joined instruments are equal is what I mean. So like anything with ukes (and guitars) - if you are drilling down for one specific build feature, it doesn't follow that all instruments that employ that feature will be comparable.
But, like I said - you will find most traditional sopranos will (but not all). Some concerts do. The Bruko Tenor does too!
Booksniffer
Well-known member
Ha, you beat me to it - I was just about to suggest the Bruko Tenor!
It's body is a bit smaller than most other tenors if I remember correctly, but all the ones I've heard / played sounded terrific.
Pretty unique sound though, like most Brukos
Edit; here is Baz' review of it:
https://www.gotaukulele.com/2014/06/bruko-no9-tenor-ukulele-review.html
Different body shapes can also move the bridge closer to the sweet spot. The Romero Creations Tiny Tenor (and its smaller siblings) is a prime example.
OP
OP
I find it "remarkable" that there are more than a few guitars offering 12th fret join, but (evidently) very VERY few tenor or baritone ukuleles. Yet, the technical comments I have read all say that a 12th fret join offers special benefit to small body instruments. Ukes definitely do have small bodies, right? Odds fish and pip-pip, wot?!!
The Bruko tenor mystifies me as to why they emasculated their instrument with respect to body size & number of frets. And what's with the 2 dots over the "u" in Brüko? How does one pronounce that there thing, anyhow?
The Bruko tenor mystifies me as to why they emasculated their instrument with respect to body size & number of frets. And what's with the 2 dots over the "u" in Brüko? How does one pronounce that there thing, anyhow?
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There is no guarantee that a 12th fret join will place the bridge at the, or a, "sweet spot". If constructors seek to place the bridge at a particular spot (and why wouldn't they?) it is a simple matter to do this using a variety of necks/fretboards and body shapes.
A manufacturer might be using a body of a (to them) standard size and shape, and then switches from a fourteenth fret to a twelfth fret join. That will, quite obviously, place the bridge in a different position. I suppose some players might like the sound of the original layout, and others could prefer the alternative. As ever, you should try before you buy, if you are looking for a particular sound. A 'rule of thumb' cannot be relied upon to help in this quest.
John Colter
A manufacturer might be using a body of a (to them) standard size and shape, and then switches from a fourteenth fret to a twelfth fret join. That will, quite obviously, place the bridge in a different position. I suppose some players might like the sound of the original layout, and others could prefer the alternative. As ever, you should try before you buy, if you are looking for a particular sound. A 'rule of thumb' cannot be relied upon to help in this quest.
John Colter
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They are German. It's an Umlaut. It signifies how the 'U' should sound. With the Umlaut it indicates the (correct) pronunciation as BROO-KOH. Without the Umlaut, it would pronounce BRUCK-OH (which would be wrong).
Just a fan
Well-known member
Maybe look for a used Cordoba 30 series tenor?
merlin666
Well-known member
Historically, guitars had 12 frets to the body (and I think the early ukes as well with fretboard flush to the body). It was only in the late 20s that the body shape of guitars was changed to make them more appealing to banjo players who were used to 15 frets to the body. Guitars were initially more elongated and rounded and the new "modern" guitar bodies looked more "squished" or flattened to make room for the extra two frets. To get a different bridge placement can be accomplished by changing body shape, scale, and soundhole shape/placement and the number of frets will differ with that. I think that some KoAlohas join the neck at the 13th fret, and they also had some models where the bridge was placed way back at the end of the body. There is a lot of variation available.
https://ukuleles.com/old-hawaiian-ukulele-pics/
https://ukuleles.com/old-hawaiian-ukulele-pics/
UkingViking
Well-known member
While Denmark is not Germany, I had a bit of german in school.
If I am not mistaken,
Bruko = brookoh
Br'u'ko = brut koh
Where you need to say brut like in the champagne.
If you don't know the french to say brut, this is of little help. Perhaps BREW-KOH is close. Well not really, but better than brookoh.
In Denmark u umlaut is how we pronounce "Y", so It is easier to explain in danish.
Weird, the danish keyboard on my phone has O umlaut and A umlaut, but no U umlaut. Probably because the others are also used in Sweden, making it more likely I will need them.
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This has gone completely off topic but since we're here...
https://translate.google.fi/?hl=en&tab=rT1&authuser=0#view=home&op=translate&sl=de&tl=en&text=brüko
There you go, there's the correct pronunciation. I'd also say that the word "brew" is closest to the "Brü" part. And indeed, the letter 'ü' is basically the same as 'y' in nordic countries, but very much different how 'y' is pronounced in English. You just have to love different languages, don't you...
Nordic keyboard, generally very similar in all nordic countries. None of us use 'ü' in our language so it's completely unnecessary.
https://translate.google.fi/?hl=en&tab=rT1&authuser=0#view=home&op=translate&sl=de&tl=en&text=brüko
There you go, there's the correct pronunciation. I'd also say that the word "brew" is closest to the "Brü" part. And indeed, the letter 'ü' is basically the same as 'y' in nordic countries, but very much different how 'y' is pronounced in English. You just have to love different languages, don't you...
Nordic keyboard, generally very similar in all nordic countries. None of us use 'ü' in our language so it's completely unnecessary.
OP
OP
Meanwhile back at the 12th fret join--- I just received an Ohana BKT-70 tenor ukulele, with a baritone body. Mim set it up for me at GCEA with a low G.
Guess what -- the neck joins the body at 12th fret! (If it had joined at 14th fret, the bridge would have been doggone near in the sound hole.)
Its sound at C tuning was great but not superb. So I down-tuned to Bb tuning. Now the sound IS superb. That low G really sings with all that baritone topwood (solid spruce) & space to work with. So do the other strings. Now then: is this instrument (a) a tenor, OR (b) a short-neck baritone? Me, I think a uke should be designated according to its body size, not its neck size. Even so, Ohana calls it a tenor with baritone body. Okay -- they have a right to be wrong, I suppose.
Well, never mind all that -- I found me a 12th neck join and it really sounds grrrrreat!
Guess what -- the neck joins the body at 12th fret! (If it had joined at 14th fret, the bridge would have been doggone near in the sound hole.)
Its sound at C tuning was great but not superb. So I down-tuned to Bb tuning. Now the sound IS superb. That low G really sings with all that baritone topwood (solid spruce) & space to work with. So do the other strings. Now then: is this instrument (a) a tenor, OR (b) a short-neck baritone? Me, I think a uke should be designated according to its body size, not its neck size. Even so, Ohana calls it a tenor with baritone body. Okay -- they have a right to be wrong, I suppose.
Well, never mind all that -- I found me a 12th neck join and it really sounds grrrrreat!
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The different sizes of ukulele have always been classified according to their scale length. Body shapes and sizes vary widely.
John Colter
John Colter
Swamp Yankee
Well-known member
They’re nice tenors, too.
merlin666
Well-known member
Congrats on a cool uke. We will come to Oahu on Tuesday - is there a place where you will perform or play in the next days?
ripock
Well-known member
I'll leave all the discussions of sweet spots and other Holy Grails to you folks, but I can add that the umlaut in Brüko signifies that you should pronounce it as if it were spelled Brueko. It is similar to the common last name of Mueller. You pronounce it the same way whether it is spelled Mueller or Müller. That being said, I have heard people pronounce it as "bruko" rather than "broyko";
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