38mm Nut width travel soprano

MentalAtom · Jul 22, 2020

Hey everyone,

My new custom tenor arrived the other day so my UAS is pretty much satisfied, but now I have my soprano to contend down with. I bought a Flight TS35 a while ago and I like it - it's loud and tough, and I travel so it checks all the boxes - except the 35mm nut width I find very tricky. My first tenor (and also the new one) are 38mm nut width and as I have long thin fingers it's infinitely more comfortable.

So the questions are - Is there a soprano travel ukulele which also has a 38mm nut width? Should I just suck it up and get used to playing 35mm nut width as well? How tough is a laminate soprano with a wider nut gonna be in terms of travel (as there's a few about)? Any other suggestions?

Who woulda thought 3mm makes such a difference in comfort...

Thanks!

Dohle · Jul 22, 2020

I tried to check but couldn't find an actual travel soprano with a 38mm nut width. The Magic Fluke Flea soprano, I believe, has a slightly wider nut at around 36mm but it's only so much wider than the Flight and much more expensive.

If you'd be content with just a laminate uke - instead of a partially or all plastic travel uke - you could check out the Islander laminate sopranos. The nut width on those is exactly 38mm and they're fairly cheap, a bit over $100. MS-4 and AS-4 are the model numbers you need, depending on if you prefer mahogany or acacia. Personally, I wouldn't bother having a dedicated travel uke for your travels if you're looking for specific features on your uke, so I'd be perfectly content with a laminate uke unless you plan to thwack people with it.

badhabits · Jul 22, 2020

ovation uses the flight body in a wood neck with 36mm nut... but not at the flight price (although still less than a flea/fluke). there is also the shima (laminate), that uses a tenor width neck on a soprano body with concert scale, but also more pricey and being a long-neck finding a bag might be tough.

MentalAtom · Jul 22, 2020

Dohle said:
I tried to check but couldn't find an actual travel soprano with a 38mm nut width. The Magic Fluke Flea soprano, I believe, has a slightly wider nut at around 36mm but it's only so much wider than the Flight and much more expensive.

If you'd be content with just a laminate uke - instead of a partially or all plastic travel uke - you could check out the Islander laminate sopranos. The nut width on those is exactly 38mm and they're fairly cheap, a bit over $100. MS-4 and AS-4 are the model numbers you need, depending on if you prefer mahogany or acacia. Personally, I wouldn't bother having a dedicated travel uke for your travels if you're looking for specific features on your uke, so I'd be perfectly content with a laminate uke unless you plan to thwack people with it.

The main reason I am looking for "travel" style uke is that since I have my Tenor then if possible I would travel with that as carry-on and then throw the soprano in the suitcase (I tend to travel between countries for a few weeks-months at a time so I'd rather not just leave one at home for months on end if I can help it). For the flight for example this is fine, but I'm not so sure how a laminate would handle it. I also couldn't find anything that ticks all the boxes but thought it was worth checking here juuuust incase.

MentalAtom · Jul 22, 2020

Flight actually have a new model - NUS200 - Teak laminate with 38mm nut width https://flightmusic.com/product/flight-nus200-teak-soprano-ukulele/

Seems a good bet, but just not sure on the same throw-in-the-bag durability as the travel series of course!

rainbow21 · Jul 22, 2020

Here is a super soprano (concert scale with soprano body) uke designed for travel with a 38 mm nut:

https://journeyinstruments.com/product/us470cte-sitka-meranti-uke/

MentalAtom · Jul 23, 2020

rainbow21 said:
Here is a super soprano (concert scale with soprano body) uke designed for travel with a 38 mm nut:

https://journeyinstruments.com/product/us470cte-sitka-meranti-uke/

Nice spot! I've never heard of that brand before. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find them for sale anywhere in the UK

38mm Nut width travel soprano

MentalAtom

Well-known member

Dohle

Well-known member

badhabits

Well-known member

MentalAtom

Well-known member

MentalAtom

Well-known member

rainbow21

Well-known member

MentalAtom

Well-known member

Similar threads