Will Sound Ports Become Standard?

Jerryc41

Jerryc41

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More and more ukes are being made with sound ports. I wonder if people will come to expect to see them on all ukes. Given the choice, I'd buy the uke with the port. I'll have to check and see how many of mine have that feature. It seems that Cocobolo has standardized on them.
 
No...........
 
I think a sound port is viewed as a "high end" feature so I doubt that it will become a standard.
 
They're nice, I like them a lot, but they're not essential. They do add cost to the build, so I don't think you're going to see many on entry-level instruments. If done cheaply and haphazardly, they could compromise the structure and lead to future problems. I just looked at the high-end ($2000+) ukes on HMS, and only a small percentage have sound ports, and none of the Hawaiian "K" brands seem to have them at all. I don't think performing professionals need them, as they're normally plugged in and hearing themselves through monitors. It's us serious amateurs that seem to be the target market for sound ports.
 
Well since I mostly play for myself I do like them. When I ordered one of the new all-carbon Klos ukes many months (!) ago they offered a sound port on the lower bout, but relented when I insisted that I wanted one, but only on the upper bout. We'll see how it turns out if it ever arrives. If I were ordering a replacement for my Farallon I would get one.
 
When sound energy is directed upwards to the player, then that amount is missing from the forward direction (so projection to the audience will be lessened).
Therefore, I don't think it'll become a standard feature because it is going to be viewed as a compromise.
Also, the sound from the side portal may give the player a much different tonal characteristic than the audience because of the location (and some might view this as a compromise).

If the side portals include plugs, then most of the compromising issues are resolved, except for the extra parts, extra weight, and possible changes to the structural integrity/tone (although a properly engineered structure with holes can be stronger than one without, so maybe a benefit is a stronger frame).

An interesting benefit of the side holes, if big enough, is that they can provide extra gripping spots for the ukulele during transport, assuming a strong overall frame.
 
The uke makers who make a model with and without sound port should be able to answer how much, if any, loss of sound/energy/amplitude someone in front of the player would notice. Like besley, I mostly play for myself, but I'm still curious about this.
 
It is just an ornament. Instruments don't need any sound holes. If violins and mandolins didn't have the F-holes, the music wouldn't be trapped inside. So like all other ornament it will undoubtably have some ebb and flow in terms of popularity. I personally hope they don't catch on to the point of becoming a default part of the uke because as someone who always plays with a strap, I find the side hole to be uncomfortably near the place I rest my arm atop the instrument. Also I suppose I don't prefer to look down and see an open emptiness where there should be some pretty wood. Lastly, I can imagine things falling into the hole.
 
clear said:
When sound energy is directed upwards to the player, then that amount is missing from the forward direction (so projection to the audience will be lessened).
Therefore, I don't think it'll become a standard feature because it is going to be viewed as a compromise.
Also, the sound from the side portal may give the player a much different tonal characteristic than the audience because of the location (and some might view this as a compromise).

If the side portals include plugs, then most of the compromising issues are resolved, except for the extra parts, extra weight, and possible changes to the structural integrity/tone (although a properly engineered structure with holes can be stronger than one without, so maybe a benefit is a stronger frame).

An interesting benefit of the side holes, if big enough, is that they can provide extra gripping spots for the ukulele during transport, assuming a strong overall frame.
Click to expand...

Good summary. Another aspect is that this additional opening will collect dust and other debris into the instrument which may not be liked by everyone.
 
Some of my ukes have them, some don't. I can tell the difference when I play, because I can hear better. I can't hear what comes out of a monitor when I'm playing.. I probably could if I was wearing my hearing aids when I play, but I get some weird overtones when the devices are in my ears.

The side ports help me.

But they aren't for everyone.
 
ripock said:
It is just an ornament. Instruments don't need any sound holes. If violins and mandolins didn't have the F-holes, the music wouldn't be trapped inside.
Click to expand...

Eliminating the soudhole, or even just changing it's shape or size, will have an impact on volume and tone. They are certainly not just ornaments. I suppose it's strictly true that an instrument doesn't "need" a soundhole, in the sense that you could build and play an instrument without one and it would still make noise, but eliminating soundholes would change the character of any instrument that typically has them.
 
When your hearing deteriorates bad enough, they are no longer considered ornamental, but essential.
 
I like sound ports. It changes how you hear what you are playing. I find some of them to be too big and almost painful if I'm strumming exuberantly.

I know some magazines and blogs have claimed that they are bogus and that they don't make a difference to what the player hears. However, I have placed a cloth in the hole(s) and can tell the difference. To prove it to my self, I was blinfolded and had someone block the hole on one of my ukes or keep it open then hand me the uke. I could pick out the difference every time.

Hardly scientific. I could have been feeling the difference in the weight or balance. Or perhaps the other person had a subtle tell in the way they handed the uke to me. But it satisfied me that they are valid, and do make a difference to what I hear.
 
I hope not. I hate holes in my instruments, be it a soundhole or for some cheap plastic panel for pickups.
 
I forgot which luthier is doing it, LFDM or Petros, but they offer a soundport with a built in sliding cover.
I got to play a beautiful LFDM with a soundport last year fully expecting to be blown away by having the soundport and I was not. I found it was not essential for me for an instrument that already projects and has a beautiful tonal quality. But of course, this is just my humble opinion.
 
merlin666 said:
It's a fad. They may just disappear or be replaced with multiple small holes in the sides that look like Swiss cheese or some other fad.
Click to expand...

Now there's an idea! A Swiss cheese uke. Seriously. It would be wedge-shaped with real holes and "blackout" holes. I'll start making plans today - or maybe tomorrow or the next day.
 
Martinlover said:
I forgot which luthier is doing it, LFDM or Petros, but they offer a soundport with a built in sliding cover.
I got to play a beautiful LFDM with a soundport last year fully expecting to be blown away by having the soundport and I was not. I found it was not essential for me for an instrument that already projects and has a beautiful tonal quality. But of course, this is just my humble opinion.
Click to expand...

Didn't Rebel offer a feature like that on one of their high-end ukes?
 
When you play with a group, and other players pound their strings with enthusiasm...
A sound port can help you hear what you yourself are playing.

I read somewhere, and I agree, if you can’t hear the other players, you are playing too loud.
It seems to me, in my experience, many Uke enthusiasts do NOT adhere to that advice.
 
ksiegel said:
Some of my ukes have them, some don't. I can tell the difference when I play, because I can hear better. I can't hear what comes out of a monitor when I'm playing.. I probably could if I was wearing my hearing aids when I play, but I get some weird overtones when the devices are in my ears.

The side ports help me.

But they aren't for everyone.
Click to expand...

My ears were plugged with wax for six weeks starting at the beginning of July, so everything was muffled. :D
 
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