What exactly is neck heavy?

Mike $

Mike $

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I was reading the Martin OX neck heavy thread when I realized, I don't know what the standard is for "neck heavy" in ukuleles. What makes a uke neck heavy, what makes one balanced? I haven't picked up a uke without the neck taking a nose dive, but I never played any of the K brands. All the Martins I play need to have the neck supported while playing them. None of the ukes I have played have been a struggle to support. Is there some point on a uke body to hold it in balance? For instance, when I turn my tenor uke over and balance it on my stretched out, pointing index finger, it is perfectly balanced when my finger is directly below the 15th fret. Is this neck heavy, body heavy or balanced? Thanks
 
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I've never heard of "neck heavy". I've heard of head heavy, so maybe neck heavy is like head heavy since the center of gravity of the neck is beyond the neck/body joint.

I've played a uke that was harder to play because it wants to fall over (Kala KA-SSTU travel soprano). It requires me to put more pressure on my left hand to hold it in place; and if I switch chords slowly, I must consciously remember to rest/hold the uke in my left hand (otherwise, it'll flop over). It isn't a bad uke actually because it is designed to be small and very travel friendly; and I like playing it once a while. But it is definitely noticeably different in terms balance.
 
My experience of the 'slimline' Kala soprano is just the same as Clear. The tuners were enclosed geared type and weighed way more that regular friction tuners. I couldn't abide the weight pulling down on the head stock. To fit more suitable tuners, I had to fill the holes and re-drill, but it was worth the trouble.YMMV

John Colter
 
I rarely play a uke without a strap, fastened at the butt and either the heel or headstock. With the strap, my ukes will remain in place when I remove my hands, so needing to use the left hand to support the uke is not an issue.
I would assume that a "neck heavy" or "head heavy" instrument would have more weight in the neck than in the body. I've just tried balancing each of my ukes with the fulcrum where the neck meets the body and all of them seem to be "body heavy".
 
I noticed this with KoAloha Silver series concert and soprano ukes. Usually KoAloha have light friction tuners for these sizes, but for silver series they upgraded to geared paddle style tuners. They sure dragged the head down quite noticeably when you play them just holding them up on your chest.
 
My Cocobolo concert is definately neck-heavy.
With a strap attached to the headstock you dont notice it, but trying to rest it on your knee - or holding it traditionally, which I never do - that neck is going to drop.

If you want to stabilise it by holding the body, a heavy neck can be difficult to handle.
 
UkingViking said:
My Cocobolo concert is definately neck-heavy.
With a strap attached to the headstock you dont notice it, but trying to rest it on your knee - or holding it traditionally, which I never do - that neck is going to drop.

If you want to stabilise it by holding the body, a heavy neck can be difficult to handle.
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Same with my Cocobolo Long Neck Soprano. Hardly surprising since cocobolo is a very dense wood and they use a piece of it as a truss rod. And to be fair, mine is fairly well balanced at the 12th fret, but if I hold the uke at the body joint it is neck heavy. Not a huge issue and perfectly playable but it is more noticeable than with any other uke I own.
 
I'm a Neanderthal when it comes to this kind of stuff. I just don't have an analytic thought process. But it could be an unconscious factor as I've never picked up a slot head that I didn't say, "no good, me no like." I don't think about it though, until someone posts something. So I went down to the basement, pulled my favorite ukulele , an Ohana concert off the wall and played a half dozen measures while hefting the neck and head up and down. I came to the following conclusion, "ukulele good, make good music, me like head and neck." So there we are, proof positive of something. ;)
 
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I think the Gibson SG electric guitar is the lute family black sheep/worst offender of this type. Using that balance profile as a guide I would say it comes down to, "Are you having to consciously hold up the neck?" Then it is neck heavy or head heavy, depending on your term for this affliction.

Like CLEAR, my KA-SSTU-TE Kala thinline tenor is head heavy.
 
I recently got a head clamp to hold my iPhone 6 so I can read lead sheets off it while playing. With the clamp and iPhone on there, it is definitely “neck heavy!” :rolleyes:
 
I test this by balancing it between my thumb and index finger right where the neck meets the body. You can do this from above (being careful not to drop it) or from underneath.

Example of sopranos : Caramel CS419 (slotted head) and Vita-Uke VK-70R are balanced, and a Flight Travel Soprano is body heavy.
 
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I don't understand why it would be important, or even remarkable, to have a Uke that was actually "balanced" between neck and body. You have to hold the Uke unless its on a strap. My Ukes have different balance points, and I just adjust the way I'm holding them to compensate. I really haven't used straps very much. But, they are nice on my heavier Ukes. My Tenor resonator Uke would be totally unmanageable without its strap, as would my Lanikai Concert banjolele with its removable back in place. But that has to do with gross weight, not balance. IMHO, anyone who is the least bit fussy about balance should simply use a strap.
 
VegasGeorge said:
I don't understand why it would be important, or even remarkable, to have a Uke that was actually "balanced" between neck and body. You have to hold the Uke unless its on a strap. My Ukes have different balance points, and I just adjust the way I'm holding them to compensate. I really haven't used straps very much. But, they are nice on my heavier Ukes. My Tenor resonator Uke would be totally unmanageable without its strap, as would my Lanikai Concert banjolele with its removable back in place. But that has to do with gross weight, not balance. IMHO, anyone who is the least bit fussy about balance should simply use a strap.
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I don't really see the reason to be so absolutist about the subject. I prefer to play sitting down and don't like to use straps at all, so why do you insist I'd have to do so? Having a uke be balanced means that I don't have to constantly struggle with holding the neck. It makes playability infinitely better. Even a body heavy uke is ok since the body is held against my thigh anyway. A neck heavy uke is definitely more of a chore to play, and I don't really fancy installing straps on my sopranos. And even if I did use straps I wouldn't use one that attaches to the neck or heel which wouldn't help with a heavy neck anyway.
 
Wiggy said:
I test this by balancing it between my thumb and index finger right where the neck meets the body. You can do this from above (being careful not to drop it) or from underneath.

Example of sopranos : Caramel CS419 (slotted head) and Vita-Uke VK-70R are balanced, and a Flight Travel Soprano is body heavy.
Click to expand...

I used to think your way when I first found ukes aren't balanced well. Then I realized that (at least for me) it isn't entirely about the location of the center of gravity; I now think it is the entire instrument taken as a whole (i.e. its depth, weight distribution, shape, scale length). Although center of gravity is a quick summary, but it isn't precise enough to determine whether a uke is easy to play from an ergo perspective.
 
I think the problem is you soprano players where your headstock is longer than your fretboard.

From a tenor's point of view, my uke is hanging from its strap, one hand has a cigar and the other a double shot of scotch. My wife comes in and says why can't you do right, like other men do? I raise my hands in the typical "oy vey" posture of the orans figure...and my ukulele neck is still at 45 degrees. There's no heavy neck.
 
Dohle said:
I don't really see the reason to be so absolutist about the subject. I prefer to play sitting down and don't like to use straps at all, so why do you insist I'd have to do so?
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Oh, please, suit yourself. I was thinking of playing while standing, not sitting. Sitting offers quite a bit more support and alternatives for holding a Uke, and I wouldn't imagine that many sitting players would use a strap. And, obviously, sitting solves the gross weight problem. Those heavy Ukes are only a problem to hold while standing.
 
VegasGeorge said:
Oh, please, suit yourself. I was thinking of playing while standing, not sitting. Sitting offers quite a bit more support and alternatives for holding a Uke, and I wouldn't imagine that many sitting players would use a strap. And, obviously, sitting solves the gross weight problem. Those heavy Ukes are only a problem to hold while standing.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agreed. I still think that balance in terms of weight is a somewhat important aspect with an instrument - not the most important but important nonetheless. Of course especially with all these long neck models and such it's sometimes more difficult to achieve. If I had a neck heavy uke and wanted to play it while standing I'd definitely get a strap for it, no argument there.
 
When the neck is heavy, it feels like the body is more likely to fall away from me, but maybe it's just extra noticeable on my Kala, because it's a thinline body.
 
While not what is being explored, I have noticed a different neck issue that bothers me a bit: a hard neck. I had one wonderful uke that had a maple neck, and my hand actually would bother me after an hour or so of playing, not from the shape, but from the hardness. It was very noticeable for me. Anyone else?
 
I have a Kanile'a GL6 K-1 Premium and it's really neck heavy. It has a 20" baritone neck attached to a super tenor body at the 16th fret. No matter where I attach the strap—headstock or neck heal—it droops below the horizontal if I take my hands off the instrument to adjust a mic or play a mix of artificial and natural harmonics. If you stick to basic strumming or finger style you can lock it down with your left forearm, but I use too many techniques requiring loose or floating arms. Arm vibrato is tough, especially if you're moving your right arm for timbre changes or switching between rasgueado and finger style. If I'm sitting, I can balance it so it doesn't droop by placing by left leg on a really tall foot stool—classical style—and tilt it at a quasi-cello angle. I was thinking of placing a counterweight on the lower bout.

None of my guitars or tenor 'ukuleles are neck heavy at all. Just the Kanile'a GL6.
 
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