K necks question?

Icelander53

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I'm ready to spring for that Koa tenor and I think all the Ks sounds great. But I'm picky about my necks when it comes to what I like to play. I love the chunky neck of my Pono and hate the razor thin neck on my Moku. I don't mind a wide neck at all as I have thin long fingers. Could you advise me here and describe the neck on your K brand tenor? I won't get to hold one before buying. Thanks - john
 
Kanile'a has probably the widest neck. It is wider than Kamaka not sure about KoAloha.
 
What about the chunky factor on these necks? I don't do well with super thin necks. Width of the neck is secondary to the fat or thinness of the neck.
 
Well again, I think of all K brands, Kanile'a is what you are looking for in terms of the neck being chunky. Like I said, I also have big hands (am 6'4") and can play either brand, but the Kanile'a neck "fills" up my hand way better than Kamaka.
 
Call up Andrew at the Ukulele Site (Hawaii Music Supply) and discuss it with him. He will help you sort out you preferences and turn them into a good choice for you. He does this for a living and has great knowledge and attitude. They will even play ukes over the phone for you. Mim of Mim's Ukes can do this as well. There are others here on the forum too.

The rest of us are really just opinions floating on the clouds. You have no way of knowing if we know anything or are just echoing what we've heard. In my case I don't find neck thickness or shape to be much of an issue at all. Go by sound and learn to adapt to different instruments is my style.

If you look at my sig you'll see I have more ukes than skills. I'm working on the skills but fussing over neck feel seems a pretty modest part of the whole experience. YMMV

In the end, buy the one you love.
 
KoAloha necks are thin. Man, I loved mine. My ukulele now has a much thicker neck, but I got used to it.
 
Call up Andrew at the Ukulele Site (Hawaii Music Supply) and discuss it with him. He will help you sort out you preferences and turn them into a good choice for you. He does this for a living and has great knowledge and attitude. They will even play ukes over the phone for you. Mim of Mim's Ukes can do this as well. There are others here on the forum too.

The rest of us are really just opinions floating on the clouds. You have no way of knowing if we know anything or are just echoing what we've heard. In my case I don't find neck thickness or shape to be much of an issue at all. Go by sound and learn to adapt to different instruments is my style.

If you look at my sig you'll see I have more ukes than skills. I'm working on the skills but fussing over neck feel seems a pretty modest part of the whole experience. YMMV

In the end, buy the one you love.




I already planned on talking with Andrew but I think there are several owners here with the skills to share solid information that I can add up to a total in the end.

Well I'll stick with my preference for fat necks as being one important criteria for any uke I buy. I started so late in life that my adaptability is limited due to arthritis and old joints. If I was in my 40s I'll bet I'd agree with you totally and just go for the best sound. I appreciate your input,

In the end I may end up with a acacia from Pono. They have one right now that sounds really rich and warm and full. It's on the list and I know I like how they play for me.
 
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Call up Andrew at the Ukulele Site (Hawaii Music Supply) and discuss it with him. He will help you sort out you preferences and turn them into a good choice for you.

This is good advice. Meanwhile, I have to add that I don't see that Kanilea tenor necks are "thick," if what you mean is Pono-chunky-thick (depth). Kanilea necks are not chunky; they are wide, and maybe that's what fills up some people's hands. Knowing your chunky preference, Icey, I would say that Kanilea might be the worst choice. (Maybe the concerts are thick, but . . .) KoAloha is thicker than Kanilea (and also 1.5" at the nut), but not "chunky" (like a Pono). I have never played a Koolau, and I didn't pay attention to the necks on the Kamakas that I played. But, yeah – call Andrew (though probably not immediately, as it's 6:59 a.m. there).
 
Call up Andrew at the Ukulele Site (Hawaii Music Supply) and discuss it with him. He will help you sort out you preferences and turn them into a good choice for you. He does this for a living and has great knowledge and attitude. They will even play ukes over the phone for you. Mim of Mim's Ukes can do this as well. There are others here on the forum too.

The rest of us are really just opinions floating on the clouds. You have no way of knowing if we know anything or are just echoing what we've heard. In my case I don't find neck thickness or shape to be much of an issue at all. Go by sound and learn to adapt to different instruments is my style.

If you look at my sig you'll see I have more ukes than skills. I'm working on the skills but fussing over neck feel seems a pretty modest part of the whole experience. YMMV

In the end, buy the one you love.


My vote for best answer. Deal with Andrew at HMS and you can't go wrong, end of story
 
Well I'll stick with my preference for fat necks as being one important criteria for any uke I buy. I started so late in life that my adaptability is limited due to arthritis and old joints. If I was in my 40s I'll bet I'd agree with you totally and just go for the best sound. I appreciate your input,

In the end I may end up with a acacia from Pono. They have one right now that sounds really rich and warm and full. It's on the list and I know I like how they play for me.

I know what you mean about purposely limiting your options: I'm married (figuratively) to 1.5" nut width tenor ukes, as I started on fretted instruments (ukes) so late that I want to keep it consistent. Muscle mass declines with age; maybe my muscle memory does, too. (This is getting depressing.)
 
I've noticed that some people, when referring to the "thickness" of a neck, are talking about how big is is from front to back, while other people are talking about the width of the fretboard. Both of these contribute to the circumference of the neck, but one ukulele may have a bigger circumference due to a wider fretboard (i.e., Kanile'a), while others may have a wider circumference due to the thickness of the neck from the front to the back (i.e., Pono). I assumed from the OP's opening post that the reference to Pono meant that he was looking for a K brand with the thickest beck as measured from front to back, and if that's the case, I'd consider a Ko'olau, which (I believe) has a neck similar to that of a Pono.
 
Measured from the back of the neck to the fretboard, at the first fret, my Kanile'a tenor is about the same thickness as a Ritz Cracker. I honestly don't know where you're all getting "chunky" from.

Compared to my Fender and Kala tenors, it's vastly more playable, but I like a thin neck.

How about we all agree to use "thickness" when referring to the depth of a neck (front to back) and "width" when referring to the measurement across the fingerboard. Of course, you then need to take into account the neck profile, which I don't recall anyone mentioning so far, and which is at least as important to the feel of an instrument. For example, is it square, C-shaped or V-shaped?
 
Hey Ice, do what's best for you. I started playing 2 years ago at age 60. I get wrist/arthritis issues. But it only happens when I really clamp down on chords. That's me, not the neck. If I keep it light I can play for hours. To me, setup is a bigger factor than neck thickness. My Martin tenor has a slim neck and a beautiful setup from Gryphon Stringed Instruments. My Pono has a thicker neck and a good setup from HMS. Both play nice.

Not trying to be belligerent here. Just want to keep other factors in play. When I bought the Pono I knew next to nothing about ukes. Aaron at HMS said I'd be happy. I was. Now I know a little more. The Pono probably wouldn't be on my list now, but I'm awfully glad to have it. Trust the experts.
 
Hey Ice, do what's best for you. I started playing 2 years ago at age 60. I get wrist/arthritis issues. But it only happens when I really clamp down on chords. That's me, not the neck. If I keep it light I can play for hours. To me, setup is a bigger factor than neck thickness. My Martin tenor has a slim neck and a beautiful setup from Gryphon Stringed Instruments. My Pono has a thicker neck and a good setup from HMS. Both play nice.

Not trying to be belligerent here. Just want to keep other factors in play. When I bought the Pono I knew next to nothing about ukes. Aaron at HMS said I'd be happy. I was. Now I know a little more. The Pono probably wouldn't be on my list now, but I'm awfully glad to have it. Trust the experts.

Hey I appreciate your advice here. You very likely know more than I do. I'll have to do that learning curve thing.
 
Measured from the back of the neck to the fretboard, at the first fret, my Kanile'a tenor is about the same thickness as a Ritz Cracker. I honestly don't know where you're all getting "chunky" from.

Compared to my Fender and Kala tenors, it's vastly more playable, but I like a thin neck.

How about we all agree to use "thickness" when referring to the depth of a neck (front to back) and "width" when referring to the measurement across the fingerboard. Of course, you then need to take into account the neck profile, which I don't recall anyone mentioning so far, and which is at least as important to the feel of an instrument. For example, is it square, C-shaped or V-shaped?

Thanks for helping clarify all this so we can talk about it.
 
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