NukeDOC
Retired Mod
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- Nov 29, 2007
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im going to make this a sticky since im sure there are people out there shopping for a new ukulele and have no clue what some of these terms are that are being used to describe the instrument for sale.
if you have something to add (like pics of the parts), feel free to and i can add it to the list here on the original post.
ANATOMY
headstock - also: head, peg head. this is the part of the instrument that holds the tuners.
tuners - also: tuning keys, tuning machines. these are the devices used to loosen or tighten the tension on the strings to create the desired tune when played.
neck - the long part. hahaha
fret - wires embedded into the fretboard (see fretboard) running perpendicular to the length of the neck.
fretboard - board that sits on the neck and houses the frets. usually made of a hard wood like rosewood, ebony, or maple.
soundboard - also: top. basically the front of the instrument.
nut - raised section at end of neck and start of headstock which positions the strings at that point. usually made of a special plastic or wood. may even be made of ivory or bone.
saddle - raised section that sits on the bridge that positions strings at that point. usually made of the same material as the nut.
bridge - structure attached to the soundboard that anchors the strings and houses the saddle.
passive pickup - a transducer that allows you to amplify your ukulele by plugging into an external amplifier via a 1/4" jack.
active pickup - like the above, but is powered by an on-board battery that serves as a pre-amp, allowing for more detailed equalizer adjustments
soundhole - where the resonating air comes out of the ukulele and becomes beautiful music in your eardrums. usually cut out of the soundboard, but can be anywhere on the body.
cutaway - where part of the body is "cut off" to allow fingers to reach higher frets.
TECH TERMS
action - refers to the distance the strings are from the fretboard. the actual distance preferred will usually come down to the individual's taste.
intonation - The instrument's ability to accurately produce the proper note at a given fret position.
scale - in reference to the size, it is the distance from the nut to the saddle.
re-entrant tuning - a tuning where the string in the last course (the 4th string in uke's case) is tuned an octave higher than normal. ex. high G tuning (gCEA)
SIZES dimensions are "typical" and can vary slightly from brand to brand.
soprano - 13 inch scale, 21 inches overall length
super soprano - also: long scale soprano. soprano size body, with concert scale neck and fretboard.
concert - 15 inch scale, 23 inches overall length
super concert - concert size body, with tenor scale neck and fretboard.
tenor - usually 17 inch scale, 26 inches overall length. 17-19 frets.
super tenor - same as tenor, but with larger body for deeper, louder tone
baritone - 19 inch scale, 30 inches overall length
super baritone - a guitar hahaha
ok guys thats all for me right now. post up what you know and ill add yours to this list. also, let me know if i got something wrong too! hahaha.
if you have something to add (like pics of the parts), feel free to and i can add it to the list here on the original post.
ANATOMY
headstock - also: head, peg head. this is the part of the instrument that holds the tuners.
tuners - also: tuning keys, tuning machines. these are the devices used to loosen or tighten the tension on the strings to create the desired tune when played.
neck - the long part. hahaha
fret - wires embedded into the fretboard (see fretboard) running perpendicular to the length of the neck.
fretboard - board that sits on the neck and houses the frets. usually made of a hard wood like rosewood, ebony, or maple.
soundboard - also: top. basically the front of the instrument.
nut - raised section at end of neck and start of headstock which positions the strings at that point. usually made of a special plastic or wood. may even be made of ivory or bone.
saddle - raised section that sits on the bridge that positions strings at that point. usually made of the same material as the nut.
bridge - structure attached to the soundboard that anchors the strings and houses the saddle.
passive pickup - a transducer that allows you to amplify your ukulele by plugging into an external amplifier via a 1/4" jack.
active pickup - like the above, but is powered by an on-board battery that serves as a pre-amp, allowing for more detailed equalizer adjustments
soundhole - where the resonating air comes out of the ukulele and becomes beautiful music in your eardrums. usually cut out of the soundboard, but can be anywhere on the body.
cutaway - where part of the body is "cut off" to allow fingers to reach higher frets.
TECH TERMS
action - refers to the distance the strings are from the fretboard. the actual distance preferred will usually come down to the individual's taste.
intonation - The instrument's ability to accurately produce the proper note at a given fret position.
scale - in reference to the size, it is the distance from the nut to the saddle.
re-entrant tuning - a tuning where the string in the last course (the 4th string in uke's case) is tuned an octave higher than normal. ex. high G tuning (gCEA)
SIZES dimensions are "typical" and can vary slightly from brand to brand.
soprano - 13 inch scale, 21 inches overall length
super soprano - also: long scale soprano. soprano size body, with concert scale neck and fretboard.
concert - 15 inch scale, 23 inches overall length
super concert - concert size body, with tenor scale neck and fretboard.
tenor - usually 17 inch scale, 26 inches overall length. 17-19 frets.
super tenor - same as tenor, but with larger body for deeper, louder tone
baritone - 19 inch scale, 30 inches overall length
super baritone - a guitar hahaha
ok guys thats all for me right now. post up what you know and ill add yours to this list. also, let me know if i got something wrong too! hahaha.
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