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Original Post By:
crazyforukes
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Date: 3/4/2010 3:20:47 PM
(Updated: 3/4/2010 3:31:15 PM)
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| I started off playing a Oscar Schmidt OU5 concert.. I find the width of the fret board to be a tad small for these 63 year old fingers..some days I could do chord changes fine and others I sounded like.. a box of rocks.. I was advised to move to a tenor because the string spacing was more forgiving.. I will purchase a Fluke but it would seem that the width of the fret board is the same for a concert and a tenor.. so to the question, is this true and therefore do I really need a tenor?? I should add that the nut width is only different by .5 inch from concert to tenor.. will the added length make the tenor seem more forgiving? |
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Posted By:
AlanJ
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Date: 3/4/2010 3:26:32 PM |
| my opinion, you'd prefer a wider uke, not a longer uke. I find the Fluke/Flea fretboard to be very comfortable regarding width. And yes, I do believe the neck width is the same between the Fluke concert and the tenor at the nut.
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Posted By:
Ed B.
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Date: 3/4/2010 3:41:46 PM |
I agree with Alan. The longer fretboard and higher tension strings of an tenor could make things more difficult for you. A concert uke with a wider fretboard might be a better way to give yourself more room. If you can, try out both solutions before you commit to buying.
Narrow string spacing is one of my pet peeves. Lanikai/Kala ukes are nicely made and widely distributed, but their string spacing is about the narrowest in the industry, and that really limits their versatility. And unfortunately, other import ukes seem prone to copy the Lanikai/Kala dimensions rather than the dimensions of more playable ukes.
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Posted By:
gobes
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Date: 3/4/2010 3:54:51 PM |
| The width at the nut is slightly wider on a tenor fluke.
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Posted By:
crazyforukes
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Date: 3/4/2010 4:02:53 PM |
| Some of my "problem" is operator error.. I do practice a lot..and am getting more better (?) but I agree it seems to be the width of the string spacing and not the distance between the frets.. I don't want more string tension..and I am not playing up the neck quite yet so adding additional frets is not what I am looking for.. so based on 2 great comments, I should be looking for a concert with a wider width fretboard.. any other thoughts would be appreciated.. like the difference in sound between a tenor fluke and concert.. and is there a vast difference in string tension using Aquilas
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Posted By:
RyanMFT
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Date: 3/4/2010 4:08:33 PM |
I have an OU5 and I find that the fretboard is pretty wide compared to my other ukes (KoAloha, Flea, Martin, Favilla, Kumalae). The flea and fluke may be a bit wider as "gobes" says above. It may be challenging to find anything significantly wider than the 0U5.
Now, if you want another uke...by all means you should get one! Maybe contact MusicGuyMike http://stores.ebay.com/Musicguymics-Room and ask him, of anyone I bet he can tell you what would have the widest fretboard! Good Luck
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Posted By:
RyanMFT
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Date: 3/4/2010 4:09:32 PM
(Updated: 3/4/2010 4:11:23 PM)
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| http://stores.ebay.com/Musicguymics-Room
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Posted By:
ChefJeff
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Date: 3/4/2010 6:05:16 PM
(Updated: 3/4/2010 9:45:46 PM)
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"The width at the nut is slightly wider on a tenor fluke."
I have a Flea with a concert neck and rosewood f/b and a Fluke with tenor neck and rosewood f/b. The actual width of the nuts at the base where they meet the neck is as follows:
Concert Flea - 1.407"
Tenor Fluke - 1.445
The difference between them is 0.038" or a bit more than 1/32 inch.
More important than the width of the nut is how the strings are spaced on it. Measuring the strings of same two ukes outside-to-outside directly over the zero fret gave me this:
Concert Flea - 1.182"
Tenor Fluke - 1.187"
Obviously, the spacing is different by only .005" and IMO these variations have more to do with these two ukes than any plan. Comparing two others might yield opposite results. So for all intents and purposes I think it can be said that they will feel about the same (not counting the differences in fret spacing due to different scale lengths). This is the first time I've had a reason to measure them but that's just how they feel to me.
Lastly, the actual nut width measurements average pretty close to 1-7/16, which is halfway between a narrow (1-3/8") ukulele nut and a relatively wide (1-1/2") one so most players should find Fleas and Flukes comfortable to play.
**Edited out typo stupidly left during previous edits
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Posted By:
Mattman
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Date: 3/4/2010 6:28:53 PM |
Interesting, Jeff-
I just measured two of my ukes:
Lanikai Concert- 1 3/8" nut width, 1 1/16" across
strings, outside-to-outside, just below nut.
(most of my other ukes are very close to this
range, too...)
Old Harmony soprano (all solid mahogany, wood fretboard), which has the widest fretboard of all
my ukes- 1 7/16" at nut, 1 3/16" across strings.
So the "string spread" just below the nut is 1/8" wider on the Harmony, but a world of difference in feel, and it is the same as the nominal "string spread" you found for the Flea/Fluke ukes.
Crazyforukes, maybe you should try out a Flea or
Fluke- any good music stores, or maybe a ukulele club near you? Good luck on your quest for a more comfortable fretboard!
Cheers,
-Mattman
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Posted By:
mLKauai
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Date: 3/4/2010 10:44:03 PM |
hmm depending on how much room might be left on the edges, what about working over the nut itself and widening the spacing?
I know one can play with all these specs til dizzy, but some like them wide, some like them with lots of edge room etc.
If you try picking up a steel string guitar you'll see how little room between strings there can be... and how luxurious the uke spacing is.
and don't forget the neck profile; they go from Martin thin to much thicker and that has an effect as well.
Haven't gotten around to figuring how the profile at the 12th fret figures in yet either.
Pardon my babbling, but I have pondered these things to no complete conclusion.
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Posted By:
crazyforukes
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Date: 3/5/2010 6:37:05 AM |
| Thanks to all for posting and getting out your tapes.. my OS OU5 is 1 3/8 at the nut and the string spread is 1 1/4 all at the zero fret so, perhaps this is not an issue of width but part of the learning curve.. and, as one poster said, the "feel" .. it just seems the Oscar Schmidt is a bit "off" and instead of singing it is "pinging".. perhaps all this is about wanting cord progressions to be clean and clear.. what uke player doesn't want that.. is there a real difference in "feel"? practice.. practice..
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Posted By:
ChefJeff
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Date: 3/5/2010 12:20:56 PM |
Not that I'm a veteran player (or even very good) but I think your observation about practice is on the money. When you are first learning almost anything (playing, driving, flying, etc.) it seems the only one that feels "right" is the one you use for practice. But after a while your skills improve anything that is in the normal range feels OK.
Case in point: When I was first learning to fly I always reserved the same rental Cessna 152. The way aircraft are rigged varies and the rudder on only that particular 152's felt "right" to me so whenever I couldn't get "my" 152 I had trouble coordinating my turns. My instructor said that I'd eventually learn to just "give it what it needs" and she was right. Later, any 152 or 172 felt "normal" to me.
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Posted By:
yodelinglee
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Date: 3/8/2010 6:56:00 PM |
| I have to agree with ChefJeff. When I first started playing and getting UAS I made a big deal out of widder nuts because of my large hands. I stll like a wide nut, but it is no longer a big deal, they all work. Same thing for wound strings, they work too.
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Posted By:
musicguymic
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Date: 3/12/2010 11:42:54 PM |
| Leolanis new line of acacia ukes and travel ukes have bound 1-1/2" fretboards even on the sopranos...One of the few mass produced at this width
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Posted By:
mLKauai
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Date: 3/13/2010 2:50:39 AM
(Updated: 3/13/2010 2:52:33 AM)
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I was on a 1-1/2" kick for last couple years.
A few years ago most tenors were 1-3/8" like Martins (of course), but with beefier neck profiles (thank goodness).
Having switched from guitar, and wanting to play chords and solos with clarity, I felt 34 to 35mm (1-3/8") way too narrow for cramming chords.
Then 37mm, 38mm, 1-7/16", 1-1/2" was everywhere it seems.(at least more available)
Now production ukes seem to be set at 1-3/8" and I don't mind that anymore... go figure. There's something to be said about being able to "cuddle" that neck with chording hand. If you look at Craig's jazz video he just put up, he really cradles it. Easier to get your hand around it. So does Lyle (but with stubbier fingers).
When you get into longer scales you have another dimension; fret spacing. I've gone from concert 15" to 16", to tenor 17 to 17.5, to 18".
My ideal now is a nut width a tad over 1-3/8, but not 1-1/2", and a scale between 17.25 and 17.5".
See your favorite luthier if you want to demolish the conventional dimensional norms.
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Posted By:
Busby Mims
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Date: 3/24/2010 7:25:09 AM |
| I've got the same problem...fat fingers but add arthritis. I have two tenors that work great. A 6-string Mele and a O-8(8 string)Lanikai. Both have a 1-1/2" width at the nut. I removed 4 of the 8 strings on the Lanikai and it's a pleasure to plunk. The Mele, I play as is. The Mele is amazing. Hope this helps. Phil Hider
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Posted By:
Gerald Ross
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Date: 3/24/2010 10:33:43 AM
(Updated: 3/24/2010 10:34:26 AM)
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1.5" (38 mm) is the only way to go on a tenor IMHO.
All my custom ukes, two Talsma's, one Earnest have this nut width and string spacing.
This is a very comfortable width for strumming and fingerpicking.
Can't afford a custom uke? The new aNueNue Gerald Ross Signature Model has a 1.5" nut as standard equipment.
http://www.geraldross.com/calendarnewsanu.htm
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Posted By:
ChefJeff
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Date: 3/25/2010 10:12:01 AM |
Gerald, that aNueNue site deserves an award as a work of art... and the Internet Snooze award as well. Even with FIOS high speed service at this end it took a couple of minutes for that "page loading" balloon to finally get to 100% when I clicked on Ukuleles. And now that I have the page I can't find anything about the Gerald Ross model in any of aNueNue's four model categories.
Based on what I saw and heard at your site the Gerald Ross signature tenor looks and sounds interesting but I don't have the patience to explore the aNueNue site any further and online searching doesn't yield anything except announcements. Is the Gerald Ross tenor actually for sale anywhere?
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Posted By:
Gerald Ross
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Date: 3/25/2010 10:46:01 AM
(Updated: 3/25/2010 10:47:00 AM)
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ChefJeff,
aNueNue is in the process of updating their site. They are getting rid of all the animation and items that take forever to load. This change is a few weeks away. The new site will have GR Sig Mod info, pictures and stats.
Right now I would suggest contacting the USA distributor of aNueNue ukes to see where the GR Sig Mod is available. I apologize but that's all the info I can offer now.
Dana B Goods is the distributor:
http://www.danabgoods.com/
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