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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner | Page: 1 2 3   |
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| Tenor Ukulele | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10th, 2007 04:13 am |
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1st Post |
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drewfus92 Approved
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I am going to learn to play the ukulele, and I'm looking for a decent tenor ukulele. I'm looking in the $150-250 range. Also, what do you think about 6-string and 8-string tenors? Should I ignore that and just get a 4-string, or do they sound better? -Drewfus
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10th, 2007 03:41 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Will Approved 
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drewfus92 wrote: I am going to learn to play the ukulele, and I'm looking for a decent tenor ukulele. I'm looking in the $150-250 range. Also, what do you think about 6-string and 8-string tenors? Should I ignore that and just get a 4-string, or do they sound better? If you're just learning to play, buy yourself a 4-string ukulele first, and try out the 6-string and 8-string ukes later on after you've become more proficient. The Bushman Jenny tenor uke is an all-solid mahogany uke equipped with Aquila Nylgut strings, selling for about $230: http://jumpingflea.com/productdetail/~Model/BU7T~/d.html 
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10th, 2007 06:40 pm |
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3rd Post |
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artcrocker Approved
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Will has a good suggestion with the Bushman, almost bought one. I have a Pono, which is close in price and has been good to me. I went thru the 6string, 8string questions when I was new to the uke. Guess I am glad to have stayed with a 4stringer, as Will suggests during the learning process. Maybe a 6 or 8 could be a novelty interest in the future.
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10th, 2007 10:07 pm |
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4th Post |
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honu Approved
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Bushman Jenny's used to have quality issues two years ago. Meaning some of the strings would buzz at certain frets and intonation was average. If you acquire a Bushman, some modifications to the nut and bridge will need to be done. I agree with Will - the six and eight strings are harder to play. Although, the six and eight strings does seem to have a fuller sound. I also saw three or four players playing eight string ukes at the Cerritos Uke festival this past weekend. A Pono is a good buy for a tenor size. I would say the Pono would be a little better than a Bushman Jenny. Although, I tested a few Ponos at the Cerritos Uke fest this weekend and it seems that the older Ponos two years ago are better made and sounded better. The new Ponos had a much higher action and the soundbox did not put that much output as the older ones. Out-of-the-box, a very good uke tenor based on price and quality that I tested at the festival and is at the $400-500 range - is the Honu. The same maker of Honus, also makes Kalas. Last year, I tested the Kalas and Honus and they were average sounding and intonation was average too. I'm not sure why the Honus are much improved from the older models. I'm guessing that they finally listened to MusicGuyMic's recommendations. Whatever you chose, put Aquila strings on the ukes. It really makes a difference. I compared the ukes to my G-String tenor. My honest opinion? I still think my G-String tenor is the best of the tenors out there. Although, the price of a G-String is around $700. When we were jamming at the festival, three of us were playing G-String tenors. Last edited on Wed Oct 10th, 2007 10:29 pm by honu |
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11th, 2007 05:07 am |
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5th Post |
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GX9901 Approved 
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I must do a little bit of correction on what honu said about Honu ukes (sorry man! I hope you don't mind.). Honu ukes are not made by Kala. Rather, Kala is the distributor in the U.S.A. for Big Island Ukulele company. From what I've been able to gather from some Japanese websites (Honus are mostly sold in Japan according to MGM), Honu ukes are made in either Vietnam or Indonesia. This Japanese uke shop has a page for koa Honus: http://www.woodmagic.jp/ukulele/ukulele_bigisland.htm (BTW, if you know the exchange rate, notice how expensive the Honus are in Japan!  ). I think the ones with the Honu shaped bridge are only sold in Japan at the moment, again according to MGM, whom I bought one such concert uke from.As for the original question about tenors, how about tenor Flukes? They fit the $150-250 budget and are consistent sounding.
____________________ Check out my uke blog: http://gx9901ukes.blogspot.com |
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11th, 2007 05:31 pm |
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6th Post |
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honu Approved
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Thanks for clarifying this. No wonder the Kalas were not the same quality as the Honus! The Kalas have not changed in workmanship or sound...still sounds terrible compared to the Honus. I went to the Honu website and assumed that Kala was made by the same company. My apologies and thanks for keeping me honest, GX9901. Last edited on Thu Oct 11th, 2007 05:32 pm by honu |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12th, 2007 12:59 am |
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7th Post |
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GX9901 Approved
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honu, There are absolutely no reasons to aplogize man. I just figured since there are very little info about Honu ukes in english, I'd contribute what I've found out about them. I think it's great that you had a chance to checkout some Honu ukes in person and give some opinions about it here.
____________________ Check out my uke blog: http://gx9901ukes.blogspot.com |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12th, 2007 06:47 pm |
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8th Post |
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honu Approved
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Thanks. Hope to meet you in person in the near future!
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12th, 2007 11:43 pm |
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9th Post |
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drewfus92 Approved
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Will wrote:drewfus92 wrote:I am going to learn to play the ukulele, and I'm looking for a decent tenor ukulele. I'm looking in the $150-250 range. Also, what do you think about 6-string and 8-string tenors? Should I ignore that and just get a 4-string, or do they sound better? In the picture it looks like the g-string is smaller than the c-string. Is that how the ukulele comes, or is it a wrong picture. (I thought tenor ukuleles had a low g-string and not a "re-entry string" or whatever.)
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12th, 2007 11:57 pm |
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10th Post |
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honu Approved
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The "G" string is usually smaller than the "C" string. You can either use a "low-g" or "re-entrant g" string. Re-entrant means the regular high G. It's personal choice. Only difference is...if you go low-g...the nut might have to be modified to accept the bigger string. Some players actually have customized 5-string ukes...one with a low-g and the other string with a re-entrant g string. I know one uke player that plays like that. As for whether it goes on a tenor size. I've seen a low-g on a concert. Have not seen one on a soprano. And have seen tons of tenors with a low-g. I don't like the low bassy sound of a low-g...but I do have a third-wound ('c-string).
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 12:18 am |
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11th Post |
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drewfus92 Approved
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Honu, does the low g-string vibrate on the frets, or do you just not like the low tone? Also, all my local stores only have lanikai LU21T for $120. What do you think about those?
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 02:27 am |
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12th Post |
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UkeForever Approved 
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The Lanikai LU21T is the same as the Kala brand cardboard...I mean, laminate ukes. As for the Low-G, whether or not it buzzes has to do with how well the instrument is set up. It shouldn't buzz. The traditional (and in my opinion, correct) way to string a uke is re-entrant GCEA or ADF#B. The low tuning is a newfangled thing for tenor players who want to sound like baritone players to get the additional low notes and low voicings (baritone uke is DGBE excactly like a guitar, and was "invented" around the 50s). The re-entrant tuning is what gives a uke its ukey sound; besides, when you think about voicing on a 6-string guitar, seldom does your fourth string represent the tonic note of the chord. So to me, low-G tuning sounds strange, and the voicing just sounds...off. Along with voicing, another advantage to re-entrant tuning is using that 4th string as a drone string, and fun things can happen when you fingerpick. Strumming in and out of a high note also give the standard tuning its classical sound. Just my input. I know the low-g-ers will feel slightly threatened by my assertion that it's not really a ukey sounds (IZ used a low-g Martin in his recording of "Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World"--well, it sounded ukey in that song, and that's about it). Lyle Ritz is another who uses low-G, and I guess it's sometimes suited to that jazzy voice; but so is a re-entrant tuned uke. Last edited on Sat Oct 13th, 2007 02:29 am by UkeForever |
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 04:03 am |
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13th Post |
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drewfus92 Approved
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I have played the bass guitar for five years, and am just now learning to play the ukulele. The reason I chose the tenor ukulele is because I thought that it would be lower pitched than the soprano and concert. Is this actually true? If not, what is the main difference in sound between the tenor and soprano? Also, if I bought a normal tenor and modified my nut so that I could replace gCEA with GCEA, would it still sound good with my re-entrant g-string if I put it back in? Last edited on Sat Oct 13th, 2007 04:47 am by drewfus92 |
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 04:50 am |
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14th Post |
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Will Approved
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drewfus92 wrote: I have played the bass guitar for five years, and am just now learning to play the ukulele. The reason I chose the tenor ukulele is because I thought that it would be lower pitched than the soprano and concert. Is this actually true? If not, what is the main difference in sound between the tenor and soprano? Also, if I bought a normal tenor and modified my nut so that I could replace the g-string with a lower g-string, would it still sound good with my re-entrant g-string? The tuning of the tenor, concert, and soprano is the same, gCEA. The tenor can also be tuned GCEA, (called "low-G") without the re-entrant high-G string. The difference between the tone of each ukulele size lies in the body size, which emphasizes different frequencies. The tenor is said to have a deeper sound (especially when tuned with the low-G) because its larger body size resonates naturally at a lower frequency than the smaller ukuleles. The baritone uke is tuned a fourth lower, identical to the guitar's 4 highest strings, DGBE, so it will give you a deeper tone, and a familiar tuning interval like the bass guitar.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 04:58 am |
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15th Post |
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drewfus92 Approved
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Thanks Will. I think I will get a gCEA tenor uke. You said, "a familiar tuning interval like the bass guitar", the bass is actually the lower four strings of the guitar, (every string is a perfect 4th up from the next.) Just so you know. I just read this post, http://ezfolk.com/forums/forum30/4402.html. Does anybody recommend Worth strings since I am getting a tenor? Last edited on Sat Oct 13th, 2007 05:13 am by drewfus92 |
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 05:36 am |
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16th Post |
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Will Approved
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drewfus92 wrote: Thanks Will. I think I will get a gCEA tenor uke. You said, "a familiar tuning interval like the bass guitar", the bass is actually the lower four strings of the guitar, (every string is a perfect 4th up from the next.) Just so you know. I just read this post, http://ezfolk.com/forums/forum30/4402.html. Does anybody recommend Worth strings since I am getting a tenor? That's why I said tuning "interval," in 4ths rather than 5ths. A few months ago, I bought an electric bass guitar, which I'm trying to learn how to play. The biggest challenge for me (primarily a guitar player nowadays) is getting used to the very thick strings, higher action, and longer neck. I also have a mandolin, but being tuned in fifths, it is quite a learning curve for me to learn the new tuning. Some players here like Worth strings. I prefer Aquilas.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 05:41 am |
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17th Post |
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drewfus92 Approved
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Thanks Will, I probably just misunderstood you. Thats cool that you are learing to play the bass guitar. You should look into "thumpin', poppin' and slappin'." It is hard to figure out the intervals on the ukulele (the major third from C to E), so I understand how hard it is to learn the bass. Just to clarify, do you absolutely not reccomend the Lanikai Lu21t?
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 05:48 am |
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18th Post |
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drewfus92 Approved
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artcrocker wrote: Will has a good suggestion with the Bushman, almost bought one. I have a Pono, which is close in price and has been good to me. Where can I find out more about the Pono? Is it a brand name?
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 05:56 am |
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19th Post |
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Will Approved
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drewfus92 wrote: Thanks Will, I probably just misunderstood you. Thats cool that you are learing to play the bass guitar. You should look into "thumpin', poppin' and slappin'." It is hard to figure out the intervals on the ukulele (the major third from C to E), so I understand how hard it is to learn the bass. Just to clarify, do you absolutely not reccomend the Lanikai Lu21t? As most uke players would say... "you can't have just one." There are decent ukes that are laminated, just as there are solid wood instruments that don't sound all that great, despite the price. Sometimes, the uke that gets played the most is the one that stands up to the most travel. If that were a criteria, my laminated Samick UK-60 concert uke would win the contest. I've taken that uke on many business trips. When I was first learning how to play, I bought my ukes one by one, not knowing anybody else who played one. I started with a Hilo baritone, because I wanted to eventually play guitar. At that time, there were very few ukes to choose from at local music stores, so I ended up buying most of my ukes via mail order after doing a lot of comparative research on the Internet. I had to stick to a budget, so I spent very little on most of them. Four of my ukes have solid spruce tops: the Amigo AMB-7 baritone ($60), Oscar Schmidt OU53S baritone ($180), Lanikai HU-26 concert (now called the S-C) for $100, and the Baja concert ($50 clearance price), and they are the best sounding of the bunch. I also own a Lanikai K-T koa laminate tenor, which I bought for $150, which also sound pretty good. All of my ukes have Aquila Nylgut strings, almost all are low-G, because it better suits my playing style. That being said, if you can afford to buy a solid top or all solid wood uke, be patient and research the brand and model you want. If possible, try to find a local store to see if you can play it in person (sometimes easier said than done). Fortunately for me, the Old Town School of Folk Music's instrument store is near my home, and they now have a great selection of ukes in all styles and prices. Last edited on Sat Oct 13th, 2007 06:00 am by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 06:01 am |
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20th Post |
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drewfus92 Approved
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Thank you. I'll probably get a laminate uke. I still have two unanswered questions. What is "Pono", and if I modify my nut to fit a low G, can I still play with a high G?
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