19 Inch Scale Tenors are they built really differently from 17 Inch Tenors?

Felly

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As title, Any comments from players who uses both types of tenor ukuleles? mainly wondering about the fret spacing differences and string tensions
Right now I am playing off muscle memory of frets 1 - 5 easily without looking on at the ukulele on a 17 inch. Just wondering would there be a need to relearn muscle memory of the fret board if you went from a 17inch to a 19 inch tenor?

edit: English
 
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Well, with a two inch longer scale length, you're looking at one inch longer distance from the nut to the 12th fret. So we'll estimate that that's roughly 1/2" longer from the nut to the 5th fret. My guess, based on that, is that you probably won't notice much difference.
 
As title, Any comments from players who uses both types of tenor ukuleles? mainly wondering about the fret spacing differences and string tensions
Right now I am playing off muscle memory of frets 1 - 5 easily without looking on at the ukulele on a 17 inch. Just wondering would there be a need to relearn muscle memory of the fret board if you went from a 17inch to a 19 inch tenor?

edit: English
Depends on your hands.. if you can stretch then it will be the same arrangement else you will need to adapt. One reason I consider baritone a ukulele is that the arrangements remain the same and I can stretch all the way to around 21 inches. For guitars I need to relearn a lot of things.
one challenge with super tenors is that strong selection is limited and needs a lot more experimentation for what you like. Often I fee super tenors are great for finger picking and maybe not so great for strumming but that depends on how the instrument was built.
 
Well, with a two inch longer scale length, you're looking at one inch longer distance from the nut to the 12th fret. So we'll estimate that that's roughly 1/2" longer from the nut to the 5th fret. My guess, based on that, is that you probably won't notice much difference.
Thanks for the reply!
Is that around 1 Fret more ? or am I not reading this correctly.
ie, would you accidentally press onto the 6th Fret on the 19 Inch tenor, due to muscle memory from 17 Inch tenor ?
 
Depends on your hands.. if you can stretch then it will be the same arrangement else you will need to adapt. One reason I consider baritone a ukulele is that the arrangements remain the same and I can stretch all the way to around 21 inches. For guitars I need to relearn a lot of things.
one challenge with super tenors is that strong selection is limited and needs a lot more experimentation for what you like. Often I fee super tenors are great for finger picking and maybe not so great for strumming but that depends on how the instrument was built.
Now I really wish there's a ukulele store in my country with 19 inch to test on 😭
 
Now I really wish there's a ukulele store in my country with 19 inch to test on 😭
There is an 18 inch Ono for sale in the marketplace.. you can get a baritone which is 20 inch and there are string sets to tune to GCEA.. that is also a super tenor but with a bigger body.. if you are mainly concerned about scale length, you can try to find a short scale guitar close by or buy a cheap baritone second hand to try.. which country do you reside in?
 
There is an 18 inch Ono for sale in the marketplace.. you can get a baritone which is 20 inch and there are string sets to tune to GCEA.. that is also a super tenor but with a bigger body.. if you are mainly concerned about scale length, you can try to find a short scale guitar close by or buy a cheap baritone second hand to try.. which country do you reside in?
Currently in Singapore. I think there may be some stores with baritones to touch and feel the neck/Fret.
yes I've noticed there's some Long neck tenors around by a few builders which you can tune 1 entire step down( F–A#–D–G.) too sounds heavenly. Exploring to add to my ukulele collection.
 
Currently in Singapore. I think there may be some stores with baritones to touch and feel the neck/Fret.
yes I've noticed there's some Long neck tenors around by a few builders which you can tune 1 entire step down too sounds heavenly. Exploring to add to my ukulele collection.
Singapore does have a few ukulele players. Maybe find a group on Facebook or meetup. The best way is to try some one’s uke.
 
Felly, I play super tenors all the time. I primarily play around the 7th fret and fingerstyle mostly. I never have an issue moving to another size. I admit when I pick up my cigar box guitar (guitar neck), playing a F#m7b5 on the 2nd fret is a little bit of a stretch. But that's about it. I don't really find the differences very dramatic.
 
I have guitars and ukuleles ranging from long neck jumbo guitar to concert uke and I have never given a thought about the different fret spacings.
 
Just wondering would there be a need to relearn muscle memory of the fret board if you went from a 17inch to a 19 inch tenor?

You'll be pleasantly surprised that your fingers will adapt to the different scale very fast. I switch between various sized ukes and guitars; it takes just seconds to adjust. If you've been playing exclusively on the 17", then maybe it'll take you a few minutes to adjust.
 
Would it roughly be the same as going from a tenor to a concert or soprano? I see a lot of players effortlessly be able to switch between different sized instruments
 
I have guitars and ukuleles ranging from long neck jumbo guitar to concert uke and I have never given a thought about the different fret spacings.

The different fret spacing does take a little bit of adjustment for me, but it's only a few seconds during my warmup.

What bothers me more is the differences in string spacings when finger picking. The most major being switching between guitars and ukes; however, I don't think the OP will encounter that problem between a 17" and 19" uke.
 
Thanks y’all for your valuable inputs and yes major worry is about the fret spacing but all good I’ll try to find a baritone to test the feel of it!
 
I own regular 17” scale tenors, a 19” super tenor and various baritone scale lengths of 20”-21”. As far as finger placement and muscle memory goes you will adapt.
The string tension on a 19” scale is greater then a 17”, it is noticeable but manageable. When you are out looking at baritones the string tension will be a lot less due to the lower tuning of DGBE.
 
Some manufactures create confusion with their size descriptions. Technically the definition of ukulele sizes is through their scale length as body sizes and shapes are very variable in several dimensions. So a "super tenor" is really a 17 scale uke with oversized body, whereas a 19 scale uke with small body should be called something like a "mini baritone". This will also make string selection easier as tension is more a function of scale length than of one or more body dimensions.
 
I play everything from tenor 'ukulele to bass guitar. I learned that after a month or so of practice, my hands adjust to a new scale length. Because I mainly played long scale classical guitars (664mm), the hardest transition for me was getting used to the tiny 17" scale of tenors—took a couple months so that I didn't have to look or cramp up. With that said, 19 or 20 inch scales are the most comfortable for me in 'ukulele land.
 
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