Ukulele Sizes



This is a brief explanation for those people who wonder what the different sizes of a Ukulele currently° are

There are 5 Main°° Scales:-

Mini This is a scale length of less than 305mm (12in) though anything less that 20cm, (8in) is pretty much unplayable. Called Mini by Jonah Kumalae when he first started producing them in the early 'teens, but now usually called Sopranino to sound more "official" - Also known as Baby, Ukette, Piccolo, Sopranisimo, Micro, Bambino, Pocket and some other names implying its small size too. Usually tuned a~D~F#~B or higher

Soprano This is a scale length of 305mm (12in) to 355mm (14in) and these days usually about 340mm (13½in) Originally called Standard - This is the original Ukulele Scale Usually tuned g~C~E~A or a~D~F#~B

Concert This is a scale length of 356mm (14in) to 405mm (16in) and these days usually about 380mm (15in) Could be called Alto - But for marketing reasons in the 1920's it never was, and it still isn't now. Usually tuned g~C~E~A

Tenor This is a scale length of 406mm (16in) to 460mm (18in) and these days usually about 430mm (17in). Usually tuned g~C~E~A or G~C~E~A (low G tuning)

Baritone This is a scale length of more than 460mm (18in) and these days usually about 510mm (20in). Usually tuned D~G~B~E

Anything larger than a Baritone is not usually considered a Ukulele. There are a couple of Luthiers over the years who have had a stab at making "Bass" scale Ukuleles but the idea has never really caught on, (it was also tried in the late 1920's as a term for some of the Ukuleles that were larger than the scale lengths defined in the Standard Approved edict as the size above that definition of Tenor; (Tonk Bros definitely included it in their catalogues of the time), and increasing the size does move the instrument very firmly into the realms of the "Chicago tuned" Tenor Guitar; true a Tenor Guitar would usually have a thinner neck that a Ukulele but this is not always the case. The most likely claim today for this as a separate scale definition is with the advent of the Ukulele Bass, (which is generally the same scale length as a Baritone but can be larger; or even smaller). There has been some interest rekindled in larger Ukuleles but these currently are generally being referred to as "Long Scale Baritones" or just "Long Scale" rather than anything else.

There is no "official" definition of string/scale lengths and the figures used here are arrived at having looked at the output of a lot of manufacturers post millennium, their sizes and what they choose to call their instruments.

° - I say "currently" here as there have in the past been different definitions, most famously the Standard Approved definition.

°° - I say "main" here as there are a number of subset titles of scales using terms like "Long Neck" or "Super" in conjunction with Soprano or Concert. This usually denotes a hybrid where the body size is commensurate with the scale but the neck has been lengthened into a longer scale length to give access to more frets. They are not actually different scales, a Concert scale Supersoprano would be Concert scale, they just, with their smaller bodies look disproportionate. A Tenor scale Supersoprano looks even more disproportionate and I have seen this type of Ukulele jokingly referred to as a Giraffe. I have also seen a few people making SuperSopraninos, that is Ukuleles with a Mini size body and an extended neck bringing it back to the Soprano scale (or bigger!). Given the tonal deficiencies of a Mini body and the small size of these extra frets for realistic usability I can't see a musical reason for them so I assume it is just a novelty exercise but I'm open to be convinced otherwise?

Another set of terms that imply a different scale are Jumbo and Mini, (always in conjunction with another descriptive term for the scale length and nothing to do with the original use of Mini as the smallest scale for Ukuleles). In this case however it refers to the tuning rather than any peculiarity of manufacture. What it usually means is a Tenor scale Ukulele tuned D~G~B~E or a Baritone scale tuned g~C~E~A. These can be referred to as Jumbo Tenors or Mini Baritones and confusingly the same two terms can be applied to either configuration?! (I have seen the term Mini-Tenor used as an alternative for Long Neck Superconcerts and has nothing to do with tuning)