neck and setup specs for concert uke

[Kary Karahadian]

I've played one ukulele in my life so i don't have much to go on. what are some standard parameters for 1) string heights above fret at 12th, and 2) saddle height off top?

[Rob Collins]

I aim for 2.5-3mm air gap between the string and the fret crown at the 12th fret. (I use a drill bit as a gauge).

My bridges are usually about 7-8 mm tall with the saddle protruding by 2.5mm or so.

[Kary Karahadian]

Thanks. do you radius your fret boards? they're so small, not sure it would make any difference.

Being a classical player, I'm struck by how narrow uke necks are. other than convention, why not make them a bit wider for ease of playing?

[Chris Reed]

My numbers are like Ron's. I use flat fretboards.

The string spacing on a uke is usually 8.5-9 mm, the same as a classical guitar. You can build a neck as wide as you like, but most players find this spacing comfortable. The string spacing doesn't have to match the neck width, so you could build a wide neck with normal spacing, but it would look odd.

[Kary Karahadian]

Thanks for the info. Being a newbie to bolt on necks (up to this point, i've built all my guitars with Spanish heels) and ukuleles i'm going to let the questions keep rolling.

I'm planning on a bolt on, butt neck body join. would one 10/24 insert be enough? 1/4" seems to big. two inserts seems overkill for the low tension on this instrument (?)

[Clay Schaeffer]

Some people use a glued butt joint neck - no bolt. Depending on the size of the uke (soprano) you may not need much in the way of neck attachment.

[Kary Karahadian]

that makes life simple!

thanks