Uke for a location that isn't climate-controlled

mikhou

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 6, 2017
Messages
119
Reaction score
0
Hey there. I have a question for you guys. I've been playing guitar for about 15 years and uke for less than a year. (Being a UU+ member for the last year has really helped me along in learning.) I really enjoy the uke. It's so accessible that you just want to pick it up and play! It's such an intimate little instrument as opposed to my guitar. Anyway, I have been playing an Ohana CK-10 for the last year (a concert-sized uke with solid mahogany top and laminated mahogany back and sides). I really love this little uke. Anyway, I am an American living and working in a 3rd world country in the humanitarian aid sector. Where I live it's cold in the winter and hot and dry in the summer with no climate control indoors. We heat with a woodstove heater, and we cool with fans. So here's the question. I'd like to get a nicer tenor as I'll be back in the States in a few months. But with the plans to come back over here, I am wondering if I should go with something cheaper and laminated for stability, or should I go ahead and get something nicer and take the risk that the lack of climate control could harm it. FYI, I am considering the Pono AT, Pono MGT, Mainland Red Cedar Tenor, or Mainland Mango Tenor. These are all solid wood, but if you think they wouldn't survive the environment, I'd consider going with another Ohana laminate. Thoughts?

mikhou
 
Islander makes a nice laminate tenor.
 
Your location sound like my house here in the states :) as until recently we heated with wood, and use fans in the summer. Now we heat with natural gas space heaters. The house often gets in the low sixties or upper fifties in winter and in the nineties in the summer.

A warm house does not seem to bother my ukes - I keep them year-round next to an inside wall in cases/gig bags and away from direct sunlight. I usually don't humidify them in summer as we have high humidity anyway - our climate is a match for Washington D. C..

For me, the tuners are the issue in cold weather more than cracking or drying out of wood. I love my OXK (which is high pressure laminate) that I got as a less climate-picky uke, but I need to really crank down on the little screws on the tuners to keep it tight enough so the strings don't back off when it is cold. Truly, the best winter uke for me is my Outdoor Ukulele tenor.

IMHO, if the Ohana CK- 10 is working for you now, I would get another Ohana solid/laminate in tenor size.
 
Last edited:
At the high end, there's the Blackbird Farallon.
 
I think I'd stick with a laminate (or solid top) in your situation, or maybe the Outdoor tenor, they seem to play well.
If you want to spend some money there are some middle to higher end laminate ukes that appear to be liked by some.
 
All my ukes, except my spruce topped baritone, are plywood, and they all sound good enough for my playing level.

I don’t like all that humidity bother. A few small cracks might even give a uke character. :eek:ld:
 
Fluke Fluke Fluke. I took one on a tour of Australia and Tasmania. We were in deserts rain forest and snow. No problem.
 
Mim says solid-topped ukes normally don't need humidification, but an all-laminate would be safer.

I've got a cedar-topped concert Ohana and a Koa Flea (Dale Webb says don't leave it near forced-air heating vents). No problems.

I keep my two solid Ohanas in humidified cases during the winter, because I did get a crack in one a couple of years back.

I really like the way Ohanas play, but I'm a Flea/Fluke fan, too, and they're pretty indestructible.

My Islander tenor is really cool, too.
 
You could get an Outdoor Ukulele tenor for $145 (Do plan ahead though by getting in touch with them as they run out of stock sometimes and there is usually a wait regardless). That's the most worry free instrument I know of. I also think it sounds good and plays well. Intonation is good too. It's not as loud as some ukes, if that is of concern.
Then you could get another good Ohana too to go along with it, if you really wanted....and still stay under $500 total probably. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm thinking one Pono is in the 400-500 range... Just a thought.
I've only recently had an experience with Ohana and I'm very impressed, especially at the price points they come in at.

As for what needs humidification or not.... It totally depends on your environment. It's not just the tops or other body wood to consider. The neck wood and fretboard can also shrink exposing fret ends, etc. Also, even laminated instruments are braced with solid wood braces usually, so they can be damaged too....they're just tougher than all solid. I'd say it comes down to the individual instrument too. One instrument may have problems and another not so much. Part of it is just luck of the draw probably. The main thing you want to watch out for is rapid changes in temperature and humidity. That puts your instrument at the highest risk.
You just have to decide how much risk and how much care you take. These days I'm perfectly happy with some decent lower cost instruments that I don't worry over so much.
 
Last edited:
If you are really set on taking an all solid wood uke it will be ok with the right treatment. Get a good hard case and keep in it there unless playing it. Put a D'Addario humidipak in the case, its a two way system that will keep the humidity level inside the case at approx 45%. It release moisture when levels are low and absorbs when high. They need replacing every three months or so.
 
If you are really set on taking an all solid wood uke it will be ok with the right treatment. Get a good hard case and keep in it there unless playing it. Put a D'Addario humidipak in the case, its a two way system that will keep the humidity level inside the case at approx 45%. It release moisture when levels are low and absorbs when high. They need replacing every three months or so.
I'll second the Humidipaks. I'm a fan of those too. However, how long they last depends.... Just replace it when they dry out whether that is one week or three months. It'd get pretty expensive for someone to have to replace them often. I have heard of that happening in harsh conditions.
 
Last edited:
I'll second the Humidipaks. I'm a fan of those too. However, how long they last depends.... Just replace it when they dry out whether that is one week or three months. It'd get pretty expensive for someone to have to replace them often. I have hard of that happening in harsh conditions.

Yes very true. A flea, fluke or all laminate would be much more worry free for sure.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. So it sounds like either go with a plastic uke (ala Flea, ODU), a laminate that might hold up better, or be willing to take a risk on a higher quality tenor while constantly monitoring humidity levels. I'm still unsure, but we'll see.
 
I second the Blackbird Farallon or Clara. Exceptional instruments, and they don't care about ambient humidity, heat, or much of anything. Can get a used one at a good price... (~$750-850 Clara, $1000-$1150 Farallon)
 
I second the Blackbird Farallon or Clara. Exceptional instruments, and they don't care about ambient humidity, heat, or much of anything. Can get a used one at a good price... (~$750-850 Clara, $1000-$1150 Farallon)

Yeah, that's probably out of my price range, but I'll check them out to see what I am missing. :D
 
Hey there. I have a question for you guys. I've been playing guitar for about 15 years and uke for less than a year. (Being a UU+ member for the last year has really helped me along in learning.) I really enjoy the uke. It's so accessible that you just want to pick it up and play! It's such an intimate little instrument as opposed to my guitar. Anyway, I have been playing an Ohana CK-10 for the last year (a concert-sized uke with solid mahogany top and laminated mahogany back and sides). I really love this little uke. Anyway, I am an American living and working in a 3rd world country in the humanitarian aid sector. Where I live it's cold in the winter and hot and dry in the summer with no climate control indoors. We heat with a woodstove heater, and we cool with fans. So here's the question. I'd like to get a nicer tenor as I'll be back in the States in a few months. But with the plans to come back over here, I am wondering if I should go with something cheaper and laminated for stability, or should I go ahead and get something nicer and take the risk that the lack of climate control could harm it. FYI, I am considering the Pono AT, Pono MGT, Mainland Red Cedar Tenor, or Mainland Mango Tenor. These are all solid wood, but if you think they wouldn't survive the environment, I'd consider going with another Ohana laminate. Thoughts?

mikhou

With you being a long term Guitar player I guess that you have picked up skills on the Uke quite quickly and have an ear for the sounds that you are producing. If that’s the case then you’re not a typical second time buyer but still have problems in common with the more experienced players here. As I understand it you are currently playing an all laminated concert Uke that might be fairly described as a good (for) beginners model - https://ohana-music.com/product/ck-10-mahogany-concert/ . As I understand things your Uke is relatively affordable, I believe that some more expensive laminates perform significantly better than the CK10 and so justify their higher price tag.

The questions that I think you need to be asking are what do you want to achieve musically; are your perceptions of laminate and solid Ukes correct; in what ways does your current Uke not meet your needs; what Calander time span do you actually need to buy for; and in practice how much care would you find restrictive.

YMMV but to me the answers point away from the expensive solid wood models that you have suggested and towards a better quality laminate that’s built for sound and durability.
 
Last edited:
I will put in my vote for the Fluke or Flea, there's a megthread you can get to from clicking here, with lots of previous discussion on their merits.
 
With you being a long term Guitar player I guess that you have picked up skills on the Uke quite quickly and have an ear for the sounds that you are producing. If that’s the case then you’re not a typical second time buyer but still have problems in common with the more experienced players here. As I understand it you are currently playing an all laminated concert Uke that might be fairly described as a good (for) beginners model - https://ohana-music.com/product/ck-10-mahogany-concert/ . As I understand things your Uke is relatively affordable, I believe that some more expensive laminates perform significantly better than the CK10 and so justify their higher price tag.

The questions that I think you need to be asking are what do you want to achieve musically; are your perceptions of laminate and solid Ukes correct; in what ways does your current Uke not meet your needs; what Calander time span do you actually need to buy for; and in practice how much care would you find restrictive.

YMMV but to me the answers point away from the expensive solid wood models that you have suggested and towards a better quality laminate that’s built for sound and durability.

I don't disagree with you on your last sentence. What would you expect to pay for a "better quality laminate that's built for sound and durability." Any suggestions?

I will put in my vote for the Fluke or Flea, there's a megthread you can get to from clicking here, with lots of previous discussion on their merits.

Thanks for the suggestions, but I just can't seem to get my head around the idea of a Fluke. The body shape just doesn't seem right to me.
 
Top Bottom