But to get back on topic: may I conclude that the differences in sound I experienced in those two similair looking tenors, were apparently not caused by the different woods used for (the outer layer of) the laminate bodies? But problably more by differences in construction of the instruments and/or quality of the used laminates?
Different laminates
- Thread starter Rutger
- Start date
When you see a ukulele described as "laminate", the only thing it tells you, for sure, is that it is not solid wood. It does not tell you what it is. It could be one of several different types of plywood or it could be a type of high pressure laminated material. The latter might not contain wood at all.
HPL is not necessarily inferior to plywood. If designed and made to a high standard, a ukulele with a body made from HPL can be very satisfactory in all departments. As regards strength, and resistance to varying conditions of heat and humidity, HPL has a lot to offer. HPL can be very difficult to distinguish, visually, from real timber.
Solid wood is very variable (my entry for understatement of the year!). I once owned, at the same time, two examples of the Ohana SK35G, solid mahogany soprano. One sounded very good indeed, the other was woefully poor. There was nothing obviously wrong with the poor one. One of the greatest advantages of buying a uke made by a single craftsman (or woman) is that the wood will have been carefully selected for its suitability.
Mass produced instruments made from laminated wood, plywood, or HPL, are likely to be more consistent in sound than mass produced solid wooden types. But they do vary, sometimes quite considerably.
John Colter
HPL is not necessarily inferior to plywood. If designed and made to a high standard, a ukulele with a body made from HPL can be very satisfactory in all departments. As regards strength, and resistance to varying conditions of heat and humidity, HPL has a lot to offer. HPL can be very difficult to distinguish, visually, from real timber.
Solid wood is very variable (my entry for understatement of the year!). I once owned, at the same time, two examples of the Ohana SK35G, solid mahogany soprano. One sounded very good indeed, the other was woefully poor. There was nothing obviously wrong with the poor one. One of the greatest advantages of buying a uke made by a single craftsman (or woman) is that the wood will have been carefully selected for its suitability.
Mass produced instruments made from laminated wood, plywood, or HPL, are likely to be more consistent in sound than mass produced solid wooden types. But they do vary, sometimes quite considerably.
John Colter
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