Tell us about your best sounding ukulele..

What a fun thread!
I'd have to say the uke here that pleases my ear the most is my wife's mahogany Tiny Tenor. Unfortunately, for me, the scale is a bit long, so I'm not very good at playing it. She is also a guitarist, so she's all over it.

After that, my Cocobolo Ukuleles concert uke is the best sounding thing I've ever owned. I use Worth Clears on it. I do like it with Worth Browns too. It pleases my ears played acoustically or plugged in. Everyone who hears it seems to really enjoy its tone. Highs, lows, mids, it has it all, even thought it's built a little on the heavy side.

I love LoPrinzi ukes, but I won't sidetrack the thread, because I don't have one. Everybody I know that has one is crazy about it. I can't say enough nice things about Donna.
 
Okay, then. I would say my Koaloha soprano and concert are the best of my bunch. I can't choose between them for sound.
 
Thats ok, I listed three, it is a hard choice:confused:. Koaloha have a great sound, makes it tough to pick one.

I'm not a connoisseur of sound. The only disappointment in a uke was from a cigar box I built. I selected a beautiful box and had it almost finished. Then I cut the sound hole and saw that it was not wood. It was thick cardboard! I eventually removed that top and found a nice paper-covered wooden top. Lots better sound. I used cigar boxes for two builds, but I made a box for that photo.

Cigar One1.jpgHawaii Cigar Box.jpg
 
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I have had a Pono mahogany tenor for over 10 years and without a doubt, mahogany is the best for me. Low G.
 
Blue Frog Spruce Maple Soprano that I bought here on the Ukulele Underground from Member Vic Jones. It is strung with worth clears and has a stunning harp-like tone that is both resonant and clear at the same time. Love love love my Blue Frog. I stopped looking at other sopranos after I got this. Well okay, I do look, but never tempted.Except when Vic recently posted a sopranino for sale.
 
Blue Frog Spruce Maple Soprano that I bought here on the Ukulele Underground from Member Vic Jones. It is strung with worth clears and has a stunning harp-like tone that is both resonant and clear at the same time. Love love love my Blue Frog. I stopped looking at other sopranos after I got this. Well okay, I do look, but never tempted.Except when Vic recently posted a sopranino for sale.

That's beautiful!

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?84929-Blue-Frog-Handmade-Ambrosia-Maple-Soprano
 
My best sounding tenor 'ukulele is an all-koa Moore Bettah that I was fortunate enough to buy from its original owner. With a set of Chuck Moore curated strings, it rings like a bell. Warm Hawaiian voice with nice sustain. Mahalo nui, Chuck!

My best-sounding traditional baritone is my Ono baritone with bearclaw spruce top and padauk back and sides. The sound is radiant. Mahalo nui, David!

I also need to give a shout-out to the steel string Compass Rose baritone 'ukulele that was built for me by Rick Turner. The steel strings give it a warm guitar-like sound and it has great tone and sustain. Mahalo, nui Rick!



I like to think that, as with most people, most ukuleles are lovable, but just not by everyone. I hope this instrument has found a home where it is loved and cherished for what it is, and not unloved for failing to meet someone's expectations.
I am getting a Ono super tenor soon! Very excited.

My current favorite as I mentioned earlier is a Spruce + Ebony (Maccascar) tenor from Chuck Moore.. I wish I could get an all Koa from him.. I hope he get back to building ukes but
above that I hope he stays safe and happy!

I have not hear much about Compass Rose Baritones.. will keep an eye out for those.
 
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Blue Frog Spruce Maple Soprano that I bought here on the Ukulele Underground from Member Vic Jones. It is strung with worth clears and has a stunning harp-like tone that is both resonant and clear at the same time. Love love love my Blue Frog. I stopped looking at other sopranos after I got this. Well okay, I do look, but never tempted.Except when Vic recently posted a sopranino for sale.

I was hoping you'd come on and brag about your frog. His sopranino sounds so good it was hard to resist.

I don't have a best sounding. I think the koa Timms is my best sounding soprano. But it's tied for top spot with the Kiwaya concert and Tiny Tenor.
 
I only own two now, but I've owned others and tried quite a few in shops. No question... the best sounding ukulele I own and one of the best I've ever played is a Asian built concert marked as a prototype made for a line of ukuleles that Musicguymic was launching back in 2005 or so, called Kolohe.

Solid mahogany all around and very lightly built, the bridge is coming away and there's a pronounced belly but it sings so sweetly and it's LOUD. I'm pretty spoiled by it, tonally...and most searches for a higher quality concert uke in better condition have ended with me realizing that it's going to be quite a search to find a better sounding uke, especially since I paid about $100 for my Kolohe on ebay.
 
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I just recently purchased a kanile’a kcs-sc super deluxe concert that is without a doubt the most beautiful and gorgeous sounding uke I have ever owned. (I also own a kanile’a k1 and a kanile’a tenor premium). The super concert just feels right to play in terms of fret width and neck thickness. It rings like a bell and has amazing sustain. The only challenge I have is to find strings that provide spot on intonation. However, I have typically found that this is a common challenge with new “adoptions”. I’m thinking about trying “Living Waters” primarily because as a 65 year old uke player who teaches business at a Christian liberal arts university, I want to support a like minded brother in his business endeavor. Not a very objective decision but sometimes you need to lead with your heart rather than your head.
 
What I love about reading the responses is the variety of responses. It's such a subjective thing, and there are lots of choices to make people happy.

My own response will vary from day to day, or maybe even moment to moment.
 
Kamaka HF-2A 100th Anniversary Concert, with Fremont Blackline medium tension strings. Her name is Samantha, and she positively sings!

The action is as close to perfect as I have experienced. The tone is crisp and clear with every note in a chord balanced. It's an absolute joy to play.
 
The look of Bocote gets me every time. Great looking uke! I heard has Lanakai improved their game in 2018.
 
So far my favorite uke is my Kala Elite 1MHG-S (solid mahogany soprano)
My only gripe is that I wish the nut was a little wider.
The specs say the nut is supposed to be 35mm, but it's closer to 34mm.

 
People love all kinds of ukes. Something for everyone.
I love my Kala cedar top concert. I have a Mainland mahogany as well, but it's that deep tone from the cedar that I love.
 
People love all kinds of ukes. Something for everyone.
I love my Kala cedar top concert. I have a Mainland mahogany as well, but it's that deep tone from the cedar that I love.

That's very interesting to me, as I don't have a lot of experience with cedar as a tone wood. Could you describe it in more detail, and how it compares, to your ears, to other common tone woods?
 
That's very interesting to me, as I don't have a lot of experience with cedar as a tone wood. Could you describe it in more detail, and how it compares, to your ears, to other common tone woods?

It's hard to describe other than to say it sounds deeper and more like a guitar to me vs. like spruce which just sounds like it's a little higher pitched. Maybe it's more like an alto voice vs the spruce being more like a soprano voice. Both are nice, I just prefer the lower register. I also play it with a low g string.
 
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