Wood Uke Okay In Desert Climate?

Never played an instrument before, and excited to learn the ukulele, but need some advice!

I am choosing between these two:
http://www.theukulelesite.com/kala-ka-cem-exotic-mahogany-concert.html
and
http://www.theukulelesite.com/shop-by/size/concert/kala-ka-c-concert.html

I love the sound of both of these but I am concerned that wood is not the best choice for the weather here (about 30 minutes away from Death Valley in California) and that maybe I should go for a laminate option.

In the summer we run evaporative cooling 24/7 June through September. It's on/off in May and October depending on the weather. Summer the humidity in the house runs between 30% to 70%. In the winter, it's central heating, with humidity under 10% (breaks all our electronics warranties!).

For either of these ukulele options will a hygrometer, hard case humidifier, and a humidifier in the sound hole work okay when humidity is low?

If the humidity gets high in the summer, will a dehumidifier in the same room as the case be okay, or can I take more specific precautions?

Or would you guys suggest going laminate?

I appreciate any input. This is the only thing stopping me from ordering my new wonderful uke!

Welcome! Both of the ukuleles you've linked are laminate, and not solid wood.

So no worries at all, and I'm being a crazy person? Which happens fairly often!

10% humidity would definitely not be good for any solid wood instrument. Laminates should be fine. There are also some long term quality options for you: the Clara (concert size made of e-koa, a synthetic material) and high-end laminates from Kiwaya (which sound better than many solid wood instruments).

As a beginner, either of your choices would be good, so go ahead & order.

I have a KA-CEME & both a KA-T & KA -S, they're all good starter ukes.

You should ask local music shop, music teacher, ukulele player or guitarist. They know the condition very well.

Tovin said:

So no worries at all, and I'm being a crazy person? Which happens fairly often!

Click to expand...

Hello and welcome from Phoenix. I've had the same concerns as you. As mentioned both are laminate so get the one that you think looks better (vain yes but get what you like!)
I have actually had one vintage 100-year old uke crack so it can happen, though I don't think it's that common.
Also very, very smart of you to buy from HMS. Their setup is worth the extra wait (order now because it takes a couple weeks to get thru their queue).

Whole house humidifiers are a couple hundred bucks. I need to get onto installing the one I bought this past spring. As long as you don't have radical swings in humidity, which sadly you probably do like we do in Denver, then it shouldn't be too bad. I do notice a touch of fret sprout on many of my ukes from the dryness.

Welcome. I think using a humidifier in the case is a good idea no matter what uke you buy, better safe than sorry.

Thanks all! We don't have a local music shop, it's a very small town with nothing closer than an hour and a half. I do intend to visit a shop the next time we're in Vegas (a 4 and a half hour, regular excursion for us)!

I appreciate the input!!! I'm going to order today! Also the term "fret sprout" is terrifying ;p

fret sprout was mentioned - I'm assuming that this is where the fingerboard shrinks ever so slightly and the fret ends stick out (I've experienced this in my particular part of the western desert). The other possibility is that your neck profile may change - the fretboard and neck are two different pieces of wood, and when they shrink/expend due to changes in humidity, they don't always do so at the same rate. This isn't usually a huge problem with ukes because the length of the neck is fairly short, but it can happen. Some makers put a carbon fiber or metal reinforcement in the neck to prevent this, truss rods are in most guitars and banjos (and tenor and larger Pono ukes) to correct for this, and Deering Goodtime banjos avoid it altogether by making the neck and fretboard a single piece of wood.

Or as someone else mentioned, you can just buy a Blackbird Clara - awesome uke, but not inexpensive. A Flea or Fluke with the plastic fingerboard resolves the fret sprout issue and I haven't had any neck profile issues with mine.

Let me tell you, 10% RH is seriously low. Any solid wood instrument that has been built at 45 - 50% RH will crack in such an environment, providing it's subject to that 10% for long enough. I get worried when it drops below 30%. Your laminate has a much better chance, although there are precautions that you can take even for solid wood.

Even a laminate can separate in extremely low humidity.........trust me, I've had it happen. Best to make the small investment in an in case humidifier.