Is the advantage of solid wood a myth?

snshami

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I play guitar and am new to ukulele. In the guitar world there is a belief that solid wood is better than laminate because of how it transforms with age.
No one claims that laminates cannot sound good. In fact there are many laminate guitars that sound awesome.

In the ukulele world, it seems the distinction is far more clearcut. Solid wood is considered better sounding than laminate.


I find this counter intuitive. In a uke the soundboard is so much smaller so to my naive mind it should have a lower contribution to the overall sound. According to my reasoning the distinction between a solid top and laminate should be smaller.

What is the truth. How much of a difference does a solid top really make?
 
The impact of wood in uke world is different but it exists.. laminate can sound good but the quality of wood or laminate and how the uke is built has an impact else all sopranos would sound the same which is not true.. some sopranos do sound better.
There is one trend from guitar world that I do not see in ukes, it is the choice of using double wood tops.
 
I play guitar and am new to ukulele. In the guitar world there is a belief that solid wood is better than laminate because of how it transforms with age.
No one claims that laminates cannot sound good. In fact there are many laminate guitars that sound awesome.

In the ukulele world, it seems the distinction is far more clearcut. Solid wood is considered better sounding than laminate.


I find this counter intuitive. In a uke the soundboard is so much smaller so to my naive mind it should have a lower contribution to the overall sound. According to my reasoning the distinction between a solid top and laminate should be smaller.

What is the truth. How much of a difference does a solid top really make?

Laminates are thin sheets glued together. The glue doesn't vibrate like solid. There will be less sustain and deader sound. The size of the instrument won't change this. If anything it would enhance the difference.
 
There are laminates and there are laminates. Some sound very nice. Probably what makes the real difference is a player’s ability to play.
 
[QUOT In a uke the soundboard is so much smaller so to my naive mind it should have a lower contribution to the overall sound. According to my reasoning the distinction between a solid top and laminate should be smaller.

What is the truth. How much of a difference does a solid top really make?[/QUOTE]

The line of reasoning in uke construction goes down a different path. Because of the lower surface area of the body and most importantly the top of the body uke construction seeks to maximize the ability of the uke to convert the energy of string vibrations into sound. In a nutshell, that’s the story.

Though there are some great exceptions I’d bet that it would be less than .0001 percent of actual ukes in the world.
 
Yes, there is a slight difference in tone & feel between solid mahogany & laminate mahogany, just one sample, so it does make a difference, but mainly on single notes, I think, strumming loses some of the difference, to my mind. They also resonate for a little longer, in my experience.

Solid tops are probably the most cost effective option, as it is the top that vibrates to give out the sound mainly, with strings obviously counting in the equation too.
 
You said there are many laminate guitars that sound "awesome", I have never heard anyone from the guitar world say that. Certainly not guitars with laminate tops. There is a trend for very heavy laminated back and sides with a solid wood top in classical guitars. That kind of back makes a great reflector for a high quality solid wood top, which produces most of the sound
 
I bet it's 99% myth - based on absolutely no facts whatsoever - just my opinion. :)

Blind listening tests between a Stradivarius and other violins have not shown the Strad to be superior. I bet it would be the same with a solid/laminate comparison. There are so many variables involved in producing a sound from a ukulele, that solid or laminate 3mm wood on the top is not going to be a deciding factor. I'd like to see a test between a solid Tiny Tenor and a laminate (which I have). Maybe someone could distinguish a difference in the sound, but would one be superior? There are two times when solid/laminate makes a difference: buying and selling. : )
 
The main factors in solid vs laminate are materials, build quality, and setup. The first two are baked in, if you will. The third can be fixed by you (if you know what you’re doing) or the seller. That’s why so many of us buy new from uke specialists like Mim, HMS, or Uke Republic. All three are excellent. Mim has instruments at every price point and makes sure everything she sells is set up properly. Check out her reverb page.
 
There are two questions here:

"Is the advantage of solid wood a myth?" I won't try to answer that, it is too contentious.

"How much of a difference does a solid top really make?" My answer would be - not as much difference as the quality of the materials and the care and skill with which the ukulele was built.

I wish you good fortune with your quest. There are some very decent instruments out there, for not a lot of money. Buy with your ears, if possible. Two consecutive ukuleles from the same production line (or sole craftsman) can have markedly different characters. Not necessarily better, or worse, just different.

John Colter.
 
That there are very few high end laminate ukuleles makes it hard to compare their sound quality with the mostly solid wood high end ukuleles.
 
Search for posts by UU member Bazmaz. He has reviewed many different ukuleles and probably played many more that he didn't review. To paraphrase him, solid vs laminate is not as important as the quality and thickness of the top. If you have time to read through his posts here and on his website you will learn a lot.
 
Since ukuleles are so much smaller than guitars, if the best tone is important to you, isn't it all the more important that the ukulele you choose would be made lightly with good design, excellent materials, and skill?
Those attributes cost money, regardless of whether soild woods or high quality laminates are used.
 
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You said there are many laminate guitars that sound "awesome", I have never heard anyone from the guitar world say that. Certainly not guitars with laminate tops. There is a trend for very heavy laminated back and sides with a solid wood top in classical guitars. That kind of back makes a great reflector for a high quality solid wood top, which produces most of the sound

Yamaha make some awesome laminate guitars. Their older FG series that are made in Japan are stunning and all are laminate top.
 
Laminates are thin sheets glued together. The glue doesn't vibrate like solid. There will be less sustain and deader sound. The size of the instrument won't change this. If anything it would enhance the difference.

You are correct but wood is not a homogeneous material either. While it may not contain a glue layer it does have a fibrous structure that has damping characteristics. Having said that wood glue does not stay soft like you'd imagine. So in reality it behaves less like glue and more like sap.
 
If you had to choose between a Kala KA-STG (solid spruce top) or a Kala KA-ZCT (Ziricote laminate). They are both the same price but one is laminate and the other solid top. Which would you go for?
 
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