Ukecaster
Well-known member
Which type of koa grain would you rather have? They probably both sound great, but stripey koa looks great to me. :drool:
Plain or Stripes?
- Thread starter Ukecaster
- Start date
The more figuring in the wood, the more I like it.
This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 6 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 41)
• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 6 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 41)
• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
Last edited:
snowdenn
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Obviously just anecdotal, but I find enthusiasts (like here on UU), reviewers, and retailers generally seem to talk more favorably about stripes and visible grain. Yet on the more popular retail sites, whenever I see multiples of the same ukulele show up for sale, the plainer looking ones seem to disappear more quickly.
I'm not a fan of a lot of stripes. I like some figuring but the stripey one seems too much. I do like the dark ebony fretboard though.
Don't get me wrong, I own a great looking flamed Koa Kanile'a tenor that is stunning. So I guess it all boils down to a matter of preference.
I have read that the heavier grains do affect the way the wood vibrates and expands and contracts. But i think you would have to have an extraordinary ear to be able to tell the difference in a comparison. And to be able to show that it was the wood grain than made the difference.
Don't get me wrong, I own a great looking flamed Koa Kanile'a tenor that is stunning. So I guess it all boils down to a matter of preference.
I have read that the heavier grains do affect the way the wood vibrates and expands and contracts. But i think you would have to have an extraordinary ear to be able to tell the difference in a comparison. And to be able to show that it was the wood grain than made the difference.
Jerryc41
Well-known member
I'd avoid a striped ukulele.
I'm a sucker for a sapwood stripe right down the middle but otherwise I prefer figured to plain. There is a lot written about a very plain looking straight grain being a better tonewood but I don't know how much of that comes from dealers wanting to sell boring looking ukuleles!
:shaka:
I'm a stripey kinda guy, but plain ukes make a nice change. The answer is to have several of each type.
John Colter
John Colter
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I like the instrument on the left. It's the combination of stripped koa, dark fretboard and headstock. I'm a whole picture kinda person. Which one sounds better? Biggest part of the whole package.
