buddhuu
Super Moderator (Retired)
This may be just me, but I find it infuriating when manufacturers and resellers make it less than clear whether their instruments are constructed from solid or laminated wood.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with a laminate instrument. I would buy a good laminate instrument if it suited my needs.
That said, I have seen descriptions claiming "all mahogany" and "all koa" when referring to instruments which are, in fact, laminate. While those descriptions are not technically innacurate, they are, IMHO, misleading.
A question for experienced members - How many times have you read posts here by people who had believed that their koa/mango etc etc ukulele was a solid wood instrument, and who had to endure the embarrassment of having a more experienced player break the news that it was really made of fancy plywood?
The news doesn't make the uke they love sound any less good, but it does show that they didn't get what they thought they were paying for.
In some cases I'm sure there is no intent to deceive. In other cases I am less inclined to afford benefit of the doubt. Not going to point fingers to any specific examples here... at the moment.
I would like to suggest to all manufacturers and resellers that you explicitly state in all descriptions whether your instruments are made from solid or laminated woods, rather than just using phrases like "all mango", "all mahogany".
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with a laminate instrument. I would buy a good laminate instrument if it suited my needs.
That said, I have seen descriptions claiming "all mahogany" and "all koa" when referring to instruments which are, in fact, laminate. While those descriptions are not technically innacurate, they are, IMHO, misleading.
A question for experienced members - How many times have you read posts here by people who had believed that their koa/mango etc etc ukulele was a solid wood instrument, and who had to endure the embarrassment of having a more experienced player break the news that it was really made of fancy plywood?
The news doesn't make the uke they love sound any less good, but it does show that they didn't get what they thought they were paying for.
In some cases I'm sure there is no intent to deceive. In other cases I am less inclined to afford benefit of the doubt. Not going to point fingers to any specific examples here... at the moment.
I would like to suggest to all manufacturers and resellers that you explicitly state in all descriptions whether your instruments are made from solid or laminated woods, rather than just using phrases like "all mango", "all mahogany".