The Best Sopranos That Ain't All Solid Wood

luvdat

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Have come to the conclusion that when it comes to sopranos, you don't need to go "all solid wood."

For once and for all (not really) and all in one place, add or list some of your favorite options in sopranos in good to great sounding ukeleles that "ain't all solid wood."

I'll go first with the underrated not talked about enough Kala 15-S mahogany laminate.
 
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Kiwaya KS series are laminate ukes. They're a bit pricier than Kalas, but they are well thought of.

At the bargain basement level there's always the mighty Makala Dolphin! LOL :D
 
I like my Mahalo U-320P Mahogany Laminate Pineapple. I believe it cost me $45 twelve years ago including shipping.
I was fishing off a pier today in Kaneohe Bay strumming my Mahalo to pass the time away (almost a poet and don't even know it) when I hooked into a 100 pound stingray. I was the only one on the pier that had a bite all day. Did my Mahalo help me get a bite? Don't know but didn't hurt.
Stringray broke off, too big to lift out of water, and I don't eat Stingrays anyways but was fun for 15 minutes.

PS Love my Flea too for outdoorsy playing.
 

Yes, Fleas. Sweet tone, loud, cool looking, indestructible.

I hear those Kamoas in the UU store are also pretty great, but I recommend the Flea unreservedly.
 
If you're in Australia and don't like to order things online, the Legacy laminate spruce top soprano is pretty good.
It's also one of the rare Sopranos that you can buy with an active pickup factory installed :)
 
Coming back to this thread at the end of a tough week and with a Jim Beam highball in hand I have to say, "Here's to you, the Flea."

Is the rosewood option the way to go on fingerboard...or let things stay plastic?
 
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While I'd argue your premise (because I can certainly hear a difference in my all wood sopranos), there are some really great choices:

I traded my Flea. It just wasn't for me. But others rave, as you've heard.

Dolphin. Easy bet.

I played, I believe, a Makala concert over the Christmas break and was very impressed.

Have played Kiwaya laminate. It was swell.

But the best is my Sprucehouse S-O. Same kind of laminate as the Kiwaya. Light, and wonderful. I strongly endorse. MGM has a version on site.
 
While I'd argue your premise (because I can certainly hear a difference in my all wood sopranos), there are some really great choices:

I traded my Flea. It just wasn't for me. But others rave, as you've heard.

Dolphin. Easy bet.

I played, I believe, a Makala concert over the Christmas break and was very impressed.

Have played Kiwaya laminate. It was swell.

But the best is my Sprucehouse S-O. Same kind of laminate as the Kiwaya. Light, and wonderful. I strongly endorse. MGM has a version on site.

I'm glad you see it as a "premise" because I do think that because of the soprano's size, dimensions, proportions and the compression that is a part of the soprano's intrinsic genius IMO you can not only "pull it off" with "ain't all solid wood" variations but even shine. Yes, there is a difference with all solid wood, but I will say this: an overbuilt all solid wood soprano loses IMO to the supposedly lesser lower-class laminate or hybrid almost every time.

The category: laminate or hybrid is NOT necessesarily inferior but different sounding. The $200 Kiwaya soprano beats every solid wood in that price range IMO...(now we know why buddhu's a moderator). Does buddhu say this, go that far? No, just my opinion about the $200 Kiwaya and having played good sounding but not "very" good sounding solid wood sopranos in that price range (I am saying several are indeed "good") But really it does come down to the uke top mostly...for $200 I would opt for the Kiwaya...rather than most solid wood sopranos in that price range that are high in the meh factor...kind of "competent" at best. In the all solid wood category for most uke brands I really do think most folks would be better off saving up a little more money...and going to a diffferent brand.

IMO solid wood is not simply more vulnerable to weather and the elements but more vulnerable to something being "off" either production level or design features (esp. in that $200 level). Even in a higher price level, most Martin fans are not jumping in the air over the more recent S-O's...I would take the Kiwaya over more recent S-O's...with the left over money buy my wife some jewelry.
 
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I like my Mahalo U-320P Mahogany Laminate Pineapple. I believe it cost me $45 twelve years ago including shipping.
I was fishing off a pier today in Kaneohe Bay strumming my Mahalo to pass the time away (almost a poet and don't even know it) when I hooked into a 100 pound stingray. I was the only one on the pier that had a bite all day. Did my Mahalo help me get a bite? Don't know but didn't hurt.
Stringray broke off, too big to lift out of water, and I don't eat Stingrays anyways but was fun for 15 minutes.

PS Love my Flea too for outdoorsy playing.

I listened to some dude play a Mahalo U-200 and the thing sounded great...he could also play.
 
Madly in love with the resonance on my Mahalo LP.
It's got so much power to it that it picks up my voice too and you can hear that ringing in the uke.
The uke's voice is better than my own though, so I think it's just mocking me.
 
Coming back to this thread at the end of a tough week and with a Jim Beam highball in hand I have to say, "Here's to you, the Flea."

Is the rosewood option the way to go on fingerboard...or let things stay plastic?

I think it's personal preference. I love my plastic fretboard. Some have difficulty because the frets don't have color, making it tougher to see where you are on the board. I have no such trouble. MGM has claimed that the rosewood board adds sustain, but to my mind sopranos don't need sustain. I like 'em choppy.
 
I listened to some dude play a Mahalo U-200 and the thing sounded great...he could also play.

I used to have one of those. I miss it.

I also used to have a Flea. I decided it wasn't for me either, and I traded it... I took it to the beach, and then I just kind of stopped playing it after that... It sat in the case in my room until I traded it.
 
I'm a big fan of Fleas. The rosewood fretboard is nice, but I'll probably end up getting one with a plastic fretboard and one of the cool new designs eventually.

The Kamoa ukes in the UU store are also a good value. The laminate is thinner than most, so you get some pretty nice projection (especially with Aquilas).
 
I like 'em choppy.

me too, i only use my soprano for choppy strongly rhythmical tunes. if you want to pick, have sustain and get up the neck the soprano isn't your fella.
I quite liked the Lanikai nato wood laminate soprano, it sounded ok. obviously a flea is better but way more cash.
 
I'm glad you see it as a "premise" because I do think that because of the soprano's size, dimensions, proportions and the compression that is a part of the soprano's intrinsic genius IMO you can not only "pull it off" with "ain't all solid wood" variations but even shine. Yes, there is a difference with all solid wood, but I will say this: an overbuilt all solid wood soprano loses IMO to the supposedly lesser lower-class laminate or hybrid almost every time.

The category: laminate or hybrid is NOT necessesarily inferior but different sounding. The $200 Kiwaya soprano beats every solid wood in that price range IMO...(now we know why buddhu's a moderator). Does buddhu say this, go that far? No, just my opinion about the $200 Kiwaya and having played good sounding but not "very" good sounding solid wood sopranos in that price range (I am saying several are indeed "good") But really it does come down to the uke top mostly...for $200 I would opt for the Kiwaya...rather than most solid wood sopranos in that price range that are high in the meh factor...kind of "competent" at best. In the all solid wood category for most uke brands I really do think most folks would be better off saving up a little more money...and going to a diffferent brand.

IMO solid wood is not simply more vulnerable to weather and the elements but more vulnerable to something being "off" either production level or design features (esp. in that $200 level). Even in a higher price level, most Martin fans are not jumping in the air over the more recent S-O's...I would take the Kiwaya over more recent S-O's...with the left over money buy my wife some jewelry.

I can't really disagree with this. Although, there is one more element that goes into all of this: the builders. Kiwayas are known for their craftsman. Our brothers from China are getting very good--but they are not, IMO as good as our brothers at Kiwaya--yet. And my Sprucehouse is a HAND BUILT uke, by Luthier Al. So, how can I compare my <$300 hand built Sprucehouse S-O laminate with my line built all wood Ohana? Hard to do, because we are not only looking at woods v. laminate, we are also looking at craftsmanship.

But if we add all of this up, and simply look at what we can get of quality for $200, then yes, a laminate Kiwaya is right in there. Your premise is absolutely right: laminates should NOT be dismissed.
 
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