mainland gloss or matte?

raecarter

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That is the question!:eek::confused:
 
I have a matte finish kala mahogany so going for gloss I think for some variety
 
yea i went with the gloss for some variety too since my koaloha is satin finish and my pineapple flea is...well, a flea!
 
I just got a Gloss Mahogany and it looks fantastic

plays great

stays in tune

didn't break the bank
 
can a more well informed uker tell us the difference in sound between the two? I'm curious about this myself.
I have a gloss kala sprucetop, and really like how it feels.
 
can a more well informed uker tell us the difference in sound between the two? I'm curious about this myself.
I have a gloss kala sprucetop, and really like how it feels.
There is no difference in sound, says Mike.

I have the gloss, I love it!
 
When I was at the Mainland shop, I played em both, asked my wife for her opinion, and we concluded that they sounded the same. HTH
 
I prefer matte finishes in general because glare bothers me. Gloss finishes are beautiful, but you can't really see the wood half the time in pictures and videos of my glossy ukes because of a light or a flash or even the glow of my laptop screen. But that's just my personal preference.
 
I think it depends on the type of wood, but IMHO...gloss brings out the grain better, even though it does show fingerprints more (and drool)!:drool:
 
I've just got the green light off the financial advisor/fiance after I sent her a pic of it. I just have to wait for it to be shipped to the UK supplier so I can buy it off him
 
Get one of each!!! My first choice is gloss!
 
The matte makes more noise when you rub it. That's about it.
 
I think I prefer the matte. Both are good.
 
I went with the gloss on my cedar top pineapple just to be different from my other pineapples along with the fancy binding. She's a beauty and very unique compared to all my matte Koa pineapples.
 
I think it depends on the type of wood, but IMHO...gloss brings out the grain better, even though it does show fingerprints more (and drool)!:drool:
Since the sound difference is undetectable by most, it's a matter of aesthethics and wear. For me, I went with gloss after owning a matte Lehua for a couple years. The Lehua deveolped glossy areas, from hand oils. The neck became extremely glossy, and all over the soundboard, in patches (my hand is all over the place, but mostly around the left side of the soundhole and behind the bridge where I dampen a lot). Over time, it was half/half gloss/matte. This didn't bother me a bit, though. If anything it was kind of interesting to see physical evidence of my playing style. If you are an over-the-neck strummer type, this won't be a factor, though. The gloss shows little scratches and other "love marks" already, but again, I'm not bothered by that at all. Fingerprints polish off, so I wouldn't worry about that either. I just liked the photos I saw of the gloss compared to the matte Mainlands better, the richness of the wood, etc. Now, that was the opposite of the Lehua - I preferred the look of the matte, so it depends on the type of wood. My Mainland is mahogany, and to me mahogany looks rather dull unfinished.
 
I played 'em both at the Mainland shop a couple weeks ago. I couldn't tell any difference in sound, they both sound great! And they both look fantastic, too.

Personally, I preferred the look of the gloss, it seemed to bring out the depth in the wood grain a bit more. Also, I like to rest my pinky finger on the uke next to the sound hole when I'm playing fingerstyle, and I felt the gloss finsh was a little bit grippier, helping keep my hand in place. But it's a minor point, really.

You just can't go wrong with either one, but your best bet is to get one of each!
 
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