Oh Mango...

GreyPoupon

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 20, 2008
Messages
189
Reaction score
4
Location
Westchester, NY
I've now had the chance to play two mango ukes and I have to say I am at a lost why anyone would choose it for making an uke.

They just sound so muted and stuck.

Mahagony sounds wonderfully deep and full - koa has that awesome bark - spruce a clear sounding tone - but the mango is leaving me cold.

Anyone care to point out what charms of mango I am failing to appreciate?

(Besides the fact that it does look totally awesome...)
 
You falied to mention the maker of the mango ukes you tried i Have heard great ones and some real duds depending on build and bracing....One of the best i have heard have been kanileas or Mya-,oes....Some of the worst Lanikais overbraced and over finished
 
I have yet to play one myself. The looks are a big part, I suspect, particularly the spalted variety. The only time I've seen spalted mango was in art school many years ago, where it was favored for hand crafted bowls and plates, etc. The patterns produced by the fungus in the wood can be very dramatic, indeed. I would love to play one to hear what you are talking about, but around here they are hard to come by. I look forward to some expert opinions on this topic.
 
I tried two different Mya-Moe ukuleles at the Denver Ukefest - the mango and the koa. The mango was part of their tradition series and the koa their classic series - so they are different models and different price points. But I found the mango to be muted compared to the koa. Again, not a fair comparison head-to-head. And, I have to add the caveats that I just started to play the ukulele in January, I have no ear, I was testing the ukuleles out in a noisy environment. It could just be that I liked the koa over the mango because I could hear it...
 
I have a Kala mango concert, and really enjoy it. Having said that, I upgraded from a ridiculously cheap soprano, so it wouldn't be hard to impress me! It is lovely. Kala doesn't do the spalted version of the mango, which isn't as wild looking as the Lanikai spalted but I still think it's got a great look.
 
I got a Mainland Soprano Mango for Christmas. From the first strum on it's been night an day compared to my older uke. It has a awesome solid punch but doesn't have that usual "plastic" sound most ukuleles I pick up have. I plan on buying a tenor mango soon.
 
I have a Pono mango concert pineapple that is stunning in appearance, spalted and curly, but definately muted. I have just installed a Misi pickup so I can amplify it
 

Attachments

  • Pono mango pineapple 003.jpg
    Pono mango pineapple 003.jpg
    40.9 KB · Views: 60
  • Pono mango pineapple 005.jpg
    Pono mango pineapple 005.jpg
    46.1 KB · Views: 43
  • Pono mango pineapple 004.jpg
    Pono mango pineapple 004.jpg
    39.9 KB · Views: 32
Right, I just want to be clear that some people may like the intonation of mango and others may like other woods. It's not to say that mango sounds "bad" but that, in my humble opinion, it sounds muted in comparison to koa in my not so head-to-head comparison.
 
Yes - Mango looks awesome. No doubt. And some of the spalted mango is just stunning.

But is there any one here who has tried high end mahogany and/or high end koa and has said "Wow! I just prefer the sound of mango!" ?

I know there are mahogany and koa devotees - but was curious if someone could argue for the special charm of mango.

The mango ukes I tried were from very high end makers who I will not name here. I've now tried 10 or so ukuleles for extended periods, and the mangos both were considerably just duller next to the others.

Also, note that the mangos playing in the videos in this thread are being amplified, which is a big game changer.

Am I on to something here? Or did I just stumble across two duds?
 
I'm not sure I would use the term "muted" personally, that implies volume and projection. My Pono mango is a warmer tone, but projection is just fine. Mango is not a "bright" tonewood in my opinion. Even my mahogany uke is brighter...

Not much "bark" - mello and warm with a big bottom-end (kind of like my first girl-friend). Not to imply quiet - it's loud as hell (so was she... but I digress...).

I will say that mango in my experience is less stable - and more prone to warping and splitting. That could just be a Pono quality issue, but I suspect it has as much to do with the wood itself...
 
I'm not sure I would use the term "muted" personally, that implies volume and projection. My Pono mango is a warmer tone, but projection is just fine. Mango is not a "bright" tonewood in my opinion. Even my mahogany uke is brighter...

Not much "bark" - mello and warm with a big bottom-end (kind of like my first girl-friend). Not to imply quiet - it's loud as hell (so was she... but I digress...).

I will say that mango in my experience is less stable - and more prone to warping and splitting. That could just be a Pono quality issue, but I suspect it has as much to do with the wood itself...

I like these comparisons.
I have owned two mangos. A pono eight string and a kala 4 string. Both were tenors. I have a video using the pono on my YT page. I sold the kala and traded the pono. I thought that my pono was a little more quiet than my mahaghany and koa ukes and it did sound good. It was also just starting to open up. I didn't really give it a chance to open up.
 
I have a solid spalted mango concert Lanikai with a passive pickup. It does not project loud at all and has a very flat, sound. It sounds a little better amplified. It is extremely attractive and solidly built (heavy) with a high gloss finish. It apparently came with Aquila strings but it is difficult to tell for sure. It is possible the strings may be affecting the sound since I have not changed out the strings since it was purchased and I am not sure how long the strings were on the uke before purchase. Due to the flat sound I have not played it often enough to justify changing the strings. When I get motivated I will change the strings to see if there is a sound difference. I am keeping it just for the looks!
 
We have had Mainland's mango series come through the doors and they have sounded great with no muting going on. Pono's tenors have plenty of depth and tone of the all the one's we had . I really like mango but I'm sure each maker, species of mango wood, strings and time to open up will change how that tone is persieved. Kala is a laminate but they sound rite on too.
 
I've now had the chance to play two mango ukes and I have to say I am at a lost why anyone would choose it for making an uke.

They just sound so muted and stuck.

Mahagony sounds wonderfully deep and full - koa has that awesome bark - spruce a clear sounding tone - but the mango is leaving me cold.

Anyone care to point out what charms of mango I am failing to appreciate?

(Besides the fact that it does look totally awesome...)

Have to say I felt exactly the same, I really wanted spalted mango to sound amazing because its beautiful and I wanted one badly but from every vid I've seen (which I know is a bad way but where I live its the only way) I had the very same impressions and it wasn't a maybe, they definately sounded the way you describe them to my ears.
 
I wouldn't necessarily describe the mango as muted really. More "rounded" or less harsh on the treble end of things. It has an interesting depth to the sound, kind of dream-like. It leans a bit more toward the guitar sound on a tenor.

–Lori
 
The mango ukes I tried were from very high end makers who I will not name here. I've now tried 10 or so ukuleles for extended periods, and the mangos both were considerably just duller next to the others.

Very high end makers? What exactly do you mean by that? Price-wise? Country-wise? I just want to make sure it's the right term since you won't name the makers.

If you're simply making a statement about the wood used, I don't think there's a problem naming names. I doubt it would make any huge impact. After all, you're not the expert; you're the inquirer, right?
 
High end in reputation and $. Not willing to go further then that in a public forum. The workmanship seemed superb. The sound of the wood did not.
 
I have a Pono mango baritone (tuned DGBE) and I think it has some of the sweetest, most beautiful tones I've ever heard. I would never ever part with this instrument (despite the fact that its wound strings continue to snap on a regular basis-- argh!) It is also incredibly beautiful.

That being said, I've never played any mango in GCEA. Maybe the deeper notes of baritone tuning just go well with mango?
 
Top Bottom