Difference between these?

I will say this...and take this kindly as you will. It is my first opinion that there are near limitless ukuleles out there better than that for the money. I say that because #1, I hate Ibanez:cool: (lets just get that out of the way lol) but secondly because Ibanez specializes in electric guitars, and nowadays, even those arent that hot...and their acoustic guitars are garbage. LOL, I dont wanna be a bummer, and whatever you decide in the end is great...but you asked, so I'll offer some advice * slanted as it may be

I make it a rule of thumb to purchase instruments from companies that specialize in that area...if I wanted an electric guitar, I would look at Gibson, Fender, Ibanez etc. If I wanted an acoustic guitar, I'd look at Gibson, Taylor, Martin, Breedlove...
If I wanted an ukulele for that price, I'd look at Kala, Lanikai etc...companies that are known for making ukuleles, not companies that make a couple on the side to try and ride the uke wave of popularity. On the same note, if I want to buy a banjo or mandolin or even an ukulele, I'm not going to ever go to Guitar Center- a store that specializes in low/mid-range guitars. For example, their regular stock at the store of banjos is garbage, their ukes are garbage, their mandolins are garbage...but their guitars can be quite nice, you get the idea.

all in all, those are nice looking ukuleles...Ibanez makes nice looking lots of things, but I think Ibanez is a terrible company who would rather spend a little extra to make instruments pretty to catch the eye of unknowing hobbyists rather than just investing real money into a real instrument. Being primarily an acoustic man of sorts, it would be a cold day before I purchased an Ibanez anything.

let it also be known...I've never held an Ibanez uke

my disclaimer is that although you'd in all likelihood buy one of these and be pleased with it...I think there are a lot of people would agree that you can get ukes that are not only just as pretty, but also better made and from a company that deserves uke support.
 
 
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cornfedgroove said:
oh, so I actually leave you with alternate ideas and dont just poop in your cheerios:

http://cgi.ebay.com/JUST-ARRIVED-Fl...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4cee4cea5b

http://cgi.ebay.com/KA-CE-KALA-Maho...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4cee456e14

http://cgi.ebay.com/KALA-KA-SC-soli...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item563aa74114

http://cgi.ebay.com/KALA-KA-C-CONCE...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item563aaa567d

by the way, they appear to be exactly the same uke just made with different wood types for different tonal qualities.
Click to expand...

I believe that of these four ukuleles, all but the sprucetop are made of laminate rather than solid wood, and the sprucetop has, I believe, laminate sides and back. Nothing wrong with that, and these are all good ukuleles, from what people have said, although there's unlikely to be any noticable differences in sound or tone among ukuleles with laminate tops (soundboards). For what it's worth, I have two solid sprucetop thinline (travel) Kala ukuleles (a tenor and a concert) and I love them both.
 
There is nothing wrong with the Ibanez ukuleles, I have tried them and they seem well made, well balanced and sound nice. Ibanez seems to be on the right track with these models, but they are "jumping" on the uke bandwagon for a quick buck, so I have no idea how these will hold up over time. There is nothing wrong with companies trying to make a buck, especially in these economic times...but I make it a rule of thumb never to buy the first year of any new product, be it computers, cars, or musical instruments. The first year is for beta testing, next models should have any problems fixed. :2cents:
 
FWIW, I've played some very nice Ibanez acoustics over the years - guitars and mandolins. Ibanez build quality is generally high, with nice fit and finish, good hardware, and good tone for the price range. It's definitely one of the better mid-range makers IMO.

That said, for my first uke purchase I followed cornfed's advice and went with a solid wood ukulele from a Hawaii-based maker. Ultimately, it's the sound of the instrument and value for the price, not the name on the headstock, that makes the difference.

These Ibanez ukes caught my eye, too. Personally, I find the design and appearance very attractive. But they're new, introduced at the NAMM show in January. At this point few people (including me) have actually tried them, and so far the reviews of the tone have been mixed. So you're paying partly for appearance. These are laminate-top ukes, and in that price range you can get a real solid-top uke or a Flea/Fluke from a known ukulele maker.

But especially if Ibanez offered these with a solid top and added electronics, they could be a pretty sweet instruments. :cool:

Anyway, to answer the OP question ... The difference between the two is just the (laminated) wood - maple or mango - and gold/silver hardware. They're both concert scale - 15 inches (382 mm).

Hope that helps!
 
MTGuru said:
...

Anyway, to answer the OP question ... The difference between the two is just the (laminated) wood - maple or mango - and gold/silver hardware. They're both concert scale - 15 inches (382 mm).

Hope that helps!
Click to expand...
Typically, Maple wood ukuleles would have a brighter sound than a Mango ukulele, which would have a lower/ deeper tone.
–Lori
 
What should I look for under specs to know if the wood is glossy/laminated? My friend has the first Ibanez and I like it 10x better than my $50 Oscar. One main reason is the feel of the wood. Is it because one is laminated? Or is that what it's called?

And are those in the links you sent laminated?
 
if it specifies as "solid wood"...its solid wood
if it specifies as "solid top", then top is solid, back and sides are laminate
if it casually avoids the topic, its all laminate

mind you, laminate does not = bad per say, there's lots of good laminate ukes.
 
laminate is fine...

traditionally its held that all solid wood is higher quality than laminate...
with todays higher quality laminates, its become "debateable" as to how much of a difference in quality there really is, but the solid wood standard is still very much in effect.

Sooo, laminates are not bad...but they are not the same as solid wood. Laminate looks good, is strong and durable, and even sounds pretty good, but it doesnt sound as good as the solid woods. At the end of the day, if you havent been playing for very long...you probably wont even notice the difference in sound at first which is why I said you'd probably be very happy regardless of what you decide.

let's categorize it this way, laminate is a good decision...solid wood would be a better one. For your level experience and what you want...you cant go wrong with either
 
you can have 2 ukes of the exact same materials built by 2 different companies...you'll find that it is as much about construction and design as it is the materials. You may think they look the same and that "how much difference can there be?", but there are significant factors in there.

how thick is the wood, how is it braced, where is it braced, what kind of wood is the bracing, size and shape of bracing, how is the neck joined etc etc
 
Most laminates are purely aesthetic. THey are usually just dressed mahogany ukes. As for the Ibanez.... Last week I played a lanikai concert, an Ibanez concert, and an oscar schmidt concert. My ranking is the order they are listed. The lu series lanikai was the cheaper of the three and sounded the best. Just My humble opinion.
 
you can dance all around this all day, but its the uke you want to get...

if you look at others in your price range and yet the Ibanez is still tugging on your heart...BAM, decision made
 
I cant say for sure, but this is probably pretty good. I've heard alot of members talk about the LU-21 as one of their first ukes...I think even seeso, but I could be mistaken.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hohner-Lanikai-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19baebfe89

this ones a bit more with no electronics, but sure does look nice
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Lanikai-Cur...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4cec82fc0f

but out of everything in your range, I'd go with this because its good looking, comes with electronics, a free setup (important for these less expensive ukes) and a hardshell case. It is also from a well known, reputable member here on the forums and will sound at least as good as the lanikai.
http://cgi.ebay.com/KA-CE-KALA-Maho...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4cee456e14
 
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IAmTheWalrus said:
I thought laminate = good?
Click to expand...

laminate="plywood"

For instance, a Martin D-28 is going to be be all solid wood. This is an instrument whose sound will mature. Think of a fine wine that only gets better and better with age. However, if the solid top and laminate sided instrument is well made, you will (should) wind up with the same sound from day #1 'till the apocalypse. Still, a well-made all solid wood instrument is going to be a financial and musical investment (not cheap in any respect).
 
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