spruce top ukuleles

Did they just disappear from the internet? A few months back, I seen them on every page....

I want a spruce top !! hardy har

Kala makes a bunch:
http://cgi.ebay.com/SALE-LACEWOOD-S...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5d1f5330
http://cgi.ebay.com/LACEWOOD-SPRUCE...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5d1e7041
http://cgi.ebay.com/KALA-SOLID-lace...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5d1f5583

What do you mean lol. Spruce ukes are one of the most common.

Check out also the Lanikai S-T!!!

UkuLeLesReggAe said:

Did they just disappear from the internet? A few months back, I seen them on every page....

I want a spruce top !! hardy har

Click to expand...

Personally, I'd go with a Cedar top....much louder uke

beergeek said:

Personally, I'd go with a Cedar top....much louder uke

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Volume isn't everything. Some of us prefer the sweet, clear tone of spruce to the deep booming tone of cedar.

SailQwest said:

Volume isn't everything. Some of us prefer the sweet, clear tone of spruce to the deep booming tone of cedar.

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Amen.

I would also add that I think it's possible to find a quality balanced sounding spruce top (even with lam sides or should I say especially with lam sides) at a lower price point than an all solid wood mahogany at a price point close to double...and I'm talking about balance here, not some instrument which is "more resonant," louder, but also something of an unbalanced kinda boomy clangmeister. BTW, this is my gripe with nearly all lower priced all solid woods...

With my own spruce top I was back and forth, starting out real happy, trying to go low g with it, having to adjust the saddle (3 times, more for tonal balance than simply action) and just a few days ago, I was fed up and ready to sell or trade it. I made one more saddle adjustment (very very slight) and back to Aquila Nylguts high g (apology/retraction due on my part?) and now I have a highly playable, balanced instrument with a RANGE I had a glimpse of, but for awhile I thought I'd lost. I would add that the intonation on my spruce top now is practically perfect up and down the neck. I really needed to address my playing style also...and talking here about an instrument that costs $150? I've played all solids at twice that...which I didn't like as much.

In short: give spruce a try...they're not hiding, LOL. Yeah, spruce takes longer to open up than cedar (which has a kind of automatic broken in thing...which can fool those not looking for balance). Spruce is also more durable than cedar.

beergeek said:

Personally, I'd go with a Cedar top....much louder uke

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Not necessarily. Depends on the shape and size of the body and sound hole (and location of the latter), as well as the material of the saddle and the type of strings used. It also depends on the thickness of the top, the bracing and the side and back materials. You can really only compare two identically-designed ukes with the same strings, saddle and bridge materials, but different tops, to see if cedar would be louder.

Cedar is a wonderful tonewood but has a narrower frequency response range than spruce. It tends to be a little less bright than spruce, which some folks describe as "warmer" or "more mellow." I personally like it on ukes more than spruce because ukes are already pretty bright.

You may want to look in to the Makai spruce tops. I got a tenor awhile back from MGM and it's my current favorite. Plays great with beautiful tone, Great uke for well under $150 and I understand they are made in the same factory as some of the Ohana's.

I'm real pleased with my uke. MGM had the best deal for my needs.

Kala, Lanikai, are nice, when you want a spruce top, but don't want to spend a lot. I wanted pono, say the least, I've always loved PTOE pono, but I can never find it.

I went on ebay, and it says "match cannot be found", ukes.com, nothing.... nothing that isn't Lanikai or Kala. I like them, but I don't think I would buy them as a spruce top.

As for being louder, I like the tone of the kpk, and it isn't loud at all, IMO. Besides, I want a pickup in the spruce top..

every spruce I hear, particularly Dom's. But I seem to like the pono spruce top. Once I have a STABLE income, such as the Navy, I want to buy fleas, flukes, eleukes etc.

Okay, not as chi-chi as you feel you want, but the Applause/Ovation ukes might fit some of your criteria.

MP has a really nice spruce that he has for sale on his page at mpukuleles dot com.

Auf einen andern Note, du wirdst ins Kriegsmarine? Geil, alter!

luvdat said:

Check out also the Lanikai S-T!!!

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+1 on this. I love my electric version (S-TEQ) and so does everyone who hears it. I could also recommend a Boulder Creek Spruce Top as well. Mike

Kala Travellor Tenors are Cool

I have Kala Travellor Tenors for sale. They ring like little bells. They are exceptional value and superb sound.

Peter McMeel at Uketopia. See me and Uketopia on facebook.

UkuLeLesReggAe said:

Did they just disappear from the internet? A few months back, I seen them on every page....

I want a spruce top !! hardy har

Click to expand...

I love my sprucetop Kala w/ pickup.
http://www.kalaukulele.com/Detail_KA-STE-C_Tenor.asp

let's hear it for cedar

beergeek said:

Personally, I'd go with a Cedar top....much louder uke

Click to expand...

I've got the concert version CK50G of your tenor. I love cedar/rosewood combo. This is my favorite, over a mainland cedar/rosewood, a soprano Kamaka, and a vintage Martin concert. I would like to get a tenor but it's not easy. I'm looking on Elderly Instruments.

Alan

Love my Lanikai S-TEQ, which is an amplified S-T, and really, really love my Boulder Creek spruce top tenor - you should check those out, really, as Boulder Creek stuff is some of the best for-the-money gear around, and no I do not work with them nor am I affiliated with them. Here are links to my reviews of both:

Boulder Creek: http://lambchopukulele.blogspot.com/2010/06/love-at-first-strum-boulder-creeks.html

Lanikai: http://lambchopukulele.blogspot.com/2010/08/lanikai-s-teq-makes-me-happy.html

I love spruce tops. If you want to try out a super cheap solid spruce top, check out these Mahalos. $50, and it's super cute. I have the sunburst finish, and even though I'm clearing house I just can't bring myself to get rid of it.

It's not a Pono, but it's super cute.

I think the whole spruce rosewood or cedar mahogany combinations sound very guitarish. which I think is great but I prefer the classic uke sound of koa