Kolaka / archtop ukes

Anyone here able to comment on the physics of the Kolaka archtop design for ukuleles? I love the look of Kolakas but I'm curious about the sound. Primarily I'm wondering if lower tension ukulele strings are sufficient to drive the top with the floating bridge + tailpiece setup.

I've compared flattop and archtop mandolins, and flattop and archtop guitars. If the instruments were good quality, the archtop versions produced a nice prominent tone that really cut through the mix.

I've also played some dud acoustic archtop guitars, and they just seemed lifeless and non-resonant. On the other hand, even the cheapest full-size flattop guitars I've played had decent projection - as good as an unplugged Ovation or better.

Anyone have experience with Kolakas? I'll probably ask around in one of the other sections too, but I'm somewhat interested in the physics of the design.

I am not familiar with the Kolaka ukes so I can't comment on their design. I made my first archtop uke in June, 2009, and it worked very well. Because of the reduced string pressure you have to carve things delicately, but the design works. I've been building for 26 years, and most of my instruments have been carved top mandolins, with a dozen or so archtop guitars thrown in, so I do have considerable experience with this. Also, both Bob Benedetto and Steve Grimes have made nylon string archtop guitars that have been well received. The properties that I was looking for and did get was an instrument that was loud and punchy, but with less sustain than a flattop instrument. If you want more info on this subject, check out my thread on Building an Arch Top ukulele on this forum.

Brad

Thanks for the reply Brad. I really enjoyed reading through that other thread as well.

I like the idea of loud and punchy tone, with less sustain. For the floating bridge + tailpiece design it makes sense that a thinner, lighter top is needed. But I wonder if standard techniques like 'chunking' might break the top over time. One of the local music store owners here told me that it's not uncommon for flamenco guitarists to wear through their pickguards and crack their tops over time, just using standard technique. The rhythmic chop that mandolin players get, on the other hand, doesn't seem to require as much direct force against the top - it's more the muted rake with the pick.

I wonder if this is why there aren't as many archtop ukes as archtop mandolins? I've never heard of an archtop flamenco guitar either.

I do not think that there are any structural issues to be worried about. When I referrred to carving things delicately, the thinnest part of the top is in the recurve area and I bring that down to 1.9mm, which is in the same range as flattop instruments. The rest of the top is thicker and there is a great deal of strength in the archtop design. The reasons you do not see many archtop ukes are, one they are new to the market, there are only a few of us making them, and two, they are time consuming to make and require much more in the way of materials. Thus, they are relatively expensive, compared to flattop instruments. The same goes with guitars and mandolins. I think in time you will see more of them, but there is much work to be done in refining the design.

Brad