ukela
Member
I know that the topic of whether the type of wood used in a laminate actually affects the tone of the ukulele has been addressed a few times before on this forum, but I am still a bit confused.
I have noticed many ukulele manufacturers selling laminates of fancy wood such as koa for much higher prices than laminates of, say, nato. These manufacturers often suggest that the higher quality wood used in the laminate results in a higher quality tone.
For example, the Ohana website describes the SK-100G (an all-laminate koa uke, from what I can tell) as follows: "Koa is the secret ingredient that makes this model sound better than the price might suggest!" (http://www.ohana-music.com/soprano.html). This seems to suggest that the use of koa in the laminate makes the ukulele sound better. But, based on my understanding of how laminates work, such claims don't make sense to me.
So my question is: Does adding a thin layer of a fancy wood like koa to the top of a laminate actually make it sound more like solid koa (or other fancy solid wood)? And, if so, how (as a matter of physics) is that possible?
Follow-up question: when a ukulele is advertised as "made of koa" I know that it means laminate, since otherwise the world "solid" would be used. However, can a manufacturer say it is "made of koa" when referring to a laminate if only the top layer is koa? That seems somewhat misleading.
Thanks in advance for all replies!
I have noticed many ukulele manufacturers selling laminates of fancy wood such as koa for much higher prices than laminates of, say, nato. These manufacturers often suggest that the higher quality wood used in the laminate results in a higher quality tone.
For example, the Ohana website describes the SK-100G (an all-laminate koa uke, from what I can tell) as follows: "Koa is the secret ingredient that makes this model sound better than the price might suggest!" (http://www.ohana-music.com/soprano.html). This seems to suggest that the use of koa in the laminate makes the ukulele sound better. But, based on my understanding of how laminates work, such claims don't make sense to me.
So my question is: Does adding a thin layer of a fancy wood like koa to the top of a laminate actually make it sound more like solid koa (or other fancy solid wood)? And, if so, how (as a matter of physics) is that possible?
Follow-up question: when a ukulele is advertised as "made of koa" I know that it means laminate, since otherwise the world "solid" would be used. However, can a manufacturer say it is "made of koa" when referring to a laminate if only the top layer is koa? That seems somewhat misleading.
Thanks in advance for all replies!