Spruce top, or all Koa/Mahogany?

Do you have a spruce or cedar top uke?

  • Yes

    Votes: 29 52.7%
  • No

    Votes: 26 47.3%

  • Total voters
    55

Doc_J

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Hey,

How many folks prefer spruce tops? I've only got one spruce top (boat paddle) and really like it, but I seem to be drawn to all koa/mahagany ukes.

Obviously koa/mahagany top ukes are prettier (aren't they?). And for some reason I feel they will also hold up better, even though I know spruce top guitars hold up great.
 
good question Doc.

I have 3 solid koa ukes 1 solid mahogany. Funny thing is , the one I prefer more than any of those (save for my Kamaka pineapple) is a spruce top/mahogany concert uke. Just has a little more crunch and bite if you really play it hard, it just keeps giving volume, but well balanced. The brightness isn't brittle, just a really nicely rounded tone with real sweetness in the treble range. I'm generally not a fan of spruce or cedar top ukes, but I found a ripper with this one...

DSCF4932.jpgDSCF4921.jpgDSCF6766.jpg

Because of the 'dusted' semi sunburst effect on the face, it's probably even prettier than the pineapple. Oh well, you decide... :)
 
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I don't think I could say I "prefer" them over any other, but definately in some instances. It seems each of my ukes has it's own individual voice and sound best for a particular song or style.
 
I prefer spruce top over any other, but I am always looking for a punch when I play. the koa and mahogany are mellower sounding. On the subject of what lasts longer, I am not sure what will last longer. All I know is that they all change over time as they settle in and the resin in the woods cure, and the finish really cures (It can take up to 6 years for some finishes to actually finish curing)
I have heard that cedar can actually be more dense and dead sounding after 25 years, but that is just from conversations I have had with some luthiers and I am not sure where they get that info from.
 
I have a Cedar top Mainland pineapple and it has a big loud tone which I do like. That being said, my Kamaka koa soprano and my mahogany Martin S-O each have a more ukulele sound. Like them each under difference circumstances and songs. That's why it's fun to have a bunch of different ones in various woods and sizes.
 
Wow, I'm surprised by the number of folks with cedar or spruce top ukes - almost ten to one so far!

That said, while I think cedar and spruce definitely have some advantages (there's a reason they've been the woods of choice on guitar tops forever, after all), I can't say that I prefer them in a uke. If you're mainly looking for really loud punch, then yeah, it's hard to beat spruce or cedar. However, I find that hardwoods like koa, mango, acacia, mahogany etc. are just more pleasant to my ear up in the high registers of a uke. Too much "punch" in a soprano uke, especially, isn't necessarily a good thing!

Maybe as you go to the larger bodies spruce and cedar make more sense because there are more lower frequencies present to balance things out. Most clips I've heard of small ukes with spruce tops, especially, sound kind of strident to me.

John
 
Great description of uke sounds Eugene. It's almost like describing wine but less pretentious. Oh I have one spruce top uke, an Ohana an Ohana ck65d and it does have a great sound but it does have punch which seems to me to overshadow some of the more complex sounds that I get from my solid koa and mahogany ukes.
 
My "main" uke is a concert spruce top. My husband plays a mahogany tenor. I really like the way my fingerpicking stands out against his warm strumming. It's a nice blend.
 
When I was shopping for my tenor go-to uke, I could not find anything in my price range that beat spruce top for loudness, and I wanted loud. I also like its tone. My solid mahogany soprano, on the other hand, is louder and punchier than several spruce topped sopranos I tested. So yes, I like solid spruce on my tenor, and solid mahogany on my soprano. I don't own a koa, but I love the Koalohas I have been privileged to play, so far have not bought one.
 
I think the poll and your quesion in the post are not the same. In the poll it states do you have a spruce top ukulele vs. your post asks if you prefer a spruce top.

I prefer the mellower sound Ukes. Even when I had a Taylor Guitar, I purchased an Englemann Spruce top vs. Sitka Spruce since I pick more than strum. My Classical guitar was Cedar.
 
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It's Adirondack spruce for me..........Amazing strength to weight ratio!
It sounds great, and I love the color contrast with the back and sides. As a builder, I also like to design custom rosettes, and it gives me a cleaner pallet to work with.
 
honestly construction/bracing matters a lot too. my concert kanile'a is LOUD - louder than my kamaka tenor.
 
I think the poll and your quesion in the post are not the same. In the poll it states do you have a spruce top ukulele vs. your post asks if you prefer a spruce top.

Yep, thats the disconnect. My first uke was a Kala w/solid cedar top & laminate koa back & sides - really sweet uke. And had a red cedar Mainland tenor - love it, but sold it. And... ALL KOA is undoubtedly my favorite hands down. But, I love my spruce top Sailor Brand & my three solid mahogany ukes. But KOA reigns supreme in my mind & ears.
 
If I could only have one uke, it would be the sweetest solid mahogany concert or tenor I could find.
 
I think the poll and your quesion in the post are not the same. In the poll it states do you have a spruce top ukulele vs. your post asks if you prefer a spruce top.

I prefer the mellower sound Ukes. Even when I had a Taylor Guitar, I purchased an Englemann Spruce top vs. Sitka Spruce since I pick more than strum. My Classical guitar was Cedar.

Yes, there are 2 questions there. I am trying to get a handle on 2 bits of info: 1) what % of folks own a spruce/cedar uke, and 2) a discussion about spruce or cedar as sound board preference. There are quite a few different types of spruce were used for tops. Usually I think primarily of Sitka, but looks like lots of good choices.

When I had my BP uke made, I had some discussions with Jerry Hoffman, about tops. I was thinking originally about redwood and he recommended Sitka spruce over other tops for sound and volume with his design. Sitka is stronger than redwood too.
 
I like them all. All mahogany, all koa, and whatever with a spruce or cedar top. I seem to be gravitating to the spruce and cedar at the moment, but good old solid mahogany is just so sweet. I like the sparkle of spruce and cedar. My loudest uke is my concert Kamaka and my vintage solid mahogany sopranos are very loud, but the loudest and crispest soprano is an old beat up spruce top. I kinda think of them as an awesome, complex, bold but smooth iced coffee vs cold sparkling apple cider, lol, maybe mostly due to colors.
 
It's odd to me that lot's of people who want loud Ukes go for Sitka vs. saying that Sitka sounds the best. You can get only so much projection from a small instrument.
 
Generally I am not a spruce top guy, but I do have two....Mp and Koa works....and love them both....but mahogany and Koa, are generally what I like.....MM Stan
 
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