Dark wood in a tenor uke body and top: rosewood, some mahogany or walnut?

fabioponta

fabioponta

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Hello,
For a tenor, especially with the dark top (I prefer ukuleles with the same wood body top/bac'/sides), which may have a better tone? I do not want a uke with painted wood...
Some dark mahogany?
Rosewood can be good?
Walnut can be easy to find?

I saw a few Pono models with very clear mahogany (beautiful, but clear), and I found in Pono website they make a tenor model just with rosewood (RTD Pono Tenor $ 489.00). Has anyone seen Pono ukulele like this? I think it would not be so expensive ...
 
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I have a solid mahogany Pono tenor and it is darker than in this the picture.
Regards,
Ray

 
fabioponta said:
Hi Ray: beautiful dark mahogany in this Pono: What is your model? where did you buy?
Click to expand...
I purchased it from Hawaiian Music Supply at least 5 years ago. Pono has updated their models since then. I think it is a PT tenor. It's currently at the shop having a Mi-Si pickup installed so I can't check the label and do not remember the model number.
Regards,
Ray
 
fabioponta said:
Hello,
For a tenor, especially with the dark top (I prefer ukuleles with the same wood body top/bac'/sides), which may have a better tone? I do not want a uke with painted wood...
Some dark mahogany?
Rosewood can be good?
Walnut can be easy to find?

I saw a few Pono models with very clear mahogany (beautiful, but clear), and I found in Pono website they make a tenor model just with rosewood (RTD Pono Tenor $ 489.00). Has anyone seen Pono ukulele like this? I think it would not be so expensive ...
Click to expand...

In my very limited experience, I find that for mahogany, having all three (top, back and sides) mahogany makes it sound great (case in point, my Kiwaya). Harder woods (i.e. rosewood) reflects the sound, so having a softer wood for the top makes the sound reflect off the rosewood (and some luthiers say that brazilian rosewood is like glass, reflects the sound like no other). having a rosewood top would cause the sound to be 'trapped'. BUT - there's the technical explanation that might be given and there's what your ear likes!

The uke I'm picking up this Friday (is it Friday yet? what about... nnn.. .now? No? Now? ugh.) has rosewood back/side and cedar top, cedar being very soft (which means I'll have to be careful to avoid dings and dents).

As for "better tone"... that's for you to decide. Is there a store near your home that has a selection of ukes? Who cares how expensive or cheap, as long as they have different woods (spruce, mahogany, koa, rosewood, walnut, cedar...) so you can hear for yourself how the different woods sound. There's far more to a uke than the specs on a website :)
 
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Laouik said:
Harder woods (i.e. rosewood) reflects the sound, so having a softer wood for the top makes the sound reflect off the rosewood... having a rosewood top would cause the sound to be 'trapped'. BUT - there's the technical explanation that might be given and there's what your ear likes!

The uke I'm picking up this Friday (is it Friday yet? what about... nnn.. .now? No? Now? ugh.) has rosewood back/side and cedar top, cedar being very soft (which means I'll have to be careful to avoid dings and dents).
Click to expand...
There's a reason why most classical guitars have rosewood for back/sides and spruce or cedar (softer woods) as tops. Not that other combinations can't work well, but those are tried and true.

I have a Yairi Kanai strung up as a tenor with maple B/S and cedar top (pineapple shape) and the thing's an absolute cannon, loud and clear!

Laouik, what make/model are you getting? Bet you're going to love it. :)
 
I like that dark mahogany Pono, it's much darker than my new concert....wish mine was darker. Even my OU5 has light koa, seen much darker ones that are prettier than mine.
 
I've just acquired a quirky all brazilian rosewood soprano - 280g/9.75 oz - interesting about the comments about reflecting sound - but I don't really understand what it means in practice. What strings would you try on it? It was strung with Aquila, which sounded a bit coarse. I've put on some fluorocarbon, but had to put on a lowG to get it to resonate well (I haven't felt the need to put on a low G for anythin recently, but this seem to 'like' it) Any thoughts. I know its really down to me finding what works best for me, but the goalposts are so wide, and the wood density will probably mean something to somebody?
 
First, I'd suggest choosing first with your ears and hands, then with your eyes.

Second, the bit about how a rosewood top would trap the sound is just not true. Yes, a rosewood top will sound different, but not because of some weird theory about soundwaves being trapped. It will tend to sound on the bright side because of the stiffness and density.

Rosewood is reflective as a back and side material, and it does work well with spruce, western red cedar, or redwood tops.

My own experience would lead me away from rosewood as a top. The hardest woods we've used for tops are maple, cherry, and walnut, and they sound great, each in it's own own way, but I think rosewood is too heavy to make for a good top.

If you're hung up on the visual as the most important feature, you might consider "sinker redwood" which is very dark, or cedar which will darken considerably with time. Mahogany, koa, or walnut would be fine, too.

But please reconsider your priorities. The uke is a musical tool, first, and a decorative object second...unless it's not in your life. But you can have it both ways if you're willing to dig a bit deeper and maybe consider having a uke custom built by one of the many great builders.
 
hi - thanks - but the factors are a little different. I chose with my wallet, unseen, cheap, pre-used, in need of some attention! Its part of learning. So its there, period. I may bond with it, I may not. I'll buy a RobC - Tinguitar (UK) in time, but I'll make a better choice having experimented a bit. I understand that Rosewood probably not ideal for a soundboard, but I'd be interested in views on stringing which might help take that brightness away, perhaps. As I'm typing this I'm thinking Worth Browns... but also interested about the low G - does that match the more dense wood? I'm listening with my ears (mostly), but I like listening to others too.
 
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