Solid Wood Top, Laminate Back and Sides?

I've been told that 80 % of the sound is resonated through the top of the ukulele. Wouldn't it make sense to purchase a ukulele that has a solid top with laminate back and sides, rather than a solid wood uke for travel? Seems that the laminate would be less vulnerable to temperature changes that the all solid wood uke.

It would also seem that with 80 % of the sound projected through the top, it would be somewhat difficult to hear the difference between a laminate uke with solid wood top and a solid wood uke? What do you think?

makes sense for sure. I think the Kala travel ukes are like that. I have a martin oxk and it is all High Pressure Laminate and sounds great and would make a good travel uke. A lot of the solid wood stuff ... opening up etc... in my opinion is psychobabble. I had a guitar teacher who said to put the classical guitar next to speakers so the vibrations would open it up lmao.

I have a Luna Honu that is all laminate and it sounds really nice too. Just listen to them. Blindfolded would be better.

i've always wondered how much of this is junk, too.

when i think about how a uke projects sound, it completely makes sense to think about the vibrations of the top wood where the strings actually make contact with the uke body. further, it makes sense that wood that is 2 mm thick will vibrate in a different manner than wood that is 3.5 mm thick. i've also heard the explanation--that also makes sense--that 2 mm of solid wood will vibrate more efficiently (have more desirable sound characteristics) than 2 mm of several thin layers of wood that run in different directions.

but i'm wondering at what point does all this humidity, temperature change stuff really make a difference? do i really need to keep my solid koa koaloha in its padded case with a humidifier (that may or may not really seriously impact the humidity of the closed environment of the instrument) and only play it at home in my carpeted living room?

so when i want to play it in the car on a family trip or take it to a jam in a park (with who knows what kind of environmental conditions) or take it to the beach (where the sun and surf may be enough to dissolve the wood fibers of a $1000+ uke) then i'm restricted to my lower quality laminate uke?

i've heard of severe environmental differences actually causing cracks: 10-20+ degree change from home temperature and humidity changes from a shower room to outdoor arizona, and the like.

but am i really going to have to treat my koaloha uke like a glass sculpture? i hate that idea. i want to actually take the thing out and play with it out & about.

yeah, "opening up?" what does that really mean and how does it happen?

please don't give me some experience mumbo jumbo people. can you actually tell me what is going on with the wood fibers during this "process" and how it improves the sound of the uke?

I've always thought the Ukulele body could be compared to a speaker box.

In a small speaker box, acoustic batting is usually added to slow down the sound waves to make the box seem bigger than it really is. I was thinking if acoustic batting was stuffed into the ukulele sound hole, would the sound be deeper or project louder?...

3nails4holes said:

yeah, "opening up?" what does that really mean and how does it happen?

please don't give me some experience mumbo jumbo people. can you actually tell me what is going on with the wood fibers during this "process" and how it improves the sound of the uke?

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Some folks don't believe in an acoustic instrument opening up,.....but i say that in the strictest sense ALL of the solid wood instruments do!

Talk to any luthier, and they can describe the sound of an instrument when it's strung up for the very first time as being nuthing like it will sound very shortly,....often a few hours or less. I heard someone once describe it as sounding a bit "constipated"!

Now that's a tight sounding instrument! :biglaugh:

Whatever is going on with all the componants getting at equilibrium and at one with itself on that first string up,...more of the same continues and often there is an exact point where an instrument begins to sound "noticably" sweeter, with more sustain or a bit louder. Sometimes all three on something really special.....

It happens often enough that i believe it's a factual event, although the type of wood used for the top (especially), makes a difference as to when the opening up might occur. Spruce a bit quicker,....koa, mahogany, and other harder top woods a bit longer. Classical guitars topped with cedar are said to almost immediately sound as well as they ever will. Play an instrument a lot, and it happens faster.

Sitting in a case,.....not so much!

......but they all open up, just that sometimes the process has been accomplished before it got to you!

Vintage instruments are popular for a reason. :nana:

Wish I could hear that well to be able to tell the difference. Maybe it takes time to develop the ear. Or maybe as you get older, like me, you just can't hear the subtleties anymore.

Laminate body with sold wood top is also more eco friendly.

Huna said:

I had a guitar teacher who said to put the classical guitar next to speakers so the vibrations would open it up lmao.

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Yea! I remember someone telling me to the same with my guitar. Seems like it was sometime back in the 1970's. Well, I did take the person's advice and set my guitar next to the speakers of my stereo. Man, the guitar got a great work out from Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaugh, Robin Trower, etc. And you know what? It did not do anything to the sound of the guitar. LMAO.....

I'm a believer in the "opening up" concept, although I don't have scientific data to back it up. Sorry, 3nails4holes, you may want to stop reading this now. All I have to go by is my own empirical observations, conversations with other players and luthiers. A very good classical guitar luthier I know will play his guitars for a month or so before he puts them out in the showroom. He explains that different woods open up more quickly than others. As was mentioned above, cedar opens up rapidly. Spruce, on the other hand, takes quite a while. I've also heard discussion and read articles about the moisture absorbed in new instruments (glue, lacquers, and so on); after some time the instruments dry out a bit and are more responsive. The instrument also vibrates when it's played. Over time, the vibration occurs more readily. These are the various explanations proffered to me anyway. Personally, I would swear that it takes a while for my ukuleles to "wake up" when I begin playing them. They sound better after about 15 minutes.

Here's a link to an article by David Hurd. You may know who he is. He used to build Kawika ukuleles, although I think he's retired from actively producing instruments. He does maintain the website, "Left Brain Luthiery." That's where I found this link. It's about a device he created to "break in" new instruments, in essence, cause them to "open up" more rapidly.

http://www.ukuleles.com/Technology/HulaGirlShaker.html

I also remember reading about a commercially produced piece of equipment that did pretty much the same thing. As I recall it was pretty expensive.

I'm not trying to convince anyone, though. So, enjoy your ukuleles whether they are solid, laminates, formica, plastic, whatever!