Reason for tone different in these two ukes?

I have been playing on a Kala KA-T for close to four years. I was trying out some ukes a Guitar Center last night and spent most of my time on a Fender Nohea tenor. I looked up the specs, and both the Fender and the Kala have the same materials (rosewood fretboard, mahogony neck/body). Being tenors, they also have just about the same dimensions. What perplexed me was the very distinct tone difference between the two.

I'm having difficulty finding the correct words to describe the differences, but I can say that the Kala had a much deeper sound than the Fender. The only major differences are that my Kala has a low G string which is metal wrapped. The C string is also metal wrapped. However, even when only plucking the E and A strings on both (which are both nylon) I still noticed a large tone difference.

I wouldn't expect the two to sound exactly the same just because they are both tenors since they are made by different manufacturers with different techniques, but the tones were very distinct.

Can anyone shed some light on what construction techniques and materials might have led to these tone differences?

Thanks!

Just off the top of my head, the bracing used on the soundboard as well as the soundboard thickness immediately come into play as far as the difference in tone.

And, just because the descriptions imply similar materials, there could be a world of difference between the quality of the woods/laminates used in each.

Keep in mind that even two 'ukuleles of the same model made by the same manufacturer can sound different from one another. And, even while laminates tend to smooth out any huge variation, even in them there can be some pretty important distinctions.

I have two makala dolphins that sound different from each other.

I had two identical Kala KA-ST that sound different... one warmer and one brighter. Same strings (Aquila), same nut and saddle material. The warmer-sounding uke weighed significantly more (most likely due to the quality and thickness of the wood?).

There are countless variables, especially between manufactures like the couple mentioned. Could be different even with the same model from the same manufacture. Reasons are anything from different grain patterns, denseness, to same manufacture, different person built it, thickness variances between the wood pieces, of course bracing, brace location, to as simple as different glues used. Even same models, a builder might use more glue than he did on the uke he built yesterday because he had an argument with his wife. This is the reason it is important if you are a tone nazi to play any instrument before ya buy..

Every uke will sound a bit different. Laminate ukes of the same make and model will be the most similiar, but still there will always be differences. When it comes to lower end instruments there's a lot more variation and less quality control so noticeable differences in sound quality are more common. Higher quality instruments are made to tighter specs so you will end up with less sound quality variation and when it comes to solid wood, every instrument will also have it's own unique tonal characteristics.

Think about it this way. Try out a hundred $3000 Taylor guitars of the exact same model and a hundred $200 solid top Lanikai's of the same make and model. Every Taylor will be pretty much on the same level of greatness although there will be subtle variations but this is a good thing. With the Lanikai's you will have a pretty large variation in tone and sound quality with many noticeably sounding better or worse than others. It's not that there's something right or wrong with either producer, it's just part of what you get at different price ranges.

Just a note: the Fender No'hea is a KOA laminated uke. The Fender Hau'oli is the Mahogany laminate most similar to the Kala KA-T. The Pa'ina is their solid Mahogany model. (they've recently added a concert & soprano as well).

Fender ships these w/High G & Aquila's, so w/the Kala strung as a low wound G & C, its no real wonder that they sound pretty different. AND, due to sympathetic vibration, those non-plucked strings will still add a bit of resonance that in itself could lend something to what you are hearing.

I have a martin OXK which is made out of formica I guess and I am pretty near ready to sell my Hamano Soprano as well as my Epiphone Masterbilt basically because the OXK is my main uke and it sounds great. Too bad Martin does not make a formica concert, tenor and baritone because the formica is pretty drn good. I emailed martin but they are really not very customer conscious and I don't think they gave a s** as they didn't even email me back or send me the free strings they promised for when they sent me two ukuleles for the price of one and I returned one (like a dummy) etc ....

Way too many differences between those two ukes to even try to explain why. Different bracing, different wood thickness, possibly different ratio between area vs. depth, etc., etc., etc.

Its not unusual to find significant differences between two "identical" ukes from the same manufacturer. Comparing ukes between two different manufacturers and trying to pin the difference down to one thing (wood, etc.) is pretty much impossible.