I am flummoxed

Nickie

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Please help me. My life is on hold. My "baby" is due in June, and I can't decide on the woods.
I was thinking koa sides and back (curly) and spruce top with koa inlay around the soundhole.
What do you all think?
This is so hard, I'm only gonna do this once...
 
Oh, Nickie....

What a big can you have opened! We all have our personal preferences, right? Blonde, Brunette, Redhead.... (Just look at the thread recently about 'favorite wood.') Anyway, rather than push my favorite on you, I think you need to get out there and look, play and see what is going to supposedly be the Uke to end all Ukes for you. (Good luck on that one, I am trying the same thing, maybe we can form a UU support group!)

I would look at sites like Glyph Instruments, Dave Means has built some truly breathtaking instruments and wood combinations. Also Dave Talsma. He's not afraid to make a Uke from a license plate! Just those two sites alone will give you enough eye candy to think about in time to choose.

I leave you with this thought; Spruce is very much a great wood for instruments, primarily based in guitars. However, I am not fond of it in ukes. I've played a few, but it's not my bag. It's kinda like white bread. There are better choices out there. (Since you asked!) If you are going to spend the extra money on the koa/curly koa, why not go whole hog and make the top koa as well? It's gonna have a very bright sound, which you can probably affect with string selection.

Keep us posted, and I expect to see pictures, too!

Scott
 
Scott has offered some sound advice. I'll add to that by addressing a couple of takeaways from my recent first-time leap into the world of custom ukes, which I'm assuming is what you are talking about also?

First off - I should think your builder should be able to offer some guidance here. (Mine did.) As for the spruce top - if you haven't already, play a few spruce top ukes and see what you think. I was advised to skip the spruce top unless I wanted a very guitar-like sound - which is exactly NOT what I wanted! - or if I wanted a dedicated uke for my single-note classical playing.

Every builder is different, and what I've learned in my recent crash course is that it's not so much the type of wood as the skill and technique of the builder that can make the difference. Which is more important, looks or sound? Or both? These are things that should also factor into your decision.
 
Not to be rude or anything, it's not what we think or recommend. It really comes down to your preference as to what kind of sound you want unless your priority is eye candy. You do need to consult with your builder to determine that. He/She can make the best recommendation based on the tonal qualities you're looking for. Luthiers can use the same wood combos and the tonal qualities of each instrument will be totally different. Just my dos cnetavos . . .
 
I agree with what has been said here. Wood choice is a very personal thing. I personally like all koa. I've tried a few spruce tops and even own a cheapie. The sound is nice for a change but if I was getting a custom it would be all koa. Now if I were getting a second custom, well I'd probably choose all mahogany or mango. But a spruce top is definitely in my top 5...uh...maybe. :) James Hill likes the koa body spruce top combo and I think he knows a thing or two more than I do about ukuleles, but he doesn't know what I like better than I do. :)
 
What size ukulele do you want? It matters.

Hey Nickie, I agree with hmgberg totally. Size is important here as the breadth and depth of the body cavity has a massive impact on the overall tonal properties of your uke.

Just a by the way, I know a few people who have owned spruce top ukes and not been at all fond of them, and I'm talking about customs. But then I played a black bear which sounded incredible. A spruce top wouldn't be on my radar were I going to embark on the same thing as you, but we're all different, eh! The thing is, the instrument design and the builder are far more important in the building process to the overall tone of your uke than the wood itself.

all that said, my instinctive response upon reading your wood spec was to think, why not just go all koa? Anyway, try and do as much research as you can beforehand mate and get a handle on the luthier's previous stuff. All the best with your new uke...how exciting!!!! :)
 
All really sound advice. I do feel for you though, its really hard making these choices. Are you situated in a place where sampling different ukuleles is a possibility? Maybe have a uke club nearby where the wonderful folks might be generous enough to let you have a listen? A little go if your very lucky? That would be the first thing you should try. If not, sites like 1937Scott suggested would be a close second. Dave Talsma's instruments, imho are some of the best out there. There are sound files on his site and the sound quality is good. Look around, and let us know what you choose!!
 
Oh now that cleared everything up for you didn't it? I feel for you. What ukes are you currently playing? If your taste lean towards mellow I would suggest a different top than spruce. It is so hard I know and I don't know that we are much help.
 
Always loved spruce top, Brazilian rosewood b/s in classical guitars. In ukes, definitely koa and koa K's. Some of the mahogany ukes are great too - especially the old Martins. Still had a preference for the vintage koa Martin I was lucky enough to strum once.

Good luck with your decision making. From what was posted about your luthier, you probably can't go wrong whatever choice you make.
 
Jane & Kanak said it best, talk to your builder.

Just an observation, and opinion: I'd not be too happy if I spent time with you consulting a build, then you went & asked the Internet for advice, which may or may not align with what I'd be mentally prepping to do with your build.

Of course, its the end of May, you don't have your woods, and you have custom being born in June? There are only a handful of guys I know of that can pull that off and have the finished cured by then - you must have one of them.

Aaron
 
I'm getting a concert size. I have a concert size solid mahogany, and I love it, but have been wanting a solid koa. A friend of mine has been trying to talk me out of solid koa, she has a Martin and isn't impressed. But she's never built a uke, and she's not paying for it. She's touting buying a uke at a show, but I really like the idea of a personalized custom. I'm not going to ignore her, but I'm taking her advice with a grain of salt, compared to what my luthier says...
I'm not in a hurry for this uke, it's not like I hate the one I have. But I don't want to be a PITA to my builder, either. I'm told he is very patient.
Thanks for your input everyone, I value your opinions highly!
 
A lot of good advice here. 1. The type of wood used is only one consideration. The scale of the ukulele, the builder's style, and what type of music you hope to play on it all have an impact. 2. A good builder will best be able to advise you and customize you ukulele once you have discussed these factors with him/her. 3. A little bit of knowledge, on your part, will be helpful in developing realistic expectations.

All of that said, and the other elements notwithstanding, certain properties may be attributed to different tone woods, generally speaking. Information is available:

http://www.pantheonguitars.com/tonewoods.htm

http://www.hoffmanguitars.com/woods.htm

http://www.mangore.com/tropical-woods-properties.html
 
Hello hmgberg,
Thank you for the links to tone woods. The write up, with pictures, from the Hoffmanguitars link was especially educational.
Regards
Jim
PS: Thank you for this thread Nickie.
 
Hello hmgberg,
Thank you for the links to tone woods. The write up, with pictures, from the Hoffmanguitars link was especially educational.
Regards
Jim
PS: Thank you for this thread Nickie.

You're welcome! I think the reason why spruce is not traditionally preferred for ukuleles is that it produces a very bright sound with a long sustain. That makes it great for playing single notes solos, but not so good for chording, at least how ukulele chording had been done. For that you want something with a good attack, and quicker decay - like mahogany or koa.

My friend and I have been building soprano ukuleles for a couple of years. We've used mostly mahogany and koa, but have made several using other woods. One particularly nice one is, just like a Spanish guitar, made of rosewood and cedar. Not surprisingly, it sounds the most guitar-like of all of our ukes. I believe that this combination would sound even more guitar-like on larger scale instruments. The cedar articulates the highs and the rosewood rounds out the lows. Both contribute to the long sustain. I love this one and would like to keep it, were it not spoken for, but in the end, given the way I play, I think I would return to mahogany and koa. We've made spruce tops, too, albeit with mahogany. I don't really care for the way spruce sounds on a soprano, perhaps with rosewood, but I don't think so.
 
Loved the cedar top I had, love the spruce tops I still have. If you love wood grain then they are boring and will always be boring to look at. I prefer sound over looks but I also really enjoy a beautifully built uke with a lot of intricate binding and purfling etc, and it adds to my enjoyment. I love my plain looking solid mahogany and my stunning curly koa ukes too. If you already have the mahogany, you can't really go wrong with all koa. I read up too when thinking about my custom but in the end listened to what my luthier had to say, as I was paying him for his knowledge and experience.

If it doesn't end up being your favorite custom, it may end up being someone else's and you may get another, so my strongest recommendation is to enjoy the process and don't stress too much over it.
 
hmberg, thanks for those links. I read all of it, now I have knowledge, which is power!
Thanks everyone for all your help. Ideas are forming.... My luthier is very helpful, too!
 
Nickie, you can also ask to be dropped down a slot or two on the build list. That way you have a bit more time to think about your choices. Don't rush. No need to be flummoxed.
 
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