Just don't like the feel of GLOSS

stringy

stringy

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I just got back from my local music store. So many of you love your glossy finishes so I gave some high-end glossy finishes a try. euwww, just couldn't handle the look or unnatural feel.

I am in the process of gifting one of my ukes and I know for sure whatever I purchase to replace it will be a natural feeling matte or satin finish (sans bling).

From all that I played today it is hard to beat the sound of a 100% solid wood uke with a natural Spruce top, but I am undecided on the back and side wood. Is it just me or does the back and side wood not make much of a difference in the sound?

Koa or rosewood on the back sure drives up the price.
 
Try out a solid wood uke with a spruce top and koa or mahogany back and sides and then try one with spruce on top and maple back and sides. The maple that supports the sound board will make for a brighter sound. Works with guitars, mandolins and ukes.

I like gloss finishes.
 
If you don't mind waiting in line for a uke, I have just the company for you: Mya Moe Ukuleles.
http://www.myamoeukuleles.com/

Gordon strongly prefers a Tru Oil finish (often used for gun stocks) for the look, feel and sound of the instrument. It is so light that it will not load the instrument and mute the sound. Of course, for a $400 premium he WILL put a gloss finish on it for you. But he'd rather leave it a nice natural matt finish.

I can't wait till I can manage the finances to order one myself.

Good luck.
 
stringy said:
I just got back from my local music store. So many of you love your glossy finishes so I gave some high-end glossy finishes a try. euwww, just couldn't handle the look or unnatural feel.

I am in the process of gifting one of my ukes and I know for sure whatever I purchase to replace it will be a natural feeling matte or satin finish (sans bling).
Click to expand...
Back around 2004 I called a uke company that also did direct sales and asked if they had any specials/seconds. The owner said that did a big run of ukes and everyone told him satin was the only way to go, real ukes were satin, yada, yada. So he got a high percentage of satin on the run and then no one bought satin, just the glossy. I got a great deal.

I'm with you I like most everything wooden with a natural finish or one that compliments the grain. For me glossy can be too slippery with some fabrics. To me a real glossy finish looks like clear plastic. But to each their own.
 
Thanks KnowsPickin

Wow, good advice. The Mya Moe looks exactly like what I am looking for. I checked out the website and I love that he is into the natural wood and sound.
 
You will really enjoy the MM website. They have scads of great videos. One series I've gotten hooked on is the "Birth of a Mya Moe" series. He takes you through the entire process from ordering, wood selection etc. through the building and final finishing of the wood. They have just put on the first coat of Tru-Oil onto it. I can't wait for the last few videos. To watch the entire run will take a while. There is very little editing and there have been 84 episodes so far. But it is fascinating to watch.

Also enjoy the "Mya Moe Unscripted", which is a weekly VLOG that he as been doing for a couple of years that really goes into their philosophy and history as well as processes.

Let me know if you order one. Unfortunately it will take almost a year to get one from order till delivery. But, Lord, it will be worth it.

Bill
 
I WILL be ordering one. I don't mind the wait, I just won't be gifting my old one as quickly. It gives me pleasure to order from someone who shares my tastes and philosophy. Some of my friends have expensive ukes that look and feel like they are coated in clear plastic.
Thanks again for the Mya Moe recommendation :)
 
I'm with you. I do not like the feel of high gloss, especially in our hot humid Florida climate. Unfortunately my very best uke is high gloss. Wish I were more experienced before I made such a big purchase. Now I feel like I can't get rid of such a sweet well-crafted instrument, even though it doesn't really suit me. Probably at some point it will go on the chopping block.
 
I don't mind high gloss on an instrument body, but it does annoy me on the neck. It makes me feel sweaty and sticky. Also, cheaper instruments have poorer quality finishes it seems. (sometimes excluding companies that have a cheaper, alternative, line of ukuleles)

Gloss instrument on a hot day, playing without a shirt on because it's just... that...friggin....hot.......... not the most pleasant playing experience.
 
I prefer satin finishes too. Gloss tends to feel kinda gross and sticky, and I've taken very fine sandpaper to quite a few necks!

Mya-Moe's oil finish is fantastic.
 
The top wood will affect the sound more than the back/sides.

Personally, I prefer a satin or matte finish over gloss. Just seems more natural and less "look at me because I'm shiny."

That said, one of my favorites is a Mainland red cedar tenor with gloss and rope binding I won. I wouldn't have bought it because I don't care for that kind of look, but it's an amazing instrument. :)

Out of 10 ukes, though, I only have that one gloss.
 
I definitely prefer satin finish. I think it comes from playing viola & then cello: in general, high gloss = cheap & nasty. Orchestral strings also don't have varnished necks - they are sanded & rubbed.
Give me the natural feel of wood any day.
 
Of my three, two are satin and one is gloss. The gloss is a solid cedar top, so I'm grateful for the extra protection, since that wood is softer. It is a cedar rosewood, so it is also my most "boomy" sounding ukulele. The only thing I notice is that it shows fingerprints more, so I wipe it down more often. As far as the glossy neck, I am used to keeping my hands dry for clarinet and flute and wipe them a lot when I'm playing, so it doesn't seem greasy to me. But I've also never played a set in a bar or outside either, so my conditions are limited.
 
haole said:
I prefer satin finishes too. Gloss tends to feel kinda gross and sticky, and I've taken very fine sandpaper to quite a few necks!

Mya-Moe's oil finish is fantastic.
Click to expand...

How fine are we talking? I'd love a solution for one of my glossies.
 
Katz-in-Boots said:
I definitely prefer satin finish. I think it comes from playing viola & then cello: in general, high gloss = cheap & nasty. Orchestral strings also don't have varnished necks - they are sanded & rubbed.
Give me the natural feel of wood any day.
Click to expand...



ITA that it makes an ukulele look cheap.

Gloss= Gross
 
My best uke is a Kala cedar/acacia koa gloss finish. I certainly like the gloss look, and have never had a problem playing it until Saturday night for an outside gig in Venice, CA near the ocean, the humid atmosphere definitely made it harder to slide around on the neck. I actually put a polish on my two hole all acacia koa satin finish not long ago, have to test it and my satin finishes in humid atmosphere.
 
Dane said:
How fine are we talking? I'd love a solution for one of my glossies.
Click to expand...

i keep 1000/1500/2000 grit paper in the shop. at that level of fineness they are used for polishing finishes and bringing up high gloss.
600 grit paper is commonly available and would be considered ultra fine for scratching down high gloss. get the black stuff from the hardware store, wet/dry, and use it with water.
 
I rub gloss instruments up and down my naked body at night.
 
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