ManhattanBlue
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- Oct 3, 2017
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Hi there folks! This will be some sort of presentation and "please advice" post.
I've registered a few days ago but have gone through almost every topic in the forum (ok, not every... ).
I'm Sergio, i'm from Spain, and i'm mostly a guitar player who lately has been in the need of using a Ukulele when performing, so step by step i've come to fall in love with this amazing instrument.
I've been playing until now with a not so good instrument and the time has come to have one built.
So you can guess i'm through the hardest of the times for a musician...making choices
I will be working with a luthier i trust (he's a friend and has some experience building guitars i've had the chance to play and enjoy so far) but it's going to be just the third ukulele he builds.
ok, enough blah blah
So , the idea as you may all guess is we want to build the best instrument we can ... so far we've decided to go with Cocobolo for back and sides but we're a bit struggling with the soundboard. I've read lots of descriptions on soundboards and based on my experience with guitars i can make myself some sort of idea on what i want, but Ukulele is a very different instrument and have not that much experience on the impact of the soundboard wood.
I've thought of going with a Spruce Top, but he suggested Cedar or even trying Maple. The thing is that, despite on paper Cedar seems to be warmer, after going through tons and tons of videos i'm not sure i like the way it projects the sound. It sounds a bit compressed to my ears and even a bit boxy (if that makes any sense).
So, i'm here asking for some advice from you guys who have tons of experience beyond my knowledge.
I'm looking for a mellow, round, warm sound, with lots of sustain , and in a way that all strings are quite balanced and more or less with the same volume.
Probably i will go with a Low G setup, and i say "probably" because i come from the guitar world, and based on what i've listened to i find it warmer and more interesting in the low end but with the idea to go "high G" at some point if the instrument is interesting enough and not too bright/hassle in the high end.
Yes... the holy grail we all want
My issue here is that every time i listen to a video of a High End or Custom Ukulele i don't mind much the soundboard, they all sound great, so i'm starting to go a brit crazy and the fear of choosing the wrong soundboard is starting to come to my head...
I think the only woods i don't fancy much are Mahogany and Acacia . I like them for some guitars, but (always based on the videos i've listed to) they seem a bit opaque and some times a bit boxy to my ears(if that makes any sense).
I forgot to mention it will be a Tenor Size.
So, sorry for this huge "brick", for my english (i'm not a native ) and any advice will be much appreciated.
Cheers!
I've registered a few days ago but have gone through almost every topic in the forum (ok, not every... ).
I'm Sergio, i'm from Spain, and i'm mostly a guitar player who lately has been in the need of using a Ukulele when performing, so step by step i've come to fall in love with this amazing instrument.
I've been playing until now with a not so good instrument and the time has come to have one built.
So you can guess i'm through the hardest of the times for a musician...making choices
I will be working with a luthier i trust (he's a friend and has some experience building guitars i've had the chance to play and enjoy so far) but it's going to be just the third ukulele he builds.
ok, enough blah blah
So , the idea as you may all guess is we want to build the best instrument we can ... so far we've decided to go with Cocobolo for back and sides but we're a bit struggling with the soundboard. I've read lots of descriptions on soundboards and based on my experience with guitars i can make myself some sort of idea on what i want, but Ukulele is a very different instrument and have not that much experience on the impact of the soundboard wood.
I've thought of going with a Spruce Top, but he suggested Cedar or even trying Maple. The thing is that, despite on paper Cedar seems to be warmer, after going through tons and tons of videos i'm not sure i like the way it projects the sound. It sounds a bit compressed to my ears and even a bit boxy (if that makes any sense).
So, i'm here asking for some advice from you guys who have tons of experience beyond my knowledge.
I'm looking for a mellow, round, warm sound, with lots of sustain , and in a way that all strings are quite balanced and more or less with the same volume.
Probably i will go with a Low G setup, and i say "probably" because i come from the guitar world, and based on what i've listened to i find it warmer and more interesting in the low end but with the idea to go "high G" at some point if the instrument is interesting enough and not too bright/hassle in the high end.
Yes... the holy grail we all want
My issue here is that every time i listen to a video of a High End or Custom Ukulele i don't mind much the soundboard, they all sound great, so i'm starting to go a brit crazy and the fear of choosing the wrong soundboard is starting to come to my head...
I think the only woods i don't fancy much are Mahogany and Acacia . I like them for some guitars, but (always based on the videos i've listed to) they seem a bit opaque and some times a bit boxy to my ears(if that makes any sense).
I forgot to mention it will be a Tenor Size.
So, sorry for this huge "brick", for my english (i'm not a native ) and any advice will be much appreciated.
Cheers!