Kherome
Well-known member
Is there anything a new player should know about buying a gloss finished uke vs a satin finished uke? Or is it purely aesthetics?
Gloss vs satin
- Thread starter Kherome
- Start date
Swamp Yankee
Well-known member
Some glossy necks can feel sticky when you play. They're not literally sticky, but the gloss finish can grab at your hand a bit. It's easily taken care of with some 0000 steel wool rubbed on the back of the neck, but many players are reluctant to do that on more expensive ukes.
Also, I have noticed that some gloss finished ukes have a more compressed tone. It's hard to describe... it's like their tone has been run through an equalizer and refined.
Some players have complained about a scratchy noise when their clothing rubs on the uke while recording or maybe even playing through an amp with satin finished ukes. I don't record, and I don't use amps, so..
Other than that, each has players that prefer them. I like gloss as long as it's a thin finish... but that would not stop me from buying a satin finished uke. I have both.
Also, I have noticed that some gloss finished ukes have a more compressed tone. It's hard to describe... it's like their tone has been run through an equalizer and refined.
Some players have complained about a scratchy noise when their clothing rubs on the uke while recording or maybe even playing through an amp with satin finished ukes. I don't record, and I don't use amps, so..
Other than that, each has players that prefer them. I like gloss as long as it's a thin finish... but that would not stop me from buying a satin finished uke. I have both.
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Kherome
Well-known member
There is a kala I like but it's gloss finished and I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad idea. Thank you
kypfer
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A satin finish can achieve a gloss in places where it is regularly rubbed, with a sleeve, palm of the hand or thumb, when playing. Some consider this to be annoying, others as a sign that the instrument is used regularly.
I have both satin and gloss-finish instruments. The satin-finish instruments show wear to a greater or lesser extent ... it doesn't worry me, but could distress someone who likes everything to be "pristine"
YMMV - :music:
I have both satin and gloss-finish instruments. The satin-finish instruments show wear to a greater or lesser extent ... it doesn't worry me, but could distress someone who likes everything to be "pristine"
YMMV - :music:
Peter Frary
Well-known member
I like the look of satin—doesn't reflect stage and video lights—but glossy is much more quiet for close mic recording. Satin makes little "sanding" sounds with the slightest movement of a shirt sleeve against and can easily spoil a track.
It's the thickness of the finish, not whether it's gloss or satin that can affect tone. I like to rub out a satin finish to give a rich low gloss which I personally find more aesthetically more attractive than the high gloss finishes.
Ukecaster
Well-known member
I've never heard much difference in sound between these 2 finishes. Some folks believe that a thin satin or matte finish lets the sound out better, and prefer that, YMMV. However, in my strumming style, my non-playing right hand fingers sometimes brush across the top, making a swish sound on satin or matte finished ukes. When I owned some satin finished Larrivee acoustic guitars, it bothered me more, and I would polish the body to a soft gloss, using a process including steel wool, and various auto polishes and scratch removers. They always came out nice, and the swish was gone. I haven't felt the need to do that on a uke...yet.
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I do not think that the gloss/satin finish is that important here because you do not get a choice. Rather, do you like the sound/handling of the Kala ukes? Do the descriptions of this uke (and company) look and sound like something you want to play? Very few companies have similar models with choice of finish. Actually, two of the K companies, Kanile'a and Koaloha, have offered a choice of finish on similar models. Most other production ukuleles do not offer this choice.
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Kherome
Well-known member
I can't handle it before purchase. There are no shops within a reasonable drive of my home. I'm shopping online. One uke has gloss, one has satin finish. I just wasn't sure if one was a better idea than the other.
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Kherome
Well-known member
https://kalabrand.com/products/ka-ktg
This is the Kala I was looking at.
Would the Ohana be better? I don't like the shiny pearl purfling much.
https://www.mimsukes.com/listing/mi...cedar-rosewood-setup-ukulele-uke-518/18268846
This is the Kala I was looking at.
Would the Ohana be better? I don't like the shiny pearl purfling much.
https://www.mimsukes.com/listing/mi...cedar-rosewood-setup-ukulele-uke-518/18268846
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Ukecaster
Well-known member
Of those 2, I'd take the Ohana TK-50. Its solid top, back & sides should give better tone, compared to the Kala, which is all laminate. Not that laminate is bad, but in my experience, solid, especially a solid top, always sounds better. I had a TK-50 a while back, and it was a great uke, and MIM will provide a solid setup prior to shipping.
Graham Greenbag
Well-known member
A while back I was in a Guitar shop looking at what few Ukuleles he had for sale, he plays as well as sells and has had his shop for many years.
His advice on gloss was that whilst it was a nice looking finish for electric Guitars it was also a thick finish that tended to muffle acoustic instruments. I had thought that the consensus here was that gloss finished Ukes tend to be quieter than their satin finished siblings (which have a much thinner finish on them) but that’s not been brought out in this thread.
Personally I prefer the plain appearance of satin to gloss but that aside I don’t want my Ukes to have their sound muffled by a thick finish. I’m also inclined to think that high gloss finishes look fine when new but less so once they have been scratched up a bit, on mat those same scratches are less noticeable and mat is less fussy about any restoration.
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Kibes37
Well-known member
I have a gloss neck and wish it was satin. Nat bad enough to part with the Uke. Gloss with a satin neck is the way to go imo. Lot of variables with wether the body being gloss or satin is right for your style.
You can hear my hand moving on the gloss neck when recording. So there’s that too.
You can hear my hand moving on the gloss neck when recording. So there’s that too.
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I agree with many of the assessments in this thread: a satin finish may sound somewhat more "open" or "woody", whereas a gloss tends towards a more focused or compressed sound. My impression is that gloss is more prone to scratches, whereas a satin finish shows greasy spots more easily. Many find glossy necks to be sticky, but I actually prefer them as I don't worry so much about sweaty hands etc. Note that there are different techniques for each gloss and satin finishing, having different impacts on an instrument's sound and feel.
However, with the two models you mention, it's not so much about the finish, but that the Kala is all laminate, whereas the Ohana has a solid top. The lamination will impact the sound much more than the finish. On top of that, the Ohana has a Cedar top wich is a soft wood which is said to give a more open sound than denser woods such as Koa (even or especially in lamination).
However, with the two models you mention, it's not so much about the finish, but that the Kala is all laminate, whereas the Ohana has a solid top. The lamination will impact the sound much more than the finish. On top of that, the Ohana has a Cedar top wich is a soft wood which is said to give a more open sound than denser woods such as Koa (even or especially in lamination).
Pretty much every custom built uke between $2000 and $5000 has a gloss finish. These builders would not use gloss if they thought it would hinder the sound. With a gloss finish you can always take steel wool to the neck to make it satin if you find it sticky. That being said I have never had to do that to any of my high gloss ukes. It depends on your body chemistry and if you have sweaty hands.
If you are willing to spend the money for an all solid wood uke then do it and forgot the all laminate koa Kala. If you don't like the abalone purfing on the Ohana then keep looking. But that one will have a great sound. What happened to your choice of all solid mahogany Kala, that's a good one and it has a matt finish if you like that feature.
If you are willing to spend the money for an all solid wood uke then do it and forgot the all laminate koa Kala. If you don't like the abalone purfing on the Ohana then keep looking. But that one will have a great sound. What happened to your choice of all solid mahogany Kala, that's a good one and it has a matt finish if you like that feature.
Beasty_Artemis
Active member
So, do sweaty hands stick to gloss finishes more? I need more info on this for when I get my next uke. Really never th out about this before.
Down Up Dick
Well-known member
I prefer high gloss with bling or at least beautiful grain, and I probably couldn’t tell the difference in sound.
If I was shopping in a store, and they only had blah satin finished ukes I wouldn’t buy one.ld:
If I was shopping in a store, and they only had blah satin finished ukes I wouldn’t buy one.
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Rllink
Well-known member
I don't notice a difference in tone or in feel. I like gloss, just because I like shiny things. I think that scratches show on gloss more than satin, but I've never been sensitive to that kind of thing. I think that the scratches, especially from strumming, just give it some character. In fact, when I get a new ukulele I play the heck out of it until it gets some character. I honestly hate showing up somewhere with a ukulele that looks like it never gets played.
