Is the advantage of solid wood a myth?

AQUATOPAZ said:

My daughter has a Luna laminate. I was surprised by how good it sounded for the split second it resonated. That, to me, is a big problem with laminates - no sustain, though I do prefer a solid sound. When the bridge popped off I considered getting her a solid but she really just wanted her Luna. My son bought himself a Black Friday Mitchell soprano, despite my hints that I would be willing to buy him a better one. For over a year he barely, if ever, played that thing and always said he had no time. I purchased him a solid Bruce Wei for Christmas and he plays it all the time and is getting quite good. When we were at guitar center he looked at the Mitchells and made some derogatory remark.

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I'm always amused by the number of newbies around here who opt for a Guitar Center Mitchell or Sam Ash Music Luna. People soooo much buy on looks, and don't consider that something that looks a little plainer could sound better, or be easier to play.
My 3 go to ukes are solid wood. I have a laminate with a solid top, that I loved the tone in, but the neck warped so I don't play it.

Nickie said:

I'm always amused by the number of newbies around here who opt for a Guitar Center Mitchell or Sam Ash Music Luna. People soooo much buy on looks, and don't consider that something that looks a little plainer could sound better, or be easier to play.
My 3 go to ukes are solid wood. I have a laminate with a solid top, that I loved the tone in, but the neck warped so I don't play it.

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Well, the Mitchell was purchased not on looks, but on cheapness. I honestly don't know how anyone could expect something that cheap to have have enough careful labor attached to it. It would have to be a rush job. But my son was a poor college student and I give him kudos for trying to be self sufficient. I got Luna to send a return label to fix my daughter's ukulele as she really didn't want a better one.

AQUATOPAZ said:

Well, the Mitchell was purchased not on looks, but on cheapness. I honestly don't know how anyone could expect something that cheap to have have enough careful labor attached to it. It would have to be a rush job. But my son was a poor college student and I give him kudos for trying to be self sufficient. I got Luna to send a return label to fix my daughter's ukulele as she really didn't want a better one.

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I see....and I don't disagree.
ignorance, I think, at least on my part, rules a lot of purchases. I was a half witted beginner when I bought my daughter a Luna "Peace" uke, because it was cheap (I didn't know if she'd enjoy learning ukulele) and I knew she'd love the Peace sign soundhole. I Don't even know if she still has the doggone thing.

'ukin'smilin' said:

The top on my new Islander is remarkably thin, but strong, and truly resonates and projects. Definitely not a toy. The sides are also quite thin - so much so that if I hold it up to the sun and look into the sound hole, the sides are lit up. I prefer solid instruments, as well, but am hesitant to travel too much with them out of fear of cracking and warping when left in a hot car. Laminates are a little less likely to suffer such consequences. For $165, I'm happier than expected, especially considering the price paid included a lightweight but sturdy UkeCrazy hard case.

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I've gone through a ton of Ukuleles, and some of my favorites are laminates, and I choose laminates because of the lower maintenance of them. The Blackbird's sound amazing and feel ridiculously high-tek cutting edge, but there are great lower priced laminates out there too!

Islanders are nice and agree with the "better than the price" - maybe the best value prop bet around, when set up by HMS. I didn't like the too-thick too-wide neck though; I have smaller hands though.
My favorites were the laminate Kiwaya/Famous brands, which are great in their price range. I also like the Martin OX laminate bamboo. That one has a nice soprano bark to it.
All of these are ones I would buy again if/when UAS strikes.

igorthebarbarian said:

Islanders are nice and agree with the "better than the price" - maybe the best value prop bet around, when set up by HMS. I didn't like the too-thick too-wide neck though; I have smaller hands though.
My favorites were the laminate Kiwaya/Famous brands, which are great in their price range. I also like the Martin OX laminate bamboo. That one has a nice soprano bark to it.
All of these are ones I would buy again if/when UAS strikes.

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I looked at Kiwaya and Famous ukes here in Japan, but even the lower end models would've been @twice the price I paid for the Islander MAPG-4, which was marked down from $300 plus - just for the uke - and the free case sure helped make it an easy decision. I believe the maple laminate Islanders have been discontinued, since they don't appear on their website. Nevertheless, even though I have a fantastic-sounding LoPrinzi (which has a very thin neck), I'm enjoying getting acquainted with the smaller concert size (I've only played tenors, so far) , and the wider neck doesn't pose a problem for me. I consider myself lucky, in that now I've got three sweet-sounding, very playable, distinctly different-voiced ukuleles - two completely solid wood and one completely laminated. All of the notes are there, and there's always a new horizon to explore.