Laminated back & sides

Ukecaster

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I see brands like Ohana that offer many versions of lam B&S tenors. For example, I see Ohana tenors with solid spruce tops, offered with B&S of lam mahogany, willow, maple, lacewood etc. Pretty much identical except for the B&S laminates used. Do these all sound very similar, or can the choice of laminate affect tone significantly?
 
I would guess they would sound pretty similar, just pick what look you like the best.
 
I would guess they would sound pretty similar, just pick what look you like the best.

That would be my guess, but only a guess. Since the wood is different, I suspect the sounds would be different, but not necessarily better. Comparing two identical ukes, I would also expect the sounds to be different. Once you start experimenting with strings, all arguments go out the window. "Solid" wood is as much about prestige as it is about sound. There. I said it. Tear me apart. :D
 
I think they should produce different sounds even if laminated. Assuming the plys are of the same wood glued together, then they should retain their original characteristics of weight, hardness and elasticity. They may not have that much of a variation as the solid counterparts but if the differences in characteristics is large enough, it should theoretically able to tell the differences.
 
From Bax -
"Something I am seeing more and more of lately is the misconception that a laminate bodied ukulele is automatically 'junk' and a build made of solid wood, even a solid top is somehow a ticket to guaranteed 'great' quality musical instrument. Wrong, wrong, wrong. You are buying the myth if you think that."

From Kala -
"Solid wood is in essence one solid piece of wood that makes up the entire soundboard of the instrument. It is the most resonate and pure form of the tonewood and requires much more finesse to install properly. However the wood is meant to sound, whatever unique tones the instrument might have, it will be most apparent in a solid wood instrument. It is somewhat delicate in comparison to laminate but is highly sought after. As a result solid wood is pricier than laminate and it is up to you the reader to decide if its qualities are what you’re looking for in your purchase."
 
I really don't think it matters much. Those exotic wood laminates are usually super thin on the outer layer. The manufacturers can literally slice off pieces of wood and get multiple cuts from the same piece of wood. That is then bonded to another couple of layers of something cheaper usually.
Example: I had a Kala ebony wood soprano (I don't have it now, but it was really nice for what it was). It had a little bridge lift in a corner and I, for whatever reason, failed to put masking tape all over the top just in case I got a wild drip of glue. I realized later that I had left a drop on the top. I tried to remove it and ended up sanding and deciding just to make a slightly worn looking finish on the uke..sort of a relic look.. I accidentally sanded through the ebony on an edge..and this was not with coarse paper either. That top layer probably wasn't any thicker than a credit card. So no, I don't think something that thin makes any difference.

All that said, I think Jerry hit on a good point up there.. Sound can vary from uke to uke of the same model for various reasons...
 
I have played laminate guitars made of different woods, same body size, same builder, and they sounded different. I think it depends on the laminates. In this case each guitar was made of laminates constructed of 3 layers of he same wood. In one, 3 layers of Sapele, in the other 3 layers of Rosewood. I found the Rosewood guitar sounded much different than the Sapele.

When only the surface layer is a "Quality" tone wood, and the substrates are inferior tonewoods, I don't think there would be a noticeable difference in the sound from one to the other.
 
Not common to use multiple layers of the same wood to make a laminate. At least for ukes. The main purpose of a laminate is to put a very thin layer of pretty wood over the top of cheaper woods for cost savings. But laminates do have the added benefit of being more stable than solid wood.
 
Since you are only asking about back and sides... On a ukulele, I don’t the back and side material, or whether solid or laminate, make much if any impact on sound. Top wood and bracing will have an impact. For example, solid cedar top vs spruce top is significant.

John
 
I have all solid wood ukes, all laminate ones, and solid top laminate back and sides. My slightly better sounding ones are a Kala with solid cedar top, laminate acacia koa body, and an all laminate acacia koa, but the others are so close, if I played anyone of them blind, it would be hard to tell the difference.


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Bob Taylor of Taylor guitars states there is no difference in sound between different laminates. This is comparing same models with same solid tops and difference laminate back and sides. Taylor is one of the largest most successful guitar manufacturing companies in the world. He “knows” this from building experience, he doesn’t think or feel it might be so.
 
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Bob Taylor of Taylor guitars states there is no difference in sound between different laminates. This is comparing same models with same solid tops and difference laminate back and sides. Taylor is one of the largest most successful guitar manufacturing companies in the world. He “knows” this from building experience, he doesn’t think or feel it might be so.

Thanks for the excellent expert reference. Other makers have said the same, though I don't remember who.
 
Haven't you all noticed that the ukulele is very personalized insofar as it allows each of us to be as anal as we want to be or as fancy-free as we wish.

I personally don't see much difference in ukulele tones. It is the difference between listening to the stereo with the treble dial at 6 (for mahogany) or 8 (for spruce). The difference blows the minds of other people.

I don't really care about nut width, neck profile, or other minutiae. For others it is a deal-breaker.

For whatever reason, despite the science of luthiery, I like solid wood. Others don't.

The trick is to figure out what is important to you and to collect instruments fulfill your idea.
 
I think the only difference among laminates might be "plywood" laminates versus HPL laminates (which is more like a resin than a series of thin layers).

It's my experience that the solid top is where you get almost all the resonance. My Ohana solid cedar/willow laminate is a cannon.

The Fleas/Flukes with solid tops are a lot more resonant than the ones with laminate tops, IMHO.
 
I really don't think it matters much. Those exotic wood laminates are usually super thin on the outer layer. The manufacturers can literally slice off pieces of wood and get multiple cuts from the same piece of wood. That is then bonded to another couple of layers of something cheaper usually.
That's essentially it. When the manufacturer says "Koa laminate" then this should be thought of as a Koa decoration. It is only about what it looks like. However, the actual wood under the veneer still can contribute a lot to tone, but unfortunately most manufacturers don't tell us what's under the hood. Often it is birch or poplar, which are outstanding tonewoods in their own right but they are just not pretty enough to be used without veneer.
 
If it's a thin wood on top of a cheaper wood, I doubt there'd be much difference. Once you start comparing one type of laminate to another, then it's not a fair comparison, but for back and sides, the differences will be more subtle. Having said that, two ukes of the same model and build, will sometimes sound different, so there's a good chance you're going to notice differences anyway.
 
...Having said that, two ukes of the same model and build, will sometimes sound different, so there's a good chance you're going to notice differences anyway.

Build is probably the bigger factor than back and sides. Even higher end product solid wood ukes will have differences in how they sound. Anyone who has had an opportunity to try a few of the same model ukulele can attest that there might be one that just seems better. Some is personal preference and some is the bell curve of that production run.

John
 
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