Nine Ukes Under $200 - Ukulele Magazine

We get lots of questions about a good lower-priced uke. Here are nine.

https://www.ukulelemag.com/gear-rev...361315009&mc_cid=d459115442&mc_eid=e88fd42ac2

As far as I can see, the only one with a solid top is the Cordoba 24T. The new version has a solid spruce top, instead of solid cedar. The Cordoba also has a wider than most nut, at 1.5".

Ukecaster said:

As far as I can see, the only one with a solid top is the Cordoba 24T. The new version has a solid spruce top,, instead of solid cedar. The Cordoba also has a wider 1.5" nut

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The Kala bamboo is said to be all solid - in terms of bamboo that is.

bsfloyd said:

The Kala bamboo is said to be all solid - in terms of bamboo that is.

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The term "solid bamboo" seems like an oxymoron, at least in terms of instrument construction. Aren't all bamboo ukes (and bamboo floors for that matter) essentially made of laminated strips of bamboo held together with urea-formaldehyde glue? True it's not laminated in sheets as with typical plywood, but it's still laminated and held together with glue.

bsfloyd said:

The Kala bamboo is said to be all solid - in terms of bamboo that is.

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Barry Maz shared his thoughts on that topic in his Got A Ukulele review. The bamboo is solid in its thickness from top to bottom but several pieces of bamboo have to be glued together edge-wise to make a "sheet" of bamboo wood so in that way it is solid wood. It's not layered or laminated (thickness-wise) in order to make a sheet of wood from which the back and sides of the uke can be fashioned.

mikelz777 said:

Barry Maz shared his thoughts on that topic in his Got A Ukulele review. The bamboo is solid in its thickness from top to bottom but several pieces of bamboo have to be glued together edge-wise to make a "sheet" of bamboo wood so in that way it is solid wood. It's not layered or laminated (thickness-wise) in order to make a sheet of wood from which the back and sides of the uke can be fashioned.

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Much like a book-matched front or back.

I like bamboo products, however, I cannot recommend bamboo toothpicks. They break very easily.

The Aklot bamboo tenor is essentially the same as the Kala, probably made in the same factory, and 1/2 the price.

besley said:

The term "solid bamboo" seems like an oxymoron, at least in terms of instrument construction. Aren't all bamboo ukes (and bamboo floors for that matter) essentially made of laminated strips of bamboo held together with urea-formaldehyde glue? True it's not laminated in sheets as with typical plywood, but it's still laminated and held together with glue.

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mikelz777 said:

Barry Maz shared his thoughts on that topic in his Got A Ukulele review. The bamboo is solid in its thickness from top to bottom but several pieces of bamboo have to be glued together edge-wise to make a "sheet" of bamboo wood so in that way it is solid wood. It's not layered or laminated (thickness-wise) in order to make a sheet of wood from which the back and sides of the uke can be fashioned.

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I certainly wouldn't call these bamboo ukes laminate as the lamination process, afaik, is different than how bamboo ukes are constructed. Then again, I did hear that there is some further processing aside from just glueing the bamboo pieces together so in that sense calling them solid might not be complete accurate either even though the individual pieces of bamboo are solid from front to back. In the end, I don't really care that much. If you have even the most basic understanding of how bamboo grows you realise that there's no way you could build an instrument from a single piece of bamboo, so I don't think the term solid is that deceiving. Calling it solid wood, however, certainly is since it's not made of wood at all.

Regarding the list itself, among a couple of decent ukes (including the Kala Bamboo) there are some pretty nasty brands in the mix that I don't like at all. I'm a bit surprised Ukulele Magazine even did this sort of list which often are overly simplified as they are. I would've expected better from them.

mikelz777 said:

Barry Maz shared his thoughts on that topic in his Got A Ukulele review. The bamboo is solid in its thickness from top to bottom but several pieces of bamboo have to be glued together edge-wise to make a "sheet" of bamboo wood so in that way it is solid wood. It's not layered or laminated (thickness-wise) in order to make a sheet of wood from which the back and sides of the uke can be fashioned.

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I'm not knocking the idea of a bamboo uke (though I would worry about how durable they are). But if bamboo can be called "solid wood" then a laminated plywood sheet is "solid wood" too. In both cases it's made of wood and glue, just orientated differently. Using the term "solid" wrt instrument construction has come to have a specific meaning (that is, not laminated plywood), and in this case I submit it is rather disingenuous to label anything made of bamboo as "solid".

besley said:

I'm not knocking the idea of a bamboo uke (though I would worry about how durable they are). But if bamboo can be called "solid wood" then a laminated plywood sheet is "solid wood" too. In both cases it's made of wood and glue, just orientated differently. Using the term "solid" wrt instrument construction has come to have a specific meaning (that is, not laminated plywood), and in this case I submit it is rather disingenuous to label anything made of bamboo as "solid".

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So a uke with a soundboard made out of two bookmatched pieces can't be classified as solid either?

I subscribe to Ukulele Magazine, and I do have to question this list.

There are a few ukuleles on there that I would agree with, but quite a few of these would not be on my purchase list under $200. There are a couple that I have never seen in person (e.g. the Orangewood).

There's no by-line, and there's a disclaimer of affiliate links. So it makes me wonder what the criteria was for choosing these ukuleles...other than they have been written about in prior editions of the magazine? Even more telling is the lack of certain brands, such as Ortega, Flight, and Snail...companies with plenty of offerings under $200 that could be easily recommended to others.

Seems to me this article is entirely advertising, probably paid for by the manufacturers. I don't think any of these instruments would be in my top-10 list for this price range.

man0a said:

Seems to me this article is entirely advertising, probably paid for by the manufacturers. I don't think any of these instruments would be in my top-10 list for this price range.

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Well, I guess I have nine orders I'll have to cancel today.