Thin bodied Ukuleles

mm stan

Mystery Man
UU VIP
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Messages
28,195
Reaction score
28
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii 5min away from waikiki
Aloha All,
Can anybody recommend a good sounding thin body uke with a good tone....
Would be nice for some summer fun....
Many Thanks, in advance....MM Stan..
 
Our uke club has a soprano Kala travel uke. Many have played it and all comment that it sounds a lot better than they thought from a thin uke. It's got a slightly rounded back which may help to project the sound. It's strung with Aquilas.

Bruko also do some thin-bodied ukes.

Hope that helps, happy shopping,
Anna
 
I have two Kala thinline travel ukuleles (a tenor at home, a concert in my office, both strung with Aquilas), and I agree with Anna that they have better sound than one might think from a thin ukulele. Here are some sound samples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDKgbFFY244 (sprucetop/mahogany soprano)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN5R54rHMgw (sprucetop/lacewood tenor)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlJcY0MNzMk (sprucetop/lacewood tenor)

And here's a review from UU member Ken Middleton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN5R54rHMgw
 
I picked up the Kala several times at the store and I am impressed by the sound. However, as Ken Middleton said, it is top heavy. This uke is an instant buy for me once it comes with friction pegs or light weight geard tunners. Until then I just have to have a bigger suitcase for my little Ohana fatso.
 
My Kala thinline concert knocks me out with its big, bright sound. I have NO idea how so much sound comes out of something so thin - it's louder than most conventional ukes I've ever played or heard, and very nicely made.
 
I picked up the Kala several times at the store and I am impressed by the sound. However, as Ken Middleton said, it is top heavy. This uke is an instant buy for me once it comes with friction pegs or light weight geard tunners. Until then I just have to have a bigger suitcase for my little Ohana fatso.

The topheaviness is very noticeable on the Kala soprano thinline travel uke (which is the one Ken was reviewing), but not so much on the concert model and even less so, if at all, on the tenor model.
 
Melokia makes a nice thin bodied solid wood uke in concert and tenor. Either solid mahogany or solid acacia, and the price is nice.
 
Many thanks, thin body ukes...

Aloha All,
Can anybody recommend a good sounding thin body uke with a good tone....
Would be nice for some summer fun....
Many Thanks, in advance....MM Stan..

Aloha and Mahalo to all who responded,
Most of you recommended the Kala's, I'll check that one first and I'll do some checking on
the Bruko that Anna Suggested, melokia that kenikas suggested and the Koa Pili Koa that mean
Green suggested. I guess that it's a good start from there. Many thanks again, and have a great
summer!!!! MM Stan
 
I have NO idea how so much sound comes out of something so thin
I would think in part it's because the internal sound waves have so little space to travel that they bounce back much sooner, reinforcing the top's sound waves. On the minus side, because they don't have the room to bounce around in, they don't have the opportunity to lose the same energy as in a larger-bodied uke. This loss lowers some of their frequency, so the overtones from the thinner-bodied uke will not be as complex and have less lower-end tone. Aquilas probably help the projection because they're bright and loud. Has anyone tried using a more mellow string like J71s?
 
Ever since I got my Kala Soprano Travel Uke I've been using it almost exclusively.

If it felt 'top-heavy' in the beginning, well, it doesn't faze me now. It's just what it is.

I'm looking forward to trying out a Concert Travel Uke, but the Soprano is so small,
compact, full of sound, cute, comfy, and just so much fun to play that I may not want
another 'Travel' uke. I'm more of a Soprano guy anyway, but, we'll see....

keep uke'in',
 
Aloha All,
Can anybody recommend a good sounding thin body uke with a good tone....
Would be nice for some summer fun....
Many Thanks, in advance....MM Stan..

Hey MM Stan!

The Honu I recently got is suprisingly thin, but puts out fantastic tone and volume. It'd probably behoove you to check one out if you get the chance.

Jake
 
My Eleuke pineapple is very thin though solid, and balances nicely even with geared tuners due to body weight. I carry a portable Honeytone amp when I need to but play it mostly with headphones.
 
Aloha Mai Ka kou, (Hello All)
Thank you again, and the second group of responses are just as good and I'll be checking them out too before
I make a decision which one will work for me...I appriciate it very much and will keep you informed......
MM Stan Uke On!!! Ukuleles are for eva's!!! "Keep strumming them ukes"

Aloha Kanaka ma oli, Imua ea, ea, ea...
Ua i Ke ka lahui Hawai'i i Ka 'eha o ke kulike'ole...
imi na kanaka maoli i ke ea, ea ....Hana Pu!!!!
 
Top Bottom