Favorite Wood Combinations?

Your favorite wood combination(s)?

  • Cedar/Rosewood

    Votes: 23 27.7%

  • Cedar/Mahogany

    Votes: 5 6.0%

  • Spruce/Rosewood

    Votes: 5 6.0%

  • Spruce/Mahogany

    Votes: 5 6.0%

  • Spruce/Maple

    Votes: 3 3.6%

  • Mahogany/Mahogany

    Votes: 17 20.5%

  • Koa/Koa

    Votes: 25 30.1%

  • Mango/Mango

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Redwood/Other

    Votes: 8 9.6%

  • Other/Other

    Votes: 16 19.3%
  • Total voters
    83
I love all-solid Koa due to the liveliness and brightness of the tone (I'm thinking of KoAloha)
I love all-solid Spruce with Ebony because of its brightness and power and amazing clarity
I love all-solid Spruce with Rosewood because of its power and clarity and amazing sustain

Ok, by power I mean the tone makes me feel powerful even though I'm holding such a small instrument. I guess a more appropriate word would be volume. I wonder whether pistachio as a b/s tonewood is comparable to ebony and rosewood in terms of volume.
 
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If you asked this question 5 years ago, most of the answers would probably have been all koa or all hog. Now, people are open to diff't woods, which is good imo.
 
Myrtle is a warm sounding wood. In combination with the spruce, it is warm, sweet, generates great volume.
 
I don't know why and I can't explain it but to me the look of koa reminds me of Hawaii and mahogany sounds like Hawaii to me.
 
Hi, can someone describe what the word "punchy" means, does that mean bright?
 
Spruce Top Mahogany back and sides for sound and cost. Curly Maple top with Rosewood back and sides for looks. To me the sound is all in the top wood, everything else is all structure. My second choice would be Mahogany all around. I have not tried a Redwood top yet.
 
My preference for players is redwood or cedar tops on mahogany or harder hardwood back and sides.

But it's also nice to have a hog soprano for bark. And koa soprano or concert for that old-school Hawaiian sound.
 
I think it depends heavily on the builder, too. Certain builders are particularly good with certain types of wood and can get sound out of it that doesn't sound anything like other ukes using that very same wood.
 
Best-sounding tenor to my ears so far was redwood top, Tasmanian blackwood back and sides. I'm thinking that redwood/rosewood combo would be really close to that. Spruce over Osage Orange is really loud and bright, too.
 
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I hope this thread helps newbies such as myself narrow down the wood choices
 
Icelander53 said:
I've heard good things about walnut as a tonewood but don't see many around??
Click to expand...
I have seen a few either all walnut like the one that is for sale in the marketplace now. Also Jerry at Boat Paddle does some great quarter sawn walnut as does Mike Pereira. Here is the one that I own that has a sinker redwood top:
MP Uke Side.jpg
$(KGrHqZHJ!4FJRZ2PpytBSW5-sqTgw~~60_57.jpg
 
Icelander53 said:
nice looking uke, I'll bet it's loud? Am I right?
Click to expand...
I don't know how to answer that question as it is my first and only luthier made instrument, at this point in time (I just purchased 3 Mya-Moe's that I haven't taken delivery of yet) but compared to a monkey pod Lanikai and a Lacewood/Sitka Kala that I had before, it holds its own in volume. The real difference is the complexity of tone, the great intonation and sustain. Not to mention that it is just a great looking and superbly made instrument.
I'm just a newbie to Uke's but the tech that I had install a MiSi pickup said that he had never seen a better Uke in Perth, Western Austalia.
 
i like Spruce/Rosewood, but also love to play the mahogany/mahogany... both have different character i like.
and i never try Koa before.... :p
 
I really like spruce/rosewood also. Of the 3 MM's that I just bought, one is koa and sitka and the other two are all myrtle (a 4string and a 6 string). When I get them all together I know I will have to choose one to sell. I realise that I just went a little crazy buying 3 quality ukes within a few weeks time but that's what I get by staying home to recouperate after a knee operation. Too much time to read those 'for sale' ads here and on Flea Market Music. At this point I am keeping an open mind on what will stay and what will go.
 
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Koa/Koa. When I think ukulele I see swaying palm trees and a sandy beach with a ukulele playing in the background. This place is Hawaii and the uke is of course Koa/Koa.
 
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