Jerryc41
Well-known member
Alvarez is introducing an all-bamboo concert uke. I see it for sale for $200, and $240 electrified. Bamboo is becoming popular with uke builders.
I'm very impressed with the Aklot ALL bamboo tenor cutaway uke I got a couple of weeks ago. I like that it's bright with good projection, especially with the black D'Addario strings, which I had to cull together from 2 sets because the tenor version only came with a wound C so I used a C from a concert set.
Bamboo is specifically a grass, and being that it's laminated sideways rather than on top of each other, I wouldn't call it solid. Aklot actually said to watch the humidity because it's "solid," but bamboo is known to be very durable, so I'm not going to worry about it.
I suspect that the bamboo has been cut lengthwise. Since the plant is a cylinder shape, the material probably retains a "memory" of that shape. And with enough moisture it will want to curl. But that is pure speculation on my part. It may just be that it is one of the materials that tends to curl with humidity.
Product page:
https://www.alvarezguitars.com/guitar/mu55c/
I clicked on the "hide details" thing and figured out you could see more info.. Solid wood they say. Interesting. I've never played an Alvarez uke but they look nice. Their guitars get some good reviews, but of course that doesn't translate to ukes always.
I'll just post that here:
"We are very proud to introduce our first all-solid wood construction Ukuleles in 2019. Not only do they sound amazing, but have a more “planet conscious” element to their design. Our MU55 Masterworks Ukes are made from Bamboo, all solid Bamboo, a wood that grows quickly in abundance and is in no danger of depleting.
As instrument makers and players, we must look to better source alternative woods and materials that are kinder to the world’s ecosystem but do not compromise our quality or tonal attributes. The MU55s meet these requirements beautifully. Solid Bamboo as a tone wood sounds fantastic for a Ukulele, it’s also very affordable, which allows us to deliver an all solid, stellar sounding professional Ukulele at such value. The MU55’s sustain and tone will put a smile on your face and, by knowing that it’s a better choice for our planet, will hopefully sweeten the sound even more."
I suspect that the bamboo has been cut lengthwise. Since the plant is a cylinder shape, the material probably retains a "memory" of that shape. And with enough moisture it will want to curl. But that is pure speculation on my part. It may just be that it is one of the materials that tends to curl with humidity.
...but the clerk was busy shooting the breeze with some guy looking at guitars and refused to even acknowledge my presence.
I imagine that there are a few luthiers here who would question the idea that bamboo is 'wood'.
Sustainable, yes, but no way does it ring like real wood, to my ears.
Thanks, but I don't need another uke, surely not bamboo....
what do others think?
Does it matter it is actual wood or bamboo or grass if the sound is good, it plays well and the price is right?
Interesting because bamboo is a grass, not a wood.
Nickie, you know we all need another uke...
Nickie, you know we all need another uke...
Alvarez is introducing an all-bamboo concert uke. I see it for sale for $200, and $240 electrified. Bamboo is becoming popular with uke builders.
It is silly that they call these "solid" bamboo given that they are composed of many thin strips, everyone can see that it is not a liquid or gas. My uke dealer had a Kala bamboo uke in last time I was in the store in December. I like the appearance, but found the sound quiet and non-descript and would not pay more for it than for a laminate top, even though it looks prettier.
This has been a fairly contentious topic here for some time. I don't really get the objection regarding the term 'solid' in this context. Although, that's assuming that these bamboo ukes are constructed by simply glueing pieces of bamboo together like you would glue a two piece soundboard together. If there's some further processing of the bamboo pieces like there is with laminate wood then that's another story, but I've seen no evidence of this.