Different Styles of Wood For Your Ukulele

Different styles of wood for your Ukulele

When choosing a ukulele, we must not only choose by appearance but by the way a ukulele is made. The different styles of wood  will create different tones and produce a variety of sounds.

 Solid Wood

Expands and compresses sounds will change overtime; vibrates more freely; absorbs more energy, doesn’t reflect as well

Laminated Wood

Multiple thin pieces layered together; strong and consistent to work with; lighter and more affordable

Mahogany Wood

Lightweight, high strength; soft and warm balance; good depth and bite, full sound

Pau Ferro

Dense and stable; easy  to work with; neutral and balance tone; often used as rosewood substitute

Cedar

Warm, controlled volume; darker tones, note as dense or crisp as Spruce; especially useful for fingerstyle players

Spruce

Crisp, deep resonance; strong attack; lots of bass response; great for aggressive and energetic strumming

Top Wood

Shapes responsiveness and sustain; heavy influence on tone; affects note strength and quality

Maple

Dense, hard heavy tightness; bright, precise tone; transparent sound; even harmonics

Koa

Sweet, bright sound, high end articulation with balanced minrange; beautiful wood grain patterns

Back and Side Wood

Affects projection and resonation; influences tone and harmonics; impacts sound and reflection.

Sitka Spruce

Dynamic range; great for fingerpicking; lightweight; ton with tough elasticity; clear powerful tone

Ebony

Loud, open tones, become richer overtime, substantial overtones, dynamic range; strong bass, clear highs, lower mids