Does Ukulele Wood MATTER? Spruce vs Koa comparison

[@pwrouzaud]

Very good insight on subjective liking of sound. As a beginner builder of ukulele's I've learned it's not just the tone woods, but all the variations of building styles too. But the biggest difference in those ukes which are built correctly, is the quality of player's ability. Therefore, nothing I play sounds very good! Thanks for the vid

[@elizaa.996]

Finally a video that i can really hear the difference.Thanks a lot

[@bliumusic]

Glad I could help!

[@cefarther3945]

Thank you for your comparison review; I like the spruce top for sure. Great video.

[@colinscrivens3060]

Great comparison. I prefer the Spruce top for strumming and the Koa for picking. I'd definitely need them both 🤣

[@stevecrawford3551]

Love the example. Kudos. 😀

[@davidornelasii9898]

Great point about the ukulele speaking to you. I'm in the market for a new one this weekend and been reading/researching/watching videos and reviews but the last ukulele I purchased (Kamoa tenor - low G) was the one that chose me after playing several different sizes and types. Great video - you gotta go out and get your hands on one to know.

[@lindaleepeacock]

Thank you Brian. To me it sounded like the spruce top was projecting the sound whereas the koa top was absorbing the sound, dampening it. But maybe that's the difference between bright vs mellow? I think there would be music genres where one would prefer the one or the other.

[@bliumusic]

I like that description of projecting vs dampening. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@keithyoung1597]

You are right on about the brightness of the spruce top tenor, I have one and love it. But my mahogany tenor comes in a very close 2nd. And thanks for telling what strings you have on them. I am going to give them a try next. Right now I use Sarah Maisel low G strings. I like them but they take forever to settle in. Thank you again, Brian, for your work at bringing us this content.

[@bliumusic]

ooh, I bet that mahogany tenor sounds sweet. Fun fact, the first ukulele I learned on was a mahogony soprano!

[@SurferL]

Wow Brian, thank you so much for doing this. I hear a lot of new reviews of different ukuleles but this is the first time I’ve really appreciated the difference in the wood, which is what all the reviews keep talking about but yours really brought out the difference. Couldn’t agree more about picking the one that makes you want to play one; an obvious but good point to raise. Keep up the great work! Enjoy watching.

[@bliumusic]

Thank you! Glad to hear this was useful.

[@jim_croft]

But Brian, the way you play even a sheet of packing plywood would sound good. :)

[@bliumusic]

Haha! Thank you for the kind words :)

[@samakin4896]

That was very helpful, thank you!

[@yukashojima8695]

Hi Brian I really like to learn how you are doing your soft strumming that specific pattern you do at 1:02! thanks!

[@judgetoogood1033]

Good discussion

[@ddbtdd]

I prefer the tone of the spruce top uke to the all solid koa. I have a concert uke with a solid spruce top and solid maple back and sides. It is my favorite sounding uke.

[@cwsampson]

Thanks for this -- just a heads up that your label stays on Spruce at 1:30, though by that point people should be able to see the difference!

[@TKRM2007]

Good job!

[@AntonMizonov]

Thank you for your scientific approach! Liked and subbed for defo!

[@shoreborn100]

I have a spruce top concert. I have found that it has mellowed over time. Still has the punch but it has taken the edge off of the bright sound.

[@bliumusic]

How interesting! That's good to know.

[@NewUkeNewYork]

Very interesting. I have a spruce top and a cedar top. I think the koa in your video has more “depth” of sound, whereas the spruce sounded thinner to me - more like one layer of sound, as opposed to multiple layers in the koa. And I don’t mean for one of those things to be better than the other. Just trying to articulate the difference I heard. Thanks for making this video!

[@bliumusic]

Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!

[@dsd-downshiftdave8056]

Where do i get the koa one with the rope binding - love it

[@braddahryan]

The resonance on the Koa top sounds awesome. Definitely sounds more "old school" and if you love the sound of traditional Hawaiian music, it's the Koa all day long. Aloha

[@diamondg1190]

Hey Brian really like the videos, as a teacher I think you need to develop a full private lesson course you would be inundated with pupils, when you’re ready I’m in.👍😎

[@bliumusic]

Thanks for the suggestion and your support! I'll eventually build something like that. When I do, I'll announce it on this channel.

[@DrRonaldSIpock]

I am always conflicted by this topic. Like you, Brian, I have a spruce Kamaka for my bright sound and a custom ukulele in London plane wood for my warm sound. So I am at least playing the tone wood game. However, I have to admit the difference is akin to listening to a recording with the treble dial set at "4" versus it being set at "6"--not really all that different although I know some people would be like OMG the tonal difference is like night and day.

[@bliumusic]

Great analogy. To add to that, I think the most discerning ear for tone wood belongs to the person playing the instrument. The people listening tend to just be happy that they're listening to music.

[@Bobjtx]

BliuMusic I tend to agree with Dr. Ronald. I watched a lot of HMS and other videos before purchasing my tenor and bari ukes, and the sound difference the sellers demo, I find much less pronounced in real life. I think the sound differences are due as much to the difference in build, as they are in wood type. My Koaloha spruce tenor projects much more than my kala spruce tenor, as an example. My cedar top Pono tenor doesn’t sound THAT much different than my Kala spruce top. Additionally, my Kala solid mahogany baritone sounds only slightly better (5%?) than my Kala all laminate baritone. Just my two cents worth.

[@ohrofax]

oh, I hear the grass growing, but I can´t hear no difference between both recorded uke´s maybe if you playing itself direct in your hands straight in your ear it could it be a difference

[@griffithsharp]

Both those instruments sound amazing.....ima definitely have to try out those worth brown strings sometime. I’m a not a heavy strummer type and I don’t like that classic jangley island sound which a spruce tends to bring out, your spruce seems a bit on the mellower side. I could totally go with either. Thanks

[@monoped8437]

i have one of each. depends on my mood. i tend to lean towards the spruce.

[@sitayhuber]

Love the spruce! What type of ukelele is it, and does it come in a concert size?

[@d-boy1644]

Awesome what model is KOA MODEL? Thanks

[@bliumusic]

Thanks, it's a Pono PKT-2-E

[@d-boy1644]

Thank you for sharing all your review 👍⭐️⭐️⭐️👍

[@Heyeliza888]

Thanks for the video, Brian! Do you think the differences between spruce and koa would be similar on a soprano ukulele? Or would the bright and punchy be even more pronounced? I have strong preference for the spruce top and always preferred the soprano size.

[@bliumusic]

Thanks for watching. Compared to a tenor ukulele, a soprano ukulele will generally have a brighter and punchier sound. The differences between koa and spruce will still hold, regardless of the size of the instrument.

[@tmo7734]

I prefer the spruce top.

[@bel.epoque]

Which pono is it? Immediately fell in love.

[@bliumusic]

It's a tenor size Pono, model PKT-2-E

[@femolina2957]

O spruce casa muito bem nos ukuleles de tamanho tenor pois resgata os agudos que vão se perdendo à medida que o instrumento aumenta de tamanho. O Ukulele é um instrumento tradicionalmente agudo, então penso que o spruce deva ser usado apenas nos tamanhos tenor e barítono, enquanto o koa fica melhor nos tamanhos soprano e concerto. Minha opinião.

[@bliumusic]

That's very interesting. I had never considered that the tenor size could benefit from the higher frequencies that resonate from spruce. Thanks for the insight!

[@JannikLindquist]

It seems to me that the difference between a glossy and a satin finish has more noticeable consequences for the sound. Both the ukuleles you play so beautifully in this video has a gloss finish - and, so, they sound very similar. Even so, though, I do think your Pono koa has a varmer sound.

[@bliumusic]

Very interesting! I hadn’t considered the impact of lacquer on an ukulele. Maybe one day, I’ll find two ukuleles with the same wood and different lacquers to compare. Thanks!

[@themarmots1]

koa

[@sieghartlionheart7664]

Hi bro, What string set did you use for those 2 ukes though? Are those worth browns? Thanks!

[@bliumusic]

Yup, I use Worth Browns.

[@sieghartlionheart7664]

BliuMusic thanks bro! I watched your video again to hear differences and you actually mentioned the strings in your vid! 😅

[@TKRM2007]

Sorry, I cannot tell the differences.