Ukuleles I have had:
I definitely want my next baritone to be laminate too - I will be doing some moving/traveling for work, and I can’t be sure I’ll always be able to find a ukulele-sitter who will be scrupulous about humidification. So laminate it is. But I know sound quality varies widely with laminates. I don’t want to end up with something dull/muted like my first ukulele.
The thing I loved about the Lanikai was how well it sings/resonates/projects, and the fact that it does so evenly across its range - it also has strong clear high notes that aren’t dominated/drowned out by its lovely baritone low notes.
I don’t know if that kind of sound something I can reliably expect from other Lanikai baritones (some on YouTube don’t sound like that) or if mine was just a lucky find.
What brands/models of laminate baritone ukuleles would you recommend for that kind of sound?
(Currently in the US, so brands available here would be easiest. I no longer live near a store with multiple baritones, so will probably buy online from a reputable seller like Elderly or Sweetwater, but buying without hearing/playing the instrument is making me nervous.)
- Kala Makala MK-T tenor a decade ago. It always sounded dull/muffled and wasn’t much fun to play, so I didn’t.
- Lanikai LUTU-21B baritone found used in a music shop. Incredible sound, it just sang - projected really well with a beautiful rich tone that sounded better even than the other more expensive baritones in the store
I definitely want my next baritone to be laminate too - I will be doing some moving/traveling for work, and I can’t be sure I’ll always be able to find a ukulele-sitter who will be scrupulous about humidification. So laminate it is. But I know sound quality varies widely with laminates. I don’t want to end up with something dull/muted like my first ukulele.
The thing I loved about the Lanikai was how well it sings/resonates/projects, and the fact that it does so evenly across its range - it also has strong clear high notes that aren’t dominated/drowned out by its lovely baritone low notes.
I don’t know if that kind of sound something I can reliably expect from other Lanikai baritones (some on YouTube don’t sound like that) or if mine was just a lucky find.
What brands/models of laminate baritone ukuleles would you recommend for that kind of sound?
(Currently in the US, so brands available here would be easiest. I no longer live near a store with multiple baritones, so will probably buy online from a reputable seller like Elderly or Sweetwater, but buying without hearing/playing the instrument is making me nervous.)
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