There are two types of description you'll see for the construction of ukuleles: solid and laminated. Laminated means that the ukulele has a thin top of expensive wood (such as koa or mahogany) on top of a much cheaper wood. The fancy top layer is mainly there for show and doesn't have a great deal of influence on the sound - so solid wood ukuleles tend to have a fuller and more characterful sound to them. On the upside, laminated ukuleles are less prone to splitting.

Solid wood ukuleles tend to be more expensive but they are often worth it for the added tone you get from them. They'll also tend to 'mature' in the sound they produce much more than a laminated ukulele.

If you're going for a solid wood ukulele, the classic choice is to go for a solid koa instrument like these:

Cordoba 25CK Concert Size Koa Ukulele Uke Solid Top Back and Sides Portugal    US $120.00

Soprano traditional HAWAIAN UKULELE Solid Koa ST    US $157.00

NEW LANIKAI NK C CONCERT UKULELE SOLID KOA UKE CASE    US $329.00

Another popular option is to go for a solid mahogany ukulele such as these:

KALA KA SMHS Solid Mahogany Soprano Ukulele NEW FreeShi    US $196.00

Fender Paina All Solid Mahogany Acoustic Electric Tenor Ukulele with Gig Bag    US $249.00

Eddy Finn EF 30 Solid Mahogany Concert Ukulele    US $264.95

But there are many options for woods out there with new ones coming along all the time such as zebrawood, lacewood, mango and acacia. All of which are available as a solid wood ukulele.

When you're looking for a solid wood uke, do be careful. If the description doesn't state whether the uke is solid or laminated it's very likely that it's laminated.

On Video

Here Ken Cameron of Hilo guitars discusses the difference between laminated and solid wood ukuleles.