Yay! So glad you love it, I had a feeling it would be just what you needed.
I do love it! Still haven't written a NUD or a review yet, because I wanted to spend more time with it first, and because it's hard to not spend time with it when I'm not at the computer.
It's odd, really, and I can't entirely put my finger on why it resonates so well with me. It sounds much brighter (in the happy way, not the shrill or percussive way) than my other ukuleles, kind of "unencumbered" and playful, and yet it also has a full sound to it. I don't know whether that's the koa or the pineapple shape, or just the way KoAloha build their instruments, but it feels "right" to me. Even chords that sometimes can sound a little less resonant than others (Em, for example) are harmonic. The sound just has a lightness to it that I didn't know from my other small ukuleles (all of which are mahogany, now that I think about it). Also fantastic sustain for the small body even in the higher frets.
Then there is the playability. Aside from realizing that the concert scale seems to be a happy compromise of "reachability" and comfort for me, the way it is built requires extremely little pressure on the strings, which gives me this "it plays by itself" impression. That doesn't make much sense, but there is just a sense of effortlessness in playing it. The Barron River tenor is similar in how it allows for the fingers to slide and "dance" (my fingers definitely don't actually
dance yet, more like stumble around and step on toes, but it feels as if they did), but my other ukuleles aren't like those two at all. (Hmm, both have Worth strings; CT for the pineapple, browns on the tenor.) Great setup, really.
Then there is string tension. I like higher tension on strings, that just feels better, more responsive to me, which has been a bit of an issue with my other small ukes, where the tension is a little wobbly. Not really wobbly, just like ... kind of like slightly, but not too much, overcooked noodles. On the pineapple, the string tension is "al dente". Not callous inducing, but also not like a bubble gum when it's stretched out. Not "washboard"-like when strumming, but still tight when picking.
Oh, and it's loud. Not always, but it can be. It's easy to make real noise with it (it's almost as loud as my tenor, if not just as loud -- I mean to test this with a recording so I can compare the waveforms and volume levels visually), but it can also be played quietly. I love that about it, it responds really well to how you play it, and it doesn't force you into a specific way of playing just to sound great.
And finally, my concerns about a concert neck on a soprano body looking off were unfounded, at least with the pineapple shape. It looks well balanced to me and doesn't remind me of a crane, and it's also not stubby looking.
I don't know if all KoAlohas are like this one, or if I just got a really nice one, but this little pineapple feels like a really lucky find to me. Okay, I'm gushing, but hey, it's been three days and I'm still extremely fond of it! (It also makes me curious about KoAloha's other sizes and forms, but not in a "looking for a better fit" sort of way, more like a "I love that restaurant's spaghetti, I wonder what their raviolis are like." kind of happy curiosity.
Anyway! This isn't a review yet. Sure sounds like one, but I'll do a proper write up, with some pics. Soon. Eventually! The best I can say about it is that it makes me want to play and improve -- it's the best compliment I can give it.