NUD - Pono MTSHC-S purchased from HMS - Initial thoughts and short video

AcousticTones

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Summary: I love it! :cool:

So based on some very good feedback from a number of people here on this forum I choose to increase my budget and go with the Pono (was considering the Cordoba 32T-CE for much less money).

So here is a break down of what I purchased:

-PONO MTSHC-S (SPRUCE/MAHOGANY CUTAWAY- KOA BOUND - RADIUS -SLOTHEAD +)
-Link to item on The Ukulele Site - I purchased it through them or HMS - Which was also a VERY GOOD DECISION
PONO MTSHC-S SPRUCE/MAHOGANY CUTAWAY- KOA BOUND - RADIUS -SLOTHEAD +
-Items added include the LR Baggs 5.0 system, a button strap and new set of strings.
-I asked HMS to try a few different sets of strings on her, and based on their expertise decide what they liked best, install them and then send an additional set along with my baby so that I knew what to use when re-stringing. They did a great job with this and chose the Oasis GPX Clear Fluorocarbon Strings. They feel and sound great on the Pono.

Initial Impressions:
-The first thing I notice and truly enjoyed was the playability and feel of the neck. Which I'm sure was also enhanced by the excellent setup that the techs at HMS had done. I could not have asked for any better. I am REALLY happy with how this baby plays and feels.
-Over all sounds is great, but different than what I had thought it would. The strings they chose to go with are thinner than what I had thought, and thus the sound is different than what I was expecting... But after playing it for a few days I wouldn't change a thing! I'm really enjoying the direction that they (HMS techs) went since I had asked them to choose what strings they thing would be best for this unit. Well done gentleman. :D
-She's a beauty!!!
-Only negative that had bothered me initially is the overall weight of the head stock. I just felt that they could have made the head stock a lot thinner which would have made for a better overall balance. But I've grown accustom to it pretty quickly and it doesn't seem to be much of an issue.

All in, with the LR Baggs and button strap, we ended up around $1,100, and I'd say it was worth every penny.

Here is a very short clip taken via my iPad. I'm hoping to knock out a few decent quality recording over the next few weekends and will post a few full tunes via the LR Baggs at that time. But this should help at least give you a bit of an idea of the general tone that she has with the Oasis GPX Bright High G strings have on the Pono.

Thanks again to all of you for your suggestions and feedback and I must say that I think I got the right uke from the right seller :)

Link - :41 second sample:
https://youtu.be/ZlhtGyAw9Kg
 
Looks fantastic, David! Happy for you that it arrived, and that you fell in love with it, too! Congrats on a very beautiful and impressive instrument. :)

I have yet to try a radiused board, and really curious about it. How do you like it? Does it feel/play noticeably different to a "normal" fretboard? Or is it mostly subtle?
 
Looks fantastic, David! Happy for you that it arrived, and that you fell in love with it, too! Congrats on a very beautiful and impressive instrument. :)

I have yet to try a radiused board, and really curious about it. How do you like it? Does it feel/play noticeably different to a "normal" fretboard? Or is it mostly subtle?

I've heard that some people really seem to notice the difference while others don't. My initial impression is that I do seem to notice the difference, but it's not drastic. Rather it seems very subtle and something I enjoy. I had played 3 other uke's at a local shop just two weeks ago (all between $1,100 to $1,800), and this neck just simply seems to fit my hands really well and it's the only uke I've played thus far with a radius. That wouldn't hold me back from buying a nice uke without the radius, but to answer your questino it seems to work well for me. :)
 
Congratulations! Sounds like you've really enjoyed it so far!
 
Congrats. Great uke and you play it well.
 
Beautiful instrument! What's the picked fragment you play towards the end of the video? :)
 
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