Quick Review of a 2016 KoAloha Concert

Kyle23

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2016 KoAloha Concert - Quick Review

I posted a lot of this in my NUD thread, but it seems that it is already in the abyss of Uke Talk so here's a little quickie review. I'm not great at reviews because my technical knowledge isn't too great.

Anyways, it is a brand new 2016 model all solid Koa with the high gloss finish (KCM-00). I'm a sucker for gloss to be honest and this gloss is very striking. It was made in February of 2016 and it comes with the new revamped KoAloha look including the abalone on the headstock and on the fret markers. I'm not sure if the fret markers being abalone is new for KoAloha, but I know the headstock was just introduced this year.

Mine's a concert size and has 13 frets to the body. The neck is relatively thin but on the other hand there is a lot of space on the fretboard. More so than the older KoAloha I tried. I owned one that was built in 2003 and the neck was both thin and the fretboard was a bit compressed. Not much room for my fingers. I found my Koa Pili Koko to be much more comfortable, but with the 2016 version I find them equally as comfortable. It also has a rosewood fretboard and bridge. I definitely prefer this look compared to the Koa fretboard they've used in the past. I however loved the crown at the end of the fretboard they used to use and wish the used it for the new models.

The sound honestly leaves nothing to be desired. I noticed with my 2003 version, it was a bit boomy and didn't have much clarity. When I would strum lets say a C chord, it was tough to tell that I was even fretting the bottom string because the other 3 strings projected so much. With this newer version, it seems more controlled. It's still loud, but the clarity is all there. Also, the sustain is a bit better than the 2003 version I played. I haven't played any KoAlohas after 2003 and before 2016, so I'm sure a lot changed in between.

The only con I have encountered thus far is the strings seem to have an issue. It's probably just my set, but I guess the only way to explain it is the strings are peeling a bit? I noticed a very thin piece of string which I thought was a thin hair, so I pulled it a bit and it peeled a good portion of the string off with it. It still sounds fine, but if this continues I'll have to get a new set asap.

I got this directly from KoAloha and the setup on it is great. I've heard that straight from the factory, KoAlohas can come with high action, but mine was nice and low. Maybe another change from them in 2016?

I think I covered everything that I know. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer the best I can. I know there isn't a ton of info on these yet so I'll try my best. Below I'll leave a sound sample and some pics. The sound sample isn't great as I was using an iPhone mic only.



IMG_2850.jpgIMG_2861.jpgIMG_2929.jpgIMG_2820.jpg

I hope I helped and was informative. I'm not the best at reviews!
 
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Nice review, Kyle! My new KoAloha concert (just got it this past weekend from Mim!) is identical to yours except mine has the satin finish. It's lovely, also! I wonder when they made the switch-over to the new design with the abalone headstock inlay and fret markers? Mine has a build date of November 2015, so it must have been pretty early in the production cycle. I'm amazed at the sound, tone, and volume cranked out by this little beauty!
 
Thank you. It had to have been very early in production because according to their Instagram they first announced their new look 17 weeks ago.
 
Kyle, if you do end up replacing those strings, the KoAloha factory ones are their own concoction and not for resale. They told me that they recommend Worth light or medium tension, and PhD are a great fit on KoAloha ukes as well, and were designed by two KoAloha supported artists (Daniel Ho and Jason Arimoto). :)
 
Kyle, if you do end up replacing those strings, the KoAloha factory ones are their own concoction and not for resale. They told me that they recommend Worth light or medium tension, and PhD are a great fit on KoAloha ukes as well, and were designed by two KoAloha supported artists (Daniel Ho and Jason Arimoto). :)

Thanks! I'm going to have to replace them eventually. I'm interested in the PhD ones. Are there multiple PhD sets to choose from?
 
Yeah, I buy the tenor low g but you can get them in different types. :)

Do you know if there are any sound samples of these strings? I can't find one anywhere! BTW I am primarily a strummer, do you still suggest I buy them or are they better for picking?
 
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What was the fate of that wonderful early three piece body concert you had bought previously?

I used to like the logo the head stock and fret board termination until I realized it is all nothing but religious symbolism. If I played mine more I would likely put a pentagram over the logo to balance things out.
 
What was the fate of that wonderful early three piece body concert you had bought previously?

I used to like the logo the head stock and fret board termination until I realized it is all nothing but religious symbolism. If I played mine more I would likely put a pentagram over the logo to balance things out.

That is back in Hawaii with KoAloha! I had no idea it has religious symbolism. Still looks really cool to me haha
 
Thanks for the quick reply. Please do tell if I'm not being pushy inquiring minds want to know. Did they offer to fix the old one and then offer a trade up to this new one?

~AL~
 
Congrats! I had a KoAloha concert. It was wonderful. I really liked using Worth clears on it. Loud, punchy, everything I loved.
 
Congrats! I had a KoAloha concert. It was wonderful. I really liked using Worth clears on it. Loud, punchy, everything I loved.

I'm stuck between worths and the phds. Are the ones you have the Worth CM?
 
I'm stuck between worths and the phds. Are the ones you have the Worth CM?

Kyle I have a Koaloha Opio concert and I had a KCM-00. The closest string set to stock are the Worth CM, I also had PhD on both ukes. The two different strings sets are very close in sound and I liked both of them. Flip a coin really.

Worth are a double length set so more bang for your buck
 
Thanks guys.

Dave, if they're basically the same but you get more with worth, I might just go for them. I loved worths on my KPK so why the hell not.
 
Congratulations on your new baby!
I just bought one for myself, also made in Feb - but no abalone - Iʻm happy with the simple wood dots, but oh boy I love the sound and everything else about it. I get silly everytime I pull it out of the case.

I like the Worth clears and on this one sticking to high G.
Good choice!
 
Congratulations on your new baby!
I just bought one for myself, also made in Feb - but no abalone - Iʻm happy with the simple wood dots, but oh boy I love the sound and everything else about it. I get silly everytime I pull it out of the case.

I like the Worth clears and on this one sticking to high G.
Good choice!

They still make them with no abalone? I thought they switched all of them. I'll eventually go to Worths but for now I just swapped out the one bad string for a Martin 600 from my other concert. Works perfectly.
 
It seems there are variations on models, I dug around and found some. Mine is all Koa with Mango dots. All I know is when the guy did the ʻmy dog has fleasʻ I snapped my neck on third note. Then he played a ditty. Done. That was the sound my ear was looking for. Action was perfect for me.
 
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