Pono, Opio, or Ohana tenor?

Thanks for the update. Sometimes the totally different tonewoods are nice to have in your ukulele stable.

Congratulations on your new uke. I think you made a great decision among many choices. A couple weeks ago I got a chance to play a Pono Mango Tenor Deluxe and fell in love with it. I've sold my cedar top Kala Tenor to make room for the Pono but now am debating whether to buy the Deluxe or the Pro Classic or even the Acacia/Cedar Tenor. I think I've found a store across the border that has several models in stock so perhaps I can head up there to compare several of the Pono Tenors. It is too bad that import duty is so high because it precludes making a purchase of a high-end instrument, even with the favorable exchange rate.

Aloha, Don

SoloRule said:

I would get the KoAloha just because it's a much lighter in weight and it has good volume .
I own two Pono . They are well built but super heavy. Since he is a guy, weight may not be an issue.

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Super heavy is an exaggeration. We are talking ukuleles here and not granite sculptures the size of a small house.
Even a solid body instrument is not really heavy grand scheme of things.

Now that said, a Pono has a more sturdy solid build is more likely to last forever... The Pono's
one drawback in my opinion is that it really seems to work best with high tension strings and
those aren't for everybody.

-- Gary

I have a Pono MGT and love it. The weight does not bother me personally, I kind of like the feeling of it. It has a crisp and bright sound and a lower action then many of the others I was looking at. The truss rod is very helpful in setting it up to your preference. I am looking for a baritone now and will probably wait out another Pono because I have been so happy with my tenor. I found the thicker neck a big selling point as it made it a bit easier to get barre chords landed cleanly, but that is probably just a personal thing. I went to the store originally looking to buy a laminate Lanikai tenor and left with the Pono and have not regretted it. The extra weight was offset by the lighter weight in my wallet

Personally, I'd go with an Opio or Ohana over a Pono, but that's because their necks fit me better.

Jim Hanks said:

First question is what is his current tenor and what aspects is he looking to upgrade?

One thing to consider here might be the neck profile. Does he prefer a thicker or thinner neck? If thicker, go Pono, if thinner, go Opio or Ohana. I don't think you could go wrong with any of these as long as you get from one of the usual suspects that do a proper setup.

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Ohana Tenor I owned had chunkier neck than my pono mtd. That Pono has thicker neck is not true.