Cocobolo Ukulele Owners: Wondering what your opinions are one (+-) after buying your

Wondering what you cocobolo ukuleles owners think of these beautiful ukes a year (more or less) later? Thank you for your report!

Still loving it. Mine is the first 16" super concert. It's my highest tuned uke right now, being the only one in gCEA tuning, but still has a warmth and sweetness to it.

Thank you. The Super version is very interesting to me, it is a great idea. Are your other ukes tuned to low G; GCEA? I am getting into the lottery so I may have one of my own one of these years. Cheers

Check my signature. I have all kinds of tunings from reentrant C down to linear G. I tried reentrant D on the Coco and it wasn't "bad" but really lost the warmth factor.

My tenor is going on two years old and it sounds fantastic! It took a bit of experimenting to find the right stings, but I think fluorocarbon are the way to go. I’ve determined, for me, Oasis brights sound best. Such a sweet tone! Very clear and “bassy”. I’ve got a wound low G on it now that I’m trying to make myself like, but I’ve determined I’m a traditional reintrant guy when it comes to ukes. A very unique, excellent sounding instrument. One I’ll never part with.

Speaking to Rick Turner of Compass Rose about Cocobolo not so long ago I am intrigued by how the looks are going to change. He was expalining to me that cocobolo naturally changes from the striking colourful stripes and patterns to very dark bland wood - and that can't be reversed.

I'm intrigued as to how many of the striking looking cocobolo ukes bought in recent years are about to start to turn into dull brown..

My Cocobolo concert uke is almost 2 years old. It is both bright, and warm. I chose Worth Browns for it, and plan to stick with those.
everybody else wants to play it....one friend even wanted to trade me her LoPrinzi for it....I said no so she bought her own.
Now my wife has one, too.
If mine turns to a "dull brown", as Mr Turner thinks they will, it will look a lot like a vintage Martin, so I probably won't care. By then I could be toes up anyway....
The only issue I have with mine and Tammy's is that they have developed "off intonation", starting at about the 8th fret and going up. Has anyone else experienced this?
Mine is played every day, and hers is played maybe once a month.

Thanks for your update, I too struggle with Low vs high G. Gues that's why many players have both? Cheers!

bazmaz said:

I'm intrigued as to how many of the striking looking cocobolo ukes bought in recent years are about to start to turn into dull brown..

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That is an excellent question. Hope some chime in. Wonder if the same is true of cocobolo furniture?

Nickie said:

The only issue I have with mine and Tammy's is that they have developed "off intonation", starting at about the 8th fret and going up. Has anyone else experienced this?

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Have you asked Keith? Seems like it is a time thing more than than how often it is played. Good report, appreciate it.

It is UV light that gradually changes the color of cocobolo (and other woods). Apparently there are UV resistant finishes that help prevent that.

That makes sense, I have heard of problems with spruce when left on a stand near a window with sun. Interesting.

Hello everyone. I am happy to hear positive comments from several of our customers about how they are enjoying their ukuleles

As for the question about cocobolo changing color over time, we have not received any complaints from any of our customers about their ukuleles changing color. To the contrary, we have a long list of repeat customers who have been very happy with their ukuleles.

It is important to note that we have noticed that the coloring and figuring in a cocobolo tree can change depending on the climate where the tree was grown. Cocobolo from drier regions of Nicaragua seems to be lighter with less figuring, and cocobolo from the caribbean lowlands has deeper coloring with more figuring. Also, cocobolo is found from Southern Mexico to Panama, so I would imagine that these differences are even more extreme depending on where the cocobolo was sourced.

Cocobolo has a higher level of natural oils than many other tonewoods, which does cause a change to occur when the wood is first cut. Freshly cut cocobolo has an orange tone to it. However, within two weeks or so the wood naturally becomes more red. The colors seem to stabilize after a few weeks though, rather than continuing to change color.

Viva Cocobolo!

Thanks Kevin! I have seen good comments from some of the repeat customers and read the thorough information on your website. I am extremely satisfied as evidenced by my recent purchase of one of these fine instruments. Thanks everyone! And Viva Cocobolo!