Acacia vs Koa - How Similar?

kohanmike said:

My best sounding ukes are acacia koa; the Kala cedar top with acacia body, the 2 hole Uku, then the black mandolin. I like my mahogany Gretsch next, then the spruce/quilted ash Lanikai. Still waiting for the curly maple/Indian rosewood gypsy to open up.

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Huh, I didn't think the Kala cedar top was koa back/sides, but one of the bazillion other species of acacia, and laminate. I've been considering one as an entry-level tenor, because they do sound so nice. I just don't like gloss finishes, and I'd probably wind up buying something all-solid later anyway if I liked tenor scale.

It's interesting how the "prettiest" koa can be a pain to work with. Good for furniture I suppose, but we all want it on our ukes, hehehe. Maybe headstock veneer? And Chuck, if you ever build me a ukulele, you can use the plainest, dustiest koa you have! I think curly koa is lovely, but for some reason I'm really drawn to striped koa. My Kamaka pineaple isn't curly, but has all these different colored stripes in it that make it look so beautiful.