Opinion needed. Koalana, mainland or moku.

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Kuya

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Hi everyone,

I'm very close on placing an order for my first uke. I've spoken to HMS and uke republic for uke recommendation that falls within my budget.

Mike suggested mainland tenor mahogany or moku solid mahogany tenor. Hms offered me koalana concert or pono MT.

I've been playing guitar (both acoustic and electric) for about 8 years now. So in terms of size, my first preference would be tenor. But after reading some reviews, the koalana concert seems to be a very good options as well. I'll be putting an order in a next couple of days so any opinion will be greatly appreciated. At the moment I'm more incline toward the koalana since it is a limited edition :)
 
Mainland, Moku and Pono are in tenor size, while Koalana is a concert.
As far as the tone is concern, I like Koalana and Pono MT. But I think you really have to find out what size suit you more.

Is there a music instrument shop nearby that sells ukulele? If yes, try pay them a visit and try those ukes there. They may not have the uke that you like, but at least you will have an idea what a tenor or concert is like.

Hope that help :)
 
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cahaya said:
Mainland, Moku and Pono are in tenor size, while Koalana is a concert.
As far as the tone is concern, I like Koalana and Pono MT. But I think you really have to find out what size suit you more.

Is there a music instrument shop nearby that sells ukulele? If yes, try pay them a visit and try those ukes there. They may not have the uke that you like, but at least you will have an idea what a tenor or concert is like.

Hope that help :)
Click to expand...

I've tried the concert and tenor. I like tenor better because I used to holding bigger instrument. But I think in terms of fret size both concert and tenor seems to be comfortable for me. I also tried soprano which a think a bit too small.
 
Those Martins are stunning - I should know!
 
Interesting! However at the moment I'll probably stick with my budget which is around $350. I might look at something more expensive once I'm better at it.
 
I know nothing about he Moku. Had a KoAloha once and they are very nice so I am sure the KoAlana will also be a good choice. That said after trying a lot of different ukes and one's that are more expensive I really like every Mainland I have ever tried. I guess it is whether or not you want a concert or a tenor. Once that is decided the choice should be easy, either the KoAlana concert or Mainland tenor gets my vote. Good luck! You will probably want one in each size eventually anyway. Mainlands are easy to sell. I wonder if the KoAlana being a limited edition will raise in value. I think once the limited editions are gone they will probably raise in price so that is a consideration too. You can always get a Mainland later, or wait for a second hand Mainland to come on the market.
 
The Koalana has nice woody sound but not much volume. And the ukulele was set up with just about perfect intonation. My Pono ms (soprano) has more dynamic range and more overtones to the sound than the Koalana concert. You might want to check out the Ohana tk 38. I've got that uke in the soprano size and it has a sound to astonish. Never heard or played the mainland or Moku mahoganys in any size so I can't offer an opinion in that regard. However, the workmanship on my Moku soprano spruce is in a class by itself for a production ukulele.
 
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I purchased and received a Koalana concert last week. HMS set it up very well, and the action makes it extremely easy to play. Honestly, I was initially disappointed in the volume and tone of the Koalana--it sounded kind of flat and not as loud as I expected given all the reviews I read about this ukulele. But after just 1-2 hours of play, it started to sound really good. As of today, I've probably put 12-14 hours of play on it, and it sounds absolutely fantastic. It is extremely loud and the tone is very sweet. As I continue to play it, I expect it to sound even better as the wood continues to "open up."
 
roxhum said:
I know nothing about he Moku. Had a KoAloha once and they are very nice so I am sure the KoAlana will also be a good choice. That said after trying a lot of different ukes and one's that are more expensive I really like every Mainland I have ever tried. I guess it is whether or not you want a concert or a tenor. Once that is decided the choice should be easy, either the KoAlana concert or Mainland tenor gets my vote. Good luck! You will probably want one in each size eventually anyway. Mainlands are easy to sell. I wonder if the KoAlana being a limited edition will raise in value. I think once the limited editions are gone they will probably raise in price so that is a consideration too. You can always get a Mainland later, or wait for a second hand Mainland to come on the market.
Click to expand...

Is the limited edition actually mean anything? Or is it just a marketing thing? From MGM video on hms, mike mention something about after this koalana is sold out, they will bring new 'overseas made' koaloha and rename it to koaloha junior(in Hawaiian I suppose).
 
Hi Kuya... I vote for the Pono. I have the Pono Acacia Tenor Deluxe (Deluxe just means gloss finish, i think). And out of all the ukes that I have tried, that one is my favorite uke. I just fell in love with the sound and it is very pretty. My second choice would be the Mainland Mahogany Tenor. I've had the chance to play one and it is pretty close to the Pono although there is a difference cause my Pono was Acacia and the Mainland was a Mahogany. I found that I reach for the Pono when I make any videos for "Seasons of the Ukulele" contests cause it just sounds better.
 
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