Mango meets Koa - sound?

fretie

fretie

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I have two koa ukes now... keeping the quiver lean. As I posted on another thread, I have an appetite for some mango now. What, I wonder,is how different the mango sound will likely be as compared to the koa wood? Enough to even be able to notice?
 
fretie said:
I have two koa ukes now... keeping the quiver lean. As I posted on another thread, I have an appetite for some mango now. What, I wonder,is how different the mango sound will likely be as compared to the koa wood? Enough to even be able to notice?
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I think you will see more difference based on who builds your uke than you will see between the two tonewoods.
 
RichM said:
I think you will see more difference based on who builds your uke than you will see between the two tonewoods.
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I agree with Rich. I've had 2 mango ukes, a Mya-Moe Super Soprano, and a Kanile'a tenor.

My Mya-Moe Mango Super Soprano was really bright, while my Kanile'a mango tenor is warmer, more mellow toned (compared to Koa), and awesome sounding in linear tuning.
 
DownUpDave said:
I love all things Koaloha.........till I saw those. What were they thinking :p
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You know if this showed up with a little bow on it, you would welcome it into your posse of ukuleles with a grin.
 
Yeah, definitely agree about the mangokoa uke. I love koa. I love mango. But I like 'em served up in separate ukes!
 
I would really like to see koaloha make a mango uke. Not half and half, but all mango (top). I'm still interested to play the new half and half to see how it differs from the koa models, but I'm just not sure I would pay big money for one.
 
In this case I believe that the wood is at least as important as the builder is, perhaps more. I personally have not been real happy with my experience with mango and have stopped working with it because of the inconsistent results I was getting with it. It's either hit or miss but the builder has to be especially careful when choosing the wood to work with. Mango has grain that is very erratic, in many cases resembling a bowl of spaghetti and most that I've encountered has lacked the stiffness that is necessary for a good top. It's floppiness means you have to build thicker which can rob the uke of some volume. This is especially true in the highly figured mango. There are exceptions and I've heard a few very good mango ukes but I've heard a lot more dark, muddy and muted ones. Just my own personal experience.
 
sam13 said:
You know if this showed up with a little bow on it, you would welcome it into your posse of ukuleles with a grin.
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Yea but all the other ukes would laugh at the poor little fellow. Then off to the marketplace with a complex " Looking for a kind loving home where one does not get laughed at for being different" Signed Mangoloa
 
Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
In this case I believe that the wood is at least as important as the builder is, perhaps more. I personally have not been real happy with my experience with mango and have stopped working with it because of the inconsistent results I was getting with it. It's either hit or miss but the builder has to be especially careful when choosing the wood to work with. Mango has grain that is very erratic, in many cases resembling a bowl of spaghetti and most that I've encountered has lacked the stiffness that is necessary for a good top. It's floppiness means you have to build thicker which can rob the uke of some volume. This is especially true in the highly figured mango. There are exceptions and I've heard a few very good mango ukes but I've heard a lot more dark, muddy and muted ones. Just my own personal experience.
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Thank you for your feedback, Chuck. I recall you mentioning before the chancy experiences that come with building with mango.
I may gamble on a build by a young local luthier. He says he has some mango wood for uke building that he handpicked while in Oahu. Maybe I'll get lucky and win a fabulous uke, maybe not and I'll have to learn some pieces that are dark and sound good with muted tones. :)
 
fretie said:
Thank you for your feedback, Chuck. I recall you mentioning before the chancy experiences that come with building with mango.
I may gamble on a build by a young local luthier. He says he has some mango wood for uke building that he handpicked while in Oahu. Maybe I'll get lucky and win a fabulous uke, maybe not and I'll have to learn some pieces that are dark and sound good with muted tones. :)
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By all means go for it! If you have a chance though go for the least amount of figure to improve your chances with the tone.
I have two huge slabs of extremely curly chocolate koa. I may give it another chance but I'll probably build a table out of it.
 
Moore Bettah Ukuleles said:
By all means go for it! If you have a chance though go for the least amount of figure to improve your chances with the tone.
I have two huge slabs of extremely curly chocolate koa. I may give it another chance but I'll probably build a table out of it.
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Thanks Chuck, I take your advice seriously and wil do my best as I take the mango gamble! ;-)
 
For my taste, a tenor uke with mango sides and back with a cedar top offers pretty much all I want in a tenor. The mango sounds just slightly warmer than a maple back and sides, but the maple/cedar combos that I have played all sounded a bit too bright to me.
 
In all the comparison tests I've heard, I preferred the koa over the mango. Just me.
 
Is it just me who thinks the Mangokoa uke looks pretty cool then?
 
RAB11 said:
Is it just me who thinks the Mangokoa uke looks pretty cool then?
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I agree, but, KoaGo, rolls off the tongue easier. And what about the cool Naukapa + Kuai back story?
 
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