NUD: Ko'olau CS Sinker Redwood Milo

I got lucky. Last year, I won the contest at The Ukulele Site where you had to name as many uke models as possible. Since this was a very special occasion for me, I wanted to use it for something extraordinary, so I upgraded to a custom made Ko'olau CS, fully loaded with a Sinker Redwood top, Milo back an sides, Ebony appointments, slotted headstock, radius fingerboard, and a high gloss finish along with a satin finished neck.

Nine month later, I got lucky again. My Ko'olau has arrived and blows my mind. I think it looks very classy with its dark appearance and the lighter stripe of sapwood on the back (see pictures below). Fit and finish are flawless. The instrument feels very comfortable to hold and play. A nicely rounded neck profile and fat frets contribute largely to that.

But most important is that it sounds absolutely fantastic. Combined with the Redwood top, the wide body design produces a really resonant, deep and rich tone. Very articulate, loud and clear, assertive, but not aggressive, very well balanced all across the strings and up the fretboard. Perfect for picking, but also apt for some gentle strumming.

Luckily for me again, the folks at HMS made not only one, but two videos of my uke, one with High G, the other with Low G. To demonstrate the latter, Corey plays his amazing version of Chet Atkins' "Still Can't Say Goodbye", which has become my standard to measure all ukes:

https://vimeo.com/128111336

The High G is presented with Tommy Emmanuel's "The Mystery", taken from Corey's CD "Fables":

https://vimeo.com/127957521

Thanks to Andrew and Corey for those beautiful recordings, and to Noa Bonk for building this masterpiece. I feel very lucky to own and play such a wonderful instrument.

Rakelele ... this is a beautiful instrument visually and it is one of the best sounding Ko'olau (IMHO) to my ears I have heard recently. Warm, balanced, and yet still lots of brightness.

Noah did an amazing job on it.

Wishing you many years of enjoyment, and hopefully when I am in Europe I can make a detour to give a work out!

What strings are on both sets ... I am becoming a fan of just a wound fourth, and I still like the wound 3rd ... sounds great.

If I had to pick 5 ukuleles that would be my holy grail, that uke you have there is one of them. You lucky lucky boy.

Let me know when you're ready to sell. :drool:

What a gorgeous instrument! It sounds so amazing too, particularly with the low G. Congratulations-- I hope you enjoy the heck out of it.

Bee-you-tee-full!!!!! Both in sound and looks. Congratulations on a real stunner!!

Sure Simon, come by, and bring your LFdM along! Would love to hear your awesome uke as well.

The strings on the low G sample are Southcoast with a wound fourth, not sure what set exactly. That's the strings I'm using now. The high G sample might be featuring the Ko'olau Mahana stock strings.

You're right Icelander, that's one of the holy grails to me, too. And no, I don't think I will ever sell this one...

Thanks for your nice comments, Natalie and Eddie.

Great looking and sounding instrument. I like it in both low and high G. Congratulations!
Cliff

I am so happy for you.......that is one outstanding instrument. One of the very finest I have every heard. Thanks for giving it such a nice NUD post as we all love to share and enjoy beautiful new ukuleles.

It certainly makes me want a Ko'o lau, as this instrument in Low G is just amazing. Congratulations. Love the Milo back wood with the sap strip , very classy

Gorgeous! Enjoy it.

Thanks for your nice comment, Dave. The Ko'olau is really something special, and I'd highly recommend it. Flawlessly built, comfortable to hold, and a joy both to play and to listen to. Not too brash, not too bright, just perfectly balanced, like a singing voice.

Rakelele said:

Thanks for your nice comment, Dave. The Ko'olau is really something special, and I'd highly recommend it. Flawlessly built, comfortable to hold, and a joy both to play and to listen to. Not too brash, not too bright, just perfectly balanced, like a singing voice.

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You obviously have not heard MY singing voice:biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

Beautiful, to eyes and ears.

Congratulations, very classy!

Wow. Huge congratulations Rakelele. I think that's the nicest Ko'olau I've ever seen and heard.

Holy Crap! That's a stunner. Certainly deserves to be someone's "Holy Grail"

man, I want a Ko'olau too! Congrats!!

Congratulations! To own such a fine uke must cause profuse terminal smiling.

Thanks for all your nice comments. Good to see that there's a lot of appreciation for Ko'olau. They really deserve it!

And yes Nickie, I do catch myself smiling even when I'm at work just thinking about that uke...

Wow, that's a pretty uke! Congrats! From the videos, seems that she sings beautifully too.

Aloha R,
Congratulations on your awesome Koolau... its beautiful and sound sweet... Happy Strummings