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.
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.