Three concert ukuleles

Ukecaster said:

Nice trio! Did you ever try the Elite as reentrant? If so, how was it?

Click to expand...

Swamp Yankee said:

Nice selection!
I’ve got four concerts, two (the Cahaya and the Kolohe) are linear G. The Kiwaya and vintage Martin are reentrant. The Kolohe is the uke that got me started back in 2005, and it’s heavily customized (I scooped the fretboard past the 12 th fret) but it sounds wonderful so I doubt I’d sell it. The Cahaya was dirt cheap on Amazon but it’s fun, sounds nice, plays well, and it’s solid mahogany throughout, so I doubt I’d part with it, either.
The other two, I love - so it would be tough... but if forced to do so, I’d probably sell the Martin rather than the Kiwaya KTC-1.

Click to expand...

Swamp Yankee said:

Nice selection!
I’ve got four concerts

Click to expand...

Ziret said:

I had never heard of either of those brands. I find it a giant puzzle how little price seems to play in how ukes sound or play. I mean proportional to the price. But I understand craftsmanship, and I'm apparently willing to pay for it.

Yeah, I don't know about you, but I love how the Kiwaya feels--the finish is so tactile. And on the back of the neck, so glossy now! I like that it shows it's been played. And it's so dang light! I've always wondered what a old Martin concert is like. It would be nice if you could post a comparison video or at least some photos someday.

Click to expand...

Ziret said:

I have never done an NUD, but I thought these comparison photos might be interesting.

The largest body, on the left, is the Romero concert, or as Tomthebaptist described his, a grand concert. I've had it a couple of months. Solid mahogany.

The medium sized body, in the middle, is a Kala Elite 1koa-cg. I've also had it a couple of months. Solid koa

And the smallest, on the right, is a Kiwaya KTC-2. I've had it a couple of years. Also solid mahogany.

I like them all, and they all sound different. The necks on the Kiwaya and Romero are similar in that they are relatively thin, back to front. The Kala neck is somewhat fatter, but not like, say, a Pono. It's also not gloss, which some prefer, but makes no difference to me.

The Kiwaya is strung reentrant, the others are low G. I will probably end up selling either the Kala or the Romero, because I don't really need two that are low G, but whenever I pick one up and play it, I think, "Oh no, you're not going anywhere, you gorgeous thing." And they all play like a dream, so that doesn't help.

1. View attachment 119698View attachment 119699View attachment 119700

Click to expand...

tomthebaptist said:

Terri, I had my Romero up for sale but I can’t seem to let it go. It is a very sweet ukulele. As for as I can tell, you and I are still the only ones that own one. You have a great collection of concerts. By the way my my arm healed and doing better

Tom

Click to expand...

Swamp Yankee said:

Kolohe was a brand that Music Guy Mic was trying to launch back in 2005. He had them built on spec by some Asian maker, though he never told me which. Mine was marked as ‘1/1 Prototype’ solid mahogany and I bought it from him on EBay for a little over $100 back in 2005 IIRC. It’s definitely seen plenty of use over the years but tonally, it’s among the best sounding ukes I’ve ever played...even with the crack on the back.

The Cahaya I saw on Amazon, slothead concert all solid mahogany, probably sapele. Amazon gave me an offer of $70 off if I signed up for an Amazon debit card...which I did, so the uke was a whopping $13 shipped. It’s not a bad uke at all... much better than any number of brands I’ve owned and played with more recognizable names.

The Kiwaya KTC-1 is still my all time favorite uke...even with the 4 other Kiwaya ukes I own. Yes, the finish just keeps getting better, and yes, I never want to put it down when I’m playing it. I really do love it.

I ought to take some time to do a comparison of the four concerts one day.

Click to expand...