Wow!... NUD Wow/Harmony soprano checks all the boxes

rainbow21

Well-known member
UU VIP
Joined
Sep 30, 2018
Messages
2,725
Reaction score
4,140
Location
NorCal
This week I received my new “Wow ukulele” made by Alvin “Pops” Okami of KoAloha. He wanted to make an alternative to the koa ukuleles that were beyond the price points of many players. And WOW! He succeeded magnificently.

Sound: Is this the best sounding soprano out there? Pops thinks so and I agree that it sounds great. It is LOUD! Volume actually exceeds my KoAloha Pikake soprano by a bit. And it has very similar tonal qualities to the K, likely somewhat due to the same design considerations and construction. The tone is a touch brighter. This works well as a strummer to accompany a chorus as it can be heard loud and clear to complement the singing. Intonation is spot on up the neck.

Construction: Pops believes the wood combination on this gives the best sound possible. The top is Engelmann spruce. The Taylor guitar site says this: “Sonically, Engelmann has a mature tone, and yields a slightly richer midrange than Sitka, which makes a guitar sound a bit older. Old growth Engelmann tends to have a sonic attribute of smoothness or refinement to it…” This is likely the key to the volume and tone from this ukulele. The sides and back are pine. The pairing of the two must be complementary on the sound… googling pine in guitars shows it to have a ton of fanboys that love the wood. The front and back must be thin because they are translucent! A flashlight shines through the wood (does not happen with a koa K or mahogany Kiwaya). Fretboard is rosewood with fret markers inserted across the entire fret similar to the new K pineapples that sell out quickly. No name on the tuners, but they are smooth. Detail work on this one is not great with some glue showing and chips on the fretboard edge and some minor dings here and there. Also, no musubi soundhole…

Appearance: It is a beautiful ukulele. The woods on the side and body look wonderful together. And the colors of the fretboard and the main body (and headstock) are so complementary (creamy, dreamy with awesome curl on the pine) that it looks as if a color designer chose the palette for this. I have a few beautiful dark koa ukuleles that I love and an aNueNue Moon Bird, but this stands out as a “10” on appearance. Both my wife and daughter remarked on the striking looks right away without prompting.

Intangibles: A lot of boxes are checked here. I bought this through efiscella through this forum. He is Founder of the Mainstage Center for the Arts in New Jersey. His Harmony choir (thus the “H” on my headstock) visited KoAloha and sang and impressed Pops enough to use this as an ukulele fundraiser for the organization………. This ukulele is designed and built by Pops Okama. It is not a production line uke. How cool is that?....... It makes me happy! It is a confluence of all of the above. It feels special due to its development (it has a story behind it), construction, appearance, and sound. All the important boxes are checked.

So do you have UAS? This has to be on your list if you value a great sounding ukulele. I will likely sell my Kiwaya and KoAloha sopranos since this will be my go-to soprano ukulele. Fanboy NUD here? You bet, because it uplifts my spirit and puts a smile on my face!

View attachment 119756

View attachment 119757

View attachment 119758

View attachment 119759

View attachment 119760
 
Last edited:
Second photo shows chipped fretboard edge (by nut). Third shows flashlight beam penetrating and backlighting the label and wood. Fourth photo shows same light penetrating both back and front to give slight orange glow to the wood.


untitled-1064-3.jpg

untitled-1065-3.jpg

untitled-1072-2.jpg

untitled-1073-2.jpg
 

Attachments

  • untitled-1061-3.jpg
    untitled-1061-3.jpg
    87 KB · Views: 47
Last edited:
Wow! That is certainly something different. The light shining through the back makes the picture inside really look like a sunset. Very cool-looking uke.
 
Thank you so much for the kind words and the extensive review of this beautiful new ukulele from Pops. I have been extolling the virtues of this ukulele for quite some time now on the UU forum, and it is great to hear my sentiments seconded from another member of the forum. Pops had asked me to distribute this ukulele for him (CONUS) and I had very good success with those who live close to me and get a chance to actually play the uke. They could see right away, that for the money, nothing else in the same price category compares to the sound, construction, and playability. It is great to have someone write such a comprehensive review. Mahalo.

If anyone out there is interested in ordering, Please PM me for details.
 
Cool uke, and story to go with it. The soundhole looks much bigger than many other sopranos, I bet that provides the big volume. What is the nut width on these?

Nut width is 1 1/2" with string spacing there at just a bit more than 1 1/8". My KoAloha Pikake measured the same. I also measured my Kiwaya KTS4... the nut was narrower at 1 3/8" but the string spacing was greater at 1 1/4".
 
Very interesting. I've never heard of Pops, that must be a very special ukulele. I can't imagine a slice of wood that thin being able to hold up. Wow.
Congratulations!
 
Wow very unique ukulele. Would love to hear a sound sample.
 
Thanks for the video link. He plays the ukulele on the first part. At 5:57 he talks about the ukulele development and construction for three minutes.

A few more pics:

untitled-1151.jpg

untitled-1152.jpg

untitled-1154.jpg

untitled-1155.jpg

Perhaps Ed F can chime in more on this video and how the song, the ukulele, and the Harmony Choir became linked together. If you want to have Pops personally make you one, you would need to contact Ed (see post #4 in this thread). I have already place an order for a "Banger", a sibling uke with a longer fretboard and a cutout.
 
Thanks for the shoutout David. I am thrilled that you love the Wow!!!! It is a testament to the fact that when looking for great sound, construction is everything. Pops spends a lot of time in reseach and development, hence all the different prototypes. He is on a never ending quest for perfection. I will be happy to let folks know more info. They can email me directly at ed@mainstage.org. As David said in his NUD review, these are not production ukulele. Once I receive an order and alert Pops, that is when he begins to make the ukulele. It could take 3 to 4 weeks for deliver to you from Pops in Hawaii.

Here is a link to some of the Wows and Bangers: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmF4ADTP
Here are some sound samples: https://vimeo.com/347894438
https://vimeo.com/347900968

Pops is upgrading the fretboard and bridge from Koa to Ebony. i don't have photos of the new look yet.
 
Top Bottom