Blackbird farallon vs klos

Wdh777

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I currently own a klos that I really enjoy but have been reading alot about the blackbird farallon and I’m considering selling the klos for the farallon. Does anyone have experience with both of them and how they compare. Is the farallon a clear step up and is it’s material as durable to temperature changes as the carbon fiber klos? Thanks
 
I currently own a klos that I really enjoy but have been reading alot about the blackbird farallon and I’m considering selling the klos for the farallon. Does anyone have experience with both of them and how they compare. Is the farallon a clear step up and is it’s material as durable to temperature changes as the carbon fiber klos? Thanks

Well this very point came up just before Christmas, and this is what I wrote:

"Anyway, to start with I have both strung with Living Waters low G fluorocarbon strings, with pretty low action (12th fret) of 0.095" for the Farallon, 0.085" for the Klos, which certainly could be affecting the tone and volume. I really LIKE the Klos. It has a pleasant tone that I would characterize as a bit mellow, and with the setup I have done it is my best playing uke by far. That said, the Farallon is louder, brighter, with more sustain, and has a more complex sound, with more overtones. Like the difference between picking up a $1500 Kamaka compared with a $500 Kala. The Kala (or the Klos for that matter) sounds quite good, and if it's the first uke you play that day it sounds just fine. But if you then play the Kamaka (or a Farallon) you just notice something a bit more to the tone. Not all solid wood ukes sound the same, and not all composite ukes do either.

I paid about $500 for my Klos, and felt it was a bargain (not sure what they cost now). A durable carbon fiber uke that sounds as good as anything else in that price range. But at $999? At that price you might expect more from the sound, and only you could decide whether the attraction of durability is enough to justify the cost. Of course we don't know if the new Klos composite neck will affect the tone, though if the neck is hollow (as with the Farallon) it ought to.

If you can afford the Farallon it is the better uke, BUT, it's also at least $500 more."

Interestingly DownUpDave replied that he had sold his Farallon after a year because he didn't like the tone strummed (though he did like it when picked). He even said that "It was bright and metallic sounding, lacked warmth and sweetness, almost clinically sterile. I went through 7 set of strings or more chasing tone and finally gave up." Wow. Anyway, as Dave said, tone is quite personal.

As for durability, both the Klos and Farallon are composites using some type of epoxy resin. Not all epoxy resins are the same, and the temperature at which the resin begins to soften (the Tg as polymer chemists call it) does vary, so I don't know which one would better survive a hot car trunk. Blackbird says sustained temps of 150°F ("that can be reached in a hot car in very hot conditions") and above are not recommended. On the other hand Klos says "Don't worry about leaving your Klos guitar in the car, it can handle the heat!" So I don't know if there is really a difference between the two in heat resistance, but if I had a trunk I wouldn't be leaving my Farallon in it.

The Farallon is the superior instrument, but the difference is going to mostly be in the tone. I can hear the difference, but if I had bought the Klos first, I wouldn't have gone looking for the Farallon, as I just don't value tone as much as some players. But if you find yourself wishing for a bit better tone from your Klos, then by all means see if you can't find a Farallon to try. There are lots of stores that will let you try on one approval, you just risk the cost of return shipping.
 
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