Koa Pili Koko

papplehead

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So I saw an ad on craigslist and decided to check it out. The guy, Jason, who sold it to me seemed nice and had a variety of ukes there for me to try.

I tried out both the tenor and the concert size. I already have a Kala tenor, and I love the size. The fingerboard seemed too wide for my tastes. Holding down a bar chord like the E major was harder than I was used to.

The concert size, on the other hand fit nicely in my hands. I could fit my hands nicely around it and my fingers found each string naturally. I like the concert also because of its thin body. Compared to my tenor, or to other soprano sizes, the body is considerably thiner. I like this just because it sits better under my right arm better.

I don't have a quality sound recording to link to, but I my Koa Pili Koko definitely has a good sound to it. Not as much volume as some other ukes, but a nice sweet sound. Easy to chord and to strum.

One thing that I dont like is the high action that is on the higher frets. Ive only had problems playing on the 10th fret when I played the intro to body surfing. Nothing major, cuz I hardly play up there anyways.

One of the things that I really like about this ukulele is its wood design. The solid acacia wood is just a beautiful thing to look at. Especially compared to my tenor, a Kala mahogany, this thing shines.

The tuners on this ukulele could use an upgrade, but are geared and work fine. The seller recommended me to use Koolau Gold strings. I have yet to find any in local stores, so I havent tried them on yet, but I'm going to order them online probably.

Overall, I think its a good uke. feels solid and looks great. plays nicely and fits well in my arms. I would recommend to anyone who wants a nice uke for a decent price.
 
MGM has the strings you want...I put them on my KPK and the difference was astounding! The set I got was the new lazer cut High G with a wound C...but Mike has several different sets to find the one you want. Congrats on your KPK and happy strumming!
:shaka:
 
I don't know much about strings and currently have D'Addarios on my KPK soprano. Sounds fine to me because I don't know anything else, but they do feel a bit "thick" under my fingers. Also, when I attempt to play the B chord (well, I think it's B lol), it sounds off to me and it's also akward for me to reach... not sure if changing strings will help, or if it's just lack of skill. :p Have been hesitant to change out strings cause I've never done it and don't wanna mess anything up!:eek:
 
And Worths! I've had Aquila and Worths on my KPK and prefer the worths

(But I'm a Worths gal. They were the first strings I ever bought- and after a year of trying out other string brands to see if any were better... I've come back to Worths- though I did change from light gage to medium...)
 
Are the Worth's more mellow than the Aquila's? I loved the sound of the strings that came on it-Hilo's he told me and then I switched yesterday to Aquila's and they aren't nearly as mellow? Normally I love the aquila's but I miss the mellow sound. Maybe over time the aquila's will mellow out? Any thoughts anyone???
 
On a scale of 1 - 10, how would you rate the PKP's features, playability, sound, reliability? What kind of overall rating would you give it?
 
It depends on the worths- the brown are mellower than the clear (but all in all, I think both are rather bright sounding.) I've heard others say that Worths are mellower than Aquila's- and I guess it's true as far as volume goes (aquila's much louder).

But the big difference for me is the overtones. The aquila's tend to have a lot more depth to them, a nice full rich sound- but, for me anyways, it's hard to get more than the standard "Aquila" rich sound out of them. Whereas, the Worth's are more subtle, and while the sound isn't as complex- it's easier to manipulate to get a wider variety of sounds to come from them.

Here's a great video comparing Worths to Aquila's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5yU85FM8Fg&feature=channel_page

(the cut out has Aquila's- the full body Worth browns).

And I think if you listen to it without watching (or at least only looking when you think you hear the Aquila's) You'll find that the Aquila's really do always sound the same, and he's able to get a more dynamic performance out of the Worths (quiet to louder, more thinner sounds and fuller sounds...) whereas the aquila's are always "BANG"!

Hilo's are good strings too- I just don't like how thick they are and they tend to be way more percussive than the worths (meaning when you strum/ pick a string, it makes a thunk/ click noise).
 
On a scale of 1 - 10, how would you rate the PKP's features, playability, sound, reliability? What kind of overall rating would you give it?

Unfortunately, I can't give you a fair rating, as the KPK is my first and only ukulele... I like it though! :)
 
I would say a strong 8 outa 10. One thing I liked was the fat neck on the tenor and how the strings are spaced far apart. Things I didn't like was the wooden nut n saddle. I bought a piece of bone from elderly and shaped it to the correct size, and it's much better! I agree with aquila's on there. Gives it a really rich sound. I tried D'addarios... Yuck. Far too dull. Tried worth CT's as well. Not bad. I think the aquila's suit it perfectly.
 
On a scale of 1 - 10, how would you rate the PKP's features, playability, sound, reliability? What kind of overall rating would you give it?

As for the features, i'd give it a 7. The solid wood looks great and the price that I paid was good imo. Tuners could be better.

Playability, 9. This is a easy uke to play. The body is small and the edges feel round. Just soft to hold in your arms. The frets are smooth and feel good on the left hand. The only thing is the high action that I mentioned earlier.

Sound, 7. I still have the original strings, so I dont think I can make a fair judgement, but the volume is somewhat lacking, if that matters to you. It has a sweet hawaiian sound to it that I like.

Reliability, 8. Solid construction, as far as I can see. Has a nice sound if you drum on it.
 
Crack problem???

Is there still a cracking problem or has it been corrected.:confused:
 
wait, is there a cracking problem????

Mine just cracked two nights ago and im sad.
i though it was my dog who knocked it over cuz its a pretty big crack.

Anyone else know of this?/how to solve it?
 
wait, is there a cracking problem????

Mine just cracked two nights ago and im sad.
i though it was my dog who knocked it over cuz its a pretty big crack.

Anyone else know of this?/how to solve it?

What? You're in Hawai'i and your KPK cracked? I hear of solid wood 'ukuleles cracking in dry low humidity areas of the Mainland especially during winter but first time I hear of a Hawai'i KPK cracking. My KPK soprano is in the smae great shape as the bought it about 4 months ago. I suspect old fido is the culprit not the humidity.
 
What? You're in Hawai'i and your KPK cracked? I hear of solid wood 'ukuleles cracking in dry low humidity areas of the Mainland especially during winter but first time I hear of a Hawai'i KPK cracking. My KPK soprano is in the smae great shape as the bought it about 4 months ago. I suspect old fido is the culprit not the humidity.

:agree:I don't think a "pretty big crack" would appear out of the blue, just like that, because of humidity probs, especially in Hawaii. I'm in Canada and I've had my KPK soprano for two winters, without issues, though I do use humidifiers in the case. As for strings I've tried Aquila's and D'Addarios, and it's a toss-up... both have their merits, and are way better than the stock Hilo's. I'll have to try Worth's, maybe CM.
 
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