Koa Pili Koko/Melokia

nukulele0

nukulele0

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I have heard great things about this uke and everybody says you get the tone of a k brand without the price tag, how does it actually compare?
Any responses appreciated
 
nukulele0 said:
I have heard great things about this uke and everybody says you get the tone of a k brand without the price tag, how does it actually compare?
Any responses appreciated
Click to expand...

USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION, GOSH WHEN WILL PEOPLE LEARN :rulez:
 
I have a KPK and it has been a fine instrument. It is Acacia which is similar to koa, with similar tone. I don't have a K brand uke but I have a nice koa uke and I would say it is not up to the same standard in craftsmanship or tone. It is not bad just not as nice as the k brands I have played. For the price it is worth it.

There have been several reported issues with cracking on KPK ukes. Mine has not cracked and I have had it well over a year. So if you get one of these crackers you might be upset.
 
I own a knockoff KPK like the Melokia. I have loved the sound and the look of my Uke since I picked it up. I'm no expert but it sounds similar to the KPK's I have played in the past. I have heard about the cracking issue but there have been no cracking incidents. This is great especially since I'm to lazy to put it into my case where the Humidifier is.

On another note, I'm with Ukerazy. Besides, if we never repeated threads newer members like me would never get to read and discuss the old topics and I will never reach 100 posts :D
 
Bang for the buck hard to beat a KPK/Melokia. I have a basic acacia soprano that sounds allot better than the $110 I paid for it. No cracking issues here in humid Moku Manu. ;)
 
I have a KPK tenor ( beside me now at work) and a Melokia pineapple. Both are great ukes with a sweet sound...using Aquila's on the pineapple and Ko'olau golds on the tenor. Some had problems with quality control, but I haven't seen anything serious on my gurls yet...and I'm super picky! The only concern I had was the MOP inlay on the Melokia headstock being a little crude, but that may be my perception. They both play incredibly well for the price...I'm well pleased over all!
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Those are some beautiful ukes, Ukeffect. I just got a Kala Acacia Tenor a couple of days ago, and I am really happy with it so far, but I've gotta say that the grain and color on your acacia ukes has mine beat.

Overall, from a newcomer's perspective (one who has never laid eyes on a K-brand in person), I think that the acacia ukes are a good deal to get a solid instrument without breaking the bank - that's why I got one anyway. My only complaint is that I didn't magically get better just by getting a nicer uke. I swear, when I was younger my new shoes would make me run faster, but I seem to be playing about the same despite having a better uke. So it is either the strings or maybe I should have just spent the extra $700 to get a Kamaka and play like Jake, haha. It couldn't be this whole practicing thing I've been hearing about could it? ......nah, I must still be missing something.

Ukecrazy, I've lusted after your ukes for a while now, too, lol. I just couldn't spend the extra money right now on something like the Koaloha or Pono Mango in the tenor size. I'm too new to justify it at this point. And after having a cheapie concert and now a tenor, I think I may prefer the concert size. Although, I am still probably adjusting to the tenor so I will withhold judgement for a while longer still, but it is easier to play the concert when I am sprawled out on my couch :)
 
Last edited:
keithy351 said:
USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION, GOSH WHEN WILL PEOPLE LEARN :rulez:
Click to expand...

UU Golden Rule: Don't be a jerk. Gonna quote the rules? Know the rules.
 
thanks for all the quick responses it is greatly appreciated, i am thinking of getting one of those melokia's and need to know if I should humidify it?. I live in Huntington Beach and the RH is 75% and I live extremely close to the beach
 
If u are thinking of buying one of the melokia's check out islandsylemusic on ebay. I asked him about replacing the bridge and he said he could put a bone one in for a little bit of an upcharge, if you want to buy a bone nut and saddle there are plenty on ebay
 
I have a Melokia Cutaway Tenor with a Bone saddle I made and I just had a Bone nut made and installed this week.. Sounds awesome with Aquila Strings. To me, it sounds alot like my Koaloha Tenor.. but im just a newbie. Maybe I'll do a comparisson vid between my Melokia and Koaloha. See what you guys think. Just give me a few days to let the new aquilas strings settle
 
generem said:
I have a Melokia Cutaway Tenor with a Bone saddle I made and I just had a Bone nut made and installed this week.. Sounds awesome with Aquila Strings. To me, it sounds alot like my Koaloha Tenor.. but im just a newbie. Maybe I'll do a comparisson vid between my Melokia and Koaloha. See what you guys think. Just give me a few days to let the new aquilas strings settle
Click to expand...
I'd be really interested in that as I've been contemplating that upgrade myself...OH NO!!...is that the next stage of UAS !?!:eek:
 
generem said:
I have a Melokia Cutaway Tenor with a Bone saddle I made and I just had a Bone nut made and installed this week.. Sounds awesome with Aquila Strings. To me, it sounds alot like my Koaloha Tenor.. but im just a newbie. Maybe I'll do a comparisson vid between my Melokia and Koaloha. See what you guys think. Just give me a few days to let the new aquilas strings settle
Click to expand...
I would really appreciate that generem and i'm sure many others would too, by the way i saw the your cover of all the small things, sounded really nice, great playing
 
bbycrts said:
UU Golden Rule: Don't be a jerk. Gonna quote the rules? Know the rules.
Click to expand...

lol chill out, it was a joke, been said to be about 5 times in my other post lol, dont over read things
 
after asking the same question only a few days ago, alot of people recommended the kala acacia which is the same family as the koa and i think the Koa pili koko is made from that too, so best bet is one of those from mgm
 
I have a Melokia Tenor and Concert... Both are near perfect. I just ordered a KPK Soprano and it came with sharp frets and bad intonation. Replaced it with another Melokia Soprano and it was spot on. I think that you can get good and bad in most any brand. A lot depends on who you are buying from and their inspection and setup. I have bought all the Melokias from islandsylemusic on ebay and am very happy with all transactions... YMMV :)
 
Sorry for the late post but here are a couple of quick sound clip comparing the Koaloha and Melokia ukes.. each file has both ukes on it so you can listen to it one right after the other. 1st one is quick picking and 2nd is just chord progression.

I tried to play both ukes the same exact way and same distance from mic.

Not yet very good at so excuse my playing

http://www.box.net/shared/my2d2tpv8q

http://www.box.net/shared/legp68k5qb
 
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