Pineapple Sunday vs. Sceptre

I just want to throw this out there to any of you that are lucky enough to own both, or have played both of these beautiful instruments.

Which do you prefer and why? What are the differences in sound? Volume?

I am planning to buy one of these in the near future, and am somewhat on the fence about which one, although I do prefer the concert scale. Oh, and there is also a pretty significant difference in price.

Don't let MSRP scare you. While there is a significant difference listed, in my experience they actually end up costing about the same. Call some dealers and ask around; I think you'll be surprised. I was!

It's been 2 years since I last played a tenor Sceptre. When I played it, I thought it was like a more macho Pineapple Sunday. I think it had a louder and more focused sound, while the P.S. was more crystalline (if that makes any sense). Both are pretty nice, but definitely different.

GX9901 said:

It's been 2 years since I last played a tenor Sceptre. When I played it, I thought it was like a more macho Pineapple Sunday. I think it had a louder and more focused sound, while the P.S. was more crystalline (if that makes any sense). Both are pretty nice, but definitely different.

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It definately makes sense. A great description. I should also point out that I have a Pikake concert that I would also describe as crystalline, especially when comparing it to my Kanilea super concert. Although I have worth browns on the KoAloha and aquillas on the Kanilea.

I have been thinking about starting a thread like this. I'm very interested in the differences. Since I only have a sceptre, I'm biased toward it. The PS is often described as having a soprano voice. I can't say if that is true or not. I can, however, tell you about the Sceptre. These ukes are LOUD! Very bright and crisp, just the way I like them. It's very comfortable to hold and once you find the sweet spots, the sceptres really rawr (or at least all three of mine have). If there were ever a flamenco uke, the sceptre is it! It's extremely versatile as well. Definitely the best uke design I've ever played.

If you're thinking KoAloha and Papa KoAloha's masterpieces, you might want to want until December of this year to see what the next one will be. It may be worth the wait.

I seem to remember reading in a thread somewhere that someone that had a sceptre mentioned that the points dug into their arm a little bit while strumming. Was that you Martin? Does anyone that has a sceptre have that issue?

MartinLil said:

I have been thinking about starting a thread like this. I'm very interested in the differences. Since I only have a sceptre, I'm biased toward it. The PS is often described as having a soprano voice. I can't say if that is true or not. I can, however, tell you about the Sceptre. These ukes are LOUD! Very bright and crisp, just the way I like them. It's very comfortable to hold and once you find the sweet spots, the sceptres really rawr (or at least all three of mine have). If there were ever a flamenco uke, the sceptre is it! It's extremely versatile as well. Definitely the best uke design I've ever played.

If you're thinking KoAloha and Papa KoAloha's masterpieces, you might want to want until December of this year to see what the next one will be. It may be worth the wait.

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Who knows, I could be dead by December, why wait?

dkcrown said:

I seem to remember reading in a thread somewhere that someone that had a sceptre mentioned that the points dug into their arm a little bit while strumming. Was that you Martin? Does anyone that has a sceptre have that issue?

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It was not me. I remember that post though. It's very comfortbale to me and I love the way it feels. My arm fits right between two of the points of the crown, which is very nice IMO, and it's equally as comfotable resting on the thigh. I really thought it would be uncomfortable or at least awkward to hold or that it might stab my leg when rested there. I was assured that it wasn't and wouldn't. I decided to trust that and give it a try. It was the best chance I ever took.

dkcrown said:

Who knows, I could be dead by December, why wait?

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No reason to wait. But if you're going to take time making up your mind plus the time that it will take for you to get ahold of either it may be close to December. Just giving you a heads up.

I've got both, and I know that Ronnie Aloha has both as well.

I can't choose one as better than the other, because both of them just sound so different than a tenor. I've compared the PS and Sceptre against a lot of ukes, but neither of them really sound like any of the others. I think it's because the sound is most comprable to other KoAloha ukes. From my experience with KoAlohas, their ukes just have a different tone from other brands, so it's hard to say that it sounds like anything other than another KoAloha. And I own a KoAloha sSoprano, sConcert, and Tenor. And all of my KoAlohas are strung with either worth clears or browns. But all of them sound different.

Soprano: Take the Kamaka soprano sound, then make it slightly less round and full, but give it a lot more punch, and give it more percussive overtones. And you can really push the volume on the KoAloha.

Concert: I love the sound of my KoAloha sConcert. Easily better than the Kamaka concert. More warmth, more roundness, and capable of handling a wider range of dynamics without working too hard. One of the best KoAloha tones, IMO. Easily reccomend this over the Kamaka. I don't own a Kanilea concert yet, but have played one, and it just does not match up to the KoAloha.

Tenor: This does not sound like the Kamaka or Kanilea tenor. It is really different. The Kamaka Tenor is definitely the most "traditional" sounding of the three. And the Kanilea has the most "full bodied" tone. The KoAloha, IMO has a slightly less complex tone than the other two, but is very distinct and boomy. Lots of percussive overtones as well (you don't really hear these with the sConcert), but you can really hit a wide range of dynamics, esp in the upper range, with the KoAloha tenor. I'd probably say that the KoAloha tenor that I have is the most "responsive" tenor of the three. If you want a good player, but don't NEED to have that traditional tenor sound, go with the KoAloha.

Sceptre (Tenor): It's really hard to compare the sound to anything. Yes, it is louder and more focused than the PS as George pointed out. And actually, I'll have to contradict myself, and say compare this tone to a Kamaka concert tone. But with a subtle KoAloha characteristics. It may have sounded different before electronics, but now, the closest thing I can compare it to is a Kamaka concert, but it definitely does not sound like my KoAloha sConcert. It's a more traditional concert sound, not too complex, but with just the right amount of undertones. Probably the most "traditional" sound of any KoAloha I've played.

Pineapple Sunday: Also difficult to compare to anything else. But I'd have to say that the sound is most similar to a KoAloha soprano. Keep in mind that the KoAloha soprano does have a very loud sound. It is just that same type of tone. You don't get the complexity of the KoAloha concert or tenor tone with the PS. This comparison may also be partially due to the fact that I've stuffed the insides of my PS with a Fishman Matrix, and that takes away from the sound. Without the pickup, it'd be louder and fuller. And that is a fact, b/c I've played my wired up PS against a new PS at the shop, and yes, the unwired PS does sound noticibly better. Then again, the PS doesn't quite sound like their soprano. I'd say its more of a grown up soprano, or an adolescent soprano (but still not a concert.)

I've written this all from memory as my ukes are still in their cases right now, and unpacking and repacking would take quite a while, but I've got quite a few hours on all of these ukes.

My main complaint with the PS and the Sceptre is that the ergonomics aren't perfect for me. They're harder to hold than a tenor, IMO. I especially have a problem with the thin bodied sceptre sometimes. And with electronics, it did get considerably heavier (although it also got more well balanced and not has head heavy) I don't want to use a strap, but it looks like FaceMeltingUkulele has no problem with it, so I'm sure I'll get used to it. (Haven't owned it for too long yet)

But basically, there is no better instrument between the two. Both are excellent, and each very unique. They both sound good, and play smoothly. Oh, and you look like a rockstar no matter which one you choose.

I feel you on preferring the concert scale. I owned a concert Sceptre for a while and it was the loudest/brightest uke I've ever heard, just SANG over everything, really fun to play. The Sceptre has a really unique nontraditional look but it seems people either love it or hate it. I'm a people pleaser, and because of this I prefer the Pineapple Sunday looks. You should have Pops custom make you a scaled down concert sized neck Pineapple Sunday
:iwant:

I like both but vote PS - I know just the one for you!
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...le-Sunday-for-sale&highlight=Pineapple+sunday

Great review, experimentjon!

wickedwahine11 said:

I like both but vote PS - I know just the one for you!
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...le-Sunday-for-sale&highlight=Pineapple+sunday

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LOL oh wicked one. I assume you got my updated PM yesterday

I agree, great review Jon. Very informative. Intersting that you compare the sound of the PS to that of your KoAloha soprano, largely because of the electronics.

Do you have any regrets that you had the pickup installed in the PS?

dkcrown said:

I agree, great review Jon. Very informative. Intersting that you compare the sound of the PS to that of your KoAloha soprano, largely because of the electronics.

Do you have any regrets that you had the pickup installed in the PS?

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The electronics may have reduced sound in the PS and Sceptre by 20% acoustically. But really, to me, not a big deal. They still sound great, and now, I can play them plugged in. Really, if I had the money to put high-quality electronics in more of my ukes, I would. The benefit for me, just far outweighs the costs. Besides, now, I can play them 100x louder than I could acoustically, by simply plugging it into an amp. And I can add reverb, and comps, and other effects, and play with the tone through an equalizer. Lots more options with a pickup, so no regrets. It's simply a tradeoff, and in economics, we look at trade offs all the time and get used to the idea that you can't get something for nothing. Plus the electronics in the body really do help to balance the PS and the Sceptre. They are more head-heavy instruments, and it is especially noticible if you're coming off an instrument as with weight distribution that is as excellent as the Kamaka Tenor (perfectly balanced at the 12th fret, try it if you get a chance). That extra weight in the body of the Sceptre/PS just makes them feel better in my hands.

BTW, KoAloha did an excellent install job. They've done 3 pickup installs for me, and I've been happy with all of them. Even set up the uke nice and neat after each install.

experimentjon said:

The electronics may have reduced sound in the PS and Sceptre by 20% acoustically. But really, to me, not a big deal. They still sound great, and now, I can play them plugged in. Really, if I had the money to put high-quality electronics in more of my ukes, I would. The benefit for me, just far outweighs the costs. Besides, now, I can play them 100x louder than I could acoustically, by simply plugging it into an amp. And I can add reverb, and comps, and other effects, and play with the tone through an equalizer. Lots more options with a pickup, so no regrets. It's simply a tradeoff, and in economics, we look at trade offs all the time and get used to the idea that you can't get something for nothing. Plus the electronics in the body really do help to balance the PS and the Sceptre. They are more head-heavy instruments, and it is especially noticible if you're coming off an instrument as with weight distribution that is as excellent as the Kamaka Tenor (perfectly balanced at the 12th fret, try it if you get a chance). That extra weight in the body of the Sceptre/PS just makes them feel better in my hands.

BTW, KoAloha did an excellent install job. They've done 3 pickup installs for me, and I've been happy with all of them. Even set up the uke nice and neat after each install.

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I installed a Misi pickup in my Pono mango concert pineaple and the difference in the acoustic sound is almost indistinguishable. But it wasn't all that loud to begin with. That is why I decided to put it in there in the first place, so I could amplify it.

BTW, I am a fellow economics major. Although I got my degree back when Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations.

Back to the initial thread. If you could only pick one between the PS and Sceptre, what would it be?

experimentjon said:

The electronics may have reduced sound in the PS and Sceptre by 20% acoustically. But really, to me, not a big deal. They still sound great, and now, I can play them plugged in. Really, if I had the money to put high-quality electronics in more of my ukes, I would. The benefit for me, just far outweighs the costs. Besides, now, I can play them 100x louder than I could acoustically, by simply plugging it into an amp. And I can add reverb, and comps, and other effects, and play with the tone through an equalizer. Lots more options with a pickup, so no regrets. It's simply a tradeoff, and in economics, we look at trade offs all the time and get used to the idea that you can't get something for nothing. Plus the electronics in the body really do help to balance the PS and the Sceptre. They are more head-heavy instruments, and it is especially noticible if you're coming off an instrument as with weight distribution that is as excellent as the Kamaka Tenor (perfectly balanced at the 12th fret, try it if you get a chance). That extra weight in the body of the Sceptre/PS just makes them feel better in my hands.

BTW, KoAloha did an excellent install job. They've done 3 pickup installs for me, and I've been happy with all of them. Even set up the uke nice and neat after each install.

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I thought I should add that the concert scepte is not head-heavy. The tenor, however, is because of the heavy geared tuners combined with a small body. The concert sceptres have friction tuners and are very balanced. I asked for geared tuners on my sceptre but Brian sid that the head is not big enough for those.

EDIT: I vote Concert Sceptre!!!

dkcrown said:

I installed a Misi pickup in my Pono mango concert pineaple and the difference in the acoustic sound is almost indistinguishable. But it wasn't all that loud to begin with. That is why I decided to put it in there in the first place, so I could amplify it.

BTW, I am a fellow economics major. Although I got my degree back when Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations.

Back to the initial thread. If you could only pick one between the PS and Sceptre, what would it be?

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I'm actually just an econ minor and working in econ research right now. I would have made it a major too, but getting a BA and BBA would require me to take more arts and sciences courses than I care for. Econ has a very special place in my heart though.

I think that one major difference with the MiSi pickups is that you're not adding as much stuff to the inside of your uke. The misi is basically just an endpin jack with a relatively small board. However, the Fishman Matrix Infinity is pretty big. You need a 9V battery, tone/volume control, and a rather bulky endpin jack with a circutboard encased in plastic. So it is a lot bulkier than the MiSi. You also have more parts touching the wood, which may dampen vibrations. Still, I choose it over the MiSi so I don't have to deal with the charger. 9V batteries FTW.

And really, I cant choose between the two. I'd much rather just sell another instrument than have to give up one of these. In fact, I've got a bunch that I'll probably take out of the collection soon...or when i finally have time.

hey my fellow UU member
i work at a uke shop in hawaii n ithink u should go wit the PS the sound is pretty close between the two also the septer looks realy kool nice design but koaloha dont have a bracing so will tend to sink n that will change the quality also most ppl have complained the that the sepeter is hard to fit to the body when u play standing or sitting because of the point