I left plenty of time before work to pick up my newest uke at the UPS center, then spent an hour in the parking lot playing it like a crazy person.
This is my first Ko'olau, and boy is it nice. I chose ulawood and it was just the sound I wanted. A little lighter and poppier than mahogany, very sweet tone with lots of character. Maybe a folk sound more than an island sound, but I'll have to think about it. And the workmanship is superb, no flaws anwhere in playability, cosmetics or tone. All balanced. But there's an extra dimension, the Ko'olau magic, this thing is more resonant than any of my other ukes, it just sings. I couldn't be happier.
It came with friction tuners, but the kind that cost more than geared. Grovers maybe? Anyway, the feel of the tuners is very smooth, not that 'fingernail on the chalkboard' feeling I get twisting other friction tuners. I think there's some sort of bushing in the tuner that buffers the friction bearing surfaces, regardless, I don't miss geared tuners.
And the wood is gorgeous, it glows orange. Even grain though, no flame. But very nice color and appearance.
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