I received a PM from a member asking about this uke. I'll post some photos of it. The stock strings were terrible. If you played it off the rack you would have a hard time buying it IMHO.
A switch to Worth Clear low g has dramatically improved the sound. Its very comparable in sound to my Kamaka HF-3 but I don't really think I have a great ear. However, to me it is very mellow sounding but hard strumming can increase the volume tremendously.
I can attest that it is MUCH lighter than the older model Ponos. A friend with an all Koa older model and I compared them last night and the old model felt like a club.
I've noticed that the mahogany is usually straight grained but I was drawn to this one due to the curls in the grain. I spoke with John Kitakis at the Uke Festival about this. The one they had on display was straight grained. He stated that they had batch of very curly mahogany and those ukes came out great. I think mine looks very similar to the one of their website.
A switch to Worth Clear low g has dramatically improved the sound. Its very comparable in sound to my Kamaka HF-3 but I don't really think I have a great ear. However, to me it is very mellow sounding but hard strumming can increase the volume tremendously.
I can attest that it is MUCH lighter than the older model Ponos. A friend with an all Koa older model and I compared them last night and the old model felt like a club.
I've noticed that the mahogany is usually straight grained but I was drawn to this one due to the curls in the grain. I spoke with John Kitakis at the Uke Festival about this. The one they had on display was straight grained. He stated that they had batch of very curly mahogany and those ukes came out great. I think mine looks very similar to the one of their website.