koa pili koko Vs. Pono

SamIAm

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I've come to the cross roads where I want to upgrade from my crummy hilo tenor. I have narrowed my choices down to a Pono Mango Tenor and the Koa Pili Koko. there are not many reviews for the Pono on the web and since I live in Arkansas there are not many places tht carry either of these ukuleles? so do any of yall have opinions either ukulele? any help would be great fully appreciated!


Cheers,

Sam
 
i own a pono mahogany tenor and a koa pili koko tenor.

my pono is a cutaway with passive electronics
my KPK is just a tenor

acoustically:
pono has a warmer tone due to the mahogany construction. the kpk has a bright tone very similar to koa. both are very pleasing to my ears, but if i had to choose one that sounded better, it would be the kpk. some of it has to do with the fact that there is no pickup between the saddle and the bridge, so the tonal quality is more "pure" to my ears.

playability:
i have been playing the pono so much lately that i have gotten very acustomed to its layout. i had to set the action on my pono to bring it down to a level that i liked. didnt have to do that with the kpk. the strings are spread out more on the pono, making it much easier to pick. but the low profile frets can make it difficult to get a clean sound sometimes (may buzz if you dont push string down hard enough. strings feel a little close together for me on the kpk, but after restringing with aquilas, its always a pleasure to play her.

i dont know what else to tell you. either one is a good choice. but if you arent ever going to perform with it, i would go with the kpk. if you want to perform with it, i would get the pono with a pickup.
 
I own a Koa 4-string Pono and love the instrument. I have had the opportunity to play a KPK and personally I don't care for the instrument. I think the one thing going for the KPK is the cost. Good price for a solid wood instrument. But.....whether or not you are going to perform with the instrument, IMO, go with the Pono. Besides....the Pono is from the same people that make the Ko'olau Ukulele.
 
I've got a Pono Mango Tenor (electric w/ passive pickup) and I love it.
I haven't written a review yet...because I can't put the thing down. I really like the irregular grain and splotches of the wood. Sound is warm, yet bright. The Ko'olau Golds that were on it sounded ok, but I recently put on some J71's and it sounds killer now.
I do get a buzz sometimes, I have to get it looked at. Not quite sure what it is. It's when i I play the strings open...and if I knock on the body and strum again it goes away. Might be the pickup cable...can't locate the sound.
NukeDoc is right about not pressing the strings hard enough and getting slight buzz, but once you get past this it sounds great. Not a deal breaker, just gotta adjust playing a bit.
 
If i had the money to buy both i would just buy my friends Koaloha tenor off of him. Thanks for all the input guys i still haven't decided, so keep it coming. I would get the pono but i would have 2 wait an extra 2 weeks for my paycheck and I want a new uke so bad I've already sold my bass and amp and am fixing to sell my left arm as well lol.
 
If i had the money to buy both i would just buy my friends Koaloha tenor off of him. Thanks for all the input guys i still haven't decided, so keep it coming. I would get the pono but i would have 2 wait an extra 2 weeks for my paycheck and I want a new uke so bad I've already sold my bass and amp and am fixing to sell my left arm as well lol.

how are you gonna play it if you sell your left arm? just sell both legs and get the koaloha :D

But to actually contribute to this thread, I like Pono's I've got a 1st generation satin-finished mahogany tenor and a 2nd-gen deluxe koa tenor (also, HAD a 1st gen laminate koa)...to be fair I haven't tried the Koa Pili Kokos yet, but I don't think you can go wrong with a Pono
 
how are you gonna play it if you sell your left arm? just sell both legs and get the koaloha :D

But to actually contribute to this thread, I like Pono's I've got a 1st generation satin-finished mahogany tenor and a 2nd-gen deluxe koa tenor (also, HAD a 1st gen laminate koa)...to be fair I haven't tried the Koa Pili Kokos yet, but I don't think you can go wrong with a Pono


LOL! I need my legs im a xc runner! how bout i give up an ear? girls think 1 eared guys are hot right lol.... i considered just getting a mango lammy kala, but i dnt really want a lammy
 
very cool whats your fastest time? im pretty slow, my fastest time (for a 3k) is 21.45.


/has nothing to contribute to thread:eek:

lol not bad i stank when i strted my 5k is 17:30 i just started running last year(sophmore).
 
just wait...3k=/= 3 miles does it. :eek::p haha my 5k is ~21 min. (i wont lie i feel absolutely stupid)

and wow, thats insane. Your just starting to run? whats the fastest time on your team. (are you high school or college?)
 
high school and our fastest was 2 seconds off the state 5k record. cant remember wat it was. ill have to dig out our record book and find out.
l
 
lol, either way thats insane.

Oh yea i did play a pono tenor, its a real nice uke. i didnt really see any flaww in it. Then again the owner that had it was able to play it buying it. which you cant do, so yea...
 
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