Value of opting for premium koa over standard?
- Thread starter Eyeguy
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wickedwahine11
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There actually is a school of thought that the standard grained koa sounds better than the premium curly. At any rate, any upgrade in koa grain would probably be purely cosmetic, not tonal.
grandpoobah
Well-known member
Totally cosmetic. Often the standard koa sounds a bit better.
That said.. tone is very dependent on the quality of the luthier and not how pretty the wood is.
That said.. tone is very dependent on the quality of the luthier and not how pretty the wood is.
coolkayaker1
Well-known member
I feel more confident playing with curly koa--stick my chest out and smile more and my playing volume is louder and prouder. When I look good, or my uke looks good, I play better.
That said, it's all cosmetic. I'm a mental case.
That said, it's all cosmetic. I'm a mental case.
janeray1940
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I tend to agree with this, although my experience is pretty limited. When I was shopping around for my first Kamaka concert uke I was able to try a premium koa and two standard koas. The premium was certainly pretty to look at, but was really underwhelming sound-wise.
Drew Bear
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Cosmetic. However, I think it was Rick Turner (luthier) that observed that most buyers (wholesale & direct) claim they want the best sound, but usually "listen" with their eyes. This trend is aided by the fact that quality instruments can be both visually and acoustically excellent.
IMO, premium Koa in a high quality uke helps retain resale value.
IMO, premium Koa in a high quality uke helps retain resale value.
the.ronin
Well-known member
This brings up a question – is “curly” the same concept as “bear claw” on say spruce top guitars?
As I understand it (maybe just a myth or some misinformation so please take with a grain of salt), the bear claw marks suggest that the original tree was under duress creating pressure which results in these patterns in the wood (e.g., another tree fell on it or something). (So, no, a bear wasn’t actually clawing at the tree – it just looks like that hence the name.) Since the wood was under pressure, the logic goes, the wood is more dense in comparison to the same type of wood that was never under pressure. Since it is more dense, it has better tonal qualities.
So I guess two questions then – is the curly pattern on “curly koa” the same concept as “bear claw” on sitka spruce? If so, and if you believe in the bear claw concept, then curly koa would theoretically have better tonal qualities.
Just thinking aloud here.
As I understand it (maybe just a myth or some misinformation so please take with a grain of salt), the bear claw marks suggest that the original tree was under duress creating pressure which results in these patterns in the wood (e.g., another tree fell on it or something). (So, no, a bear wasn’t actually clawing at the tree – it just looks like that hence the name.) Since the wood was under pressure, the logic goes, the wood is more dense in comparison to the same type of wood that was never under pressure. Since it is more dense, it has better tonal qualities.
So I guess two questions then – is the curly pattern on “curly koa” the same concept as “bear claw” on sitka spruce? If so, and if you believe in the bear claw concept, then curly koa would theoretically have better tonal qualities.
Just thinking aloud here.
hapuna
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From my experience what has been said above seems correct. It seems the standard koa is lighter and really resonates well. The premium seems heavier and denser. Now after they both open up I don't know but the standard seems to generally play better. That said its hard to beat the look of curly koa!!
Great question, you also need to factor in the build.
Some builders will change the build with a premium wood affecting tone and playability.
Some builders will change the build with a premium wood affecting tone and playability.
Gadzukes!
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Technically, the heavier wood is more likely to be resonant, although there are obviously a lot of factors in play. Otherwise, the best sounding ukes would be made out of balsa wood. Now there's a travel uke!
GX9901
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Everything else being equal, I think you're paying for the looks of premium, or curly, koa. When I bought my Kamaka HF-3, there were about 10 of them at the shop. I got to play them all and there was one that I thought was the best sounding, but had really uninteresting looking wood. There was also one that had pretty nice curly koa, probably approaching 3A, that I really wanted to get. But no matter how much I tried to like it, it was the worse sounding one out of the 10, so I had to pass on it. I didn't buy the best sounding one either, due to the boring looking wood, and ended up choosing one that was maybe 3rd or 4th best sounding, but maybe 2nd or 3rd best looking one. So based on personal experience, I would agree that plain koa would actually sound better. But I'm one of those guys who would be willing to pay for premium koa just for looks.
OldePhart
Well-known member
Purely eye candy. (As some have pointed out, maybe even a slight decrease in actual sound quality, though most of us probably couldn't detect it.)
While I love to gaze at nice wood (and fancy bindings, etc.) as much as anyone...at the end of the day I'm all about playability and tone. Anything that doesn't add to those had better not add significantly to the cost of the instrument or it won't end up in my stable.
I remember one time I found a really nice limited edition G&L electric guitar in my favorite local shop. I really loved the way it played but, because it was a signed and numbered limited edition, it was priced way above what I was willing to pay for it. When the shop owner pointed out Leo's signature as if that made it something special and justified the price I laughed and told him to "scrape the signature off and let me pay what the guitar is worth." He wasn't amused. LOL
John
While I love to gaze at nice wood (and fancy bindings, etc.) as much as anyone...at the end of the day I'm all about playability and tone. Anything that doesn't add to those had better not add significantly to the cost of the instrument or it won't end up in my stable.
I remember one time I found a really nice limited edition G&L electric guitar in my favorite local shop. I really loved the way it played but, because it was a signed and numbered limited edition, it was priced way above what I was willing to pay for it. When the shop owner pointed out Leo's signature as if that made it something special and justified the price I laughed and told him to "scrape the signature off and let me pay what the guitar is worth." He wasn't amused. LOL
John
hapuna
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If they were the same price you would be exactly right. The problem is premium wood carries a premium price. I have 2 koas for sale and minus the pickup from the premium(making them the same) the premium is $400 more. It takes someone that is very excited about great ukuleles to pay that extra amount just for the looks.
H
Hippie Dribble
Guest
no difference in tone at all that you could easily quantify between premium and standard wood. I sure appreciate the aesthetic appeal of highly figured wood grain but the prices have really gone wild with this over the past few years. No probs for those who can afford it I guess. But sonically, tonally, it's a moot point. You could take either Susan Boyle or Norah Jones out for dinner or to a jam...they both sing like angels! Just comes down to which one you want on the end of your arm...
Chris Tarman
Well-known member
Hmmm... Can I take Norah Jones' half-sister out for dinner?
My wife knows I have a thing for Norah Jones. I doubt I could slip this past her...
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mr moonlight
Well-known member
I'd say it's even a bit more than that. When you finally are able to obtain that high-end one uke to rule them all instrument it's more of a long term commitment than dinner or a jam. It's more like, "who would you rather wake up next to every morning and sing you to sleep every night; Susan Boyle or Norah Jones?" So, yeah, if you love that curly koa, go for it.
It's definitely worth it to keep saving to get that perfect sounding and looking instrument. Of course in the end, it's all about what your wallet can handle.
mschway
Active member
Figured wood looks great, but a good quarter-sawn straight grained piece with minimal runout can be worked thinner to maintain the same tensile strength. The surfacing process won't cut across the grain as often as it would with a curly figure. Thinner top means less mass and it'll be more resilient. A curly top has grain running all over the place and cutting across the grain is inevitable, resulting in a weaker piece unless it's milled thicker.
There's a reason that the best luthiers split their wood braces rather than re-saw them. They're trying to insure there's no runout. Same thing applies to curly soundboards.
Jus' my $.02 ....
There's a reason that the best luthiers split their wood braces rather than re-saw them. They're trying to insure there's no runout. Same thing applies to curly soundboards.
Jus' my $.02 ....
