Pono Acacia Baritone vs. Pono Mahogany Baritone

frets alot

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My next uke purchase is going to be a baritone. Pono gets a lot of praise from UU forum members. Could I get some feedback on the difference between the solid acacia and the solid mahogany in terms of sound, volume, etc?

What type of strings come on the Pono baritones? Low G? Any wound strings?

For this price range ($350-$400), is the Pono the one and only or should I be looking at something else too?

Thanks for your help?
 
I have an MBD (mahogany) - at some point I want to add an ABD.

From your "low-g" and wound string question I'm guessing you're not familiar with baritones at all. The "standard" tuning for a baritone is like the four treble strings of a guitar (linear DGBE). In that tuning the D and G will usually be wound, the trebles plain. There are other tunings. I have my MBD in the traditional tuning using some chromium flat wound classical guitar strings for the basses and thick fluorocarbon fishing leaders for the trebles. My other baritone is a reentrant DGBE with no wound strings.

The Pono baritones are hard to beat for the price.

John
 
I love the Ponos. I am a loud person, so I like the Acacia for the punch, loudness, and attack. The Mahogany I like for the warmth and smoothness of the sound.

Weird descriptions I know, but both are super great ukes!
 
The Pono baritones are hard to beat for the price.

John


agreed. i like ponos very much. i'd get a mahogany, which is better bass sounding to my ear.
 
Check out The Ukelele Site's "Ukelele Review Blog" for a comparison of Pono mahogany and acacia tenors - not baritones, but Pono are very consistent in their builds so should be good research for you. If you can't hear much difference then get the one you like the look of.
 
Greenman's got the right idea, (and an great username!).

I'll throw in yet more praise for Pono, especially for a larger scale. My MB is a second and it's still awesome.

I think HMS uses Mahanas, but I also think think you can ask for either Alohis or Golds. They're good people and they do excellent set-up work.

If you decide to go re-entrant, Southcoast's heavies are a great match for my MB.

Cheers.
 
I love the Ponos. I am a loud person, so I like the Acacia for the punch, loudness, and attack. The Mahogany I like for the warmth and smoothness of the sound.

Weird descriptions I know, but both are super great ukes!
No, your descriptions don't seem weird at all to me. :)

I don't own anything with acacia, but have spruce, cedar and mahogany topped ukes and they all have their own character and sound.

My own description would be:

spruce = bright and loud
cedar = warmer but still loud
mahogany = mellow, maybe not quite as loud, but really sweet sounding
 
I have an MBD (mahogany) - at some point I want to add an ABD.

From your "low-g" and wound string question I'm guessing you're not familiar with baritones at all. The "standard" tuning for a baritone is like the four treble strings of a guitar (linear DGBE). In that tuning the D and G will usually be wound, the trebles plain.

John

Actually John, I'm familiar with the baritone tuning, just wasn't sure if they all had wound 3rd and 4th....particularly the Pono's. Thanks for the information....very helpful.

Ok, now I'm thinking VERY seriously about a Pono Acacia Baritione Deluxe. I won't buy until spring 2014, no hurry, but am doing my homework now. I hear so many good things about the Pono's.
 
Reviving an old thread...

I just received my Pono Acacia Deluxe Baritone ABD and it's beautiful and sounds great. It came with Mahana strings and I had them change the Log G to a High G. The sound is soft and sweet. It's very quiet when playing with fingers but has plenty of volume when using a pick. It's the highest quality uke I've ever had (or played) and I'm smitten.
 
I love my Pono MB. I found it used on Craig's list for $275. An amazing instrument! It's so good I am selling my brand new Kala SMHB all solid mahogany baritone with a slot head. The Kala actually has a better bass response but I prefer the overall tone and playability of the Pono. Fit and finish are nearly perfect. I prefer warmer, quieter sounds so the mahogany is perfect for me.
 
If I could only have one uke, it would be my Pono tenor PTO. If I could only have two, my Pono MB would be the other one.
 
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I love my Pono ABD which I got in May. It is now my go to instrument. I have a number of tenors, one of which is a Pono, and they are gathering dust. It was a bit of a stretch to learn the DGBE chords but it was worth it.
 
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