Koa vs mahogany soprano, is there really a discernible difference?

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Ipcmlr

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All I have are mahogany sopranos.
Was watching youtube and saw some people playing koa sopranos. Is there any discernible difference in sound?
All the YouTube videos its seems sopranos sound like sopranos whether its koa or mahogany.
 
 
The difference is probably better heard in person. In my opinion, koa sounds "brighter" and "tighter" sounding. Mahogany is "warmer" and maybe more sustain. I own both types and have played both with the same kind of strings and could note a difference.
 
Funny isn't, every uke is different. From my own experience I would describe mahogany as bolder, louder, more dynamic, a great blend of warmth and brightness. The koa sopranos I've played have had a darker, more mellow tone, less dynamic. But I'm sure the exact opposite applies in some cases, all depends on the builder and the design in the end.
 
Yes in my opinion, Koa Generally is much brighter tone while Mahogany has a fuller richer warmer tone....well like Eugene said, it can be different too as my custom koa has a nice richer warmer tone which I like..but most of my other premimum koa uke are brighter...depends on factors like certain wood itself, builder and building techniques..
 
eugene ukulele said:
Funny isn't, every uke is different. From my own experience I would describe mahogany as bolder, louder, more dynamic, a great blend of warmth and brightness. The koa sopranos I've played have had a darker, more mellow tone, less dynamic. But I'm sure the exact opposite applies in some cases, all depends on the builder and the design in the end.
Click to expand...
I hear the difference precisely as Jon has described here.
 
coolkayaker1 said:
I hear the difference precisely as Jon has described here.
Click to expand...

Me too. With all respect to MGM, do you think the sound difference in the video above is more the style of construction, the first is a Martin style and the second a Koaloha than it is the wood?
 
Every ear is different, as is every kind and piece of wood. For me, in my limited experience, I have heard the mahogany as being sweeter and warm, while the koa seems slightly more vibrant, yet still warm. The science of tone quality, or timbre, is fascinating.
 
Koa ukes are made for vibrand (hawaiian) songs, in my opinion. They sounds happy and brightness, I can play much more different style songs with my mahogany sopranos. They are different, but all they have a strings ballanced sound beween bass, treble and high. Soprano ukes well made have a much more full and complex sound in my poor opinion.
 
It has been my experience that most folks can not tell the difference between Koa, Mahogany or any other combination of woods in a blind listening test. Once the sight factor is gone and we have to rely solely on hearing, all bets are off. The best thing to do is fine a uke that pleases your ears and eyes and forget about what any particular wood is suppose to sound like.
 
uke552 said:
The difference is probably better heard in person. In my opinion, koa sounds "brighter" and "tighter" sounding. Mahogany is "warmer" and maybe more sustain. I own both types and have played both with the same kind of strings and could note a difference.
Click to expand...

On the same uke design, if you swap woods, this is the 99% of the time difference between the woods tonally. For what it's worth, I think of koa as that bright, sweet, sunny sound while mahogany is similar but more bell-toned and mellow. This difference becomes much more dramatic when the tops are thinner (as on Martins and on 1920s/30s Regals) and much less dramatic on thicker-topped instruments.
 
BlackBearUkes said:
It has been my experience that most folks can not tell the difference between Koa, Mahogany or any other combination of woods in a blind listening test. Once the sight factor is gone and we have to rely solely on hearing, all bets are off. The best thing to do is fine a uke that pleases your ears and eyes and forget about what any particular wood is suppose to sound like.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking mr.blackbearukes!

I "thought" I knew what koa and mahogany sounded like. In fact I saw a video on YouTube and I swear the first time I saw it I said "the koa sounds like koa and the mahogany has the mahogany bark" but after I quickly switched back and forth between the 2 exact same ukes in different woods there was hardly any difference especially on the fingerpicking part.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFVXqgxaftg
 
eugene ukulele said:
Funny isn't, every uke is different. From my own experience I would describe mahogany as bolder, louder, more dynamic, a great blend of warmth and brightness. The koa sopranos I've played have had a darker, more mellow tone, less dynamic. But I'm sure the exact opposite applies in some cases, all depends on the builder and the design in the end.
Click to expand...

This is what I initially thought too... But I was wonder if my mind was actually playing tricks on me. Especially on the sopranos which all seem to sound very soprano-ish anyway.
 
BlackBearUkes said:
It has been my experience that most folks can not tell the difference between Koa, Mahogany or any other combination of woods in a blind listening test. Once the sight factor is gone and we have to rely solely on hearing, all bets are off.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with this. When I "see" them, I feel the difference is how Jon stated it, but blinded...no way, Jose. In fact, the different ways everyone describes them in this thread shows how varied our "eyes" hear these woods. LOL

+ I might (it's still in negotiations) be getting a new Koa Martin soprano (2012) Style 2, and I already own a new 2012 Martin Style 2 Mahogany. If I get it, I will make a Soundcloud quiz in one continuously recorded sound file.

And to Duane's point, I will show everyone first: okay here's Mahogany. Okay, here's koa. Got it?
Okay, now for the next three samples, I won;t tell you anything. Which is mahogany and which is koa?

Seriously, since they're the same new Martin 2s, just different woods, it would be interesting. Blackbear, ipcmlr and I already have an idea about how it'll turn out, though. hehe
 
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The blind sound comparison will be fun Steve, looking forward to it mate.

I should qualify my first comment and say that the majority of mahogany sopranos I've ever played have been vintage, pre 1950 instruments, which is perhaps why my experience of the sounds is as it is. Of the 4 koa sops I have owned/played (3 Kamakas and a Mya Moe), the brightest, loudest and most dynamic also happened to be the earliest model...a 70's white label. Man, that thing was a canon.
 
coolkayaker1 said:
I completely agree with this. When I "see" them, I feel the difference is how Jon stated it, but blinded...no way, Jose. In fact, the different ways everyone describes them in this thread shows how varied our "eyes" hear these woods. LOL

+ I might (it's still in negotiations) be getting a new Koa Martin soprano (2012) Style 2, and I already own a new 2012 Martin Style 2 Mahogany. If I get it, I will make a Soundcloud quiz in one continuously recorded sound file.

And to Duane's point, I will show everyone first: okay here's Mahogany. Okay, here's koa. Got it?
Okay, now for the next three samples, I won;t tell you anything. Which is mahogany and which is koa?

Seriously, since they're the same new Martin 2s, just different woods, it would be interesting. Blackbear, ipcmlr and I already have an idea about how it'll turn out, though. hehe
Click to expand...

I'll get it 100% wrong.
A martin will sound like a martin koa or mahogany I think.
I also think a mahogany uke made by koaloha will still sound like a koaloha... Hopefully they make one!
 
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