Pono pro classic line

chuck in ny

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would like to hear opinions from those who have played them. are they worth the cash or is it wiser to go with a K brand.
 
I'm madly in love with mine. I have the RTSH PCC (rosewood tenor slothead pro classic cedar top) and it made me consider selling my Kanile'a. I restrung the Kanile'a with Southcoast linear medium smooth wound strings which saved it from going outbound, but the Pro Classic is my go to and currently my One uke. (Except for my Martin bari which is a family heirloom, but the scale is long for me and I think the Pono outshines it). Go to the HMS site and listen to a few. One Two & Three. There's a few more models with sound samples too.
 
Unbeatable price / quality ratio with a lot of wood combinations. I have a Pono WTSH I play very often. I also have a Ko'olau CS which is many steps higher in quality and playability... but 4 times more expensive than the Pono Pro Classic. If I had the money I'd replace the Pono with another Ko'olau, but I'm pretty happy with it right now. The spruce just opened up and the tone is absolutely great.
 
I wanted a Wi'awa tenor originally but it is a lot brighter and I have that for now in my koa Kanile'a. Also decided the radius would be important and for me it is.
 
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I have an older PTEC-CE and it is a brilliant instrument - my go to tenor. Neck is much thinner and faster than the newer models, in my experience. I also had a MHT-SH which was also a beautiful instrument. Seemed more heavily built and had a thicker neck. the MHT was a quieter instrument, but still had lovely tone.
They are really great instruments for the price, and there is a model fosuited to whatever tone you are looking for.
 
I have a Pono Pro Classic Tenor with Macassar Ebony back and sides and a Cedar top. It looks fantastic and plays well. Sound is great. I'm very happy with it :)

But I would rank it slightly lower to my Kanilea in terms of sound quality.

At the same time, you should also note that with a Pono Pro Classic you're getting more wood choices, binding, gloss finish and a radius fretboard for a price comparable to a bare bones K brand uke. If bang for your buck is the top priority, Pono can't be beat.
 
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