Did I get a fake Koa Pili Koko Acacia Concert? :(

raffrox

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Hi there. I'm about a month into playing my uke and decided to upgrade from my $70 Koaloha to a step up decent ukulele. I've been loving it and have played every day for 5 weeks straight.

I ordered a Koa Pili Koko Acacia Concert from a site called http://www.ukulelemate.com.au/ I'm in Australia and it 'seemed' like an Australian site. I checked it out and called the customer service number and it seemed like a legit site.

My ukulele arrived today and it just doesn't seem right.

It doesn't have the Koa Pili Koko name/logo on the headstock and the sticker inside the ukulele seems different to what I've seen online (most I've seen are gold in colour). Also the sticker in the ukulele has an email address that screams dodgy to me (Freewrldimportexport@hotmail.com).

It looks really nice and the workmanship actually looks good. I haven't tuned it up to play as if its dodgy I'm just keen to get it sent back asap as untouched as possible.

The customer service line was shut when I got home from work so I haven't spoken to them but am I right in saying I might have been duped?

Thanks in advance :cool:

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That's not their headstock shape. Maybe email info@pilikoko.com and ask if they have any with that headstock (and alert them in case someone is marketing on their name)?

The body shape and bridge look right though.

Edit: should have said, that's not a known headstock shape for them...
 
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Where did you get a "$70 KoAloha" and how is it an upgrade to a KPK? Are you sure you have a KoAloha and not a Kohala?
 
Sorry, my bad dkcrown. It was a spelling mistake. It's been a long day. Its a $70 Kealoha. Dodgy, close to worst in the guitar shop kind of uke.

Macmuse, I've sent an email off including pictures so hopefully I'll get a reply with a definitive answer.
 
The Koa Pili Koko is made by a chinese company called Aiersi. They also make all the cheap resos (think Recording King, Republic, Johnson). Maybe they are changing designs.

I think this looks wayyyy better than other Pili Kokos I've seen. I found the headstock design to be very ugly on the other models and the logo was very cheap looking - MS Office Word Art style.
 
My guess is maybe it isn't a real KPK. The wood looks pretty and agree with what Macmuse said about the body and bridge. I have a deluxe tenor KPK and love it. Wonderful instrument. I hope another company isn't trading on KPK's name.
 
Did it come with the strings hanging out like that? I mean I know loads of musicians when they string instruments leave those on there but I've never seen one you could buy that had not been clipped properly.
 
Did it come with the strings hanging out like that? I mean I know loads of musicians when they string instruments leave those on there but I've never seen one you could buy that had not been clipped properly.

It did which I thought was a bit odd as well.

It came with a label saying they were Aquila strings but the label had bad English on it.
 
It did which I thought was a bit odd as well.

It came with a label saying they were Aquila strings but the label had bad English on it.

I say strum it and see if you like it and ask yourself if it was worth what you paid for it. Take the name of it out of the picture/brand etc. Just ask yourself how does it feel. Strumming it a few times is not gonna cause a problem, you would have done that if you walked in the store.

It does seem very sketchy but I would be very curious as to how you think it feels and sounds.
 
Using Hotmail as a mail server isn't a good sign. But, as others have said, play it and see how it performs. If it sounds and feels good enough for what you paid, then the only other issue is whether it is a knock off and if it is, does it feel OK to you to support a huckster.
 
Did it come with the strings hanging out like that? I mean I know loads of musicians when they string instruments leave those on there but I've never seen one you could buy that had not been clipped properly.

Don't know about other KPK owners, but my concert came strung that way. Did really bother me, I'd either snip them off or if long enough do a nice loop.
 
It looks very much like my plain KPK concert, except for the label, the headstock and the silver metal tuners. The body, fretboard, bridge and saddle look the same, build-wise & color-wise. And I ordered mine thru Jason @ KPK, so it came with Worth strings that were clipped.

I think checking with Jason @ pilikoko is a great idea. I'd love to hear his response.

I really love my KPK concert, BTW.
 
The Koa Pili Koko is made by a chinese company called Aiersi. They also make all the cheap resos (think Recording King, Republic, Johnson). Maybe they are changing designs.

I think this looks wayyyy better than other Pili Kokos I've seen. I found the headstock design to be very ugly on the other models and the logo was very cheap looking - MS Office Word Art style.

I don't mind the headstock so much. The sound is just super at their price. I'm not fond of the gold sticker but I don't see it when I'm playing. ;)

Given the fact they are produced for KPK that way - pure speculation until the OP hopefully gets a reply from KPK:

...KPK knows and is okay with a seller selling their brand with that headstock -- maybe they are changing it up and don't have the headstock "engraved" or stickered for that one?

...Or the manufacturer is using KPK specs but not the headstock and still has the okay to sell with the label? (I find this one unlikely)

...Or they are just outright using KPK body/bridge and labeling with a recognized name and KPK doesn't know it. :(
 
Agree with Macmuse - the headstock doesn't bother me. The engraved logo is better than the decal that they used previously. I'm not crazy about the gold label either, but that's the most minor of cosmetic features. That said - my gold label contains the email address for pilikoko (info@ pilikoko.com), not some hotmail address . . . . .
 
No headstock logo makes this pretty fishy, no reputable maker out there has a plain headstock that I know of.

I found a ukulele in a shop claiming to be a "factory second" martin s0 which had a martin sticker with a blacked out serial number inside and no logo on the headstock. It had a small gouge where the top meets the side, was full mahogany and had a pretty nice tone.

I don't know if the sticker was typical martin (not having a martin at the time) but from what I understand there is absolutely no such thing as a martin factory second.

I wouldn't be pleased if you paid the same as if you bought a real kpk and might consider notifying KPK about the counterfeiting.

Btw, the ASMUS brand of ukulele was made in the same factory as KPK but had a different headstock and used different woods (like sapele). It was a shame he folded up shop due to illness and seemed to just disappear.
 
Most of us who have KPKs bought them from a guy named Jason in HI. He sources the ukes from Aiersi and does the finish himself.

Aiersi makes ukes which have been sold under other brands, like Asmus. Asmus has this same shield-shaped headstock.

Here's the manufacturer page:
http://www.aiersiguitar.com/master-...waii-koa-ukulele-with-aquila-strings-au-26sb/

Look familiar?

There seems to be some slipperiness regarding the brand name and who owns it - the manufacturer or Jason, the distributer.

It's likely that whoever put the label in got a batch from the same supplier that came pre-branded on the headstock.
 
My guess would be that it's out of the same factory in China but without the added setup and QA done by Jason and I wouldn't expect Jason to honor any supposed warranty on it.

Unfortunately, anybody who outsources work to China should be prepared to deal with competition from knockoffs from the same factory that they are paying to produce their products. It doesn't matter whether you're talking about ukuleles or telephones or motorcycles. That's just the way it is.

If you got this for significantly less than a "real" KPK...now you know why. :) If you didn't get it for significantly less than a "real" KPK - I'd return it and get a real KPK for the warranty, etc.

John
 
I just looked at the site, and the uke pictured is what you got..it says Koa Pili Koko
Last I heard there was only two people in the US authorized to sell this uke....Jason and Ken(Chiang) both in hawaii
Maybe this is a new model, but it seems odd that it does not have a sticker on the headstock and a different headstock,
Usually they get these ukes unfinished and add the tuner and strings, so I wouldn't mind if the strings was not clipped whoever does them in Australia...might just be a lazy guy
they could also be putting on the decal themselves and not from the factory as it may be a copy or get them that way
...Last I heard it was made in the same factory as Melokia and that other mentioned.
You know the drill, in some countries the factory copies the original brand as they have no scrupples and sell them....this could be what you have,
I looked at the site price...299.99 for a concert....I know Austalian money and cost are more but, it almost double the price and hawaii is farther from where they were built.
I'd also call them and discuss the matter(the store) and Koa Pili Koko too good luck...by the way how does it sound, play and feel....
 
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