Spud1$
Well-known member
I've been eyeing the Pepe Romero tiny tenor all Koa. I was wondering what anyone has to say about this Uke? Thanks
I've had a chance to play a few of these - they have two at Anacapa Ukulele and one at McCabes. I think the Koa is quite a nice ukulele and a good deal for the price. Very nice tone and comfortable to hold. I like them.
They used to have a couple at my local shop (McCabe's), an all Koa and I think the other was mahogany/spruce. I was impressed with both with a slight preference for the mahogany/spruce (but I'm admittedly not always as enamored with Koa as many are). They had nice projection, were very comfortable to hold and and the build quality was good for the price point. If your local shop doesn't carry them, I think HMS does and you'll get the added benefit of their excellent set up.
Of course, you could step up to the one Pepe Romero builds himself for only about $2k more. ;-)
I played it at the south california Uke retreat last November, loved it.
If I had room in my baggage and was not already traveling with a Uke, I would have bought it. Daniel is all heart. This Uke was developed between Daniel and Pepe Romero jr. It's even endorsed by a Pepe Romero probably the best classical guitar is
The lineage alone should tell you something. For the price, the concept, the sound and the feel because of its design, it is a wonderful ukulele indeed.
If you get the chance, maybe you can pick it up when you attend one of the workshops Daniel is teaching at. The Southern California weekend was amazing. He will be in Reno on April 24th.
Check it out st http://playuke.net
That's my plan when I win the lotto. Just have to remember to buy the ticket! We have no local music store so I was looking at HMS, I think they only have the Koa, uke republic has the mahogany spruce but no sound sample. I'll have to try youtube for a sound sample thanks for the input, much appreciated.
Well I am really excited because a forum member who helped with lots of info has sold me his Koa for a price I could afford!! It should be here Thursday and I'm counting the hoursAnother satisfied customer here. I got the koa version in January, and it's basically become the only uke I've played since. It ticks all the boxes; perfect size, great sound, easy player, wonderful feel, gorgeous looks. I'm a gal with smaller hands, and for me the thinner neck width/depth is perfect. And I can't tell you how much fun it is when people ask you at jams, "what IS that???"
I recently had a luthier friend look her over, and he was very impressed with the workmanship. Pointed out several details that in his book were real signs of a quality instrument.
As far as the sound, I compared both the koa and spruce at McCabes before purchasing. Didn't notice a huge difference in tone to my amateur ear, but visually the koa stole my heart, it really sets off the abalone on the sound hole.
I know it's a larger investment, but if you can round up your pennies, it's a uke that will serve you well for years to come. Look at it this way, you could "work up" to that price by buying progressively higher priced ukes, or just skip those and spend that money on this beauty instead. Once you have this you won't touch the others anyway! (I jest, I still love all my ukes and they each have their own special skill... but this is by far my favorite child and the one who I take out to all the jams.)
If you're interested in the koa, do know that the colors and wood grain vary, and at this price point you should be able to choose. If you can't find a local store who could be persuaded to carry them, you might want to contact Pepe Romero Jr. directly, and see if he can send you photos of any he might currently have to sell to you directly. I've heard that he's very sweet to his customers, and that he personally delivers the Tiny Tenors to the So Cal retailers himself. This means, even thought it's a mass-produced import, they are still touched by the hands of the master... pretty cool! I saw above someone has given you the Romero Creations website - they also have a Facebook page.
Well I am really excited because a forum member who helped with lots of info has sold me his Koa for a price I could afford!! It should be here Thursday and I'm counting the hours