FrankB
Well-known member
I buy a lot of ukuleles.....
First impressions:
I've been spoiled by the Martin C1K my wife claimed. The second C1K was returned, but the one we kept at least equals the Koaloha in terms of volume and resonance. Nuprin demonstrated the two ukuleles in a video on this forum, and sold his Koaloha after buying the Martin. To be fair, the Koaloha has wimpy thin gauge strings, and the Martin has a set of Oasis. The Oasis certainly transformed the Martin, so I might consider changing the Koaloha's strings. I don't want to take any chances with it, but I'm not a dope when it comes to string changes. The Martin also has a deeper body, and that might contribute to its tone and volume.
The Koaloha has jumbo frets, and there is less room between frets than on the Martin. Barring the first fret is much cleaner on the Martin, but it's not very noticeable otherwise. This is a "factory special" and that's clearly stamped on the label. The reason given had to do with an area of incompletely filled pores here:
The pores are only noticeable if they light hits it at an angle, and I can't see it as I look over at the moment. The finish isn't nearly as matte as the Martin, and I'd call it semi-gloss. I certainly wouldn't want the neck any more glossy. The instrument was built in February 2014. The headstock design doesn't bother me at all, and I was fully expecting it would. Joel did an excellent set up, and it's as if he read my mind.
That is as far as the case opens, and it has slammed shut a couple of times. Fortunately, I don't trust cases to stay open....
First impressions:
I've been spoiled by the Martin C1K my wife claimed. The second C1K was returned, but the one we kept at least equals the Koaloha in terms of volume and resonance. Nuprin demonstrated the two ukuleles in a video on this forum, and sold his Koaloha after buying the Martin. To be fair, the Koaloha has wimpy thin gauge strings, and the Martin has a set of Oasis. The Oasis certainly transformed the Martin, so I might consider changing the Koaloha's strings. I don't want to take any chances with it, but I'm not a dope when it comes to string changes. The Martin also has a deeper body, and that might contribute to its tone and volume.
The Koaloha has jumbo frets, and there is less room between frets than on the Martin. Barring the first fret is much cleaner on the Martin, but it's not very noticeable otherwise. This is a "factory special" and that's clearly stamped on the label. The reason given had to do with an area of incompletely filled pores here:
The pores are only noticeable if they light hits it at an angle, and I can't see it as I look over at the moment. The finish isn't nearly as matte as the Martin, and I'd call it semi-gloss. I certainly wouldn't want the neck any more glossy. The instrument was built in February 2014. The headstock design doesn't bother me at all, and I was fully expecting it would. Joel did an excellent set up, and it's as if he read my mind.
That is as far as the case opens, and it has slammed shut a couple of times. Fortunately, I don't trust cases to stay open....