NUD.......KoAloha Opio has landed

DownUpDave

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If any of you read in the KoAhola Opio thread about my Postal Service leaving me a door knocker I was successful in obtaining my new concert ukulele. It would not have been a good night knowing it was down the street and I could not get my hands on it.

I had been talking to Andrew at HMS about getting a tone monster canon concert ( my words to him) I asked about various Ponos initially and Andrew said wait for the Opio. That was about two weeks before they hit his store. I am sooo glad I listened to him. On to the review

Build quality is flawless, I've gone over and over and over it and it is great. I was really confident it would be this way. Best time to buy something is after they have had problems. You know everything will be double and triple and quadruple checked.

The sound is exactly what I was after, Lots of projection, sustain and quality volume. Playability is great with the A-1 set up HMS did. After a couple hours I went at it as hard and agressively as I could and there was no buzzing and the action is very low and easy to play. Played softly it rings true, played hard it does not fall apart, with in reason, it is a concert size. The strings are fabulous and I think I read they are KoAlohas own floro's. I will have to ask Andrew as I would like to obtain more of the same.

The only thing that does not tickle me pink is the dull mat finish. It gives a muddy, chalky looking appearance. I knew this going in from just looking at the pictures. The finish will give good protection and if you want glossy you can buy the koa model at over twice the price. Or you can do like me.............refinish it. I have rubbed it down with fine steel wool already ( as a test ) and it already makes the grain pop. In the next couple weeks I will sand the finish down to bare wood and do a Danish oil finish to it. I will take pictures and do a post.

For now I am exceptionaly happy with the way it plays and sounds and at the end of the day that is the most important thing.


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Don't know how to get these photos turned upright, sorry.
 
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1) Strings. Worth CL for my KoAlana. Most like OEM strings. CM strings were too heavy and muted the tone.
2) The satin finish will buff where your forearm goes on the lower bout and where you strum. I like it. It shows that I love and play that 'uke.
 
Did you break into the post office? :D I've had instruments delivered overnight, and that still wasn't fast enough.

When I bought my Koaloha Pikake concert, its finish was more of a semi-gloss. And certainly not the satin I was expecting. As long as it doesn't look like it was done wrong, it should like right. It certainly appears fine based on your picture. Enjoy!
 
Congrats on the NUD, looks really sweet. Glad you managed to run the postie down, hahahaha. Love to hear a sounds sample if you get around to it...
Bill
 
Congratulations, Dave. Once you have the finish about where you want it with the steel wool you can try some Renaissance Wax to protect it without making it too glossy. Ren Wax really makes the grain pop on satin finish instruments without making them a lot shinier and I've yet to find a material that I couldn't put it over (whereas any kind of oil finish might be incompatible with what remains of the factory finish). I've used Ren Wax on everything from bare, unfinished wooden flutes to plastic to chrome to blued-steel. If you do use the oil I recommend testing on a tiny bit of the back or something, first.
 
That uke with Danish oil is going to pop. I don't blame you...I'd do the same thing.
 
Congrats on the NUD, looks really sweet. Glad you managed to run the postie down, hahahaha. Love to hear a sounds sample if you get around to it...
Bill

Thanks Bill. I don't do sound samples for three reasons. I don't have any kind of recording device. Hawaii Music Supply has a great sound sample of Corey playing it. My sound sample might keep people away from buying this fine instrument and I don't want to get Andrew, HMS or KoAloha mad at me :p
 
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Congrats! Looks awesome. Wish I could hear one in person. I have never found the sound clips adequately demonstrate the true tone (I tend to prefer a "deep" tone over the more typical plunky sound, if that makes any sense LOL). Now just enjoy.

And if you have a hard time finding the Renaissance wax in Canada (I did), Lee Valley has a conservators wax which they say is almost identical (and cheaper here too): http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=20090&cat=1,190,42950&ap=1
 
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Congrat's on the new Opio and the first on UU! I think you're pretty brave to mess with the finish on a new uke!!! I would be afraid of ruining the sound.
 
Congrat's on the new Opio and the first on UU! I think you're pretty brave to mess with the finish on a new uke!!! I would be afraid of ruining the sound.

In another life time I was a cabinet maker and a production manager in a large cabinetry shop, I am use to screwing things up:D but then making them right. Hell I had it in my hands for less than an hour and I was already messing with it. I can never leave well enough alone.

Coolkayaker1 : we are on the same page with the danish oil. I have done a lot of Remington gun stocks with that hard plastic finish on. Strip it off, 5 coats of danish oil and you can even top coat it with TruOil for a glossier more protective coating

Thanks for all the congrats guys. KevinV your Soprano is due in tomoorow isn't it............and then a KSM koa beauty as well. Way to pull the old one upmanship on me LOL
 
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Congrats on your new Uke, Brotha. Hope you have a good, good time with it. Play til your fingers go numb.

Hey

My brother from another mother. Good names share alike........our something like that. Thanks man. The tips are all numb from 4 continous hours of playing last night
 
thing is...I'm not a luthier or anything, but from what I understand oils can clog up the pores on the wood and affect the sound. Though probably no more than the hard gloss finishes. I wish I could polish up my C1K a bit, but I'm afraid to ruin the sound. Might try some of that wax, though.
 
danno
i wouldn't worry about the wax as the resulting finish thickness is MINISCULE. if you have a drying finish like lacquer it is usually 2-3 mils, the thickness of human hair. having a coating that thick will make a difference. i'm a 'less' guy.
 
KevinV your Soprano is due in tomoorow isn't it............and then a KSM koa beauty as well. Way to pull the old one upmanship on me LOL

They've both arrived at the FedEx sort facility in Orlando and will be here tomorrow. I work late, so I won't see them until after 2100 or so. That's going to make the last few hours of work drag. But I'll know that in addition to a wonderful wife and daughter, I'll have 2 new KoAloha's waiting for me when I get home. No one upmanship here…the stars just aligned right for me on this one.
 
Thanks Dave. Appreciate that. My thought is that to sand down to an even tone in the wood where the oil will apply evenly may take too much wood. Use caution. Have fun, and thanks again
 
Thanks Dave. Appreciate that. My thought is that to sand down to an even tone in the wood where the oil will apply evenly may take too much wood. Use caution. Have fun, and thanks again

Thank you Andrew. You put in alot of time effort and emails helping him with this purchase. If not for your knowledgable suggestion I would not have known about this upcoming model let alone considered purchasing it.

I will definitely proceed with caution with sanding down the finish. I will just get it to the point where the oil can bring out the beautty of the grain. I have not stopped playing it and might just leave the finish alone, buffing with steel wool made a huge difference. Thanks again
 
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Thank you Andrew. You put in alot of time effort and emails helping him with this purchase. If not for your knowledgable suggestion I would not have known about this upcoming model let alone considered purchasing it.

I will definitely proceed with caution with sanding down the finish. I will just get it to the point where the oil can bring out the beautty of the grain. I have not stopped playing it and might just leave the finish alone, buffing with steel wool made a huge difference. Thanks again

here is a tip on sanding....
scribble all over the uke with a pencil...and when you see the pencil marks disappear stop sanding...it least this gives you an idea how much you have taken off...I built one uke(my last) but this is one tip that I thinks is very important....you don't want to get to the end of a build and mess up then....
 
DownUpDave, do u really need to sand first? On both of my KoOlau CEs, I simply Tru Oiled a fine film right over the factory satin, and now the real woodgrain pops. I have done it to other ukes, too (like my Mya Moe tenor, which has Tru Oil to begin with, but not glossy enough for me). As we both know, mistakes can, literally, be buffed off again with quadruple-zero steel wool (just like the original finishing process). The Opio might be different, I don't know. Sounds like you know finishes. Cheers!
 
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