Twisted Woods Solid Koa Tenor

BigD

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I made a thread earlier today about how i cant seem the right uke for me. So for that reason im putting this up for a trade to see what you folks have in store for me!! It is a solid koa tenor ukulele from Twisted Wood. They arent a household name as you know but they seem to be up and coming, John Butler from the John Butler Trio uses their products if that means much to ya. They are mainly known for their Weissenborn style guitars and all wood lapsteel instruments but they also make solid wood ukes. This is referred to as the " Banyan", a solid koa, 26" tenor. I also contacted the owner and made sure everything is as stated and he was more then accommodating. Ive seen on a couple of forums that it is most comparable to the kanile'a tenor.He mainly uses ebay and his etsy store to sell these,you can also find the official site if you simply type in TwistedWood dot com. Price for this brand new is 350 without shipping or bag of any sort. Honestly its a beautiful instrument. I probably should keep it but im getting the itch already for something different. Any reasonable offers will be considered, im not picky in any way to size shape or wood choice but i do prefer the tenor size if it came down to it. Thanks!!

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I can also shoot another picture with my uu sn and date and such whenever you need i just didnt have it handy at the time. Also optional is a Gator gig bag/case that retails at around 50 bucks. Thank you!!
 
If you look for their site ... they are located in Alberta, Canada ... and the new retail price as stated is $350. I asked if this was CDN or USA dollars.

The site does not confirm if it is Hawaiian Koa. You could follow them on FB and ask if interested. Nice looking and their video offers a nice sample of the sound.
 
If you look for their site ... they are located in Alberta, Canada ... and the new retail price as stated is $350. I asked if this was CDN or USA dollars.

The site does not confirm if it is Hawaiian Koa. You could follow them on FB and ask if interested. Nice looking and their video offers a nice sample of the sound.

pretty sure it is acacia koa....as you would think they would advertise it as Hawaiian Koa if it was..it looks good though
right now US dollar worth 10% more than CAD...
 
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I can reemail the owner and ask him again of its hawaiin or acacia, or anyone can if they r interested, wouldnt b shocked if its acacia but it is still a great looking uke,and it rly does sound great. The sound itself is in no way the problem,it just doesnt feel right in my hands i like almost overly thick necks.
 
Big D.......what are the tuners like? Is the neck profile pretty skinny is that what you don't like? I contacted builder who is about an 6-7 hr drive from where I live and asked if it was Acacia koa or Hawaiian Koa and he said the latter?.
Sound sample on line sounds good to me! Any more pics or specs?
 
Hey folks, I had also contacted Twisted Woods by email and ask if their ukes were solid wood. They replied very quickly and said the Banyan was solid AAA Koa. They also make a Zebra Wood Laminate for much less that looked really good. It looks like they want to be a serious contender.

Papa
 
I also contacted the owner. Nice guy.

AAAA Hawaiian Koa
No Radius Necks - sorry DownUpDave lol
They are built off shore. Did not specify but he did say that it took two years to find some luthiers with climate controlled shop.
 
I also contacted the owner. Nice guy.

AAAA Hawaiian Koa
No Radius Necks - sorry DownUpDave lol
They are built off shore. Did not specify but he did say that it took two years to find some luthiers with climate controlled shop.

You had better just suck it up and bring the Cedar Ebony Pono with the radius neck to Corktown jam this week. I need to try it so I can understand what your love affair with radius necks are all about. Other than the fact you are a 6'8" and have fingers like ballpark franks lol
 
I also contacted the owner. Nice guy.

AAAA Hawaiian Koa
No Radius Necks - sorry DownUpDave lol
They are built off shore. Did not specify but he did say that it took two years to find some luthiers with climate controlled shop.

Sorry, that is not 4A grade I am seeing it the picture. Not even close! Just trying to keep things honest.;)
 
Hey Chuck,

Just rechecked the FB message ... you are right ... he mentioned it was AAA ... thanks.
 
Hey Chuck,

Just rechecked the FB message ... you are right ... he mentioned it was AAA ... thanks.

sorry but not even 3A...I have a Kamaka HF3S..with 3A Koa....
I would say it is standard grade Koa.....

but some say the not so curly plain Koa sounds better..... :)
 
You had better just suck it up and bring the Cedar Ebony Pono with the radius neck to Corktown jam this week. I need to try it so I can understand what your love affair with radius necks are all about. Other than the fact you are a 6'8" and have fingers like ballpark franks lol

I have South Coast on it right now and it sings and sustains like no other uke I have tested. I loves my precious. My those strings do have a lot of tension and can really hurt after a bit.

That was a pretty funny dig ... I used to be 6'6" as I was growing up in the 80's but that was predominantly due to my Duran Duran hairstyle ... lots of gel!

I tried the MT and the ETSH5 back to back last night ... and the slight radius does make barring much easier and also puts less stress on the wrist ... but then again ... I could be playing all wrong cause the only person I have to compare my technique with is you and some other nubes at the Corktown jam ... lol.
 
sorry but not even 3A...I have a Kamaka HF3S..with 3A Koa....
I would say it is standard grade Koa.....

but some say the not so curly plain Koa sounds better..... :)

Well ... he claims the wood is Hawaiian Koa 3A ... perhaps some of his other stuff is curlier.
 
sorry but not even 3A...I have a Kamaka HF3S..with 3A Koa....
I would say it is standard grade Koa.....

but some say the not so curly plain Koa sounds better..... :)

Your right Len, not even close to 3A. I would call that Select grade, maybe Select +. While it is only a cosmetic grading, the difference between select grade and 4A koa can be at least a few hundred dollars. But as you mentioned select grade has the potential to make a better instrument. The that is secondary to the buider's technique.
 
Your right Len, not even close to 3A. I would call that Select grade, maybe Select +. While it is only a cosmetic grading, the difference between select grade and 4A koa can be at least a few hundred dollars. But as you mentioned select grade has the potential to make a better instrument. The that is secondary to the buider's technique.


yes Chuck..I believe the builder the most Important....

the best ukes I have seen do have booth...nicest wood and sound/tone....all about the builders.... :)

the Koa on the TW is nice though....
 
I have one of the Zebra wood concerts. I don't think the seller is particularly honest. On the plus side I will say that the uke, which appears to be equivalent to a decent asian made laminate has very good fit and finish and is actually finished better than a Kala or Lanikai. It also arrived well set up. The seller's web site is sort of fuzzy on where the ukes are made - implying that they are made in Canada, but when I called him he admitted they were made in China and "gone over" in his shop. I do believe him on the "gone over" part because the one I have is much cleaner and more perfect than your typical Asian uke.

However, it's also just a generic Asian uke. The actual construction is in some ways quite cheap and the bridge is bolted on. I'd say it's the equivalent of a Kala or an Islander overall. Not bad, but not a Canadian product and not as good as he tries to make it sound from the web site. The sound is more or less typical laminate, certainly not on the level of a laminate Kiwaya. I would expect at least good fit and finish on the Koa model. My guess is that it would be on a par with a Pono.
 
I have one of the Zebra wood concerts. I don't think the seller is particularly honest. On the plus side I will say that the uke, which appears to be equivalent to a decent asian made laminate has very good fit and finish and is actually finished better than a Kala or Lanikai. It also arrived well set up. The seller's web site is sort of fuzzy on where the ukes are made - implying that they are made in Canada, but when I called him he admitted they were made in China and "gone over" in his shop. I do believe him on the "gone over" part because the one I have is much cleaner and more perfect than your typical Asian uke.

However, it's also just a generic Asian uke. The actual construction is in some ways quite cheap and the bridge is bolted on. I'd say it's the equivalent of a Kala or an Islander overall. Not bad, but not a Canadian product and not as good as he tries to make it sound from the web site. The sound is more or less typical laminate, certainly not on the level of a laminate Kiwaya. I would expect at least good fit and finish on the Koa model. My guess is that it would be on a par with a Pono.

Katysax,

Do you own a Pono?

With respect, I have three Pono's. the MT is head and shoulders above a Kala or Islander laminate. They are solid wood are beautifully made.

The Pro Classic is nicer than many of the K Brands: tone, sustain and workmanship. I was quite surprised. The K brands I tried were NEC: Not Even Close.
 
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