So I have heard a few times on this forum that older Pono Ukuleles were much better in the past, is this true? Anyone have any experience with this, I have a more expensive model made last year and it's amazing. What makes the older models different? They were always and still are made in Indonesia right? Did they stop assembling them in Hawaii? Very curious! Either way I still like them a lot, but I might try to get my hands on an older model to see what the hype is.
Were Pono Ukuleles really better before 2019?
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Don't know about Ponos, but lots of things were better in the past because of changes in materials and workmanship. Sometimes when things get "optimized" too much for cost, quality decreases. There's this Taylor guitar "golden era", whether it's caused by more experienced factory workers or spending more time per gutiar (vs today's too-sensitive-and-too-serious-to-a-fault-time-is-money mentality).
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I seem to recall that Pono put some of their instruments on a diet and thinned the wood on the top and back a bit to increase the movement they could get. I don't think they did much else. The biggest change is with the new Masters tenors. The bracing was changed from a fan design to a lattice brace. They may or may not incorporate the new bracing in their PC level ukes as well.
I have a 2017 spruce/rosewood cutaway tenor that I like a lot. Is it better than a 2020 model? I don't know. I have played a 2020 Mango MGT tenor that was very nice. But I didn't have a pre 2019 to compare it to.
I have a 2017 spruce/rosewood cutaway tenor that I like a lot. Is it better than a 2020 model? I don't know. I have played a 2020 Mango MGT tenor that was very nice. But I didn't have a pre 2019 to compare it to.
casualmusic
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Sounds to me like connoisseur collectors babble. 🫢
It’s not sensible to believe that good companies lose their ability to produce good instruments. 🫣
My naive approach is to play them and buy the ones I like best. 🪕🎶🎼
Cheers.
PS. How da heck to vanish that unexpected pink critter attachment?
It’s not sensible to believe that good companies lose their ability to produce good instruments. 🫣
My naive approach is to play them and buy the ones I like best. 🪕🎶🎼
Cheers.
PS. How da heck to vanish that unexpected pink critter attachment?
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Oh no! Now I have it!
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++1 on this advice, and...
And also pose the question as a 'comparison,' allowing them to choose the spin of their opinion.
For example: How have Pono's changed over the years?
How are those made after to 2020 different or improved from those prior to 2020?
Things like: 1) build quality, and 2) sustain, or 3) intonation up the board ?
The question of "better" is highly subjective and I think it will improve the response if you offer some objective areas from which they can respond.
EDW
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I have no knowledge to share on Pono ukes. I will offer that this is a common thing that I have seen with many instruments over the years. I rarely hear that those being produced now are better than ever. There is always a tale of a golden age, instruments of certain serial numbers, etc. It always seems to be that the good stuff is stuff you can't get anymore.
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The new Pono Masters Series has been touted as being better than the previous Ponos. Lattice bracing vs. fan bracing.
The newest revision of Ko'Aloha tenors with a shorter neck, moved bridge and revised unibrace and its positioning has received excellent reviews for a more balanced sound than the previous KTM-00 iteration. (I've owned 3 KTM tenor versions from the 2004 Crown Bridge to my present 2017. Each was an improvement from the earlier version.)
The Kanile'a K-1T tenor has improved with the each revision of the bracing system. They are small improvements, but improvements nonetheless.
I can only speak to tenor ukuleles that I have tried or owned and in general, I think the overall quality of the available instruments have improved markedly. People have had to up their game to compete.
Sure, there are lots of examples of diminished quality in some models by some brands. I think Martin is perhaps an example of that. Their current builds don't seem to be as good as their vintage models. But then again many reviewers have stated that the Konter Soprano sounds and feels very much like a vintage Martin soprano. (I absolutely detest the cheap, roughly made, loose-grained bridges Martin puts on their tenors.)
I do agree that the wood quality used in many builds has gone down due to availability and cost. For instance, how many one-pice tops and backs are made? Tight grained spruce is getting harder to find. Curly and flamed koa is becoming scarce. Yet, some brands have started putting solid wood tops on previous all-laminate models. And offering solid wood versions of their laminate instruments.
So I think some things are "cheaply" made compared to a few years ago. While others have been improved and are of a more consistent quality. Better/worse? A little of both I'd say.
roastbeast
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Older Ponos might sound better because they've had more time to break in.
Tin Ear
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Oldscruggsfan
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“Older was better” is a common myth regarding 5-string banjoes. It’s a documented fact that pre-WW2 Gibson Mastertones had a special “ring” owing to a certain alchemy of brass sourced for the tone rings. Yet, fast-forward five decades, when innovative Luthier Wayne Rogers of Gold Tone in Titusville, FL, USA found a way to produce an almost identical tone ring. Wayne has since also introduced a fairly brilliant combo of nut and zero fret. Wayne’s success is an example of the trite expression: Everything old is new again.
bbkobabe
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I have a mahogany Pono Baritone from the Java/Hawaii era... It's simply amazing. A keeper!
I also have an AT-CR from the current issue. Also fantastic! I love it. My best tenor.
Bought both used a few years ago... $350 each.
I doubt you can get more tone for your money than with Ponos.
I also have an AT-CR from the current issue. Also fantastic! I love it. My best tenor.
Bought both used a few years ago... $350 each.
I doubt you can get more tone for your money than with Ponos.
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Great example! See also: vintage Martin and Ken Timms. There are lots of good things from whenever.
Me three! No disrespect intended to the many folks who love their older Ponos, but playing a 2022 lattice-braced Master Series and an otherwise identically-configured Pono from the year before -- not even close. The new one is genuinely startlingly better, and I can't imagine a scenario where anyone would disagree.
Is the improvement worth the bump in price? That's up to you, and not the question at hand. 😊
Nobody needs to take our word for any of this, of course. Andrew's recordings are stellar, you have the same two guys playing so many different woodsets with so many different variations (re-enrant, linear, flouro, nylon, different string-makers, etc) -- anybody can pick their favorite combination of woods and strings, and build their own playlist comparing models over the years.
There are many questions in the world that are impossible to answer. This is not one of those. 🤣 And you'll have fun doing the research, and be spiritually enriched as you listen to these masters of their craft. Don't pass up the easy opportunity to answer this question beyond any shadow of a doubt, using your own ears.
My experience so far too. 😊
Tin Ear
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I know a guy that could probably part with one of his .. . 😉 He bought too many new Ukes in 2022...
