Koaloha Opio Concert or Mainlands Mango Concert

Hi,

another Opio vs Mainlands thread

I am a beginner (I only played ukulele a few for 2-3 hours at a friend's place, a "good $80 soprano") I like the soprano sound, but when I used to play the guitar (10 years ago), I enjoyed fingerpicking more than struming, so I guess I go for a concert.

I live in spain, local choice is small and expensive. I will probably buy online. The mainland will cost $270, plus mandatory case and shipping and taxes, probably 400€. The opio is hard to find in europe. Hamano H100C is more available and will cost about 370€ with shipping (no case, though) and does not seem as appealing as the mainlands.
Many people seems to say the mainland mahogany is a good alternative to opio (cheaper, same quality), but what about the mango (from youtube, I'd say the mango sounds great and more "uke" than the opio).

Any hint ? Any good alternative that is easy to find in EU ?

Thank,
John.

KoAloha Opio is a great choice. *Southern Ukulele Store" in Great Britain and "Gute Ukulele" in Germany have them in stock sometimes:

http://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/c/KoAloha-Ukuleles
http://www.gute-ukulele.de/SHOP-Koaloha.html

However, at the price you pay for a good Uke in Europe, I find that ordering directly from the U.S. isn't that much more expensive, plus you'll have much more options to chose from.

I'm with Rakelele.

I find the KoAloha Opio to be much lighter weight than most ukes in the same price range, fabulous "ring" tone, superb build-provenance with Papa and his boys, excellent warranty, and great resale retained value worldwide. In short: a winner.

As to mango, I'm not a fan of it for many of the reasons given in this thread from last year. Although I wouldn't touch it again with a ten-foot pole, others relish mango wood. Your experience and ear will need to be the judge.

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?96956-Mango&highlight=Mango

I do not have direct experience, but I have heard that APC instruments made in Portugal are good value and might be something to consider. Maybe they even sell wholesale to Spanish music stores so you can try them out. I don't know if anyone in these forums has any experience with them.

These are both excellent choices. I have not played an Opio, so I do not have a direct opinion, but I have owned a KoAloha super concert for several years, and it is as good a uke as you could hope for.

I played a Mainland mango concert for several years and thought it was a great uke for the money. It was very bright (loud & trebly), even compared to other all-hardwood ukes, so make sure that's a tone you want. I loved it, but I can also understand that it might not be for everybody.

I have an Opio concert and Mainland mahoghany concert. The Mainland is great but if I had to choose, I'd pick the Opio. It has great tone and ringing sound to it. I also really like the bound fret board that makes playing it so smooth. Depending on your tastes, the Mainland might edge out the Opio in looks. I happen to like the woody look of the Opio.

Buy Mainland and join us for Ukulele World Congress in Needmore Indiana in June. It is a short trip from Spain to Indiana.
https://ukuleleworldcongress.wordpress.com/

jaunedeau said:

Any hint ? Any good alternative that is easy to find in EU ?

Click to expand...

In case you're not limited to these two, have you ever considered buying online from elsewhere in Europe? Germany has quite a few online sellers like e.g. ukulele.de or the big Thomann. Other options might be musique83 in France or mercatinodelleukulele in Italy.

It might be worth the effort to ask Rigk Sauer (ukulele.de) or Andreas David (gute-ukulele.de) for alternatives or chances to get your instrument of choice from them. (Saves you the customs hassle and might give you the EU return policy)

or mercatinodelleukulele in Italy.

I ordered my first uke from them, it was a very good buying experience, and I have been very happy with the all solid mahogany concert

Here's a great post from bazmaz (UU regular) about the importance of checking the width of the nut when deciding on what uke to try/buy. From personal experience, I endorse this 100%.

http://www.gotaukulele.com/2014/04/the-importance-of-ukulele-nut-width.html