Pono ETSH-PC Cedar top

I am finally getting around to doing my first review. Hopefully getting this first one done, will lead to more coming soon. Though I have been a buying fool in my first 4 months of playing the instrument, I did do a lot of research and found the reviews and feedback here to be very valuable. I hope adding my perspective can help others in making informed purchases as well.

Pono is a well known and discussed brand here on UU. I think their entry level models are some of the best dollar for dollar deals to be found. Some of their higher end models are perfectly capable of holding their own when compared to most of the K brands of a similar or higher cost point. I personally bought all of mine used, and highly recommend doing the same if you can. I have bought 7 Ponos in the last 4 months, and was able to sell 3 three of them for about what I paid for them.

Specs:
Solid Cedar top
Solid Macassar Ebony back and sides
Koa top and back bindings with abalone top purfling
Macassar faceplate
Ebony fingerboard, and bridge
Abalone rosette
Pearl fingerboard position dots
Bone nut and saddle.
Dual Action Adjustable Truss rod
Gloss finish

I'm going to borrow from Ukulele Eddie's review and spend time on: Tone, Playability, Aesthetics and Build Execution.

Tone 8/10
Tone can be very subjective, and my score tries to factor this into the equation. I personally find the Macassar Ebony and Cedar to be a fantastic combination of tone woods. I have had the opportunity to play this ukulele by myself and with others. One of the things I noticed is at the local ukulele meet-up, playing together with as many as 35 people, this instrument really cuts through, while still retaining a sweet tone. It never fails to garner a positive compliment from a fellow uker about how good it sounds. Presently it is strung with Living Waters low G strings and tuned to standard GCEA. It is pretty well balanced, with the A string sometimes being a hair louder than the others. I think it sounds good both strummed and finger picked. The sustain is an area where this instrument really shines. Not only does it have an unusually long sustain, but it has rich and pleasant overtones floating around.

Playability 8/10
When I first started playing, I had a very strong preference for necks with 1 1/2" nut width. But, as I have spent more time playing a wide variety of instruments, I find it relatively easy to go back and forth between the common sizes of 1 3/8" - 1 1/2" wide nut widths. I have seen many UU members refer to the Pono neck profile as being too big and uncomfortable to play. Having played guitar before, I personally like it. In a perfect world I would love to see it split the difference at 1 7/16". It does have a radiused fretboard, which is a nice feature, but not a deal breaker for me. I love that it has a truss rod. I tweaked it on this instrument just a hair, looking for the sweet spot between low action and best string height for tone. The intonation is above average on this instrument.

Aesthetics 8.5/10
I generally place tone and playability above aesthetics, and I prefer simple appointments over blingy ones. The one exception to this norm for me is the wood. I used to design one of kind jewelry using semi-precious gemstones set in silver and my motto was "it's all about the stones". With instruments it's all about the wood for me. I love beautiful wood, and am willing to pay a premium for it in some cases. This instrument really highlights my tastes. The Macassar Ebony has a great pattern on it, and the Koa binding works beautifully as a subtle transition from the Macassar to the Cedar, which has nicely defined and tight grain pattern.

Build/Fit and Finish 8.0/10
Attention to detail is very good on this instrument. Without taking a flashlight and mirror to the inside of it, I cannot find anything that stands out. As far as build style, I think there are two things I would like to see changed. The slothead is too thick for my personal taste and I would love to see what it would look like if it was designed with Gotoh stealth tuners. The other area where I think Pono's in general could be improved, would be to use thinner wood for the instruments. They are built like tanks, which for some is a good thing. I know it is a lot to ask of a production line instrument, but I think they have the expertise to make a slightly more responsive instrument if it they were to focus on it.

Here is a link to a sound sample: https://soundcloud.com/kevin-griffin-297964264/pono-etsh-sample

Edit-Shorter sound sample: https://www.dropbox.com/s/14aco7q8lhk2w5m/Pono ETSH soundclip.mp3?dl=0

I apologize for the rambling nature of the sample. It's my first effort to record a sample and I don't have a routine worked out like some of the other UU members I have heard samples from. So I just started playing mostly improvisations (except for short bit of "Wish You Were Here") and honestly was surprised to see I had been playing for 7 and half minutes. It is a dry recording using a Royer R122v microphone into Phoenix Audio DRS-2 mic pre into Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt Analog-Digital converter into Logic Pro X on an iMac.

Here is a link to HMS where you can hear Cory playing the same model:
http://www.theukulelesite.com/pono-macassar-ebony-cedar-pro-classic.html



In summary, I think this a very versatile instrument that can be used for casual or group playing and even for recording. It seems they occasionally come up for sale on UU, and if you can get one used it would get a very high recommendation from me.

For some reason the photos didn't show up, I will try to add again later.

Great review, Kevin! I have the cutaway model (ETSHC) and agree with most of what you say - except that I would praise mine even higher. It's my favorite production line tenor, and in all honesty, I can't find anything to criticise about it.

Cedar seems to be very soft, mine got some bad dings within the first week of playing. This uke is definitely on the heavy side, since ebony is a really dense wood. I love this wood combination and the entire design. The headstock is as thick as it has to be for accomodating anything other than the Gotoh Stealth tuners. Same thickness (and same tuners) as on the slotted headstocks of my Moore Bettah and my wife's LFdM. The transition from the neck to the body at the cutaway is the smoothest I have come across. Bound fretboard, no sharp frets, this uke is certainly a great player. As a matter of fact, this instrument is my benchmark for measuring all others, be they K brands, custom made, or from another production line.

Nice playing in the sound sample! What strings are you using?

Good review Kevin........you will be a busy boy with all the other instruments you have to review But it really is helpful, especially to others looking for honest opinions regarding certain instruments they might be interested in. I have certainly gained a lot from other people's reviews.

I own the same instrument without the cutaway and mine has a solid headstock. I agree with both you and Rainer regarding over all quality, superb tone and goobs of volume. I have had mine for two years and it has been played extensively and travelled alot. It is as solid and stable as they come. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking........reference for my generation.

Thanks for a great review and contributing to the community. I am sure it will help others. Excellent sound sample, you are a very talented player. Super clean recording as well.

Nice review, Kevin. I have had four Pono Pro-Classics and no doubt the Macassar Ebony was my favorite of the lot by quite a bit.

And I'm in perfect agreement with you regarding the chunky slothead, though I find this true of pretty much all slotheads other than Kinnard and Kanile'a. I also always felt the Pono's were slightly overbuilt for a lighter playing style, which was exacerbated by the super thick/hard Ko'olau Gold strings. It was much better with a thinner, lower tension string but still had a feeling there was some tone "trapped in the box" so to speak which may not be an issue for those with a more aggressive playing style/attack.

Really nice playing on the sound sample!

Cheers, Eddie
P.S. For those interested, there is a sweet one for sale in the Marketplace at a very nice price!

Sweet playing!

Rakelele said:

Great review, Kevin! I have the cutaway model (ETSHC) and agree with most of what you say - except that I would praise mine even higher. It's my favorite production line tenor, and in all honesty, I can't find anything to criticise about it.

Cedar seems to be very soft, mine got some bad dings within the first week of playing. This uke is definitely on the heavy side, since ebony is a really dense wood. I love this wood combination and the entire design. The headstock is as thick as it has to be for accomodating anything other than the Gotoh Stealth tuners. Same thickness (and same tuners) as on the slotted headstocks of my Moore Bettah and my wife's LFdM. The transition from the neck to the body at the cutaway is the smoothest I have come across. Bound fretboard, no sharp frets, this uke is certainly a great player. As a matter of fact, this instrument is my benchmark for measuring all others, be they K brands, custom made, or from another production line.

Nice playing in the sound sample! What strings are you using?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliments and honest comments Rainer! I see you have some very nice instruments, which makes your praise for this model even greater.

I have a few Pono cutaway models and I do agree with you about the smooth transition. As for the headstock thickness, if that is what Moore Bettah and LFdM are, then that is good enough for me I guess the upgrade to stealth tuners might be cost prohibitive on a production line uke. Not all tuners go on easily, but I have a couple of snarks that work well on the thicker headstocks.

Presently I am using Living Waters Low G strings on it. I have used Phd Low G in the past, and though they are not similar, both seem to work very well with the Macassar Ebony/Cedar combination.

DownUpDave said:

Good review Kevin........you will be a busy boy with all the other instruments you have to review But it really is helpful, especially to others looking for honest opinions regarding certain instruments they might be interested in. I have certainly gained a lot from other people's reviews.

I own the same instrument without the cutaway and mine has a solid headstock. I agree with both you and Rainer regarding over all quality, superb tone and goobs of volume. I have had mine for two years and it has been played extensively and travelled alot. It is as solid and stable as they come. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking........reference for my generation.

Thanks for a great review and contributing to the community. I am sure it will help others. Excellent sound sample, you are a very talented player. Super clean recording as well.

Click to expand...

Thanks Dave! When I first started posting, you were among the most frequent to respond quickly with helpful feedback. And yes, I do have quite a few more reviews ahead of me

Ukulele Eddie said:

Nice review, Kevin. I have had four Pono Pro-Classics and no doubt the Macassar Ebony was my favorite of the lot by quite a bit.

And I'm in perfect agreement with you regarding the chunky slothead, though I find this true of pretty much all slotheads other than Kinnard and Kanile'a. I also always felt the Pono's were slightly overbuilt for a lighter playing style, which was exacerbated by the super thick/hard Ko'olau Gold strings. It was much better with a thinner, lower tension string but still had a feeling there was some tone "trapped in the box" so to speak which may not be an issue for those with a more aggressive playing style/attack.

Really nice playing on the sound sample!

Cheers, Eddie
P.S. For those interested, there is a sweet one for sale in the Marketplace at a very nice price!

Click to expand...

Thanks Eddie!

I did not know how to mention the Ko'olau Gold strings without going off on a tangent The Pono's are certainly built to handle higher tensions, but with the consistently critical feedback I have seen on UU, and with the ready availability of smooth wound strings, it is a surprise to me that Ponos still leave the factory with those strings on them.

cml said:

Sweet playing!

Click to expand...

Thanks! Nice gas mask

Aw yes, those factory strings would be my only criticism as well. I think they are made for Ko'olau by D'Addario. From what I understand, they have some sort of long-term business agreement.

Thanks for your suggestion about PhD or Living Waters. Currently, I'm using Worth Clear strings, which are probably similar to those you mention, and they do work well on it.