Romero Creations Spalted Mango Tenor vs Pono Pro Classic Series 5 Mango

Jodicee

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Hello guys, so I recently visited my local(ish) ukulele shop and they had a Romero Spalted Mango Tenor Replica and I fell in love with the sweetness and tone of it. I went in thinking I was dead-set on the KoAloha Koa Tenor but after playing it back-to-back with the K brands, I sort-of preferred the sound of the Mango.

They unfortunately do not carry Pono so I wasn't able to do a direct comparison so I was wondering what does UU think? I believe they both have pretty thick necks, which I like. My only dislike with the Romero was the glossy neck. Also the 12 frets to the body wasn't that big of a deal for me either.

And on top of that, what about the KoAloha Mango Tenor? I don't see them very often, but I do prefer the KoAloha sound to the other K brands, at least when it comes to Koa.
 
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If you liked the one you played, I would get this exact one. There is no telling if another one from a different brand or even from the same maker will sound as good.
 
I will whole heartily agree with the two members above. We can easily over think and research to death something as simple as buy the one you like the sound of best. You will not regret it and it is easy to take some 0000 steel wool to the neck and knock the gloss down to satin.

If you are new to ukulele this will not be the only ukulele you ever buy. Lots of time to get a Koaloha down the road.
 
Yeah you guys are right. I really am overthinking this. Normally when I get into a new hobby, I do a ton of research for weeks/months before figuring out what I want to buy.

With the ukulele, there's still a ton of things to research but sound is still very subjective in the end.

I definitely plan on going back and buying the Romero. Do you guys have any tips for getting the best price on what I want to buy?
 
Check the online prices and just be sure the dealer is at least same. RC I think as a MAP policy so all the advertised prices are about the same. Visit early on a slow day and ask for a discount. The RC models sell well and are a little hard to come by but you might squeeze off 10 or 15% if you're lucky...
 
Regarding lowest price, HMS caries this RC model and their prices are as low as anyone's. Ask this dealer to match their price if theirs is adifferent. Even if they don't I strongly advice you to buy the one you played. Wood is organic and can be very different from one piece to the next. You can play 3 of the very same model and they can all sound a bit different from one to the next.
 
Regarding lowest price, HMS caries this RC model and their prices are as low as anyone's. Ask this dealer to match their price if theirs is adifferent. Even if they don't I strongly advice you to buy the one you played. Wood is organic and can be very different from one piece to the next. You can play 3 of the very same model and they can all sound a bit different from one to the next.

I agree, each one is different and if you found "the one" a few extra shekels is worth it.
 
I have a Cordoba 35T acacia tenor. Apparently, the design was a collab with Pepe Romero Jr. It has 12 frets to the body which made me double-take at first but when actually playing I don't even notice except on the once or twice a year that I actually reach for a high fret! I wouldn't worry about the 12 fret thing and, like Dave said, some fine steel wool would quickly cut back that gloss neck.

In fact, not only does the 12th fret join not bother me, the Cordoba is one of my favourite ukes.
 
It could be my imagination but I've always felt that instruments with necks that join at the 12th fret seem to have a sweeter tone and are more responsive to vibrato than those joining at the 14th or higher.
 
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