KoAloha Opio Concert
- Thread starter Kibes37
- Start date
Swamp Yankee
Well-known member
Was that meant to be an insult? The church will be less after you join it.
it reminds me of that Groucho Marx line about not wanting to join any club that would accept him as a member
Dang! What was the pastor saying about you?
He was one of my finest mentors. He taught me early on to be realistic about myself.
Was that meant to be an insult? The church will be less after you join it.
YES - correct. I needed to learn to be realistic about myself. However the perfect church does not exist this side of heaven - we aspire as we "see through a glass darkly."
PS - I still love playing my imperfect used ukuleles and I must always learn to play better.
frolicks
Well-known member
Sorry for not being clear enough about this: My concerns are particularly about the spruce tops of the Opios, and about spruce and cedar tops in general. As I wrote: a bunch of people, a luthier with a few decades of experiencing in making string instruments among them, told me this: they‘d never use a cedar or spruce top without a binding, which, apaarently, is not just for cosmetics or beauty reasons. It stabilizes the soundboard against bumps and cracks. Had to look this up: spruce and cedar are called „softwoods“ in English. But obviously, that doesn‘t mean that you can‘t have strong enough spruce tops without a binding. Somewhat comforting, I think. Might lead me to think about a spruce Opio again.
And sure enough, there are tons of instruments out there made of other woods that don’t need any binding at all. I just observe that nearly all spruce or cedar top uke I‘ve seen out there do indeed have a binding.
OP
OP
Kibes37
Well-known member
I don’t mind my Ukes with imperfections and character... I just need those imperfections and character to come a month or two after I’m done really fawning over it
I nicked the top of my Kanile’a headstock on a wall within the first month. It’s so insignificant I doubt anyone but me could discover it... A month later I think I’m over it. Still don’t allow myself to carry it through multiple rooms outside of its case
All joking aside, I won’t care in another month, but it does irritate me to no end when “early” dings or scratches happen, no matter how minor.
There is something to be said about a Uke that looks plain and plays amazing. I do enjoy “not caring” about my Opio compared to my K2. The Opio is well cared for, but I don’t even leave my Kanile’a on a stand and you have to have at least one Uke always accessible.
I’ve always found, the more you care about/ baby a material item the quicker it gets damaged with regular use. Have something that you’re not concerned about and it happily bounces off concrete. I just can’t help it.
I nicked the top of my Kanile’a headstock on a wall within the first month. It’s so insignificant I doubt anyone but me could discover it... A month later I think I’m over it. Still don’t allow myself to carry it through multiple rooms outside of its case
All joking aside, I won’t care in another month, but it does irritate me to no end when “early” dings or scratches happen, no matter how minor.
There is something to be said about a Uke that looks plain and plays amazing. I do enjoy “not caring” about my Opio compared to my K2. The Opio is well cared for, but I don’t even leave my Kanile’a on a stand and you have to have at least one Uke always accessible.
I’ve always found, the more you care about/ baby a material item the quicker it gets damaged with regular use. Have something that you’re not concerned about and it happily bounces off concrete. I just can’t help it.
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Ok, I finally had some time to sit down and critically examine my Opio models, and compare to the one "actual" KoAloha we own.
The two recent Opio models we have, an acacia concert and a spruce top concert, are both from 2018 and therefore don't have "Opio" on the headstock. The construction and fit on those two are superb. No "lips" or ridges where anything meets anything. As for the finish itself; yes, it is a very light finish and you can see the pores in the wood as you look at the instrument in the light, but I don't mind that at all. I think it makes it look more like real wood, to be honest. And if you look at our "actual" KoAloha, a 2012 soprano, the pores are easily seen in the gloss finish there. It is true that the pores in the KoAloha are more clearly filled with the gloss finish, but they are still pretty visible.
Our other Opio is a tenor from 2017 (so it says Opio on the headstock) which we purchased used. That one has a very similar finish to the two concert models, but there are some scuff marks on the headstock and one small spot where you feel (and see in the right lighting) a small ridge in one place where the two halves of the book-matched back come together just at the bottom of the neck. No idea if the two blemish areas are related; that is we don't know if perhaps this one took a tumble but we got a good deal on it and it plays and sounds fine.
I personally like the very light finish on these Opio models. I think it looks nice, but I recognize that this is really down to personal preference. Without seeing the specific instruments that some folks *didn't* like, I can't say for sure that it is just a matter of preference or if they got ones that slipped through QA. I think that the Opio line is one of the absolute best values you can find in the ukulele world right now. I absolutely adore mine, and the acacia concert is my #1 most played instrument. I actually prefer playing it to my Kamaka HF-2A! (Although I do suspect that I feel that way because of all my instruments I find I worry the most about my Kamaka. It is the anniversary edition, and so it is really special to me and I don't want to endanger it by taking it anywhere. It's silly, I know, instruments are meant to be played, but I still worry even if it isn't rational...)
Jerryc41
Well-known member
I doubt that KoAloha ukes slip through quality control. I agree that the Opio is a beautiful instrument at a very good price. We have to remember that ukuleles are (mostly) made out of wood, which is a natural product derived from trees. There is variation in wood, and that's what makes it nice. I have some independently made ukes that have variations in the wood that others might consider flaws. I see them as examples of how wood naturally grows. I have an Opio spruce soprano for sale, and if I didn't already have so many ukes, I'd keep it.
As for the Kamaka Anniversary uke, that's a beauty. I have tenor and soprano, and I'm going to sell one - whichever one gets sold first. I struggle about bringing a "good" uke with me to an event, but just playing the nice ones in the living room seems like a waste, and others don't get to see them. I'm going to the Allegheny Ukulele Soiree in PA this coming weekend, and I have to decide what to bring.
merlin666
Well-known member
Whether pores are clearly visible or not is NOT a matter of finish thickness at all. For woods that have fairly large pores, such as mahogany, a pore filler is applied BEFORE finishing. If there is no pore filler used then it's called an open-pore finish even though it has really nothing to do with the finishing method in itself.
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Jerryc41
Well-known member
What's bad is when I decide on one, but I can't find it.
I'm not a great, experienced uke player, but one advantage of having so many different ukes is picking up any uke at random and playing it. I know people who stick to just one size, and even then they want a particular shape of neck or something else. It doesn't matter to me. I can play with mediocre skill on any uke.
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I forgot to add, I am not sponsored by or affiliated with KoAloha (or Kamaka), I am just a fan of their instruments. That said, if they wanted to send me a Pineapple-Sunday (or Ohta-San), I would be happy to sing their praises as well.
Just as Merlin mentioned, I don't think that open pores mean per se that the finish is particularly thin. As a matter of fact, my impression is that the new semi-gloss Opio finish is among the thicker ones. If you want to experience a really thin and smooth finish, take a look at one of the older Sapele Opio ukes or the satin finished Pono models.
Again, despite my criticism of the finish, I think the Opio line is one of the best values and very close to a "real" Hawaiian KoAloha. Next to Pono and Romero Creations, they are among my top recommendations for great instruments at a reasonable price.
Again, despite my criticism of the finish, I think the Opio line is one of the best values and very close to a "real" Hawaiian KoAloha. Next to Pono and Romero Creations, they are among my top recommendations for great instruments at a reasonable price.
As Barry Maz mentioned in his recent review of the Rebel Cheesecake, Opio ukuleles are made by TheRebel Guitar Company in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Spruce topped acacia Opio tenor, when I bought it, was listed by HMS as having a very light, open pore, semigloss finish.
It wasn't the pores that bothered me, it was the 1/4" & 1/2" length voids over some of the darker grain lines(?) of the spruce. That made it look cracked and badly finished.
I've seen and played another since that looked just fine with the open pores and no voids. I think the finish was too lightly sprayed on the top of the one I received.
The Spruce topped acacia Opio tenor, when I bought it, was listed by HMS as having a very light, open pore, semigloss finish.
It wasn't the pores that bothered me, it was the 1/4" & 1/2" length voids over some of the darker grain lines(?) of the spruce. That made it look cracked and badly finished.
I've seen and played another since that looked just fine with the open pores and no voids. I think the finish was too lightly sprayed on the top of the one I received.
YogiTom
Well-known member
FWIW, my experience with The Rebel has been amazing, and I don’t think a brand like KoAloha would keep working with that team if the instruments being made in Thailand weren’t up to par.
Not trying to downplay or invalidate your experience with the spotty finish, but I read the first part of this as a somewhat unfair implication that faults in the Opio line could be attributed to the overseas production. Personally, I have only seen very neat and tidy instruments coming from The Rebel, be it Opio or their own brand.
This thread pushed me to finally pull the trigger, and I’ll have a new spruce-top/Acacia concert Opio arriving from HMS in a few weeks. And while I’m a bit bummed the satiny finish is not being used anymore, the other design updates (crown fretboard and KoAloha logo vs Opio logo on headstock) made the decision much easier. It’ll be my first KoAloha, and I couldn’t be more excited.
As always, YUMV.
OP
OP
Kibes37
Well-known member
I emailed KoAloha about the lip/ rough edge around the back. They said they would be getting in touch with me about a replacement. I would be amazed if they replaced it. I just inquired if that was normal. We’ll see....
There are a number of good stories about them honoring their warranty in very generous fashions. I expect to hear back from you that they did replace your current one.
YogiTom
Well-known member
I think you will love your Opio. As I said, I have since seen and played several very nice Opios, including the Acacia/Spruce model.
You're right, Rebel makes a number of outstanding ukuleles that hold their own against other top mfgs.
I think I just got a sub-par one that snuck through the final QC inspection.
You're right, Rebel makes a number of outstanding ukuleles that hold their own against other top mfgs.
I think I just got a sub-par one that snuck through the final QC inspection.
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