For you pyrography haters out there

This is true. Some companies make big mistakes and fade away too. Some know they have enduring class and don't feel the need to tinker much or come up with gimmicks.
 
Aesthetics is always an element of design, function, and ultimately sales. It can be something simple as the design of the headstock, the choice of tuners, a sound hole rosette... or it can be something full in like the pyrography designs we are seeing. I somewhat agree with Martinlover that fun and creativity are a greater part of these than profit margins. Someone like Pops does not work on the production line but must derive much enjoyment from designing and creating and producing different ukuleles (like his Wows, Sunday pineapples, and pyrography ukes... BTW, that is Pops photo in the soundhole sticker).

Like all artwork, different people will react differently. It's okay to dislike any given design or to like it but think it not worth the increased price. Would you pay hundreds more for the same sounding uke with a higher grade of koa? Some do and some don't. How about the Hawaiian islands or turtles on the soundboard of Kanile'as? Some do and some don't. How about the Kiwaya 100th anniversary seasons ukes? How about the inlay work on Moore Bettahs?

So it is somewhat silly to bash pyrography if you do not like it. Just do not buy it (or bid at auction). But it is contradictory to say pyrography is all bad because you do not like the whitish pineapple Sunday with the KoAloha icons patterned across it then say this new one is an exception because it looks better than all the other pyrography you see.
 
That whitish pineapple sunday reminds me of a Louis Vuitton handbag so my wife would probably really like it.
 
Although I applaud Pops, love Koaloha, and love his pushing of the boundaries, I’m not sure how I feel about the label inside the uke.

Still, amazing looking uke!

However in some ways the label is similar to the IZ label on the Martin 1T IZ Tenor Ukulele in which there is a photograph of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
 
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I can't hate it, because I don't know what it is!
 
If you watch and listen to the video around 16:50, the analogy of a toy just dies and kills the credibility of anyone who thinks the Pyro Pineapple Sunday is a child's toy and not a complex sounding musical instrument.
Essentially the Koalaha design team have taken a plain looking, but nice sounding, piece of spruce and have made it look interesting. Paying homage to the pineapple motif which has a lot of significance to ukulele design innovations. It would have a challenging look to those who are stuck in 2018/19, but I think it is going to plant a seed or some ideas into the minds of 21st Century ukulele designers. The combination of the ancient art of pyrography which has references to fire, combined with the instrument of the new age, the ukulele, makes a very interesting combination for creatives.
It looks like it retails for around US$2000 at the moment, that may well be a bargain price in ten years time. Those who want to call themselves serious collectors really need to consider getting one for the collection if they want to say they have a good representative 21st Century ukulele collection.
Those of us who are more players and hoarders and accumulators will bork at the price at the price, unless we have some sort of special reason to buy it. But we can watch and enjoy the videos and photos and confidently share our opinions on UU.

I don't understand what you mean by "stuck in 2018/19", but I absolutely agree that the credibility of anyone who calls that a toy would be nil. Put blindfolded musicians in a room to listen to it and I doubt any would consider it as anything but a well constructed musical instrument. It accomplishes the one thing it was created for - making music, limited only by the skill of the player.
 
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I can't hate it, because I don't know what it is!

Fancy or cheap, depending on your view, artwork that has been done by burning the media for the artwork. In this case, it is very detailed wood burning done on the ukulele’s body by an outside artist before being finished and setup at KoAloha.

I would also consider this to be an example of pyrography, since the paper is burned to create an image:
 
I don't "hate" it, simply wouldn't be a purchase I would make, I imagine the ultimate test would be how easy would it be to sell when the time comes to move it on, I imagine the customer base would be limited.
 
I don’t have any set opinion on pyrography. I see it as a case-by-case thing. Since I have LOMS (Lack of Money Syndrome) it isn’t high on my priority list.

But in a more general sense I wonder how does this relate to opinions on soundboard qualities and the desirability of straight, tight grain.
 
I'm sure the quality of the soundboard on these ukuleles is first class as these are made by (or for) KoAloha. I'm sure the scorch marks do not affect the sound in any way, it only affects the visual quality of the instrument.
 
It's gorgeous, but it obscures the beauty of the wood. I guess they pick some with less captivating grain.

I always enjoy the natural look and grain of the wood.
 
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