The NEW KoAlohas

Bill1 said:
When you think about obsolescence, take a look back through the initial 100 years of ukulele production, which many of us have lived through even though we may not have always been interested in ukuleles. Can you find one model or brand that offered exactly the same model uke for more than a few years. Old Martins and Kamakas are dated by looking at the changes to designs, decorations and branding on the instruments, for example.
At present there are many people on the planet who just do not understand that the world is changing all the time. They look at a screen every three minutes and it keeps implying that nothing will ever change. Supplies of wood run out and get replaced with different wood. Customer requests are consolidated and put into new designs. Branding images and names change.
Creative people like the designers at Koaloha do not sit still and be satisfied with yesterdays creation. They are getting new ideas all the time and are having new ideas almost every hour at some times. It is unlikely that you are going to get the same thing coming out of the factory for more than a few years. When the wood runs out and the new ideas are implemented, something new and different is going to emerge.
The new range looks good. The old range is good. The customer service is amazing.
If you are actually serious about buying one, ask the seller what the differences between old and new are, they will know if they are good sellers.
If you like talking about Koaloha, keep the discussion going and over time the thread will eke out the differences.
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I wrote to Alvin "Pops" Okami last month about the many changes at KoAloha and UkeSA because I wanted to be able to respond when people ask about all the changes at KoAloha as opposed to minimal changes at other companies. This was Pop's reply:

"Regarding comments about why KoAloha and Pops "change things so much" I can only say
that if we stuck with the original 1995 shape and design, KoAloha would be out of business
long ago. The relentless quest for improving the elements of design (structurally,esthetically
and acoustically) is perhaps the most important factor that KoAloha and UkeSA adheres to
with utmost diligence and undying passion. To sum it up simply, KoAloha's and UkeSA's standard is the never ending pursuit of excellence."
 
Maybe it's just me, but after listening to the new version of the KTM-00 with my earphones, my very first impression was that it sounded closer to a Kanile'a K1-T. Not the same, but approaching the balance of the K1-T's sound. The Kamaka HF-3 still sounds very different.

The Ko'Aloha retains it's base resonance and sustain. But seemed to smooth out the balance of the mid and high range. I can't see the changes in the body shape without a side-by-side comparison.

I like the new sound. Not so much that I'm dissatisfied with my 2017 KTM-00. But I think it is an improvement.
 
Having read all the posts, I appreciate the fact the KoAloha or any maker is constantly trying to improve and push the limits of what is possible. We don't see or hear to much about the failures. Continuous testing and improvements can only lead to better quality. I really like my KoAloha Tenor, bought last summer. I'm not likely in the market for the newest iteration of the instrument, but if one was looking for a new ukulele for sure they would be instruments to look at.
 
It's interesting how we often love a particular instrument, (or car or camera or TV...), and then a newer model comes out and we are no longer satisfied by what we previously loved. Is it because the improvements are so good it puts the older model to shame? Pride of ownership? Gotta have it? Or what?

I have a 2017 & Ko'Aloha KTM-00. And a 2004 because of the crown bridge. The new model is nice, and I think it's an improvement, but it's not so great as to make me want to sell my 2017 and get the 2019 model. But then, I drive a 2008 RAV-4, so maybe I'm not the right person to comment on this.
 
I don't understand why Koaloha has no mention of the new ktm-00 on their website/social media. Seems like something worth noting(the changes/updates) . Also, the headstock is longer on the new version(distance between the nut and the tuning pegs is greater than original version). Wonder how that effects the sound/tension? Not sure it would, but the newest batch just listed on HMS has the original headstock so I'm further confused haha. Anyhow, I can't wait till I get mine! The darker koa on these is gorgeous.
 
UkeBock said:
Also, the headstock is longer on the new version(distance between the nut and the tuning pegs is greater than original version). Wonder how that effects the sound/tension?
Click to expand...

And fitting into a hard case.

I'm surprised they kept the same model number. Now, KTM-00 can mean two different things.
 
rahat5810 said:
Does anyone know why Koalohas are not being played by the pros? All I see are kamakas and kanileas.
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My guess is that Ko'Aloha doesn't sponsor as many pro players. Their marketing plans may go a different route. Or, they may not be as aggressive at signing "name" players.
 
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Kenn2018 said:
My guess is that Ko'Aloha doesn't sponsor as many pro players. Their marketing plans may go a different route. Or, they may not be as aggressive at signing "name" players.
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Actually, Ken, KoAloha has a pretty good number of sponsored artists but they are mostly known in Hawaii. KoAloha started a new youtube channel and have been recording their artists and will be puttin the videos out gradually. I know that Daniel Ho, Herb Ohta jr, Yoza, Keale, Terry Carter, Neil Chin, and Jeff Peterson are sponsored artists. There are probably others, too.
 
So I received my 'new version' KTM-00 from HMS. While I never played the old KTM-00(or any high end uke for that matter), it sounds beautiful. My other main 'good' uke is a Kala all solid acacia tenor to compare it to. The Koaloha had some intonnation issues, but HMS is graciously taking care of me. Andrew called me personally to take care of it, they really have top notch customer service.

Anyway, the sound of this thing is a game changer for me. I loved my Kala, but until I played the Koaloha for the 1st time, I didn't know what the ukulele as an instrument could sound like(in person anyway). It has a deep, lush low end, while still having a gorgeous/ shimmery high end. And something extra sweet happening in the mids. Its got volume, dynamics and sweetness. The low G sounded SOO good, but I switched to a high G, because most of the songs I've learned in my short time playing ukulele just didn't sound right with low G. I'm sure I'll revisit low G in the near future. If I can be nit picky, I actually like the neck shape of the Kala better(thicker front to back/ more rounded C shape) rather than the flatter neck shape of the Koaloha, but that's personal preference and I got used to it quick and don't even notice it. Overall, I'm REALLY happy with this new KTM-00. Can't imagine a better sounding uke.
 
Also, just for reference. I play mostly finger picking style, and the KTM-00 responds beautifully to dynamics. And its no slouch for strumming style either. Plenty loud when you want it to be.
 
UkeBock said:
Anyway, the sound of this thing is a game changer for me. I loved my Kala, but until I played the Koaloha for the 1st time, I didn't know what the ukulele as an instrument could sound like(in person anyway). It has a deep, lush low end, while still having a gorgeous/ shimmery high end. And something extra sweet happening in the mids. Its got volume, dynamics and sweetness. The low G sounded SOO good, but I switched to a high G, because most of the songs I've learned in my short time playing ukulele just didn't sound right with low G. I'm sure I'll revisit low G in the near future
Click to expand...

It's nice to hear about your upgrading experience and I still have fond memory of playing my first "good" uke. As for the low-G, now that you have two ukes it is a very good justification to keep two ukes if you have one with re-entrant and the other with linear tuning. So keep the KoAloha with the high G if that's what you use for most songs, and put the low G on the Kala for the songs that are better with that sound.
 
Yea. There's a depth of sound that's hard to describe unless you've played a really nice uke. I even tried flourocarbon strings on my Kala and went back to the Aquilas because I thought they sounded and felt better on that particular uke. But now the Koaloha makes the Kala sound like a toy. But I'll definitely be putting a low G on the Kala to experiment with the low G universe. And I'm sure eventually the low G will go on the KTM.
 
Ill take one later on for sure. It does look great, BUT not as good as the super high quality pics on HMS website haha. Funny how 'high def' pictures/video often look better than real life. I had trouble deciding which specific one I wanted to buy, analyzing the wood grain of each listing on their website for over a week. And I when I got it, I was like oh, some details I expected to be highly visible, were just kind of 'muted' in real life. This is not to say that its not beautiful, because it is a gorgeous instrument and I'm so grateful that it exists and that I own it. Hope that makes sense. Either way, this thing makes me really happy every time I get to play it.
 
My KTM-00 from HMS gets delivered tomorrow. I spent several days going over the photos as well and the first one I picked out sold before I made my decision. Then as I looked more and more at them I was getting confused about which ones were actually the new ones and which ones were older models.
 
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