Repaired Koaloha Tenor: will it sound the same?

Crazy days for my mango tenor Koaloha. A very long story much shortened: I lent the uke to a friend, who, while in her house, tripped and fell, hitting the uke during her descent and causing the a crack in the lower bout soundboard as well as the causing the soundboard to separate from the side at the bottom of the instrument.

The uke is currently in the hands of a skilled local luthier and undergoing repair.

What I am wondering is whether this uke will ever sound as good as it did prior to being damaged/repaired? I know, I can listen for myself once I get the uke back but in the meantime I am already wondering if I should be on the hunt for another mango Koaloha to replace the repaired uke.

(Strange thing was that my pal was enjoying that specific uke, pre ukulele accident, so much that I had already been casting about for another just like it so that I might be able to gift her mine.)

Without seeing the damage, and the extent of the necessary repairs, it is hard to make a definite prediction - but - from the description, I see no reason why the uke should not sound just as good as it did before disaster struck.

I've repaired a number of ukes with similar problems, and the results were very satisfactory.

Chin up - everything's gonna be just fine (said he, from 6,000 miles away!)

John Colter

ukantor said:

Without seeing the damage, and the extent of the necessary repairs, it is hard to make a definite prediction - but - from the description, I see no reason why the uke should not sound just as good as it did before disaster struck.

I've repaired a number of ukes with similar problems, and the results were very satisfactory.

Chin up - everything's gonna be just fine (said he, from 6,000 miles away!)

John Colter

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Thank you John, that’s encouraging to hear (even from 10,000 kilometres away!)

Did you consider sending it back to KoAloha for the repair? I understand they have a very generous policy regarding repairs to their ukuleles.

I'm guessing your friend is OK. As for a second mango Koaloha, you mentioned you were already considering looking for one for your friend. So the search wouldn't be a waste either way. Good luck with whatever you decide.

BBegall, in terms of sending the uke to Koaloha that would have been my best option but the cost of shipping from Canada is pricy and there is a good chance I would have to pay customs and handling upon its return to me so I preferred to stay local trusting the uke to one of our experienced ukulele repair luthiers right here in Vancouver.

Keenonuke, thanks for asking about my pal, she did have a good sized goose egg on her forehead from hitting her fireplace during the fall but, fortunately, no other injuries.
And you are right, if I found a second Koaloha, my search would be worthwhile ....that said, my pal already feels bad about the damage ...I think she may not accept the relatively pricey K uke, at this point, so maybe I’ll look for a mango Pono for her. In that case I would be all the more keen that the repaired Koaloha retain it’s amazing unique sound after the repair.

As I recall the Koaloha’s use a unibrace and no kerfing on the inside so I am wondering if that would make the repair a more simple process.

Well in a sense if she took the repaired one she wouldn't necessarily feel badly as it's now a repaired uke . That being said, I really did like the recent HMS sound sample for the mango tenor pineapple. https://vimeo.com/363937758

keenonuke said:

Well in a sense if she took the repaired one she wouldn't necessarily feel badly as it's now a repaired uke . That being said, I really did like the recent HMS sound sample for the mango tenor pineapple. https://vimeo.com/363937758

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Yeah, that’s a sweet mango pineapple!

Hey keenonuke, do you know if HMS can send their ukes with ebony fretboards outside of the USA yet?

I wouldn't know. They may have the cites certificate. Why don't you call them? Or email say Andrew. They respond fairly quickly by phone. I find they're much slower via email. That uke is so great.

I don't know how particular your border is. I found that I had no problems with ukuleles coming from the UK or from Nicaragua to the US. But going to Italy with a uke for repair took 6 or 7 solid weeks to clear and much haggling to clear.

Good info, thanks keenonuke.

Bill1 said:

You can buy another mango Koaloha Tenor, but you probably can't buy another friend who likes ukes like you do. Hopefully your friend did not get injured badly in the fall.
There probably is some financial cost, but Koalohas are well made and usually can be repaired. I sent mine all the way from Perth to Honolulu to get it repaired and it came back just fine and still sounds good.
A uke uke that has been through an adventure with a friend will always sound better when it comes back.

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Thanks for your comments...love that last line!