Mahalo guys for the kind words!
UkeCaster, I actually own a Kala Elite Koa but it's not a standard model. It's a custom design that HMS ordered, a hybrid of the Koa1 and Koa3 design: satin finish like a Koa1 but the ebony binding and fingerboard of the Koa3. It came with those terrible GraphTech Ratio tuners, 3 of which failed within a month (HMS replaced with UPTs). I think the wood is koa1 grade but it's nicely figured with a little curl. The tone of my Koa Elite is super mellow compared to the Doghair and a level softer in volume (but still very decent projection). It has a beautiful voice for tasto strums but is a little too laidback for single line improvisation in an ensemble (doesn't pop like the Doghair does). If I could only own one ukulele, I'd take the Doghair in a heartbeat.