$160 Kala beating up on the $470 Pono?

I had been enjoying my mahogany top Kala and decided to go all the way with a solid mahogany Pono. Both are baritones.

I was really surprised today to receive the Pono and find that the Kala sounds much fuller. The only adjustable difference I really noticed was the strings on the Pono are much more tense. So I swapped them. Same result.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with wood top/laminate body beating a solid wood instrument? The difference is unbelievable.

Honestly I’m bummed because I was psyched to upgrade and get that coveted Pono name on the headstock.

I am afraid I don't have any direct experience with Pono, so I can't really speak to the comparison, but I had to ask; how long have you been playing the Kala? Instruments can take some time to "open up" their sound. Comparing an instrument you have played for some time to a brand new one might not be a fair comparison.

But it is also possible that the Pono's sound just isn't for you. These things can happen. If that's the case, sell it along. It may suit someone else better.

Good luck, and happy strumming!

I have a somewhat similar experience in that my old Pono mahogany tenor that cost me about $250 used, sounds better to my ears than the Koaloha tenor that cost me $1200 new. I think they both sound great and the Koaloha is much prettier but the old Pono often sounds just a bit better and I'm always surprised.

Better to some people can be worse for others. I have instruments that I absolutely love which a player partner would never keep. He likes bright and loud I like warm and mellow.

See if the seller will take it back. I know Andrew at HMS does that, he wants his customers happy.

A friend of mine traded her Pono for a Mainland. She's happy now.

There are many characteristics that can affect sound. The actual thickness of the top wood and bracing may contribute much more than type of wood. If the body and side are solid or laminated has very little effect, but if the sides are taller and the back is arched there will be more volume and projection to improve sound.

This is always an interesting topic. I have a cheap laminate mahogany concert, a mid priced solid Mahogany concert, and a pricey solid Spruce concert. I don't like any of them best. They each have their own sound. What I find interesting is that people feel that they have to turn it into a competition between their ukes and award a prize. I blame it on organized sports.

What sounds "better" is subjective. It's quite possible to like a laminate better than another uke that's twice as expensive. The ear wants what it wants.

It's also true that each brand has a unique sound. Ponos (in my experience) sound clean and focused, yet a bit quiet. They sound great up the neck given the price, but don't ring like other brands. On top of that, each instrument is unique on its own. Two instruments that are the same brand and model can sound completely different. The best we can do is trust our ears!

My four favorite players are sopranos, but otherwise really different: a Koa Flea, two solid mahogany Ohana, and a vintage mahogany Gibson. My vintage Martin and my Famous are OK+, but don't have the warmth and playability of the others. Funny how that works.

Are the strings the same on each Bari? Nylon vs. Fluoro. Some strings just do not work on some instruments.

Tap the sound boards, do they have a similar sound? Thickness & bracing has a big impact. The finish affects it as well.

I've find that the C-string often dominates on Pono tenors. Especially wound strings.

The Living Waters A-string on my 2017 Pono ATD has a bit of a "klangy" ring but resonant sound. Depends on how I pick/strum it.

I have noticed that identical string brand/model can feel dissimilar on different tenors. I have Living Waters fluorocarbons on several tenors. I feel like there is more tension or hardness on one than on another. Even between different Pono tenor models. I assume it's due to shape and height of the fret wires. Plus the shape of the neck influencing how I push on the strings. Assuming also that the heights of the nuts and saddles are equal.

If the intonation is good on the Pono, then perhaps the string you are using is not quite the ideal for the sound you want.

PS: David Ingalls of Ono Ukuleles has started to build ukuleles using laminate sides and backs. He himself makes the laminate out of fine tone woods. From research he has done he has determined that there can be a benefit to having stiffer sides and slightly less stiff back to better reflect and shape the sound in the instrument. (See the HMS interview on the Ono website. It's well worth listening to.) Some of that may be going on in your situation as well.

It generally takes about a week for a new soundboard to flex into shape under full string tension and acclimate to local conditions. During that week, wolf tones come and go and tone and volume change. When my wife and I owned a music store we always "aged" special orders about a week to avoid customers complaining a new instrument was disappointing. With all that said, I own an old Pono MT (solid mahogany) and it has a sweet complex voice with plenty of volume. Sounded crap—thin and small—when I first got it...

A couple things come to mind. I don't have any baris, but I have Ponos and Kalas. First of all, I hate Pono strings. They use a Ko'olau string I believe. You said you swapped strings, to what ones on the Pono? If you just switched them from the Kala, are they the Aquilas that came on the Kala? Because I don't like the sound of them either, on Ponos OR Kalas. Aquilas are often used on the inexpensive laminates to improve the sound, which they often do. But they sound and feel too plasticy to me on a solid wood uke. I have found that Worth Browns, Living Water, and Uke Logics sound good on my Ponos. And string sound can also vary with how you play. Also, is your Pono a gloss finish? They don't sound as earthy and woody when new as a satin finish. Your new uke will take a while to open up. Play it and break it in, see if it doesn't improve as it settles down.

For what it's worth, I find that my new ukes never sound their best when they just arrive. They take a while to "settle down" and adapt to their surroundings, as Gochugogi said. Except for my Rebel, which was heaven at first strum.

Great comments on this thread . . . I have two Pono Bari's and a Pono tenor. I would concur with others to note in time your Pono may sound full and loud. All three of mine do. One is a Mahogany Bari - it was used when I purchased it, so it came already played in. It has sweet overtones. I'd say its a 6 out 10. Nice, better than many. I found Thomastik strings on the D and G work well on it and bring out its fullness. But the tenor was another story. At one point, I had it listed for sale because I just wasn't happy with the sound. I experimented with a variety of strings and was just about to trade it when I tried Uke Logic high tension strings on it. Suddenly the uke sounded divine. I'm so glad I kept it as it is exceptional in sound. But the journey took about a year. The other Pono Bari I have is a steel string Mango. Oh my - its in a league all its own. Absolutely wonderful. However, it is quite the trouble-maker. It has changed what I expect out of my ukes and I'm not sure my others can handle its appearance. She's kinda like Buzz Lightyear creating a stir among the other "toys." You may discover your Pono needs time to shine or may need different strings for its voice to ring out . . . but I think its all part of the journey.

I love both of my Pono baritones and have from the first day I received them. I use Martin M630 strings on each of them and they each have beautiful, unique sounds. All of my current ukulele recordings were done in baritone reentrant tuning (dGBE) on the spruce Pono and people that hear this sound for the first time have no idea that it is an ukuele. They think it is some kind of guitar or lute. However, I just gifted my Mainland cedar/rosewood baritone to my nephew and that uke had an amazing sound! Plus, it was a dream to play. Again, Martin strings and I wasn’t crazy about the looks comparing it the Ponos, but value-wise, it was an amazing deal.

I also gifted my nephew a Córdoba tenor 32T (spruce/rosewood) that took me a long time to get to like. I gifted it because my all laminated Kala beats it all around for looks, tone and playability. Plus, I have a Kamaka - beats them all by a huge margin.

gochugogi said:

It generally takes about a week for a new soundboard to flex into shape under full string tension and acclimate to local conditions. During that week, wolf tones come and go and tone and volume change. When my wife and I owned a music store we always "aged" special orders about a week to avoid customers complaining a new instrument was disappointing. With all that said, I own an old Pono MT (solid mahogany) and it has a sweet complex voice with plenty of volume. Sounded crap—thin and small—when I first got it...

Click to expand...

It's funny, even in just two weeks the sound has already started to open up!

Cadia said:

A couple things come to mind. I don't have any baris, but I have Ponos and Kalas. First of all, I hate Pono strings. They use a Ko'olau string I believe. You said you swapped strings, to what ones on the Pono? If you just switched them from the Kala, are they the Aquilas that came on the Kala? Because I don't like the sound of them either, on Ponos OR Kalas. Aquilas are often used on the inexpensive laminates to improve the sound, which they often do. But they sound and feel too plasticy to me on a solid wood uke. I have found that Worth Browns, Living Water, and Uke Logics sound good on my Ponos. And string sound can also vary with how you play. Also, is your Pono a gloss finish? They don't sound as earthy and woody when new as a satin finish. Your new uke will take a while to open up. Play it and break it in, see if it doesn't improve as it settles down.

For what it's worth, I find that my new ukes never sound their best when they just arrive. They take a while to "settle down" and adapt to their surroundings, as Gochugogi said. Except for my Rebel, which was heaven at first strum.

Click to expand...

It's opened up a bit just in the two weeks I've had it now, so your comment really rings true. I put some worth browns on it. Love the GBE strings but the D is loose and annoying. Is there any replacement that blends will with the GBE browns that would swap in for the D? Thanks.

about2 said:

Great comments on this thread . . . I have two Pono Bari's and a Pono tenor. I would concur with others to note in time your Pono may sound full and loud. All three of mine do. One is a Mahogany Bari - it was used when I purchased it, so it came already played in. It has sweet overtones. I'd say its a 6 out 10. Nice, better than many. I found Thomastik strings on the D and G work well on it and bring out its fullness. But the tenor was another story. At one point, I had it listed for sale because I just wasn't happy with the sound. I experimented with a variety of strings and was just about to trade it when I tried Uke Logic high tension strings on it. Suddenly the uke sounded divine. I'm so glad I kept it as it is exceptional in sound. But the journey took about a year. The other Pono Bari I have is a steel string Mango. Oh my - its in a league all its own. Absolutely wonderful. However, it is quite the trouble-maker. It has changed what I expect out of my ukes and I'm not sure my others can handle its appearance. She's kinda like Buzz Lightyear creating a stir among the other "toys." You may discover your Pono needs time to shine or may need different strings for its voice to ring out . . . but I think its all part of the journey.

Click to expand...

Interesting. Do you find the Mango has more of a tenor or concert uke brightness, or more of the warmer spruce guitar sound? I like my baritones to sound closer to guitars than ukes, so I wasn't sure about the Mango.

asublimeday said:

It's opened up a bit just in the two weeks I've had it now, so your comment really rings true. I put some worth browns on it. Love the GBE strings but the D is loose and annoying. Is there any replacement that blends will with the GBE browns that would swap in for the D? Thanks.

Click to expand...

Is it opened up or are your ears just got more used to its sound? Either way, it is a good development.
I remember when I first tried a digital piano, just couldn't believe how artificial it sounded, but after a while, I got used to it.

clear said:

Is it opened up or are your ears just got more used to its sound? Either way, it is a good development.
I remember when I first tried a digital piano, just couldn't believe how artificial it sounded, but after a while, I got used to it.

Click to expand...

Probably a little bit of both.

I had a similar experience. I had a cedar-top Kala and a similar Pono, both tenors. They looked almost identical, so I decided to sell one. The <$300 Kala gave up nothing in looks or build, so I compared the sound of each. I sold the Pono.