Koaloha Opio & Anuenue AMM3 Tenor Ukulele Comparison

Well done comparison. IMHO just the right amount of talking and playing. I’ve owned a Sapele version of Opio tenor which I didn’t like. It felt good in my hands but wasn’t clear from a note perspective. Glad to see acacia wood now and a much better sound.

That said, given your sound review, I’d like the ANUENUE AMM3 mahogany tenor for sound. It was clearer and seemed warmer to me.

Thanks for posting. I agree one could do well with either! I’d be curious after six month to find out which one you favour!
Cheers
 
Great post berean. The radiused fretboard on the Anuenue sold me. I think with aging players you will see more and more companies making instruments with radiused fretboards. They are a blessing to older, cranky fingers and hands. Mine especially.
 
PS: berean, what about set up, is the Anuenue factory set up or did a dealer set up this instrument.
 
M3Ukulele said:
Well done comparison. IMHO just the right amount of talking and playing. I’ve owned a Sapele version of Opio tenor which I didn’t like. It felt good in my hands but wasn’t clear from a note perspective. Glad to see acacia wood now and a much better sound.

That said, given your sound review, I’d like the ANUENUE AMM3 mahogany tenor for sound. It was clearer and seemed warmer to me.

Thanks for posting. I agree one could do well with either! I’d be curious after six month to find out which one you favour!
Cheers
Click to expand...

Thanks for the confirmation. I tried to balance the talking and playing, but sometimes you're not sure if you got the balance right. I also thought the Anuenue had more clarity.
 
JJFN said:
Great post berean. The radiused fretboard on the Anuenue sold me. I think with aging players you will see more and more companies making instruments with radiused fretboards. They are a blessing to older, cranky fingers and hands. Mine especially.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comment. I haven't played a uke with a radiused fretboard before so can't comment much on it yet. I have noticed the shallower neck has a different feel and sometimes my finger will slightly mute the "A" string. It should get better the more I play it.
 
JJFN said:
PS: berean, what about set up, is the Anuenue factory set up or did a dealer set up this instrument.
Click to expand...

That's a good question. The ukes are sold by Kalei Gamiao and Corey Fujimoto who are excellent ukulele players light years beyond me. They should know a good uke setup, but I'm not sure if they do any additional setup when thye get the ukes in Hawaii. The action on the Anuenue was pretty good when I got it, but I did sand the saddle down very slightly. The action on my Koaloha was higher, and I had to sand the saddle down quite a bit for my taste.
 
I like them both, and I agree that the aNueNue has better clarity. For me the aNueNue performs best. The intonation in Somewhere over the Rainbow sounded better to my ears.
 
Thank you. Both sound very nice. I wanted to ask you if they both had the same action and you answered that at the end of the video. I felt that the lower action of the Opio contributed most to the audible differences, it sounded like the strings were not able to vibrate as freely in almost all the examples. I have an old KoAloha concert that has the same issue and I am waiting for a luthier friend to cut a new ebony saddle which hopefully will improve the uke. If you have a chance to bring it to KoAloha factory then they will fit a fresh saddle and setup.
 
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merlin666 said:
Thank you. Both sound very nice. I wanted to ask you if they both had the same action and you answered that at the end of the video. I felt that the lower action of the Opio contributed most to the audible differences, it sounded like the strings were not able to vibrate as freely in almost all the examples. I have an old KoAloha concert that has the same issue and I am waiting for a luthier friend to cut a new ebony saddle which hopefully will improve the uke. If you have a chance to bring it to KoAloha factory then they will fit a fresh saddle and setup.
Click to expand...

I agree with you about the lower action affecting the audible differences with the Opio. It was a lot harder to play up the neck than the Anuenue, and I sanded the saddle pretty much as far as it would go without buzzing. I would like to try it with a fresh saddle and setup by the factory and see how it affects the sound. Even before lowering the saddle, I don't think it had the clarity as the Anuenue.
 
I really appreciate the time you took to break this down for us. I get the feeling not much can beat the Anuenue in your current Uke world and I hear and see why. Love the “Sikyi Groove” , where can I absorb that? Thanks again, nice playing.
 
Kibes37 said:
I really appreciate the time you took to break this down for us. I get the feeling not much can beat the Anuenue in your current Uke world and I hear and see why. Love the “Sikyi Groove” , where can I absorb that? Thanks again, nice playing.
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Yea, the Anuenue is a good uke.

You can download the song from my Reverbnation page. Just look for Sikyi Groove. Based on a West African rhythm called "sikyi".

https://www.reverbnation.com/greadore

Here is a video I put together quite a while back for Sikyi Groove, but it's on the baritone. Slows down about 1 minute in. Not that easy to follow I think. I'll make a better video using the tenor.

 
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Oh boy this is so perfect! I just changed an order from an opio concert to the AMM3 and this review sealed the deal.
Many thanks!
 
Thanks for the comparison! This will be helpful to many, as I think these are becoming the two most recommended ukes in the $600 price range. I have a Rebel, which is made in the same factory as the Opio, and the AMM3. As much as I love my Rebel, which is a step above the Opio, imo, the AMM3 has become my favorite uke I think. Even over my KoAloha and Kanile'a. It pretty much does it all for me, and has cured my UAS (for now). I can't believe that I found the perfect uke, and it was only $599 with a case and shipping. I love the richness of the mahogany tone. In your video and on my laptop the AMM3 sounds a little on the quiet side, which would not be surprising for mahogany. But it is not a quiet uke at all. The rich tone is projected very well. Best uke under $600 imo.
 
Eggs_n_Ham said:
Oh boy this is so perfect! I just changed an order from an opio concert to the AMM3 and this review sealed the deal.
Many thanks!
Click to expand...

Eggs_n_Ham, you will be very pleased.
 
Thanks for posting that review. I've heard nothing but praise for the Anuenue lineup. I recently bought an Anuenue T30 tenor (from their Hawaiian Dream series) for a vacation home and it's a very well made, great sounding uke for around half the price of the AMM3. It's all solid African mahogany, like the AMM3, and while it's much cheaper, it's very similar in sound as a result. Setup was good right out of the box and frets were well dressed. I'm impressed with Anuenue and looking to get a Bird model in the future.
 
Eggs_n_Ham said:
Oh boy this is so perfect! I just changed an order from an opio concert to the AMM3 and this review sealed the deal.
Many thanks!
Click to expand...

I hope you will like it! The AMM3 is a beautiful looking and playing instrument, but very different to the touch, feel and note attack compared to a concert ukulele. A horse of a different Colour than your Aklot!
 
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