If you were to buy a new Koaloha

sully151

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I am considering buying a new Koaloha, maybe a Silver Series. I already have a Koaloha Tenor. I also have a well worn and played R&L concert that has seen better days.

If you were me, would you be on the hunt for a Concert, or a Soprano?

Silver Series or not?

Pikake? I hear good things.

I can’t really play any of them ahead of time, or spend time A/B’ing them, so it’s all sort of a guess.
 
The size choice is completely up to you. You know tenors and concerts. Would you prefer a soprano or concert? If you rather have a concert, then buy a concert and not a soprano. If you rather have a soprano, buy a soprano.

The Silvers cost a little more and likely have a little more attention to detail. I played a soprano and liked the sound a little bit more than my pikake soprano (not a side by side comparison though). I played a Silver concert and thought it the same as my pikake concert. The tuners are different and the headstock is different. I would strongly consider a Silver. One awareness I have with the Silvers is that a lot of them appear to be a lighter shade of koa than my Pikakes. Not all of them... so if appearance is valued, have the seller send you photos.

I really like my Pikakes. I prefer the Pikakes over the ones with gloss finish. They look good, feel good and sound good. They are in much shorter supply.
 
I'm afraid I have no experience with Ko'Aloha sopranos or concerts. Perhaps do a search for reviews and comments about both.

I know I've read about how the new bracing has affected their tenors, but not much about their concerts or sopranos.

The Silvers will probably hold their value a little better than the Pikakes or Standard models. But most used Ko'Alohas tend to sell pretty well.

I prefer the high gloss finish on the body to the satin. But that's me. I know some that think that the satin finish doesn't dampen the sound like the gloss does. I have no empirical evidence one way or the other for the Ko'Aloha. My base level Pono MGT with a satin body sounded more open sounding than the deluxe or Pro with gloss bodies. But that's just my impression of those Pono tenors.

Get the size you are most likely to play and enjoy if all else is equal.
 
Slimline! I have had and sold a KTM-00 and a KTM-06 (and a KCM-02) and loved them all but my KTM-S00 feels and plays so much better for me. I love the weight, I love the balance (mine doesn't have a pickup) and the sound is still huge if I want it to be. I'd never part with this one.
 
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I would ask yourself, what are you looking for in a soprano or concert KoAloha? For example, if your tenor is strung low g a soprano or concert would give you a brighter sounding uke, i.e., something different. And if you want that brighter sounding uke there are few better than KoAloha in my opinion. The choice between a soprano and concert depends at least on your preference for the scale. Since you already have a tenor a soprano would be more different compared to that. The silver series have geared tuners, so if you struggle with friction pegs the silver models might be worth considering. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother personally unless you really want a collector's item.
 
I am considering buying a new Koaloha, maybe a Silver Series. I already have a Koaloha Tenor. I also have a well worn and played R&L concert that has seen better days.

If you were me, would you be on the hunt for a Concert, or a Soprano?

Silver Series or not?

Pikake? I hear good things.

I can’t really play any of them ahead of time, or spend time A/B’ing them, so it’s all sort of a guess.

If I were buying a KoAloha, it would genuine Hawaiian koa. How about a Pineapple Sunday or a Scepter? Since you have a tenor, going one size smaller might be a good idea.
 
If it were me, I’d get a silver series soprano and call it good. I’m not a fan of satin finishes in general (most of them make too much noise when recording for my taste) and KoAloha makes one of my favorite sopranos.

But everyone’s different so it’s more about what you want!
 
Based on everything you said, my vote would definitely be a mango super soprano. Mim still had some the last I looked.
 
I find that the concert scale is where KoAloha is at its best, and for me compared to tenor and soprano scales it also is the most comfortable scale. This scale is also available as long neck soprano which is fantastic for KoAlohas and sounds slightly different than regular concert. As for Silver Series I played some and find that the big and heavy tuners cause imbalance, so would not recommend that for smaller sizes unless you are a collector. Pikake are a great option but they don't make them all the time so you will have to be lucky to score one.
 
what Koaloha tenor do you have? KTM-00? New style, or old style?

I am considering buying a new Koaloha, maybe a Silver Series. I already have a Koaloha Tenor. I also have a well worn and played R&L concert that has seen better days.

If you were me, would you be on the hunt for a Concert, or a Soprano?

Silver Series or not?

Pikake? I hear good things.

I can
 
I would buy a concert scale silver series.

In fact, I did. (See signature, and my profile pic...)

I find the concert scale KoAlohas to be "just right." Also, if you are a tenor player, jumping between tenor and concert isn't too bad. It can be a bit jarring to jump between tenor and soprano. Your fingers sometimes don't quite go where you want. At least mine do that sometimes. :)
 
I have a KSM-25 and agree with merlin666 with regard to balance. Although switching to Gotoh UPTs saves “only” 60 grams (yes, I nerded out and weighed the two sets of tuners), I did just that and all is good now.
 
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I have a KSM-25 and agree with merlin666 with regard to balance. Although switching to Gotoh UPTs saves “only” 60 grams (yes, I nerded out and weighed the two sets of tuners), I did just that and all is good now.

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I have to go back on what I said above. I'm expecting a KoAloha Opio tenor in a few days. It's all acacia - not the spruce top - from November, 2019.
 
As an owner of many (5) Koaloha's I would recommend the long neck soprano. I have a soprano, long neck soprano. concert, long neck concert and a tenor all great but the two long necks stand out for sound. The added tension of the longer neck makes for more and better sound to my ears of at least in my instruments. The concert and the tenor are outstanding and the soprano sounds nice but too small for me big old digits. I have sat at the factory and played/listened the last three trips, I go once a year for a month, and it has only solidified this opinion. So to my ears and hands the long neck models are a bit better then the regulars.
 
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Haha yes. What's fascinating yet dangerous about choosing ukuleles is the endless combination of wood, style, size and parts. Even strings come in endless varieties!

To the OP, I will say that both soprano and concert size sound great! I actually have soprano, long neck soprano, and concert Koalohas at this very moment. All sound good. Given all the variables that go into an uke's voice - just go with the size(s) having scale and fret lengths that work for you?
 
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