KoAloha Comparisons

This is just my two cents' worth.

I recently received a KoAlana tenor, which is basically a laminate KoAloha made in Thailand by the Opio people. The KoAlana has been an on-again-off-again thing from KoAloha, but this is the new series, available now. I was impressed when I looked at it and played it. Then I compared it to my Opio tenor. The body is about half an inch shorter and the same for the headstock. Comparing it to the koa tenor, I got the same results - slightly shorter. Aside from that, there is no hint that it is not a $1,000+ KoAloha. Construction is flawless. So how does it sound?

I compared the sound to the Opio, and it was very similar. It has Worth Brown strings with low-G. The Opio has clear strings and a steel low-G, as does the koa tenor. The Opio has a somewhat deeper sound than the KoAlana, but the steel string could account for that. The koa tenor seems a bit deeper than the Opio, but that could be because of the strings - no idea what they are.

I used the Sound Meter on my phone to compare the volumes. I strummed each one several times, and each one averaged 78 dB. Sustain is similar, too.

So, you can buy a KoAloha koa tenor for $1360, a solid acacia Opio tenor for $655, or a laminate Trembesi wood KoAlana tenor for $252.

With the same strings, anyone would find it next to impossible to distinguish the sound of one from another. With three different brands of string, they sound different, but none stands out as superior. In appearance, they all look like KoAloha tenors.

As I said above, this is just my two cents' worth.


Trembesi wood -https://javanesenusantara.com/unique-wood-trembesi-see-the-advantages-and-disadvantages/

if you can not hear the difference in tone I would buy the KoAlana as the price is the lowest....

hawaii 50 said:

if you can not hear the difference in tone I would buy the KoAlana as the price is the lowest....

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There is a difference, but I don't hear one as being superior to another.

Count me in!!

Interesting, thank you for writing it down for us !

Cool. Maybe I'll have a K brand one day after all

fromthee2me said:

Interesting, thank you for writing it down for us !

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Keep in mind that this is just my opinion.

I think the Koalanas are made in Java Island in Indonesia and not in Thailand. Interesting that the scale length is shorter. The Opios from Thailand are exactly the same as the Hawaiian made ones. But now with the new Hawaiian made ones joining at the 14th fret it might be different as the Thai ones still joint at the 15th fret as far as I am aware of.

Contrails said:

I think the Koalanas are made in Java Island in Indonesia and not in Thailand. Interesting that the scale length is shorter. The Opios from Thailand are exactly the same as the Hawaiian made ones. But now with the new Hawaiian made ones joining at the 14th fret it might be different as the Thai ones still joint at the 15th fret as far as I am aware of.

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Yes, I think you're correct. Yes, it is made in Indonesia, and Trembesi wood is plentiful there.

Jerryc41 said:

There is a difference, but I don't hear one as being superior to another.

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Firstly, congrats on the KoAlana. A new uke is always exciting. Frankly, I'm surprised that there's no quality difference. I have a guess that it is because the KoAlana is new and we all like new ukes a little bit more... for a while.

I did a blind test between a KoAloha vs Kala; and pretty much everybody picked the KoAloha for quality. The Kala was a solid-top. I'd think a laminate uke will have even more quality difference (e.g. notes in chords sound clear and distinct, a rich overtune/colorfulness, better dynamic range without any notes overpowering others, more uniform sustain/decay of all notes, and I'm just assuming basics like intonation, playability, tuners are acceptable/comparable between the ukes).

IMHO loudness (i.e. 78dB measure) isn't as important because there's always amplification. Actually, if it doesn't sound good, then maybe quieter is better? So less people can hear it?

If you have the time, I think a blind sound test between the KoAlana and KoAloha would be something interesting.

Contrails said:

I think the Koalanas are made in Java Island in Indonesia and not in Thailand. Interesting that the scale length is shorter. The Opios from Thailand are exactly the same as the Hawaiian made ones. But now with the new Hawaiian made ones joining at the 14th fret it might be different as the Thai ones still joint at the 15th fret as far as I am aware of.

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Is the scale length different, or the overall size?

Did I count wrong? It looks like this is 14 frets to the body.

Ziret said:

Is the scale length different, or the overall size?

Did I count wrong? It looks like this is 14 frets to the body.

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The KoAlana loses 1/2" in the body and 1/2" in the headstock. That's just an estimate, not actually measured. I was playing all three at our weekly online jam yesterday, and it was hard to keep track of which was which, except for the darker wood and headstock of the 25th anniversary. It seems that as the price rises, so does the "deepness" of the sound. They all sound great, though. Another difference seems to be the gloss. The more you pay, the more gloss you get.

As for frets to the body, let me check. Okay - The two KoAlohas have 14 frets to the body, while the KoAlana has 15. I can't see any difference in the bracing.

As nice as the KoAloha gig bags are, I'll have to get hard cases for two of them.

Jerryc41 said:

The KoAlana loses 1/2" in the body and 1/2" in the headstock. That's just an estimate, not actually measured. I was playing all three at our weekly online jam yesterday, and it was hard to keep track of which was which, except for the darker wood and headstock of the 25th anniversary. It seems that as the price rises, so does the "deepness" of the sound. They all sound great, though. Another difference seems to be the gloss. The more you pay, the more gloss you get.

As for frets to the body, let me check. Okay - The two KoAlohas have 14 frets to the body, while the KoAlana has 15. I can't see any difference in the bracing.

As nice as the KoAloha gig bags are, I'll have to get hard cases for two of them.

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You might have those mixed up. I believe the Opio is 15 frets to the body, the KoAloha and KoAlana are 14. Not sure about the bracing with the KoAlana as some people are saying they're the same and some are saying they're different.

rafter said:

You might have those mixed up. I believe the Opio is 15 frets to the body, the KoAloha and KoAlana are 14. Not sure about the bracing with the KoAlana as some people are saying they're the same and some are saying they're different.

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Yes, that's possible. They are very similar. Looking at the label inside, it's hard to tell one "Ko...." from another. I'll check tomorrow.

Great to know Jerryc41! Was just looking at a Koalana on Mims' site.

Jerryc41 said:

Yes, that's possible. They are very similar. Looking at the label inside, it's hard to tell one "Ko...." from another. I'll check tomorrow.

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Thanks for providing the measurements. When I compared them in the showroom I did not pay attention or realize the different dimensions and I find the different designs surprising. Also find the discontinuation of Opio labels confusing as it dilutes the KoAloha brand. Earlier Opio labelled ukes seemed to be more consistent in good sound than the current crop.