Romeo Creations Signature/Replica tenor?

Does anyone have any experience with the Signature or Replica tenor model? Mahogany vs. Spruce top? Sound and playability good? Thanks for your thoughts on this instrument.

I have an all Mahogany Replica from the first batch. Fit, finish and build are first class. It has good volume and is very balanced. It is also a beautiful instrument, (IMO). I love mine.

I had a tenor with spruce top and mahogany back and sides. Top notch workmanship and almost too beautiful. I had a of love-hate relationship with it and ended up trading it in for a Kala Elite Koa 1 (which I love). The main problem with the Replica was the neck was too darn thin and gave me left hand cramps. I thought I could get used to almost any neck but apparently I prefer thick and beefy necks like found on Kala Elite models (probably from decades of playing Spanish classical guitars, e.g., Ramirez).

Now for a little nitpicking. the spruce top variant was a little too bright in timbre for my taste. I seem to like the sweeter tone of the all mahogany, koa or mango variants more. Finally, the back is braced like a secondary soundboard and pressing it against my beer gut resulted in a considerable reduction in volume.

With all that said, I still own a Romero Creations TT6, Baritone 6 and parlor guitar and really like them. Just couldn't get used to the ultra thin neck on the Replica.

I have the Romero Creations Baritone 6-string, which admittedly isn't EXACTLY the same. But I can comment on the build quality, which is very good. The tone and playability are excellent (Mahogany/Spruce).

One thing I would consider though. These instruments are all built and voiced with low G in mind. If you are solidly in the high G camp, I'm not sure how these would sound.

Food for thought.

I have one that's spalted mango. It's great. I think Pepe Romero makes good stuff, innovating rather than following trends.

Some thoughts about my replica:

I haven't tried to measure, but it seems to have the longest sustain of my ukes. It has a more guitar-like feel, although, I'm not sure where that's coming from. Maybe the wide fretboard. On mine, the action was set up a bit too low. No buzzing or intonation problems, just not as comfortable for finger picking. It still plays great for fingerstyle, which is my preferred kind of playing, but it strums really well too, which in my experience ukes seem to sound better for one or the other. This one does both pretty well. It has 12 frets to the body, which I like as a contrast to the popularity of longer necks. You give up a little playability up higher, but I think it enhances the tone greatly.

Speaking of tone, the several different replica models I've played sound more similar, one to another, than just about any other uke. Having played or heard the different versions of the replica, I'd say maybe the spruce/walnut one stood out as most different from the rest, and part of me wishes I'd picked that one up instead of the mango. Still, the sounds are very similar among the different tonewoods, and the mango replicas are probably the least mango sounding of all the mango ukes I've heard and owned. I think most people would be really hard-pressed to distinguish (much less identify) different tonewoods in a blind test with replicas. But aesthetically, I liked the spalting on mine, which can be hit or miss.

Aesthetics-wise, I like the all black UPTs on the newer models (mine's silver), and dislike the abalone perfling. The spanish heel is unique and looks nice. Instead of a typical heel cap, the back of the instrument is built to cover the heel. Looks pretty neat. Despite being impressed with a lot of Pepe's design choices, I can't stand his regular headstock, and greatly prefer the one on these replicas. I think it's unfortunate that just about none of his other instruments use this headstock.

Something I became aware of recently. I like the feel of matte or satin finishes, but tend to prefer glossy finishes for looks. Unfortunately, I often have problems with the stickiness that occurs from skin contact with glossy finishes. I have this issue on a number of my instruments, and just realized I've never had that issue with my replica, which is glossy. I don't know if this is something that varies greatly from person to person, or if the finish Romero uses is less reactive with most people. But I just noticed I never have an issue with the Replica, and I'm really happy about the finish. FYI, most replicas are glossy, except their (discontinued?) spruce/acacia model which was apparently meant to be a laminate version, but a mixup resulted in a production of solid woods.

Some last thoughts. Since you asked about spruce vs. mahogany: although I have a couple all mahogany ukes (a Martin and a Larrivee), I find that I tend to prefer spruce tops. But like I said, these replicas sound very similar despite their woods.

I think because of the design choices with the neck (wide, flat, and short to the body), this is probably one of the most different ukes in my collection. Especially playability wise. After playing the replica, I feel like I'm returning to regular ukes when I go back to my other ones.

Hope all that's helpful.