Review: KoAloha KCO-10 Opio Concert Ukulele

I have a week where I had a gap and needed to review another of my "old" ukuleles, and decided to review my KoAloha Opio Concert.

I try to avoid using "the best" in my reviews and my posts. I am willing to use "one of the best." For the sound, playing experience, and price, I think this model is one of the best options in that mid-range $350 to $1000 categories, and I would urge any player interested in a concert ukulele in this price range to check it out.

I do find the acacia to be more mellow than the koa on my non-Opio KoAloha Concert, which is aided by the Low G on this model.

LONG UkeGuide review (summary document on my blog), as well as the One Minute Ukulele Review.

Nice and detailed review. Even though I own a koa KoAloha soprano, I'm always intrigued by the Opio models, particularly the spruce topped ones as I think the Hawaiian-made spruce or other non-koa topped models are only available as those crazy expensive custom ones.

The tone quality of the acacia on these Opio models is quite interesting. It's definitely a darker tone compared to koa but it's still different compared to lots of other brands that use acacia. In my experience, ukes made out of acacia often have some brightness to them - although maybe a more subtle and compressed brightness compared to koa - but also a very distinct darker sustain to the tone as well, so the sound typically lacks mid-range frequencies, at least in my opinion and experience. The Opios seem to be much more balanced from what I can hear personally.

Just a quick point: KoAloha concerts - Opio or otherwise - ship with high G as stock. It's their tenor models that have a low G as stock. Same goes for the Rebel ukes as well, curiously enough.

Thanks for your thoughts. I have bought a bunch of KoAlohas used, and this Opio Concert plus the Opio Long Neck Soprano were almost new at the time...and both came to me with Low G. It could be that both were set up that way when purchased (Low G on soprano still doesn’t sit completely right with me) so I just assumed the concert scales must ship that way.

My other concert Opio is a spruce top-again a bargain find—that came with Worth Browns and High G tuning—so it was pretty clear that the strings had been replaced. I’m not as fond of the Spruce top as I am the acacia models...I think more due to looks than sound. The semi-gloss Spruce top is so uninteresting compared to koa, acacia, or mango.

Choirguy said:

My other concert Opio is a spruce top-again a bargain find—that came with Worth Browns and High G tuning—so it was pretty clear that the strings had been replaced. I’m not as fond of the Spruce top as I am the acacia models...I think more due to looks than sound. The semi-gloss Spruce top is so uninteresting compared to koa, acacia, or mango.

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Yeah I know what you mean, spruce is possibly the most boring looking wood on a uke there is. To be fair, I'm constantly thinking whether a spruce top on KoAloha is even needed since their sound is already so bright. But I would definitely go for one if I didn't already have a concert with a soft wood top.