UAS got the better of me...

MentalAtom

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My UAS got wild and out of control but I think I got it back now...

Story time! For a while now I had my Enya mahogany tenor (beater-kinda as it's not so expensive) and my custom from the UK Tenor. I was keeping the custom in Low-G and the Enya in High G.

Then I discovered that the "local" Kanile'a dealer had some in stock and could even get a KSR-T just for me ordered in. I had some money saved, so I pulled the trigger and got my Kanile'a, which I love... But then, I play it all the time and my custom and the Enya both get very neglected because they just can't sound as good!

This weekend, SUS in the UK have a KoAloha KTM-00 USED but in perfect condition on the site (and I barely ever see them for sale in Europe) and I know that KoAloha even come with Low G... and I don't have a low G uke that I like the sound of now because Kanile'a ruined me!

So long story short I ordered it (hopefully coming this week!) and now I will have a Kanile'a AND a KoAloha Tenor in just 3 weeks (and the custom will go). My plan is to keep the KoAloha in low G and the Kanile'a in High G and then I should have an amazing uke in both tunings and that should hopefully kill off the UAS for good, or at least for a long while!

I'll probably hang onto the Enya as an "everywhere" uke because it was not so expensive I would get much back from selling it anyways.

So - unknown custom and an Enya to 2 K-Brands in under a month. I am very grateful that I had the money to do such a thing and now I can hopefully focus on actually playing the things! So excited ;) Especially since I never actually heard a KoAloha in person and was an impulse thing!

I am pretty sure I'm safe from feeling drawn to a Kamaka because they have 35mm nut and it's just too small for me...
 
I have both of those models, the Kanile'a KSR-T and the KoAloha KTM-00, and they are indeed very, very nice. Both mine are low G. So it sounds like the KoAloha compared well in sound to you?
 
I have both of those models, the Kanile'a KSR-T and the KoAloha KTM-00, and they are indeed very, very nice. Both mine are low G. So it sounds like the KoAloha compared well in sound to you?

I literally just watched some clips online and know that KoAloha are famous for sounding great anyways and was like "Hey, this opportunity won't come around every day" and I'll experience the sound for real when it arrives in a few days. It's a K brand so I feel like I can't really go wrong! I could also have bought another Kanile'a (K1 or so) but when the KSR is here I feel like it would always seem lesser, so I went for a different brand.

Which one do you play more of the two?
 
The KoAloha. The Kanile'a's string spacing is a bit wide for my comfort. Though it's a beauty, and it was a gift, so I do treasure it. I had to have the action lowered a bit, and changed the strings on the Kanile'a. The KoAloha was perfect on arrival.
 
ahhh, I'd be scared, very scared if I had UAS....and pots of money! HMS has a custom Petros that is sooooo musically beautiful....!
 
ahhh, I'd be scared, very scared if I had UAS....and pots of money! HMS has a custom Petros that is sooooo musically beautiful....!

A Petros is my dream uke. Not that my playing is worthy of it....
 
I have two Koalohas (concert and soprano) and a Sceptre (tenor) made by Pops (also a KSM-25 on the way...) and I gotta say they are probably my favorites out of the 8 serious ukes I own. They're super light, comfortable to play, perfectly balanced, and of course the sound is unbeatable. I've never played a Kanile'a or a new Kamaka, and I would be hesitant to pull the trigger on large purchase from one of them without having played it first, but with Koaloha I know I'll be happy no matter what it is.
 
It arrived today! Courier kindly left the uke just sitting on my doorstep but hey... SUS packaged it so well it was almost impossible to open :D

I had the uke logic high-tension low-G fitted and I must say so-far I'm not loooving the sound with those strings but they're still settling down so hopefully it improves, or I'll just change them for something else. Possible I'll try a wound low-G as the KoAloha is just so resonant the unwound low G is LOUD and kinda "womp womp" if that makes any sense to anyone.

Here are some photos: https://imgur.com/a/lr1fEW8
 
Congrats!

Always exciting to receive a new uke in the mail.
 
Oh my, that is a stunning instrument! I can only imagine how happy you must be with it. Play it in good health!
 
Beautiful. Great looking koa in a high gloss finish. :shaka:
 
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