Acacia vs. Koa

liam_fnq said:

I want everybody to stop what they're doing and repeat after me:

Koa is a species of Acacia. There are many species of Acacia. Some are as soft as cedar, some are as hard as ebony, some are inbetween.

Repeat three times.

It feels good that we've all cleared that up doesn't it.

Ok, next issue. Why does Acacia have to vs. Koa? Are they battling to the death or something?

Next issue, You can't campare Acacia and Koa generally. They vary in their property's at least as much as the ukes built from them. You can compare a [insert uke brand here] koa uke with a [insert uke brand here] [insert another species of acacia such as Australian Blackwood] ukulele.

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I have to say, this post strikes me as a bit patronising, particularly given that this point has been made many times in this thread already.

I suspect the issue that drives this question is the shopping angle. The real question might be:

"Why do Koa ukuleles often cost three times as much as Acacia ukuleles, if they're more or less the same wood?"

And, as many people have said, it's about build quality. That's the "why these two woods?" I think. People wonder if it's like buying two identical cars, one with a VW badge, one with a Skoda badge. Aren't you just paying for the badge? Similarly, are you just paying for the name koa, or is that ukulele better? Again, build quality.

Incidentally, I don't think you meant to come across as patronising. That's just how it came across to me. But I know there's a lot of frustration amongst some over this particular thread. And if you're a luthier, I can imagine wood vs. wood threads make you want to bash yourself in the head with blunt objects. I still find myself reading them, even though they almost always follow the same pattern.

I've sometimes wondered if the term "acacia" has been used to mislead people into thinking they were getting koa. No other ukulele wood is described by it's botanical genus, even though not all spruces, mahogany's etc are the same species.

straygator said:

Just a quick question...do you think the average ear can tell the difference between Acacia and Koa?

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Straygator, I hope you don't feel too embarrassed with your original question. I didn't know that koa was a species of acacia either until I started reading about it after I bought my first ukulele. You can't really tell anything from all the marketing hype because, apparently they don't want us to know that. So, it can be pretty confusing until you do the research yourself. Apparently, the word Acacia is used now because, Koa is in pretty short supply.

pulelehua said:

I have to say, this post strikes me as a bit patronising

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me too, except 'a lot' not 'a bit'.

Garydavkra said:

Straygator, I hope you don't feel too embarrassed with your original question. I didn't know that koa was a species of acacia either until I started reading about it after I bought my first ukulele. You can't really tell anything from all the marketing hype because, apparently they don't want us to know that. So, it can be pretty confusing until you do the research yourself. Apparently, the word Acacia is used now because, Koa is in pretty short supply.

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Great post Gary. Totally agree with you, it is very confusing as this information is not often made clear. I too only discovered these things fairly recently, courtesy of these boards. As far as the original question goes, my ear is nowhere near sensitive enough to differentiate between most tonewoods, though I could probably pick maple from mahogany. But ukuleles have a sound that is all their own eh...some brighter, some warmer...but all good

It would certainly be helpful if builders actually gave specifics of the materials they use.

Why, unless one is ashamed of one's product or the materials used in making it, would one not specify the wood? Similarly, why do builders tend to omit the word "laminate" from phrases such as, "mahogany back and sides" when they are very quick to point out "solid mahogany top"?

The OP's question was sensible enough. The problem is that with so many different acacias around it isn't easy to answer.

I'll give my two cents...Hawaiian Koa is Hawaiian Koa. When I look for a uke that is advertised as acacia I know it isn't Hawaiian Koa. I have yet to see a real Hawaiian koa uke advertised as acacia. If there is one...please show it to me.

This whole question reminds me of that awful company cordoba that has been misleading consumers for many years now with their portuguese koa.

GKK said:

Hawaiian Koa, is Koa wood that is only grown in Hawaii.

Acacia Koa, is Koa wood that is grown anywhere else.

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Just to clarify: Acacia Koa IS Hawai'ian koa. If the word "koa" is in the name, it is from that particular type of acacia that grows in Hawai'i. If it says simply "acacia," then it is most likely from another type of acacia tree, because who in their right mind would make an 'ukulele out of koa and say it's made out of acacia? Well, someone who is not great at marketing. This is not to say that the two are the same thing, but since koa is a type of acacia, there is a lot of room for semantic maneuvering.

Sort of like, blackmail is extortion, but extortion is not necessarily blackmail. (Sorry... thinking like a mystery writer.)

Anyway... not a stupid question at all. Opens up discussion about what makes good sounds, and that's what we do here! Some people have made some excellent points about all the factors other than wood that go into making an excellent instrument. Thanks!

Not just Non-Hawaii Acacia and Hawaii Koa

Even Mahogany, I think common ukulele players can just point put the woodtone instead of the different between different Mahogany styles in the world.

In most cases Koa made ukes always assisted with top quality handcraft and strings etc. So It did seems there's some levels of sound between Non-Hawaii Acacia and Hawaii Koa in the final sound tone.

I agree with pulelehua. It is mostly construction. My Brucewei acacia tenor sounds completely different than my friends Cordoba acacia tenor. Also as others have said, there are many types of acacia.

Acacia vs Koa

Acacia or Koa ?

I dont' know .
My ulkuleles are all made of wood .
Some are single layer , some are multi layered .
All sound like ukulele .

Best Rgs
:drool: