Cocobolo Ukuleles Tenor #004

Hi Jake, I'm curious with the performance of different strings on the Cocobolo tenors , I have never used anything other than Aquillas( all we can get for ukes here in Aussie) and have noticed some talk on flourocarbons, and am looking at getting some sent from England if the reports a favourable...Cheers Tiki
 
Jim Hanks said:
Thanks. Keep us posted.
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Loving the uke strung low g. Had to do some nut modifications in order to accommodate the G string (had to for the C string with the J71s as well). Aquilas sounds great on this uke, so they are a safe bet for those not wanting to experiment. Not crazy about the different texture on the red G string that comes with the AQ-107 set, though.

I'm pretty positive I'll leave this uke as one that I have strung low g, and will try Worth Browns and PhDs next.

Will report back once I do.
 
Snaky said:
Hi Jake, I'm curious with the performance of different strings on the Cocobolo tenors , I have never used anything other than Aquillas( all we can get for ukes here in Aussie) and have noticed some talk on flourocarbons, and am looking at getting some sent from England if the reports a favourable...Cheers Tiki
Click to expand...

If you like the Aquilas, stick with 'em for now; so far they've been my favourite out of 3 sets I've tried. Have yet to try some low g Worth Browns and PhDs (both flourocarbons), but will let you know once I do. They're the next 2 I'll try, but I'm going to leave the Aquila AQ-107 low-g set on the uke for a month or two.
 
jakethesnake said:
Loving the uke strung low g. Had to do some nut modifications in order to accommodate the G string (had to for the C string with the J71s as well). Aquilas sounds great on this uke, so they are a safe bet for those not wanting to experiment. Not crazy about the different texture on the red G string that comes with the AQ-107 set, though.

I'm pretty positive I'll leave this uke as one that I have strung low g, and will try Worth Browns and PhDs next.

Will report back once I do.
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Just curious, have you tried these strings yet? I put some of the Aquila Lavas on my Cocobolo Tenor and like them a lot more than the reqular Aquilas. Would be interested to know your thoughts. I am going to put some Southcoast stings on my Cocobolo concert this weekend to see how Flourocarbons sound.
 
WCBarnes said:
. I am going to put some Southcoast stings on my Cocobolo concert this weekend to see how Flourocarbons sound.
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Never been an Aquila fan, but have not tried the Lava version. I am a big fan of Southcoast so I'm curious to hear how you think they compare. (Still waiting on my super concert but getting closer.)
 
Jim Hanks said:
Never been an Aquila fan, but have not tried the Lava version. I am a big fan of Southcoast so I'm curious to hear how you think they compare. (Still waiting on my super concert but getting closer.)
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Just put on some Southcoast MU-NW strings on my Cocobolo concert and they are a major improvement over the Aquila strings. Since the cocobolo wood is so dense the uke was rather muted with standard Aquilas. As I mentioned above, I put the Lavas on my tenor and the sound was much better, but I think the extra brightness of the fluorocarbon strings is great (even compared to the Lavas)! I will play with these for a few weeks to get a good comparison between the two string sets on similar ukuleles.
 
WCBarnes said:
Just put on some Southcoast MU-NW strings on my Cocobolo concert and they are a major improvement over the Aquila strings. Since the cocobolo wood is so dense the uke was rather muted with standard Aquilas. As I mentioned above, I put the Lavas on my tenor and the sound was much better, but I think the extra brightness of the fluorocarbon strings is great (even compared to the Lavas)! I will play with these for a few weeks to get a good comparison between the two string sets on similar ukuleles.
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I got thinking about this post again today after some more ukulele string science.

I decided low g was too boomy (crazy how much bass resonated out of this thing) and it was overpowering every other string, so I took off the red low g (came with the Aquila AQ-107 super nylgut set I put on), and slapped on a high G Worth Brown. I really dug the difference, and the G string was singing, but now the Aquila C string was overpowering the others... So, off she came, replaced for a Worth Brown. To my dismay, the C string sounded dull... Kind of lifeless... so... off she came, and on went a PhD C string... Exactly what I was looking for.

But then, the more I played, the more "twangy" and overly bright the Aquila E and A strings sounded... So, off they came, replaced with PhDs from the set I stole the C string from... After a little finger picking and a few strums, I knew I struck gold.

I'd guess that a straight up full set of PhDs would be SUPER comparable to those who don't like mixing sets, it may even sound better, but all I have is low G PhDs left :p.

I haven't played Southcoast strings, but hear they are awesome and very similar to PhDs in a lot of respects. One thing I do know, is that I'll be sticking with PhDs on this uke, unless I do decide to try some Southcoast strings. I contemplated some Lavas, and some Ko'olau Golds, but I don't want to mess with perfection, which I think I've found with this uke. It sounds incredible right now - the exact sound I was looking for, and it would be hard to beat. Perfect balance... smooth as butter, bright, loud, good bass response without too much boom, and tons of sustain. Safe to say I finally found a stringalicious soulmate for this uke! :).
 
Hi Jake , Tiki here, I'll have to give them a go but will have to get the strings sent from overseas, I also found the low G which was a Red Aquilla not a pleasant sound and went back to high G...cheers TIKI
 
Importing Uke from Nicuragua to Canada?

Now, that's one beautiful Uke! So... how was the process to import it into Canada. Did you pay duties, customs fees, brokerage?
I'm ready to buy but don't want to commit if I have to add a couple hundred in fees. Appreciate your thoughts. Tim

UOTE=jakethesnake;1650444]Here's some pictures and a quick review of my new custom tenor from Cocobolo Ukuleles! As with most ukes, pictures don't even begin to do it thing justice, but they give you a good idea what she looks like :).

#004 is stunning, both acoustically and aesthetically (check out that soundboard!). Soooo comfy to play with the slight radius on the fretboard (a first for me), and the mellow, well rounded tone has tons of body and incredible volume (sound samples to come). All solid cocobolo rosewood, with a Honduran mahogany neck, and a cocobolo pinstripe that acts as a truss rod. I had Silvio do the position markers with cocobolo sapwood on the heartwood fretboard, and it turned out even better than I'd hoped. I'm very, very impressed with the craftmanship, especially considering the limited set of hand tools that these ukes are built with.

There was a slight hiccup during my build, leading to an outrageous deal (almost 50% off the $399 USD price tag on their new line of tenors). It was sold to me as a factory second for $250 USD including shipping to Canada, because a less than 1cm very, very small hairline crack developed during the build (at the edge of the soundhole). Kevin was straight up with me about it and sent me before and after pics. It's been skillfully braced (to prevent re-occurrence) in a way that hasn't impacted sound quality in my opinion (yes, I realize that could be argued as I didn't play it prior, but what I'm saying is that is still sounds fantastic). As you can see, the crack isn't visible at all post-repair.

Initial intonation tests are showing some slight variance on a few frets, but it's super minimal (only detecting it with a frequency meter) and new strings etc. may have an impact. I'd compare the slight variance to what I find on a couple of frets on my Pono MGTD. Not perfect, but damn close to it.

Overall, it is a blast to play and I would purchase it again in a heartbeat (even if it was at full price).

I can't thank Kevin enough for his help and with getting me this beauty... His customer service was on a level I've never experienced before in my life. I am in love with this little lady! The maracas he sent me as a bonus were a nice touch too! Very happy to finally be a part of the Cocobolo family :).

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I think I posted my previous question to the wrong place. Just curious how the import procedure worked for you. Did you have to pay brokerage, duties, taxes, handling fees? I live on Vancouver Island and want one of these Ukes but not if I have to add a couple hundred in fees Etc. Your wisdom greatly appreciated. Tim
 
wow, Tmccaroll, that Cocobolo is awesome! Each one is a unique critter, huh?
I'm just flippin' over how much I like my cocobolo concert.
One day I'll do a review. Soon I'm gonna get brave enough to do a string change on the through the body bridge. I don't like the Aquilas on it much.
 
Hi All!

Nickie, I am happy to hear how much you are enjoying your new concert! Don't be intimidated by the string change. I think that you will find it to be pretty simple once you give it a shot. It is actually quicker and easier for me than a normal tie-bridge, and I like the extra acoustics that it gives a ukulele.

Tim, we have sent plenty of ukuleles to Canada now, and we have been pleasantly surprised that most of them have not been charged a customs tax upon arrival. The few that have been charged the tax have reported it to be about $50 to $60, and I think that it has just been payable upon delivery, but I am not 100% sure to be honest.

I am going to send you an email right now with a little bit more information!

Thanks again,

Kevin
 
Tim, i do not think you could go wrong doing business with Kevin. Get yourself a beautiful Cocobolo and you will fall in love like I fell in love with mine.

And Jake, the wood on your top is jaw-dropping. I especially like the heart surrounding the bridge. I'm glad you found your perfect strings. I really like the Aquila Reds on my pineapple, until the g string snapped. And I was being so careful too! So I put the Nylgut back on, and I kinda like the aesthetic. The one white string with three red ones fits the sapwood/heartwood scheme of the cocobolo.
 
Hi jakethesnake can i ask what you think of the radiused neck ?
 
I had a lovely cocobolo uke - was very happy with how it sounded, played and was built (and the service from Kevin was brilliant)... But alas I had to sell it because of allergies. It felt like I was coming down with a cold whenever I played it. Such a shame - and I note no one else seems to have this problem so all power to these ukes :)
 
Fisherman said:
I had a lovely cocobolo uke - was very happy with how it sounded, played and was built (and the service from Kevin was brilliant)... But alas I had to sell it because of allergies. It felt like I was coming down with a cold whenever I played it. Such a shame - and I note no one else seems to have this problem so all power to these ukes :)
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I'm so sorry you're allergic to the wood. What a bummer:(!
I love sniffing the soundhole, not to rub it in.....people do giggle at me when I do that.
 
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