Do you prefer Koa or Mahogany Ukuleles? Kiwaya Ukuleles
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Alex takes a comparative look at Gloss and Satin finishes and whether Mahogany or Koa is the right wood for you?
Kiwaya KPC-1K/HG High Gloss Koa Concert Ukulele - www.southernuk...
Kiwaya KTC-2 Mahogany Satin Concert Ukulele -
www.southernuk...
#koa #mahogany #kiwaya #sus
Mahogany has a mellow warmth to the tone, and the koa has a brighter livelier characteristic. Both sound great though.
Koa sounds brighter to me. Brightness without being harsh. And this makes me feel I am playing in a more articulate manner. Koa is sooooo Hawaiian. Koa all the way for me :)
That koa sounds really really bright to me, almost chiming ! I prefer the darker, softer and mellower sound of the mahogany, in this particular comparison. But I suspect the strings do play a part in this : I personally put "darker" strings on koa, to tame the brightness a bit and kind of "round out" the chime (not easy to describe, lol). I have a Kamaka pineapple in koa with Worth Brown strings, and it sounds exactly like the natural son of both these two, lol. It has it all ! It's not high glossed though. I think the gloss may add some sharp glassy texture to the sound, because I also have a Romero Creations STC concert in koa (with WB strings too), and it is definitely brighter than the Kamaka... but not as much as this one. Tonewoods are fascinating !
They both sound great, I would go with the Koa.
I own five tenor ukulele's. Three of the five are made from Koa. I prefer Koa, especially Hawaiian Koa. Koa sings the sounds of Hawaii to me. I own a Kamaka Koa 6-string that is almost as old as i am. I have a Spruce-Koa Tenor by Oscar Schmidt and a Fender laminated Koa tenor ukulele. The other two - I have one made from Mahogany and one made from Swamp Ash-wood. The type of finish can effect the woods sound also. i prefer satin finish. Only two of my ukulele have a more of a gloss like finish.
The Mahogany sounds better in my opinion. Warm, wooden, & soothing. the Koa sounded a bit too bright and rather plasticky if that's even a word. maybe because of the glossy finished though!
Both are good, just different. Mahogany is more mellow and found that Koa projects more bright sounds. Both are beautiful.
I definitely want both of them.
Sorry, I definitely NEED both of them.
YES /° no choice possible
I would pick Mahogany, hands down, over Koa. Mahogany instruments have such warm overtones....I have Mahogany, Spruce, Cedar, Koa and resophonic ukes...but I love Mahogany. Koa is really beautiful though!
I'm with you on the mahogany. I adore my Snail electro acoustic. I played many instruments.
I don't really go for the earthy, folky sound of Koa but I can see it has its place. I prefer the slightly more open sophisticated guitary sound of my Snail to all the other instruments I tried.
I really like to chuck, and this to me is where that instrument excelled. But it also sings in a really lovely way. The instrument itself resonates really nicely (The body of the instrument).
If you want to hear what the Snail sounds like (unplugged), just take a peek at my channel.
Got my Mahagony Uke in Hawaii. Love it, very soothing and soft/mellow
I'm listening with good earbuds and koa sounds so amazing! and the other one doesn't sound so well
I own two solid mahogany, one Koa and one mahogany laminate, all tenors. Honestly, solid mahogany has a warmer tone than the Koa. I love Living Water strings but only on my mahoganies. With my Kala Elite Koa 2 Pepe Romero w/ the low G are the definite favorite. I believe, when it comes to strings, there is no substitute for trial and error, but always remembering the variables. Solid vs laminate, Koa vs mahogany etc. they will make all the difference in determining what sounds and feels good to you. Just my two cents worth. As always, thanks so much for the videos. Wes
I think you're right!
I don’t know if you like receiving short videos but here is one letting you here a Koa tenor ukulele with Pepe Romero strings. This is one of two thank you’s I put together for Jon Bennett but his one was never published. Take care, Wes ua-cam.com/video/sba6GWWgJ80/v-deo.html
W Schield sounds good if a bit mellow for my own personal preferences... I do rate these strings though and we sell them.
Thanks Alex, I appreciate you taking the time to check it out. And yes, ukuleles are definitely a very personal choice. 😊👍🏻Take care, Wes
Thank you, Alex.
The warmness of the tone of the mahogany instrument is very comfortable.
I'm guessing it is priced more comfortably too 😊.
Audrey Layhoon Giam you are correct, usually about 20% cheaper!
I love the brighter sound of a koa, mahogny has more a warmer sound and more mid range. For people looking for a cheaper alternative to Koa should look a Acacia. Acacia is the Australian cousin to Koa. There's also African acacia but acacia ukuleles tend to be cheaper than comparable koa models.
Kyle Knight most ukulele companies that use acacia wood are getting it from Asia
@@brent__earl I guess that doesn't surprise, I did a lot of research when I bought my first expensive uke. Missed that, thanks brett
Koa vs. Acacia is a marketing and linguistic argument, All Koa is Acacia that has been grown and harvested in Hawaii, the word Koa translates to warrior in the Hawaiian language. But if you take a piece of Koa and a piece of Acacia send it to a botanist both pieces will be deemed to be Acacia.
Interesting. Thanks for the vid and nice playing.
Based on that, I'd say the mahogany sounded better.
I wish the koa wasn’t glossed for a more accurate comparison
Asking which sounds better is like asking “who sings better Tom Jones or Celine Dion?” Two different styles for two different tastes but they both sound great. That being said I prefer Tom Jones, I mean mahogany!
I have a 1910 favela baritone made out of mahogany. My favorite instrument. Balanced and round. Lovely. Thanks for the mahogany shoutout.!!!
The Baritone wasn't invented until the 1950s. Most favillas were made in the 1960s... lovely ukes.
@@SouthernUkuleleStore Thank you for the info. That makes sense since it is in too good shape to be early 20cen. The Favila web site used to have-but no longer has-a page of maker’s marks by date. The makers mark on my uke would have dated it before 1910 which always seemed wrong. It must have been wrong, especially since they have removed that page from their site. But that being said, the web site has pics of Favila ukes from the early 1900s. I am glad to know its era of my uke. I love the instrument. It is an amazing instrument. I use it to play 16cen guitar music. Thanks for the clarification!!! Cheers!!
@@SouthernUkuleleStore ua-cam.com/video/usbXkymYeaU/v-deo.html
I love mahogany instruments but this time i have to go for Koa. Mahogany sounds warm and soothing but Koa has better looks and it’s brighter.
I agree that mahogany tends to be underrated. I have a 5-string (ohana ck-28-5) that is solid mahogany. It’s a joy to play!❤️
I love my concert Hawaiian koa, Martin. I love my mahogany Córdoba too!! 🥰
I do have some ukuleles made by koa, but those I like to play the most is made of solid mahogany.
Thank you for this! An idea: you have a line of six Pono concerts: mahogany, mango and acacia, each in satin or gloss. And another six tenors in the same combinations of wood and finish. It would be awesome to hear them side by side.
Marek Jedliński I did a fairly comprehensive video on Pono’s last month I think.
Ah, thanks, I must have missed that one!
For those who might be looking: ua-cam.com/video/5HYd5CysmU4/v-deo.html
You have a beautiful style. I think the Koa has just a wee more sparkle to it.
I was hoping that I couldn’t tell the difference. However, I did prefer the KOA.....
Koa wood has a fuller sound.
Also, cool fact: termites don't eat koa wood
Interesting! Thank you.
I have a question : termites eat mahogany?
I read that back in the day circa 1920's no one wanted Koa it was all about the mahogany I have a Kala-KA SMHT & a Pono ATD they just sound very different The Kala is nice & Light the Pono is heavy but it's prettier
I love your videos brother, thank you for deciding which ukulele to get my daughter......
The koa definitely projects much louder.
THanks for the comparison. I have a koa concert uke, but thinking of getting a mahogany tenor.
It almost sounds like the Koa is more "plinggy" than the mahogongy.
I love Mahogany sound
I just bought my first Uke today. Concert size cheap plywood. I figured to give a cheap one a try and see if I like it. So far it's a blast. I just have to remember I'm playing the 5th of the guitar.
Shootin' with Uncle Dan cool! Best of luck with it.
@@SouthernUkuleleStore thanks
I like Koa
It’s widely normal to strum down over the sound hole. So why are you strumming way up on the neck?!?
And if you compare the koa with mango ?
You will find that video on the channel
I prefer Koa and have a KoAloa KTM 00. I also have Kala solid cedar top Acacia sides and back model that has a very nice soft sound.
What song were you playing with mahogany soprano?
I didn't play a Soprano in the video. The song I played on the Mahogany concert was an alternative arrangement of 'Something' by George Harrison.
Koa
Koa 👌🏼
Very nice review I prefer koa just because it cuts better in the mix or when playing outdoors,but mahogany tone it’s a classic more warm and smooth tone suits better for indoor playing
I’d agree with that. Thanks for your input
I actually just bought a tenor mahogany Luna ukulele
Team Mahogany
I think for my mellow sound I'd go for mahogany. I've got ortega walnut it's equally good. Love the melody. Do you have the tablature? Shout out for the macho man t shirt.. Very 😎 cool
I’m afraid not, we tend to just figure out our arrangements by ear so no tablature - sorry about that.
Macho man forever 🤙
That's funny because I'm from Hawaii and I'm looking for mahogany.
I'm from England and hate Tea...
Didn't IZ play a Martin Mahogany Tenor?
@@SouthernUkuleleStore Yes he has a Martin but he also played a 5 stringer that Chris Kamaka made him.
Very cool. Even he had the internal mahogany vs Koa debate 😆
@@SouthernUkuleleStore I like tea it's good to drink right before you sing. Cool that you're from England cherrio 😂
Haha... thanks.
Cowabunga dude
Seems not using the same string
ESCape Ukulele Band no - they use brown Fluorocarbon with the Koa instrument and Clear Fluorocarbon with the Mahogany.
Mahogany every day.
Is kauri and koa same?
No, Kauri is an agathis tree.
@@SouthernUkuleleStore is it better than mahogany?
That's what the video is about... You should watch it, it's really good 😂
If you mean Agathis, then probably not. No one really uses Agathis other than on cheap laminate ukes.
@@SouthernUkuleleStore okay,thank you. I will watch it. I was looking for kauri and i found koa,and so had a doubt if both are same... Thanks for enlightening me
KOA gloss.
hi concert solid mahogany/ solid acacia : will i be disappointed with this choice ? !! (= mahogany) looking for a traditional sound but maybe i will not have the famous trebles
Both have there place but I can't answer whether you would regret have one over the other - the point of the video is to.help you answer that! 😄
@@SouthernUkuleleStore acacia wins for me for the brightness
Can you please play the same music with the kenya EUC-70 concert ukulele🙏🏼🤙🏼
I’m afraid not. I’ve never seen a Kenya ukulele and we don’t stock them. 🤷♂️
Every time I get the funds to buy a better uke I end up getting another guitar.
Eastern Cowboy 😢
Ahhh - a fellow oscillator between UAS and GAS. I'm well familiar with the experience and the dilemma. I've finally settled (I think) on the ukes that will be at the heart of my (temporary???) collection with Alex having recently been responsible for introducing me to the Kanile'a baritone that I can't ever see being surpassed ... though I do also love my Carvalho baritone and my Kala tenor and my ..........
But ... BUT .... I've recently been fighting off (unsuccessfully) a returning bout of GAS with the acquisition of a Martin acoustic and a PRS electric. Perhaps, for a future upload, Alex could sit cross-legged in a darkened room surrounded by candles and intone a few words of wisdom for we tormented few who are caught in the middle between two such overpowering compulsions? Trouble is, he would probably do a shoot-out between six string guitarleles and god help us then!
alan sturgess I own too many guitars Alan to be in a position to judge anyone
ok I just hate the mahogany', sadly the only sopranos with EQ available are all mahogany