Comments on: KoAloha KCM-00 Review

By: The Man of Tomorrow

The Man of Tomorrow — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:35:32 +0000

Have to agree with the customer service comment of Slippahs. Why bother posting contact information if you’re not going to respond?

I like their uke a lot, but I wouldn’t have bought it from them if I knew they couldn’t be bothered to spend 1 minute responding to a simple query about how to deal with a flaw in the finish of the instrument I bought from them.

This is a recent experience, but I won’t bother with continued efforts trying to contact them given what I have read here. Hopefully the negativity doesn’t spill over to the uke.

By: Rubbah Slippahs

Rubbah Slippahs — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 03:08:39 +0000

There’s a reason that the previous poster (Mike) encountered preference for Martin’s in Hawaii . . . its because most classic Hawaiian uke tunes were done using Martin soprano and tenor instruments including Somewhere Over The Rainbow and almost everything else that Hawaii’s revered native son Bruddah Iz ever recorded! Martin’s are and were the bomb, period!

And as far as Koaloha goes, I own a KoAloha (received it as a gift), and yes, its nice in terms of tone, but frankly, in my opinion, its nothing “exceptional”. More importantly, their Customer Service is TERRIBLE (!), and I don’t say that based on one or two experiences.

Over the past ten years, I’ve called KoAloha more times than I can count (all hours of the day), to ask a simple question or to just order something minor and I don’t think ANYONE has EVER answered the phone there directly, save once perhaps!
Similarly, you can leave voice mail messages and e-mail messages – they simply don’t even respond!

That’s amazing given the competition they’re facing there from Kamaka and Kanile’a and a legion of other Hawaii-based luthiers. You’d think they’d straighten out their act, but nope, its been going on this way now for over ten years!!!!

KoAloha? Nah!! Bruddah-wise-up!

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:48:07 +0000

While on the Big Island in 1999 I asked lots of locals what uke they preferred, as I was in the market for one. I was surprised when every response from 5 uke players was “a Martin!”
Hugh? Yep, every response. I own 2 Martin guitars. They’re great, but since I was born on Oahu I wanted a HAWAIIAN uke, not one from Nasareth, Penn. I found a Koaloha (made in 1999) in a music store there. This Koaloha has an arched back! It has a sweet, clear, high-pitched sound without being over trebly. Finish is flawless, no pitting anywhere.
I’m a guitar player, but I find playing the Koaloha effortless, except for those “two missing strings!” LOL
Mine is very much like the one pictured here. It sold for $400 in 1999 with a thick chipboard case. I love mine and display in on my music studio wall.

By: Victor

Victor — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:32:33 +0000

Did you ever get a custom Koaloha?
If you didn’t what is a good brand to get a custom uke from?

By: Joel

Joel — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:33:57 +0000

I own one of these, and I love both the sound and feel of it. I like its sound better than any other uke I have. For differences in sound and feel, I also own a Kanilea Soundmonster soprano, an Applause soprano, a Hamano soprano that sounds very much like a vintage Martin, a soprano Ohana with an extended tenor-length neck, a concert Flea with the rosewood fingerboard, a Fluke, a Kala Mango tenor, and a Lanikai baritone. They all have unique qualities, but I believe the KoAloha is superior.

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:07:25 +0000

I became obsessed with custom ukes and stopped playing this one, so I sold it.

By: molokinirum

molokinirum — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:59:22 +0000

How come you no longer have this uke?

By: Julie

Julie — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:37:10 +0000

It was (I no longer have it) comfortable to hold and play.

By: molokinirum

molokinirum — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:58:42 +0000

Great review, I am heading to the Islands in the fall and i plan on buying the same uke. I liked the sound clip you added. How does the uke play and feel in your hands?

By: Slipinkramer

Slipinkramer — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:03:04 +0000

Yeah, I have some thoughts…

I just returned from Hawaii, where I spent a lot of time playing ukuleles from all over the Big Island. The Pono is a fine instrument but The KoAloha has the edge in sound. In my opinion, its more than a slight edge. The KoAloha soprano is clearly better sounding!

By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:44:04 +0000

Hey i was looking at getting either the pono soprano pineapple of the Ko’aloha standard soprano..your thoughts?

By: ukola

ukola — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:05:44 +0000

I think these are some of the best ukuleles I’ve ever heard that were not vintage. It even sounds brand new as good as some good quality vintage instruments do.

By: GString C1 Sun Concert Ukulele Review

GString C1 Sun Concert Ukulele Review — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:22:57 +0000

[...] one model from each major Hawaiian luthier. My first review towards that lofty ambition was the KoAloha KCM-00 and the next one is the C1 Sun Concert from the GString Ukulele [...]

By: DaveW

DaveW — Sat, 24 May 2008 09:42:42 +0000

Personally I don’t like them one bit. I don’t like the build, the look of them, and I can’t stand the sound. This does sound like I am a grumpy person but I’m not really like that – honest. Its just that for the life of me I can’t understand how these could be popular when there is so many other good brands out there.
For anyone who wishes to get one of these, I really would suggest they try one out first before ordering by mail. Don’t get me wrong here, you may well love them to bits, but personally I don’t.

By: howlinhobbit

howlinhobbit — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:15:53 +0000

Seeing the pores in the wood means they’ve put a light finish on it. This is a good thing as it doesn’t stiffen the top up like the heavier finishes. The top movement is what produces the sound and volume.

I have a Glyph ukulele and Dave Means french polishes his ukes. You can see the pores in mine as well.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:54:19 +0000

Thanks for clearing up that issue. I had read on another forum where people were complaining about the pitted surface, so I wanted to make sure I at least talked about it. My Koa Pili Koko has the same issue. I don’t find it to be a problem at all…

By: GX9901

GX9901 — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:07:27 +0000

Nice review of the KoAloha concert. I would like to point out that the pitted surface finish really should not be considered a defect. You can see the pits in the wood grain because KoAloha does not grain-fill before applying the final coats of their finish. G-String ukulele does the same thing (I own one) and I believe Kamaka also. This is done on purpose. Whether it’s to save on costs or because it doesn’t impede the sound as much as a glass-smooth surface, I do not know.