Got A Ukulele Reviews - Koaloha KTM-00 Tenor
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2018
- Got A Ukulele reviews and buyers guides looks at the KTM-00 Tenor from Koaloha - read the full review at www.gotaukulele.com/2018/09/k...
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#gotaukulele #ukulele #review - Hudba
I don't know much about Ukulele's, still learning. Have only been playing 5 months. But, what I do have is a good musical ear. In all the videos I have watched about Koaloha's, I've noticed there's something extraordinarily unique about the sound of Koaloha Ukulele's. It's like they become another limb, an extension of the player. Almost like there's an understanding between the instrument and the player and they just want to sing for you! Maybe I'm weird, but that's the only way I can describe the sound. They are simply stunning. Maybe one day I will have the privilege of owning one. Either that or a Blackbird Clara ;)
Thanks Wendy! I think you are dead right!
pure soul
Finally ordered my own straight from Hawaii. I cannot wait!
Enjoy!
I played one of these at a shop in NYC where I could compare it to the other "K" brands. The Koaloha was my favorite! I have 5 other ukes, 2 Ponos, 2 Martins and a Deering Banjolele. The Koaloha is in a class by itself. It will be my next investment.
I hear a lot of people say that. Ultimately, that top table I talk about in the review has a few up there and it comes down to personal choice. Having played Kanile'a tenors, Kamaka tenors and this one - they are close - but I think the Koaloha edges it for me.
That's exactly how i felt. I sampled ukes from all of the "K" brands, even some that cost 2x what the KTM-00 cost, but nothing compared to the Koaloha for me. Got mine in 2013, and have loved it ever since :)
Wow!!!! KoAloha FTW! Just light years above and beyond! Pops and company sure know what they're doing!
Yep - indeed!
Yay!!! Baz is back! Koaloha is back! Life is good! Welcome back, Baz! I missed you!
Needed a holiday - but lots on the shelf for reviews going forwards!
You deserved it. I hope it was good!!!
So pleased to hear that you are keeping this beautiful instrument Barry. May it bring you (& others) much joy!
Thanks Stuart - had one of these on wish list for ever pretty much!
Yup! One of my future ukulele will be a Koaloha soprano 😊 . I played one on a store before “TheUkuleleSite” store, and I was really amazed by the Koaloha Opio soprano with spruce top and acacia Back/sides. Thank you Sir Barry for this another amazing review✌🏻&❤️
Koaloha was one of my first high enders as well. There are a few as good, but none better IMHO.
Cheers! You were missed. Lovely uke.
Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for such great quality instruments. keep it up Si
My pleasure!
Thanks for a great review just got to make my mind up between this or the kanilea K1
Having played them any thoughts if you had to buy one
Thanks
Great to see you back Barry! I bought this without ever playing one as they don't sell the high end ukes where I live. I love it, BUT I will say that the spacing between the frets length wise going up and down (not width) is longer than most tenors. I have two other tenors and this one is just a tad to "big" for my smaller size hands. It's fine with open chords but as soon as I start with bar chords it's too undwieldy. If I could go back I would have bought the concert. Also the low G on this is over powering for strumming, and the Worth high g makes the whole thing too bright. I found Aquila's to suit it best. I often think of selling it as it sets in the corner as I prefer my Ohana CK-35 for it's warmer tone easier playability, though I know it's technically not as nice an ukulele.
I agree re scale but strangely don’t find the low G too much ( and I normally do.) I’m finding Oasis Bright strings are great on it
Yes. That is a harmonic masterpiece of an instrument. I noticed you kept on playing it which is definitely a good review, as it catches the attention.
Yep - one of my favourites i've ever reviewed!
I'm not good enough player to justify spending 1000 on a ukulele but I want a koaloha so bad. I do like the Spruce opio and could maybe stretch to that as a birthday treat haha
Hawaiian girl here to help with pronunciation! I giggled a little when you said mooSOObee when I figured out what you meant. We say moosooBEE, with the emphasis on the last syllable. And I hope you got to try one since you posted this!
Great review!
Thanks!
Congrats on acquiring one, CZcams compression doesn't do it justice. I just picked up the KTM-soo last month and haven't been able to put it down. The sound and playability of these are just simply fantastic!
No - I hate what YT does to audio - this was uploaded as pretty much a raw file too with WAV audio track.
@@GotAUkulele wow and still it was cut down in audio quality, but the tone still came across rather well when wearing headphones. Such a lovely instrument.
I wonder if you put a limiter or (slight) compression on the audio, to get rid of the peaks, CZcams will still mess up the sound. Maybe CZcams automatically uses a crap compressor/limiter when you upload a video that's 'too dynamic'(?).
I just bought one of those and haven't received it yet. I was very glad to see you review it! I anticipate being in love with mine too!
I think you will!
My Koaloha arrived today. It is beautiful to look at and it sounds great..... and there is a smudge underneath the glaze and the glaze is not smooth everywhere.... there are some pits. I am wondering- do I just ignore these problems and keep it- or send it back? What would you do? This is not the level of quality control I expect in a $1400 uke. (It has custom pyrography on it, so that is why it is a bit more $$$ than one might expect.
Renee Aubuchon mine had no marks or pits . I don’t think that is right myself.
Thank you.
I bought one of these a few months ago and I don't regret it one tiny little bit! I love playing it and my technique has improved as a result - I play it more often and for longer. To be honest, I didn't really choose the uke: it chose me! I'm gradually experimenting with different strings. At present I have a set of Martin M620's on - high G - but I think I'll revert to Worths with a low G soon.
I genuinely think these are one of the best tenor ukuleles on the planet.
I saw one of these at the Ko'Aloha shop yesterday and it's striking how much the depth of the wood does NOT show up on a video camera. I know you've said it time and again yourself, but yah I got to actually see it myself and you're right. It's like a whole different instrument in person.
They are indeed beautiful
I have the tenor and D6. If you like the sound from the factory, try some Worth strings and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Not a fan of Worth strings, sorry
Love your reviews...thanks...one question, have you ever reviewed a Bruce Wei uke, if not will you do so in the future?
Mike Currell I have seen several but not long enough to review one. My experience is the ones he makes in his own name are very mixed quality wise. This surprises me as he makes some for other brands which are superb. Think their quality control is better than his! Probably unlikely to feature one due to cost of him shipping one to me on loan and then shipping it back.
@@GotAUkulele Thanks for your reply Barry
I had a KoAloha concert a few years ago and I regret selling it. I just bought a KoAloha concert long neck. I love KoAloha.
Yep - very nice ukuleles
❤Beautiful sound!
Glad you like it!
Great review again Barry. I’m somewhat torn between the Koaloha, and similar class Kamaka and Kanile’a tenors - some of which you have reviewed in the past. Can you provide some guidance on the playability of the Kamaka and Kanile’a compared to the Koaloha? To help you understand where I’m coming from, I recently acquired a Godin Multiuke, and it is by far the best player I own, as far as comfortability, ease of making barre chords etc. With that in mind, can you offer your thoughts on which of the three Hawaiian instruments compare in ease of playability with the Godin? Do any of the Hawaiian made instruments have a radius fretboard? Thanks in advance!
Really hard to answer William. I have not reviewed the Kamaka tenor so need to discount that (but did review the standard soprano which is sublime). I did however review and own the standard Kanile’a tenor. Neither that nor the Koaloha have radiused boards, so I can confirm that. There is very little in in playability wise to be honest. The Kanile’a sounds woodier and earthier and the Koaloha brighter and snappier (without being harsh). They are both terrific. But you’d need to play them side by side to be sure yourself as i’m only going of my own ears and everyone hears differently. For the the Koaloha edges it, but i dont have a tangible reason for saying so. Just a gut feel.
GotAUkulele Thanks Barry. Unfortunately, my local music store doesn’t stock the “K” brands, making it impossible to try one on for size. I’m quite happy with the voice of the Koaloha, and that’s where I’m leaning. Unfortunately, the tenor size is currently unavailable at the dealers I work with.
Congratulations, stunner of an instrument. Wonderful craftsmanship. Hard to put it down I bet. Odd they don’t tell you the string choice but small item since folks at that end of the spectrum probably change to personal preference pretty quick.
I believe it IS fishing line Fluorocarbon
Have you tried the PHD strings? They're great on koalohas, and have a higher tension which you might really like 😊
Not heard of them. I tend to use fishing line
The beauty of an uke of solid wood, you already know Baz, they warm up and get better. They also resonate different than other ukes. One try and your hooked, no ka oi !
Absolutely Gary!
Sounds like a baritone kinda. It has really warm big body sound
My friend gave me the advice to always buy the one you like best that you can afford. I went in to my local dedicated ukulele store, Ukulele Source in San Jose, Calif. I wanted to spend US$500, tried those out, and then thought, "What the heck, let's try a Hawaiian one for fun. I'm here." My god, it was like night and day, and then the KoAloha was a huge step up from the Kamaka! I was in trouble! Can I technically afford it if I stretched my budget? I'm a beginner player for a year or so, so I didn't feel worthy. But I've been fingerpicking with Ukulele Corner's classical repertoire, so this KoAloha just plays effortlessly with bright, clear notes when I pick. Ooouf, what should I do? I had my friend's voice in my head - buy the best one you can afford, not buy the best one you think you ought to spend. So the rationalizing started....I drive a car that I bought in 2006....Even a newer used car would eat up the cost of the ukulele in 3 months, right?.... So 3 months of staying with my crappy car, and there's my ukulele.
I made the grown-up choice and bought the KoAloha. 😂 I love every beginner moment I luxuriate on it. It's like a massage at a Napa spa and a 16-year Scotch every time I play. So worth it.
Absolutely the best way - good choice on the ukulele - enjoy it!
Great summary review! Question: I have this model and want to add a pickup. I am considering the LR Baggs Five.0. Your thoughts?
Superb pickup. One of the best there is for uke
GotAUkulele Thank you. Do the wires, etc. Change the sound? A luthier told me it would. But I don’t want to have to use a mic.
@@ZabDevin Negligible if at all. Bear in mind most if not all the global ukulele performers (Jake, James Hill etc) use pickups on stage - doesn't do them any harm!
What I DON'T like are the huge pickup systems with side controls which are more designed for guitars. But the Baggs isn't that.
Can you speak to the sonic and/or playability differences between the spruce Opio tenor and the Koa, Hawaiian KoAloha tenor?
Not with a side by side video for the reasons I state. They get sent back so I rarely have them long enough for an overlap to allow comparisons. Plus, all my reviews are individually scored so it would make that difficult. Having played Opios and Hawaiian KoAlohas (and owed both) though - I will say this. Opios are oustanding - but they dont surpass the Hawaiian versions. At all (in my opinion)
@@GotAUkulele Yes, thanks. That's why I asked you to speak to it rather than create a video. Could you address the tonality and harmonic complexity of the spruce top to the koa model, to the best of your memory? I have heard their koa models (I own a concert one) but haven't personally heard or played the spruce Opio. I'm wondering whether to seek out a used koa tenor or go for the spruce Opio. Thanks for your videos. I find them useful. Cheers.
Thanks for the review. That's one of the holy grails in the world of ukuleles. How high/low is the setup on this beauty, measured on fret 1 and 12? greets
Setup is perfect - I should have mentioned that but overlooked it as it was so good
Can confirm the setup on Koalohas is typically spot on. I have a KTM-00, and the setup is flawless. Plays better than anything else I've tried.
Thanks for your answers barry and ernest. I would have guessed that it's perfect, that's why I am so interessted in the exact numbers of mills above the 1st/12th fret. ^^ It would help my sense for a good setup if you could help me out with more details. ;) greets and much fun with your new instrument
R. W. Seeing as I don't have a string height Guage I can't give you a great measurement here. Mines ~2.5mm at the 12th fret though.
Why do the exact numbers matter though? Setup is a personal thing when it comes to height. Sure there are limits (too high and you throw intonation off, too low can kill volume and / or cause buzzing). But between tolerable limits there is a range. I said this one is perfect, meaning 'perfect for me'. Others may prefer it up or down a little.
Beautiful & thanks for reviewing/posting! though the tusk bridge/nut raises my eyebrow... will have to contact them to find out more. Mammal/nonsynthetic tusk would be unacceptable.... regardless of sound/build.
It IS synthetic . Its TUSQ - a brand name composite, not tusk. As it is spelled in the review
www.graphtech.com/products/brands/tusq
Hello Barry, is bookmatching better than one peace die the sound????
Mario Van Der Zijden purely about looks
I know you're not a fan of budget ukes, but I have a suggestion that I'd be really interested in seeing you review.
The department store Clas Ohlson sells a ukulele for £29, the Joy UK-21s. For the price I find it surprisingly good, way better than any others I've encountered in a similar price range. I wonder if you'd feel the same.
Who says I’m not a fan of budget ukes? I’m not a fan of bad budget ukes and there are more bad than good. That’s all. It’s a minefield.
@@GotAUkulele Maybe I worded that badly.
Evil Twin I’ll look into it though
I love my Pikkake soprano, I will never part with it, just wish I could afford a tenor
I wish hadn’t parted with mine!
Would you put the High G on Koaloha KTM-00? Then what High G string would you put on?
No reason why not - it would work fine. I never give string recommendations though - any high G set you like.
Koaloha vs Kanelea? choice ? Really would like to know. Thanks
Impossible to choose - as good as each other. Purely down to subjective things like looks
What song are you playing when you start the picking portion of the demo. Thanks.
Usually these czcams.com/video/rkk9CXQ1AZU/video.html
@@GotAUkulele Thank You.
I love ukes strung with a low g
I have one I keep that way, but probably play re-entrant more. Both are cool though.
@@GotAUkulele I keep one entrant and the others low g. Pretty sound or mellow sound.
Great review.
I'm in the market for a tenor and I've narrowed it down to the KoAloha or aNueNue Moonbird. Which do you prefer?
The Moonbirds are outstanding, but I'd choose this. Nothing agains the aNueNue - but this is just less fussy. This is just pure uke
GotAUkulele I get that, I have a KoAloha in a concert and I love it. I'm just tempted by something different.
Thanks for the opinion.
I'd throw Kanile'a in your mix too.
@@GotAUkulele Funny you should say this. I actually went with Kanile'a. Got a great deal on a K-3T - incredible looks, incredible sound.
On a side note (and not because it is relevant), to me the fingerboard looks darker than the bridge. I thought it was an ebony fingerboard at first glance. I noticed that also on the (beautiful, as usual) pictures on the website. I would consider that a plus, since I love dark fingerboards. Is it just my imagination, Baz?
It is a bit darker, but rosewood does vary.
GotAUkulele Cool!
Do u live in London? It si possibile to get a ukulele that it's giveaway?
No and no. Most ukes are only loaned to me and go back to the dealer. Those I buy and don’t need to local charity
@@GotAUkulele I understand,what a pity!
Ako_ B it’s not for me really. If every ukulele I reviewed was gifted to me nobody would consider my reviews to be impartial. I’d effectively have been given payment in kind. I don’t want that. Would make the channel pointless
Please review a LoPrinzi Concert.
Been trying to get one for review for a long time
I'd love that. I hope my next Uke is a LoPrinzi. There are lots of them around here. I think the wait list is several months for a custom.
I love your videos. What are the little tunes you play towards the end of your reviews? I would like to learn them.
czcams.com/video/rkk9CXQ1AZU/video.html
GotAUkulele thanks!
Stunning. I hope you ended up buying that one.
I did!
Hi! I’m thinking to buy this model. But I worry about the neck. A lot of models has one or more tiny knots. I understand Koaloha thinking about cost performance. So how do you think about knots of the mahogany neck?
No knots in this one. Saying that I can't think of a reason why such things would bother me if I couldn't feel them. I'd be very surprised though if their signature Hawaiian made models like this came with knots. Where did you see those?
GotAUkulele Yeah your's are so nice. I have seen famous stores in Tokyo Japan. I want to ask it to Alvin Okami, if I can.
That’s just gorgeous, fabulous looks, sound and sustain - unfortunately way beyond my pocket 😢
Yeah, they are not cheap at all. Worth the money IMHO though.
All you’re missing now is a Ko’olau 😂
Rarely if ever see them in the UK. Lots of Ponos but don’t remember last time i saw a Ko’olau.
the rarity of genuine Hawaiian koa tonewood surely a major factor in the pricing of this lovely instrument. I've read that the acacia koa species is critically endangered
It is indeed.
5 yeras later, the price went up by 40% 😮
Wait until you see the price of butter…
Gimme.
I think you like that one!
Just a bit!
Nice! I'd say you've gotten slightly attached....
Oh - very!
Ha ha haaaaa! Downvote - like clockwork...
Some no-life basement dwelling CZcams troll. Ignore. He doesn't count!
Ha ha!