For my first I purchased a mango built locally in Oregon. The head tag is “Ho’okipa” I liked the sound of the mango as soon as you started playing. I didn’t hear that much volume difference between the woods, probably due to my not playing the guitar for a number of years. Very happy at this point with the Mango...looking forward to the relearning on 4 strings. Ken
For Christmas I spoilt myself with a tenor 1-piece cherry wood with koa on top and back and I'm loving it big time! So far, I haven't seen anyone do a review of a cherry wood uke.
The mango sounds a little deeper to me with the mahogany very close, just with a bit more projection and maybe mids. The koa adds more of the highs giving it a bit of a chime to it. All sound nice, and I guess it just comes down to preference. I think I prefer the sound of the mango for my taste a bit more.
That mango sounds great but I'm really not a fan of mango's looks, with some rare exceptions. It's important for me to treasure and connect with my instrument aesthetically as well, though many will disagree! I've opted for all solid mahogany myself.
If I really have to pick, I would go with the Koa. It sounds like it has a little of the qualities of both of the others. It is sort of in the middle of the group.
The first ukulele that I built was a laminate one with a neck by MGB. The sound was good and I had fun playing it. My next ukulele was a solid top and back made with western red cedar and the sides are three layers of mahogany veneer glued together. The sound was amazingly different from the first one. I call my first one my campfire ukulele and I play the second one the most. Going to build a third one soon.
Surprisingly, I liked the spruce. I bought an all mahogany Romero from you which I like playing but this morning listening with my eyes closed the spruce was my favorite.
I love wood grain and all three are great but for my taste… mango first… for my listening… the large sounding of mango and koa is great… i buy the mango one and it an great pleasure to play with… great video
Of ukes I currently have, my favorite is a Koaloha tenor in koa. It sounds and looks great. Nice warm sound. I have a Romero Grand Tenor in spalted mango, looks amazing, very dramatic spalting, sounds fat and rich and bassy. I also have a Koaloha long neck soprano in mango that really sounds nice, warm, bright, and projects nicely for such a small instrument. I have an Ohana concert pineapple in solid spruce top with solid mahogany back and sides. Really projects! Very bright sound.
I am going nuts! I must have watched over 10 hours of Terry Carter's videos.(there are the best because the sound is never saturated like on other sites.) The spruce top is out as it sounds too metallic to my taste; the mango is warm and the koa is crispier. My quest is for some warmth but also good note separation. I want to purchase a Kanilea 19-inch tenor with 6-strings (yes, I am the guy from Montreal) from Uke Like the Pros, but I have to rely on videos for my final choice as there are no good uke dealers in my city. I like the mango, but the koa may have better sound separaton, which is important to me because I want to my chords to be distinct from one another.
I like the them in this order….. spruce….koa…..mango. Thanks for this! I would love to own it someday…..sigh…if only. Now I’m waiting for their least expensive concert uke to come back in stock.
Me too - I desperately am in need of live play(ing)mates now. As a musician I am a type of chamber musician - so making music alone is so lonely. But: the community of ULTP has served quite fine to me as a substitute on this corona year, though. We have weekly sessions via zoom, so at least I can play with someone others - and it is great, that we are all around this world! (I live in Finland, Europe) When joining in challenges it is possible to show the others where - and how - we are, and get & give feedback. Really important to me for getting my learning process go on!
About to buy one for myself right now. I'm definitely buying a tenor ukulele. It's my first time to buy one for myself. But I'm having a hard time deciding on the wood. Trying to choose between a spalted mango or a koa.
I have a couple of ukulele by Ko'aloha. They project loudly (and beautifully). Ko'aloha is known for this, so if you're looking for projection, I''d consider this brand. In fact. my koa tenor is loud enough that I feel no need for a baritone, even in a group setting. I hope this helps.
The wood really matters! Or, at least in solid ones it really matters! Thank you of making this video comparison with these 3 different guileles! For me the sound is the most important thing in instruments - and my taste says with these ones: 1. spruce&mahagony, 2. koa, 3. mango. I guess for me the thing is the higher uppertones/harmonics in the spruce- ones. It may be of course because I am guitarist from my backround, and so spruce has the most "guitar-like", or "solistical" sound? I have not yet really found out, which way should ukulele sound, when it sounds best or "most ukulelistically". I just this month got my own Romero Creation "Big-D" - Daniel Ho-model - this same as introduced here, but a little bigger one (21 inch scale, tuned E-E) and I now feel it is really great instrument, just suitable for me and my needs! I also have spruce&mahagony version of Romero Creations "B6" - Pepe Romero-model (tuned G-G) which is even more "towards to guitar" in its sound, and when they both have great resonance/sustain in them, the B6 maybe even a bit more stronger sound. Love them!!! (But, "live" have I not had have played any instruments of koa or mango - so maybe I could start to like a bit "warmer" woods, too? My main instrument is recorder - and there I like both "hard" and "soft" ones, and choose one acording the piece or style of music that I play. So it is possible, that maybe later I would like to have "warm" guitar-like instruments beside the lead-guitaristic ones, too? I can easily imagine, that for trio/quartet I would chose even mangos for everyone, but for playing solo a spruce one. )
I have 2 high end guitars, spruce top. To me, it doesn't speak ukulele. With this model the koa has a little more tone distinction, but, that being said, I adore MANGO. I'm in Ontario Canada, can't find what I want. :( :(
I heard no difference with the 1st fingerpicking comparison. In the last comparison, I perceived the koa to have the less muddled sound, but this may only be in my mind.
Watched one of your videos and you were praising soled Acacia it was with a baritone ukulele now you do not even include it in your picks of wood... WHAT IS GOING ON. Sound like what ever you have in your hand at the time is the best. Starting to wonder about what you say.
I enjoy your videos and your courses, Terry. But I really think you need to slow down. The playing of the instruments in the demos are too short and it really shows in this video. All of them had some buzz which is not typical of Romero’s. I have a Romero Mango grand tenor and love the rich warm and deep projection of that wood. I also have a Romero Custom Tenor that has a Sinker Redwood top and Indonesian Rosewood back and sides and the sound, sustain, and projection of that instrument are incredible. I think it is all about what wood/ sound best compliments the music you are playing. For the fast & short blips you played, the mango sounded best.
Sorry for you.... But, maybe it is is so, that you (me/everyone) need to hear a lots of instruments before you start to hear the differences? For me the wood matters a lot - and I feel sorrow of the fact, that maybe it is just the same for the listener, what I am playing with. Anyway - for me as musician it is not the same, what I am playing with. For the motivation to practice for me, means a lot how the instrument "discusses" with me - is it capable to "answer" me the way I ask it to do, and how warn or bright or "holding" the sound of it is. For me, also in human singing voice the timbre is even more important than the "virtuosity" of the texture people are singing. The wood/the material of the instrument gives the "main timbre" for the instrument - of course together with the structure of the instrument. Like in human voice - the structure orders is the voice bass or alto or soprano - but it is not "just the same" which kind of soprano the voice is: more metallic or more bright or what. But: really interesting is also, that when I really "can not stand at all" some singers, there are different people who admire them. So: also in music instruments it is really great thing there are not made of only one kind of wood - and so it is possible to find "this is the sound that my soul wants to sing" :) Before I bought my spruce&mahagony ones this year, I listened a lot of sound examples, and I am really thankful of all of them (made buy Terry, but also there are great sound examples made by HawaiiMusic) - for me it is not so important, what the instrument looks like, so just the picture is not enough for me.
@@mervitirkkonen7443 across the board I agree with you. When I listen to Terry's typical ukulele comparisons I hear a lot of subtle and sometimes not so subtle differences between woods. In this particular case I am hearing the steel strings more than any influence the tonewood has on the overall sound. My perception is that the nylon strings bring out more nuances. Again, my perception, your mileage may vary.
@@norcalbob3838 Jep - that is true, that the strings matters really lot, too. Just this summer I put fluorocarbon ones to my old "bonfire guitar"/all-around guitar and it amazingly really started to sing! I also like nylon strings more than steel strings, but as a guitarist I am used to the system that the 3 lowest strings are nylon, only wounded "steely", like in classical acoustical guitars they are. So they give some more bass, than if not be wounded. Did you mean that? I guess in these three were the same strings - Pepe Romero Guilele set UG1? They (and also UG2) seem to have: "Pepe Romero Strings pair La Bella wound basses, customized for this set, with cutting edge fluorocarbon treble strings"
@@mervitirkkonen7443 I'll be honest, I have the Romero STL Concert and was not happy with the proprietary strings. When they wore out I replaced them with flourocarbons and am much happier with both the sound and the playability. I did not care for the sound or feel of the wound lowG. To my ear the steel strings on the instruments in this video contribute far more to the sound than the woods do.
"So what Ukulele do you want to buy?" me: "Yes" Just started playing and I have all ready gotten bit by U.A.S (Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome.) Then again half of life is about greed management.
I m Sound Engineer living in India Unfortunately this Ukulele isnt Available in India Can u plz Ship it 2 my Address I m Ready 2 pay the Shipping Charge
This is a push for your guitarilele,, not a comparison for uke. Your last three direct comparisons are mostly played on the two strings Ukes don't have. I like most of your content but feel this is misleading.
For my first I purchased a mango built locally in Oregon. The head tag is “Ho’okipa” I liked the sound of the mango as soon as you started playing. I didn’t hear that much volume difference between the woods, probably due to my not playing the guitar for a number of years.
Very happy at this point with the Mango...looking forward to the relearning on 4 strings. Ken
Mango is my favorite fruit, I can hear the happiness from that mango ukelele.
Almost at 100 thousand subscribers congratulations.
The Spruce top jumped out at me right away. I like the projection and it sounded bright. Bright = Happiness for me.
For Christmas I spoilt myself with a tenor 1-piece cherry wood with koa on top and back and I'm loving it big time! So far, I haven't seen anyone do a review of a cherry wood uke.
The mango sounds a little deeper to me with the mahogany very close, just with a bit more projection and maybe mids. The koa adds more of the highs giving it a bit of a chime to it. All sound nice, and I guess it just comes down to preference. I think I prefer the sound of the mango for my taste a bit more.
So true Joel! #TeamMango
That mango sounds great but I'm really not a fan of mango's looks, with some rare exceptions. It's important for me to treasure and connect with my instrument aesthetically as well, though many will disagree! I've opted for all solid mahogany myself.
mango. Not just because "mango" is fun to say, ;~) or even that it's the prettiest. Just sounds rounder.
haha it's pretty fun to say, that's true!
If I really have to pick, I would go with the Koa. It sounds like it has a little of the qualities of both of the others. It is sort of in the middle of the group.
great! #KoaTeam !!!
The separation in the Koa is remarkable.
I bought a Mele mango tenor low G when in Maui and pleased I did as I think this video confirmed it!
Amazing!!
I prefer, and own, the Romero Creations Tiny Tenor Mango Ukulele. Couldn't be happier.
The first ukulele that I built was a laminate one with a neck by MGB. The sound was good and I had fun playing it. My next ukulele was a solid top and back made with western red cedar and the sides are three layers of mahogany veneer glued together. The sound was amazingly different from the first one. I call my first one my campfire ukulele and I play the second one the most. Going to build a third one soon.
Surprisingly, I liked the spruce. I bought an all mahogany Romero from you which I like playing but this morning listening with my eyes closed the spruce was my favorite.
Good choice #TeamSpruce
Mango for sure, its just perfect to me!
wooho #TeamMango
I've got a beautiful Mainland mango concert. I love it so much! At some point in the future I'd like to get a tenor too...
I love wood grain and all three are great but for my taste… mango first… for my listening… the large sounding of mango and koa is great… i buy the mango one and it an great pleasure to play with… great video
Of ukes I currently have, my favorite is a Koaloha tenor in koa. It sounds and looks great. Nice warm sound. I have a Romero Grand Tenor in spalted mango, looks amazing, very dramatic spalting, sounds fat and rich and bassy. I also have a Koaloha long neck soprano in mango that really sounds nice, warm, bright, and projects nicely for such a small instrument. I have an Ohana concert pineapple in solid spruce top with solid mahogany back and sides. Really projects! Very bright sound.
I bought the Mango Concert-ST-MG. Love it!
What a great choice!
Just ordered mine!
So excited!!
Mango.. and it's beautiful too
For sure #MangoTeam
Excellent comparison video.
Great video. Like the mango from the start.
Mango had the richest sound and spruce a close second
I like the sound of the koa the best. It seemed to have richer harmonics or something (although I was listening on a phone, so who knows)
I am going nuts! I must have watched over 10 hours of Terry Carter's videos.(there are the best because the sound is never saturated like on other sites.) The spruce top is out as it sounds too metallic to my taste; the mango is warm and the koa is crispier. My quest is for some warmth but also good note separation. I want to purchase a Kanilea 19-inch tenor with 6-strings (yes, I am the guy from Montreal) from Uke Like the Pros, but I have to rely on videos for my final choice as there are no good uke dealers in my city. I like the mango, but the koa may have better sound separaton, which is important to me because I want to my chords to be distinct from one another.
I like the them in this order….. spruce….koa…..mango. Thanks for this! I would love to own it someday…..sigh…if only. Now I’m waiting for their least expensive concert uke to come back in stock.
It seemed to me the koa had more sustain. I'd have to play them myself to decide which one sings to me, though!
Yes. That's the best thing to do!
I really want to play musical instruments together with foreigners ... but I am Indonesian
Me too - I desperately am in need of live play(ing)mates now. As a musician I am a type of chamber musician - so making music alone is so lonely. But: the community of ULTP has served quite fine to me as a substitute on this corona year, though. We have weekly sessions via zoom, so at least I can play with someone others - and it is great, that we are all around this world! (I live in Finland, Europe) When joining in challenges it is possible to show the others where - and how - we are, and get & give feedback. Really important to me for getting my learning process go on!
About to buy one for myself right now. I'm definitely buying a tenor ukulele. It's my first time to buy one for myself. But I'm having a hard time deciding on the wood. Trying to choose between a spalted mango or a koa.
Mango sounds most balanced to me. Any opinion on best wood for a baritone? Looking for something that really projects that fuller bari sound.
Hi John Best wood is koa. But Solid acacia and solid mahogany are also nice choices!
I have a couple of ukulele by Ko'aloha. They project loudly (and beautifully). Ko'aloha is known for this, so if you're looking for projection, I''d consider this brand. In fact. my koa tenor is loud enough that I feel no need for a baritone, even in a group setting. I hope this helps.
The wood really matters! Or, at least in solid ones it really matters! Thank you of making this video comparison with these 3 different guileles! For me the sound is the most important thing in instruments - and my taste says with these ones: 1. spruce&mahagony, 2. koa, 3. mango. I guess for me the thing is the higher uppertones/harmonics in the spruce- ones. It may be of course because I am guitarist from my backround, and so spruce has the most "guitar-like", or "solistical" sound? I have not yet really found out, which way should ukulele sound, when it sounds best or "most ukulelistically". I just this month got my own Romero Creation "Big-D" - Daniel Ho-model - this same as introduced here, but a little bigger one (21 inch scale, tuned E-E) and I now feel it is really great instrument, just suitable for me and my needs! I also have spruce&mahagony version of Romero Creations "B6" - Pepe Romero-model (tuned G-G) which is even more "towards to guitar" in its sound, and when they both have great resonance/sustain in them, the B6 maybe even a bit more stronger sound. Love them!!! (But, "live" have I not had have played any instruments of koa or mango - so maybe I could start to like a bit "warmer" woods, too? My main instrument is recorder - and there I like both "hard" and "soft" ones, and choose one acording the piece or style of music that I play. So it is possible, that maybe later I would like to have "warm" guitar-like instruments beside the lead-guitaristic ones, too? I can easily imagine, that for trio/quartet I would chose even mangos for everyone, but for playing solo a spruce one. )
Amazing! Thanks for sharing Mervi!
I appreciate you being here.
How about maple, rosewood, walnut, cedar, acacia (koa derivative) as a soundboard? I have all of these as a single tonewood instrument.
I have 2 high end guitars, spruce top. To me, it doesn't speak ukulele. With this model the koa has a little more tone distinction, but, that being said, I adore MANGO. I'm in Ontario Canada, can't find what I want. :( :(
What about ebony? I (being a beginner) started on Ortega RUEB-TE (tenor ebony plywood)
How do I know which I have. It was a gift. Cost $300
I heard no difference with the 1st fingerpicking comparison. In the last comparison, I perceived the koa to have the less muddled sound, but this may only be in my mind.
I like the mango!
Great #MangoTeam !!!
Do you host audio samples on your website or is that something you'd consider doing?
CZcams does after all compress significantly
Mango and Koa sound almost the same to me. Don't like the Spruce. My pick, like yours is the Mango.
Great choice
My choice would be Mango then the Koa..
I live in Las Vegas and since it is really hot here. I was wondering what is a good wooden ukulele for dessert heat?
Mango for me!
thanks for this!
I'll take the Koa anytime.
Watched one of your videos and you were praising soled Acacia it was with a baritone ukulele now you do not even include it in your picks of wood... WHAT IS GOING ON. Sound like what ever you have in your hand at the time is the best. Starting to wonder about what you say.
I enjoy your videos and your courses, Terry. But I really think you need to slow down. The playing of the instruments in the demos are too short and it really shows in this video. All of them had some buzz which is not typical of Romero’s. I have a Romero Mango grand tenor and love the rich warm and deep projection of that wood. I also have a Romero Custom Tenor that has a Sinker Redwood top and Indonesian Rosewood back and sides and the sound, sustain, and projection of that instrument are incredible. I think it is all about what wood/ sound best compliments the music you are playing. For the fast & short blips you played, the mango sounded best.
Play it on 0.5x speed. Enjoy
Mango!!
I choose Flame Maple!
Trying to differentiate sound value coming out of an I pad is useless.
Usually a fan but you missed this time Terry, all I hear is steel strings and bass, I can't hear any difference due to wood.
Sorry for you.... But, maybe it is is so, that you (me/everyone) need to hear a lots of instruments before you start to hear the differences? For me the wood matters a lot - and I feel sorrow of the fact, that maybe it is just the same for the listener, what I am playing with. Anyway - for me as musician it is not the same, what I am playing with. For the motivation to practice for me, means a lot how the instrument "discusses" with me - is it capable to "answer" me the way I ask it to do, and how warn or bright or "holding" the sound of it is. For me, also in human singing voice the timbre is even more important than the "virtuosity" of the texture people are singing. The wood/the material of the instrument gives the "main timbre" for the instrument - of course together with the structure of the instrument. Like in human voice - the structure orders is the voice bass or alto or soprano - but it is not "just the same" which kind of soprano the voice is: more metallic or more bright or what. But: really interesting is also, that when I really "can not stand at all" some singers, there are different people who admire them. So: also in music instruments it is really great thing there are not made of only one kind of wood - and so it is possible to find "this is the sound that my soul wants to sing" :) Before I bought my spruce&mahagony ones this year, I listened a lot of sound examples, and I am really thankful of all of them (made buy Terry, but also there are great sound examples made by HawaiiMusic) - for me it is not so important, what the instrument looks like, so just the picture is not enough for me.
@@mervitirkkonen7443 across the board I agree with you. When I listen to Terry's typical ukulele comparisons I hear a lot of subtle and sometimes not so subtle differences between woods. In this particular case I am hearing the steel strings more than any influence the tonewood has on the overall sound. My perception is that the nylon strings bring out more nuances. Again, my perception, your mileage may vary.
@@norcalbob3838 Jep - that is true, that the strings matters really lot, too. Just this summer I put fluorocarbon ones to my old "bonfire guitar"/all-around guitar and it amazingly really started to sing! I also like nylon strings more than steel strings, but as a guitarist I am used to the system that the 3 lowest strings are nylon, only wounded "steely", like in classical acoustical guitars they are. So they give some more bass, than if not be wounded. Did you mean that? I guess in these three were the same strings - Pepe Romero Guilele set UG1? They (and also UG2) seem to have: "Pepe Romero Strings pair La Bella wound basses, customized for this set, with cutting edge fluorocarbon treble strings"
@@mervitirkkonen7443 I'll be honest, I have the Romero STL Concert and was not happy with the proprietary strings. When they wore out I replaced them with flourocarbons and am much happier with both the sound and the playability. I did not care for the sound or feel of the wound lowG. To my ear the steel strings on the instruments in this video contribute far more to the sound than the woods do.
I like the mago. One bab I won't one to
"So what Ukulele do you want to buy?"
me: "Yes"
Just started playing and I have all ready gotten bit by U.A.S (Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome.)
Then again half of life is about greed management.
I m Sound Engineer living in India
Unfortunately this Ukulele isnt Available in India
Can u plz Ship it 2 my Address
I m Ready 2 pay the Shipping Charge
How about all solid mahogany, all solid acacia? ;) And cedar top ukulele? ;)
They are all good, but each wood has a different chataristic.
Does anybody use Hickory wood.. Hickory is VERY hard and tough. Wold be “Bright” I think.
Koa and very close second is mango
Great Janine! both great choices! #TeamKoa
Way too much promo. Not much info
Anyone have experience with a maple ukulele? How is the sound?
I like the mango
Great advert
This is a push for your guitarilele,, not a comparison for uke. Your last three direct comparisons are mostly played on the two strings Ukes don't have. I like most of your content but feel this is misleading.
Do you sall. The getars.
Koa Guitarlele
Controversial opinion: they all sound the same to me
Just an advert.
Koa
I prefer spruce.
wohoo great choice Billy! #TeamSpruce
KOA ALL THE WAY!
wooohooo #KoaTeam
Cocobolo!
Very informative = win. Talk too fast = fail.
💖💖💖