KoAloha Ukulele
KoAloha started making ukuleles in 1995 and have quickly become very highly respected. There are an impressive number of top ukulelists using KoAloha ukuleles including Herb Ohta Jnr, Daniel Ho, Britt Paiva and Victoria Vox.
KoAloha ukuleles are all made of solid Koa wood (hence the name: koa+aloha=KoAloha) and built in their factory in Hawaii. As a result they are expensive instruments. But KoAloha also have a budget range called KoAlana which are built in China and finished in Hawaii. And the Opio line of mid-range of Thai-made ukes.
On Video
CNBC talk to Alvin ‘Pops KoAloha’ Okami.
On eBay
KoAloha Signature Series
At the moment, KoAloha are working their way through a seven part Masterpiece Collection. This signature series will be seven individual and distinctive new designs of ukulele.
The first was the KoAloha Pineapple Sunday which takes the idea of a pineapple ukulele and takes it to its logical conclusion.
The second in the series was the KoAloha Sceptre. This is an absolutely incredible ukulele design.
Third was the Jukulele – a ukulele that looks like a jukebox.
23 Comments
hello
my son Bastien live in Bordeaux and he play ukulle
So for his birhday i want to buy
KOALOHA SCEPTRE CONCERT UKULELE tweed
i live en france
can you give me a good price all included wih shipping
for this birhday its old of 25 years
i pay with CB
Thanks for your video and the song of charlie chalpin on the
KOALOHA SCEPTRE CONCERT UKULELE tweed
buathier: I don’t sell any ukes myself I’m afraid. The Sceptres are hard to come by – particularly in Europe. The only place I know selling one is musicguymic on eBay but don’t hang around because they tend to go quite fast.
I LOVE KoAloha! Some great people there in the factory and the ukuleles are an incredible work of art. Very cool.
I got my KoAloha soprano back in 2000 at the Ala Moana Mall ukulele kiosk. Sadly, it sat around, gathering dust, for 7 or 8 years, until I finally turned to it as my travel instrument–airlines can make a cheap guitar very expensive. I kick myself for the lost time. This baby has serious tone and volume! When I let someone check it out, I tell them, “Treat it like a gun, brah: Dis no toy!” No ka oi!
BTW, my Korg AW-2 tuner makes precise tuning a breeze! Now I have no excuse for not picking up my uke and learning more song.
Mahalo nui loa, KoAloha!
–Dave Eriksen
I bougth an koaloha super concert by MGM on ebay in july 2010. I love the great loud sound, intonation perfect and art. Now, i,m junt waiting my new koaloha soprano (by MGM again), to make another sounds! Any other uke is so good!
(Fabio – Brasil)
I’ve had a Koaloha Concert for about three years. It sounds as good as everybody claims. It has held up to many, many hours of hard use, and still been perfect for concert performance. I play it with Worth Clear fluorocarbon. These give it a darker sound than any others I’ve tried. I’ve had a K-Spot pickup installed and I did have the friction tuners replaced with Gotoh Mini tuning machines. Although the instrument always held very well, the Gotohs make accurate tuning very easy. I know Koaloha has some models with geared tuners. They would be my preference. Unless you want to have an ukulele custom made to your liking and needs, you can’t get any better than a Koaloha.
The best so far in sound and looks, I’m very please.
A few years back, I bought a Pineapple Sunday Concert Ukulele here in Hilo. I just love it and have a lot of compliments. I wish I can have Pops autograph it for me. What are the chances? Mahalo
I went looking for a Kamaka-quality tenor uke, and the only one I found was a gold-label vintage tenor that was dead sounding… must have been a second-quality instrument when new and store in a dry home with no humidifier. But the shop had a pretty KoAloha concert. I was trying various tenors and a couple sopranos when I tried this KoAloha… wow! It played so easy and had the sound of a beautiful jazz guitar. I pulled out all the hundreds and fifties I had for the tenor and bought the uke, a humidifier and a hardshell case. It is still my number one, go-to ukulele. I found I disliked the tone of Aquila strings but prefer the tone of Worth Browns over the factory-installed Worth Clears… but the clears would be second choice. I am rethinking buying a high-end tenor unless it is as good or better than my KoAloha concert.
I have a long neck soprano Koaloha and I wouldnt change it for anything. Some would find it a bit plinky plonky in sound but thats what appeals to me. It possibly would not be as good as some other quality makes for the classical arrangements but its what I call an instant access instrument .In short the necks thin, the sound is quite loud and it sounds great every time.I wonder if the concert is as good.
I had a KoAloha Pikkake today for my birthday prezzie, it is a superb sounding ukulele, it also looks stunningly beautiful with a really great grain pattern, this uke is definitely a keeper, I will be buying more KoAloha ukes the next one on my agenda will be a concert size
I have both Tenor Sceptre and Super concert models and they are amazing. I have been playing over 45 years, and teaching over 20 years, so when I say a great instrument, I know a great one. There is nothing negative about either instruments. I play them daily and the sound amazes me every time I pick one up. My suggestion, buy your own.
I wrote the earlier review stating that I have both the Tenor Sceptre and Super Concert models. Unfortunately, last winter, my Sceptre met it’s fate, warped soundboard. I sent it to Pops and he built the new 7 point Tenor Sceptres, of which he is about to send me one. I just got off the telephone with him and he is so happy with the new model and wants me to review it for him. He also said that they had to rework them because they didn’t fit into my ukulele case, so all 7 point Sceptre Tenors are now modeled to fit my ukulele case! Awesome, I’m a part of KoAloha history now! I will submit a written and video review as soon as it is in my excited hands! Thanks Pops! You make the best ukuleles period. Mark R. Sacramento, CA USA
Koaloha concert. 2 years ago. Call Brian at the factory and ask about their factory ‘seconds.’ ;^)
The sound is brilliant and Hawaiian, the set up is perfect, the folks at Koaloha are as wonderful as their instruments. If you’re thinking about one and are worried that it might be a bit outside your budget, I was too — until I played mine. I have no second thoughts.
My first concert Ukulele was KoAloha, I returned it to to music store the next day because the 1st & 4th strings buzz/rattling sounds on 1st-4th fret. I exchange it to Ohana CK-25S, the sound is great. Two(2) weeks ago i won an auction in ebay,A store demo KoAloha K3-C for $38..Im so happy about it and it is now my favorite among my 4 ukulele. Happy strummings !!!
I happened to be in Honolulu last weekend and took a tour of the KoAloha factory. It was almost exactly what I expected, but smaller. The guy that took me on the tour (sorry, I don’t remember his name) was great and patiently answered every one of my asinine questions. I did see Pops, passing on his knowledge to a couple of the more senior staff, but didn’t get to meet him. If you play and are in HNL, I recommend it, not least because you can sometimes get a factory second at a decent discount. You’re going to ding it sooner or later, you know you are, so why not buy it that way to begin with?
I got a KoAloha Tenor ukulele when I was in Waikiki last week. It’s my second ukulele, but is the best uke I’ve ever played and heard. I played it and then we got it sent back to the factory to get active pickups installed. They installed a LR Baggs FIVE.0 ukulele pick up in it which sounds absolutely fantastic. It sounds just like the ukulele does.. but louder haha. I highly recommend this uke and the pickups to everyone who is serious about playing ukulele! Keep on playin’!!
I have the first of the first batch of the KoAloha Sceptre signed by Pops and I believe it is the best sounding ukulele in my collection. I can’t say enough about the ease of playing and tone, it was a real special day when I met them all at KoAloha and played their great ukes!
What’s the difference between the KSM 00 Soprano 15112 and 15114?
Last year my wife and I went to Honolulu on our “Baby Moon.” Our first stop was a tour of the KoAloha factory. While my wife is used to being dragged along on music store tours, etc. and tolerating the experience, she had a blast with the KoAloha Family and we wound up staying for hours. We met Brian, Moms, and Pops and many others. Pops even sang us a song from his album. I shopped their factory seconds and, though I was hoping for a single uke, I left with two – a KoAloha Sceptre Tenor and a KTM-00 Tenor. I absolutely love them both and have been playing them daily over the past year. I have the KTM tuned Low G and the Sceptre reentrant. Lately I’m partial to the Sceptre, but the KTM gets a lot of play in my ensemble group where I play mostly Low G parts. Both instruments are absolutely gorgeous, exquisitely constructed and have amazing sound. KoAloha’s designs caught my eye immediately when I picked up the uke and when I got the chance to play them agains the other “K” brands, they sounded and played the best. The Sceptre was my “dream uke” and I still can’t believe I now have two KoAlohas. Wonderful instruments and a wonderful company.
I had a 1995 Koaloha concert which was fantastic but sadly is has gone now the top split am saving up to buy another concert hope it will be as good
I have a 2003 KoAloha concert uke. Was it customary at that time to have a 16 fret neck with 12 frets meeting the upper bout?
I bought a KoAloha Silver Anniversary (tenor) while visiting Hawaii earlier this year. I decided I wantd to learn how to play and wanted to start with a Hawaiian made instrument. So happy with my choice. Yes, I paid a good sum of money for it but the tone quality, workmanship, et. al. make me sound great – even on a bad day! Highly recommend this instrument.
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