2010 KoAloha KSM-00 Koa Soprano Ukulele

Overview: As a diehard fan of '70s Kamaka ukes, this more-recent KoAloha is right up my alley. It has a similar, bright, chipper, soulful, sweetness to it that I find in the Kamakas I love so much. Even if you're playing sad music on one of these, it's hard to feel sad playing one. KoAloha is a bigger Hawaiian-made uke brand these days and you can see why.


Tone: As mentioned, it's got a sweet, bright, sing-songy, chipper voice with good sustain and an evenness to its tone matched with a fast response.


Feel: The neck is slim and fast but with enough width (side to side) for comfy chording all night long. 


Interesting features: It has some nice, streaky, stripey koa used throughout. The not-quite-round soundhole shape is a nice touch, too, and so is the 5-point headstock shape. This uke doesn't have geared pegs but the higher-grade friction pegs work just fine. It has an unusual bridge design which takes a little getting used to and I did have to modify it slightly to be able to lower the action to where I wanted it to be.


Repairs included: I gave it a good setup.

  • Weight: 0 lbs 12 oz
  • Scale length: 13 3/4"
  • Nut width: 1 15/32"
  • Neck shape: slim C/D
  • Board radius: flat
  • Body width: 7"
  • Body depth: 2 1/4"
  • Top wood: solid koa
  • Back & sides wood: solid koa
  • Bracing type: ladder (with cool "loop" center brace)
  • Bridge: koa
  • Fretboard: koa
  • Neck wood: koa
  • Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast, spot-on)
  • String gauges: fluorocarbon
  • Neck relief: straight
  • Fret style: smaller/lower

Condition notes: It's almost a brand-new uke in terms of looks, though I did need to modify the bridge saddle and mounting-saddle/block a little bit to get the action lower and achieve proper back-angle from the strings over the saddle proper. Otherwise it's very clean throughout and I'm only seeing a little light picking/scratching around the soundhole that's not obvious at all unless you're looking for it in hard light.


It comes with: It's got a good hard case.


Consignor tag: SK


















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