Here is a short video/sound sample of 3 KoAloha soprano’s. All three are gloss so this is not a gloss vs. satin comparison. We’ll have to cover that another time. This shows the 3 neck lengths that KoAloha offers for the soprano size. The regular KoAloha has the 13″ soprano scale and has become a classic little cannon of sound. The KSM-02 is the concert 15″ scale neck on a soprano body to offer more frets and a slightly more taut feel while still fitting into some soprano cases. The T2 has the tenor 17″ neck so you get closer to a soprano sound on a scale and tension that many have grown most accustomed to, the tenor. There is no added compression to boost the audio on this so you may need to turn up the volume a little from modern CD or stock camera mic levels. It’s a short video so pay attention to what’s being played and listen closely.
What uke brands or options would like to get into a listening booth? There are many options we already have in mind so stay tuned!
I should note that I, just like you, hear these for the first time in this way. I can’t hear them this closely with the reality of switching instruments. Everyone hears tone in a unique way and we would love to read your thoughts on the 3 different scale length options in a KoAloha soprano. Thanks for joining in. A hui ho.
Comments 7
It’s an amazing video indeed! The joints between ‘ukulele are unnoticable. Thanks for sharing this. What astonish me a (not so) little is that I , with closed eyes I was totally unable to recognize the shift among ‘ukulele.
I’m interested in KoAloha Pineapple and there it was a huge difference between the ‘original’ and the the long-neck versions. It would be nice if you could compare theKoAloha ‘pineapples’ in this way.
Thx
/Bo
Author
Thanks Bo, and I will try to do a pineapple comparison soon.
Neck-&-neck,
The KSM-02 Longneck grabbed me right out of the gate…
until I heard the T2 Tenor neck come in again in the back stretch…
I waffled between them right up to wire when I
really fell in love with 00 regular Soprano neck…
Have to wait for the photo on this finish.
Author
hahaaa! I feel ya, it was a close call from my angle too. I think the picture showed a longneck one fret ahead! Nah nah, I’m gonna say 3 way tie, and the prize is that they get to go home with me. haha, Maybe though, for long term research on soprano scale length.;)
Wow, the string length, scale, does really mean so much. The Soprano is very noticeably more immediate and bright. Each lengthening of the string makes for a mellower/ richer sound. This explains, maybe, why my Concert uke really projects while my Tenor is fuller and richer sounding. The longneck is a real nice happy medium especially for chords, yet the straight up Soprano really rocks that classic uke sound.
Author
I agree Michael. The difference is not much in volume but in the spread. keen observations
I know this is an old thread but still.a good one,
Another comparison I’d like to see is tenor neck with all the different body sizes: KSM-T2 vs super concert vs standard tenor. Heck, why not throw the Pineapple Sundae in there too.