Pono vs Koolau

Joralin

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I always wondered what's the difference between koolau and pono ukes construction wise.

So far I only know that koolau are built on Hawaii from their luthier, and ponos on Java in a factory.

I wonder what's different in other parts of the construction.

Are koolaus lighter, and have a different bracing?
Are they louder?

Ponos are good ukes, but I was never satisfied with the volume and they are a bit over built in my opinion.

I would take the Anuenue AMM over any pono I played. No competition in my eyes.

But the koolaus seem to get nothing but praise, the must be different in some ways?
 
I recently acquired a 2022 Ko'olau Koa T100 tenor. Their base level tenor.
I have owned several Pono Tenors, and still own a 2017 Acacia ATD.

I am comparing a 6-year old Pono to a 1-year old Ko'olau. The Pono has a high-gloss poly finish, the Ko'olau has a light satin Nitro finish. Much has changed in six years since the Pono was made.

Right away, I noticed how much lighter the T100 is than the ATD. The Ko'olau sound board is thinner than the Pono's. As is the side and back. The Ko'olau ukuleles are put together using hide glue. Which makes it easier to disassemble the body to make repairs or adjust the sound. It also has a side sound port. The Pono does not.

The body shapes are very similar. The Pono is slightly wider and deeper than the Ko'olau. Giving it a bit "fatter" sound. The bridges are almost identical ebony string tie. Both are located the same distance from the bottom of the uke. Saddles look very close. The bracing is very similar, but the T100 has a more Gothic arch cross section than the ATD's squared off braces. The Pono's kerfing is chunkier than the Ko'olau's wedge shape.

The neck on the Ko'olau is a flatter D-shape than the Pono's round C shape. I think the T100's neck has a faster action. Both are 14 frets to the body. Front & Side markers on both. ATD has 3 y/o plain Living Water Low-G strings. The T100 A wound Low-G. Probably Ko'olau strings. Neither fretboard has a radius.

Pono has Grover open-geared tuners, the Ko'olau has Gotoh open-geared. Oval button on both.
Both have great sustain with the T100 last longer. The T100 has a bit crisper note separation and focus with better projection.

That's about as much as I can say given the different woods, finishes and strings. Both are very well made. The T100 was made by Noah Bonk and finished by Ryan Condon. The Pono by skilled crafts people in Indonesia. My impression is that the T100 is a finer instrument.

At present, the Pono ATD costs less than $600 from TUS. The Ko'olau T100 was earlier this year $2700.
 
I recently acquired a 2022 Ko'olau Koa T100 tenor. Their base level tenor.
I have owned several Pono Tenors, and still own a 2017 Acacia ATD.

I am comparing a 6-year old Pono to a 1-year old Ko'olau. The Pono has a high-gloss poly finish, the Ko'olau has a light satin Nitro finish. Much has changed in six years since the Pono was made.

Right away, I noticed how much lighter the T100 is than the ATD. The Ko'olau sound board is thinner than the Pono's. As is the side and back. The Ko'olau ukuleles are put together using hide glue. Which makes it easier to disassemble the body to make repairs or adjust the sound. It also has a side sound port. The Pono does not.

The body shapes are very similar. The Pono is slightly wider and deeper than the Ko'olau. Giving it a bit "fatter" sound. The bridges are almost identical ebony string tie. Both are located the same distance from the bottom of the uke. Saddles look very close. The bracing is very similar, but the T100 has a more Gothic arch cross section than the ATD's squared off braces. The Pono's kerfing is chunkier than the Ko'olau's wedge shape.

The neck on the Ko'olau is a flatter D-shape than the Pono's round C shape. I think the T100's neck has a faster action. Both are 14 frets to the body. Front & Side markers on both. ATD has 3 y/o plain Living Water Low-G strings. The T100 A wound Low-G. Probably Ko'olau strings. Neither fretboard has a radius.

Pono has Grover open-geared tuners, the Ko'olau has Gotoh open-geared. Oval button on both.
Both have great sustain with the T100 last longer. The T100 has a bit crisper note separation and focus with better projection.

That's about as much as I can say given the different woods, finishes and strings. Both are very well made. The T100 was made by Noah Bonk and finished by Ryan Condon. The Pono by skilled crafts people in Indonesia. My impression is that the T100 is a finer instrument.

At present, the Pono ATD costs less than $600 from TUS. The Ko'olau T100 was earlier this year $2700.
Wow! Amazing detail Kenn! Bravo 👏 👏 👏

Pono recently released their Master Series with lattice bracing, which is supposed to make a noticeable difference in responsiveness and tone compared to their normal Pono line. Not sure how this compares to a Ko'olau side by side.

I believe the type of wood you would get for a Pono and Ko'olau would make a big difference too. I have a T100 all koa Ko'olau that sounded very focused when I first started playing it. It now sounds more open and warm. Koa is a wood that sounds (to me) tight in the beginning and opens up over time. If you compared a koa Ko'olau to say a cedar top Pono, the Pono could potentially sound more open and resonant.

Quite possibly, their new Master Series line might rival the sound quality of a Ko'olau. After a certain point, your return on investment becomes very subjective. Does the sound difference and extra cost matter? Can you even hear the sound difference? Do you notice any difference in fit and finish, if any between the two? Does branding matter to you? Etc, etc.
 
I recently acquired a 2022 Ko'olau Koa T100 tenor. Their base level tenor.
I have owned several Pono Tenors, and still own a 2017 Acacia ATD.

I am comparing a 6-year old Pono to a 1-year old Ko'olau. The Pono has a high-gloss poly finish, the Ko'olau has a light satin Nitro finish. Much has changed in six years since the Pono was made.

Right away, I noticed how much lighter the T100 is than the ATD. The Ko'olau sound board is thinner than the Pono's. As is the side and back. The Ko'olau ukuleles are put together using hide glue. Which makes it easier to disassemble the body to make repairs or adjust the sound. It also has a side sound port. The Pono does not.

The body shapes are very similar. The Pono is slightly wider and deeper than the Ko'olau. Giving it a bit "fatter" sound. The bridges are almost identical ebony string tie. Both are located the same distance from the bottom of the uke. Saddles look very close. The bracing is very similar, but the T100 has a more Gothic arch cross section than the ATD's squared off braces. The Pono's kerfing is chunkier than the Ko'olau's wedge shape.

The neck on the Ko'olau is a flatter D-shape than the Pono's round C shape. I think the T100's neck has a faster action. Both are 14 frets to the body. Front & Side markers on both. ATD has 3 y/o plain Living Water Low-G strings. The T100 A wound Low-G. Probably Ko'olau strings. Neither fretboard has a radius.

Pono has Grover open-geared tuners, the Ko'olau has Gotoh open-geared. Oval button on both.
Both have great sustain with the T100 last longer. The T100 has a bit crisper note separation and focus with better projection.

That's about as much as I can say given the different woods, finishes and strings. Both are very well made. The T100 was made by Noah Bonk and finished by Ryan Condon. The Pono by skilled crafts people in Indonesia. My impression is that the T100 is a finer instrument.

At present, the Pono ATD costs less than $600 from TUS. The Ko'olau T100 was earlier this year $2700.
Thanks Ken for the comparison. I love the Pono lineup, and had been thinking about upgrading to a T100. But considering my feeble playing skills, it may not be worth the pretty steep bump in price.
 
Thanks Ken for the comparison. I love the Pono lineup, and had been thinking about upgrading to a T100. But considering my feeble playing skills, it may not be worth the pretty steep bump in price.
Yeah, I'm not a very good player either, but I think a higher end uke makes playing more enjoyable. The sound is nicer, and the instrument just "handles" better when I use it. Lighter and more responsive?

The Ko'olau T100 will also be a step up from your Kamaka HF-3. It's lighter and more resonant. Overall, I'd rank it somewhere between a Kamaka HF-3 and an Ono Standard solid wood tenor.

Is the T100 $1600 better than a Pono Master Series tenor or $1000 better than a Kamaka HF-3? Only you can decide that for yourself.
 
I have owned a couple Pono's and have a few friends with them, so have played probably 6 tenors. I own a Koolau CS in spruce over Myrtle, a friends spruce over rosewood would be closet for sound comparison. Ken did a great job of giving you a detailed over view of physical differences and sonics. One thing for sure my Koolau is lighter and better balanced.

I will take a different approach. There is a huge difference between a factory made instrument and a custom. Think $10 bottle of wine vs $40 bottle, $30 bourbon vs $100 bourbon, grocery store steak vs highly rated restaurant steak. Camaro vs Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini etc.

I love Pono, their tenors with a cedar or spruce top and Macassar ebony or rosewood back and side delivery a great sound. But a truly custom built ukulele is a different instrument. Every piece of wood is hand selected for the very best tone possible. Every detail is executed to perfection. The tops as well as the sides and back are thinned down to give the optimal tone. Same with the finger board, bracing and the finish.

Pono and other high end ukuleles get close to custom. Even if all the hand work and attention to every detail only gets a 10%-15% improvement that can be the difference between good and superb. When you play them side by side you feel it and hear it
 
I have owned a couple Pono's and have a few friends with them, so have played probably 6 tenors. I own a Koolau CS in spruce over Myrtle, a friends spruce over rosewood would be closet for sound comparison. Ken did a great job of giving you a detailed over view of physical differences and sonics. One thing for sure my Koolau is lighter and better balanced.

I will take a different approach. There is a huge difference between a factory made instrument and a custom. Think $10 bottle of wine vs $40 bottle, $30 bourbon vs $100 bourbon, grocery store steak vs highly rated restaurant steak. Camaro vs Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini etc.

I love Pono, their tenors with a cedar or spruce top and Macassar ebony or rosewood back and side delivery a great sound. But a truly custom built ukulele is a different instrument. Every piece of wood is hand selected for the very best tone possible. Every detail is executed to perfection. The tops as well as the sides and back are thinned down to give the optimal tone. Same with the finger board, bracing and the finish.

Pono and other high end ukuleles get close to custom. Even if all the hand work and attention to every detail only gets a 10%-15% improvement that can be the difference between good and superb. When you play them side by side you feel it and hear it
Well said. I agree 100%.

I have a 2017 Pono RTS(C)-PC Spruce/Rosewood cutaway tenor that I purchased from TUS. Lovely sound with Living Waters Low-G strings. Very chimey, bell like. Good projection. Pono undersaddle passive pickup is excellent. High gloss finish. Great looking. I quite enjoy playing this instrument. One of my favorites.

Two years after I bought the Pono, I bought a used John S. Kinnard Series 2 Spruce/Rosewood tenor. The original owner bought it from TUS. I restrung it with Living Waters Low-G strings. Wow! The sound was very similar to the Pono's but much crisper and cleaner. Better balanced both physically and sound wise. Great projection. The side sound port is also a big plus. The K&K passive pickup sounds very natural. It's beautiful. The craftsmanship is impeccable. It's lighter more resonant, has longer sustain and the neck has a wonderful feel. It takes everything up a big step from the Pono. It also costs almost 3x the Pono new.

For plugging in and strumming a song for open mic nite at the uke club, the Pono is my go to. It's fun to play and works well supporting my singing. For learning my way around the fretboard and picking patterns, well, the Kinnard is superb. It's a Porche 718 Boxter to a Mazda MX-5 Miata to expand upon Dave's car analogy. Nimble, powerful, and a joy to play.
 
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