Hello from a 76 year old Montana newbie! My name is Susan Westphal

[MontanaSue]

MontanaSue, I am a new member as well. I love Pono ukuleles. I have more than my share and plan to post a few soon.

Looking forward to it!

 

[MontanaSue]

Welcome Sue! If possible I would try those ukes in person. The feel and sound of various brands can be quite different. The only one I have first hand knowledge is the Opio. I have a tenor in low g and like it. I also have a Kanele’a in high g. Each has a different sound and feel. I like both for different things.

My instructor here is Belgrade Mt has a KoAloha Opio concert all solid Acacia KCO-10. I am leaning towards this one but not sure if I need a Concert or Tenor...

 

[MontanaSue]

Welcome, Susan! You two make a very handsome couple, I must say! I had a colleague in the newspaper business named David Westphal, from Iowa. Any relation?

You’ll like it here on UU. Lots of friendly, encouraging, nonjudgmental people willing to share their expertise and advice. Have fun!

Well thank you..no relation that I know of. He is originally from Marshalltown Iowa.
I am happy I found this forum and learning alot from it!

 

[MontanaSue]

Welcome to the UU Forum, Susan. Glad to hear how much fun you’re having on your ukulele journey. I have a KoAloha Opio concert and it’s my uke of choice for group jam sessions. Well built, easy to play, excellent tone, and lots of volume - I can actually hear myself when playing in a large group of people! Just a great all-round workhorse, at a reasonable price.

I am leaning more towards this one! But its a solid Acacia.

 

[MontanaSue]

Yes I know what you mean about being additive. I must day I.am in information overload

 

[Patty]

My instructor here is Belgrade Mt has a KoAloha Opio concert all solid Acacia KCO-10. I am leaning towards this one but not sure if I need a Concert or Tenor...

Try both sizes if you can. I started with a tenor, moved to soprano, and finally settled on concert scale.

 

[MontanaSue]

Welcome to the UU Forum, Susan. Glad to hear how much fun you’re having on your ukulele journey. I have a KoAloha Opio concert and it’s my uke of choice for group jam sessions. Well built, easy to play, excellent tone, and lots of volume - I can actually hear myself when playing in a large group of people! Just a great all-round workhorse, at a reasonable price.

Hi! I am torn between a Koahola concert Opio and an Opio Tenor. I cannot see much difference between them. Seems like the Tenor is a little bit more forgiving with finger placements due to more space between the frets. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Jan D]

Hi! I am torn between a Koahola concert Opio and an Opio Tenor. I cannot see much difference between them. Seems like the Tenor is a little bit more forgiving with finger placements due to more space between the frets. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I suggest you try to get some playtime in on a tenor ukulele (either at a music store, or perhaps one that belongs to somebody who attends your group/jam sessions. Play songs you already know, ones that you have been playing on your concert ukulele for awhile. That’s the best way to find out if the slightly extra space on a tenor feels better. The extra space can sometimes become a problem. Yes, it provides more area for your fingertips to land on, but that extra space means you could more easily miss the precise spot that the uke needs to be fretted at in order to get a good tone when you strum or pluck the string. Sometimes when we think we need extra space, what we really need is better fretting accuracy. Of course, if your fingers feel physically cramped on your concert fretboard, then moving up to a tenor is worth considering. Good luck with the decision, Sue!