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Posts: 396
| After reading another thread, I saw some people getting to this question.
I love the look of Koa. It's just a gorgeous wood! In fact, I have two beautiful large picture frames made of Koa in my dining room.
When I walk into a guitar store and when I look on line, it would appear to be the hottest thing going. Is there a problem? Yes! I've never played a guitar made of Koa that I would buy. I have played Tayor, Takamine, Martin, and Ovation guitars with Koa and basically the sound quality stunk. A while back, guitar center had 2 Asian made Koa Ovations side by side. The guitars looked great and sounded exactly the same, absolutely lifeless. I've palyed some all Koa models from Martin and a bunch of Taylors (Taylor seems to have fallen in love with Koa) and they weren't even close in sound to what I could get in non-koa guitars for the price. I remember people a while back saying that Koa wasn't a good top wood but was fine for back and sides. I'm not sure that's true because for me it doesn't sound good on the back and sides either. I played a concert sized all Koa Kamaka Ukulele last week that was fantastic. Because Koa is so good looking to me, I want to like the sound of a guitar made with it. Unfortunately, it's more likely I'll buy a ukulele made of Koa rather than a guitar. My mind is still open and all it takes is one guitar to change my mind. I've never seen a mandolin made of Koa, why not? |
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Location: Scotland | Martin made Koa mandolins in the 1920s, as did Chris Knutsen, and there have been a bunch of others over the years. Koa has achieved a degree of mythology due to it's rarity but it's a hardwood so for a soundboard it would not be my first choice for a regular guitar. It's a good sound but very different to a traditional softwood top of spruce or cedar. As for back and sides it's no better or worse than rosewood, or mahogany or maple, it's just different. You may like the difference, or you may not. I'd bet big money that in a blindfold test almost nobody could pick out a guitar with koa Back and rims from guitars with mahogany, maple or rosewood. Exotic highly-figured woods like koa and Brazillian rosewood tend to make poeple listen with their eyes, which is never a good idea. |
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Location: Utah | They had an Ovation Koa Collector's at the local GC for a while. It had a very mellow sound, which did not appeal to me as an every-song kind of sound. But for some applications it would be really good, and the Koa is a beautiful looking wood. The '09 Koa is simply a stunning looking guitar. If I could afford a large collection, I'd have a Koa.
One more flavor. |
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Location: NJ | Koa is great.
it is another flavor of sound.
perhaps it is not yours to say it stinks is ignorant |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Koa is the new Black.
Yes, its a visual thing but so is Jessica Alba? |
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August 2003
Posts: 396
| Originally posted by alpep:
Koa is great.
it is another flavor of sound.
perhaps it is not yours to say it stinks is ignorant It's an opinion, Al. To me, the sound on the specific models I have played stinks. I'd like to find a Koa model where I like the sound and the price. Sure, you can disagree, but ignorant? I don't like the taste of hazelnut in my coffee. It's an opinion. How is that ignorant? I never said anyone had to agree with me. Your choice of vocabulary is poor, Al. (that's another opinion) |
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Location: New Hampsha | *click* |
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Location: NJ | perhaps it was not the perfect choice of word.
sorry about that.
I am sitting here with a 101 fever and a killer cold with my head pounding.
not an excuse just the facts.
but I have played and owned many koa guitars.
not only ovations but martins.
I have also owned cedar tops and redwood and maple.
all have different tones different flavors different sounds.
stinks? your choice of vocabulary is also poor. (another opinion)
no it does not stink it is different if that difference does not suit you then move on.
it seems like you are putting more emphasis on price than sound. sure koa is more expensive it is a rarer commodity. just like a rolls royce is more expensive than a volkswagen. both are cars both get you to work one is prettier than the other. does that make the VW stink? nope it still gets you to work.
why you probably have not heard a mando made of koa is that it is a higher pitched instrument meant to cut through the group and koa has a softer more mellow tone.
so it's an opinion I have one too. we can get caught up over the semantic use of words if we like but that is not productive either.
bottom line is if it does not speak to you don't buy it. I reemember reading on this board that someone was selling an elite T becuase it was too NICE a guitar for them and their ability. That logic boggles my mind but it did not matter because that is what the person decided.
now I am going back to bed where I should have been before I posted here. |
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Posts: 396
| Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. I was sick 2 weeks ago, then got better, then got sick again. It seems to be a pattern I'm hearing from several people. |
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Location: big island | the very best sounding all koa acoustic guitar i have heard is the tacoma model that andrew ("edensharvest") is selling in the for sale section. quite impressive. it is especially nice in alternate or slack key tunings.
one of these days... |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by MWoody:
Koa is the new Black.
Yes, its a visual thing but so is Jessica Alba? Well said!
Koa is a relatively expensive endangered species, and therefore desirable.
When most of the Koa guitars people encounter sound muddy,
the fact that there are one or two Great Sounding Koa guitars out there does not redeem the wood in general.
It does look cool.
Also the Koa Celebrities are probably laminate, so the may sound good because of the Spruce plywood. |
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Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | Originally posted by MWoody:
Koa is the new Black.
Yes, its a visual thing but so is Jessica Alba? LOL |
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Location: closely held secret | The LAV Koas sound great. |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Hope some of ya'll keep driving that 'koa is muddy' bus on down the road! I might be able to afford another 'O'koa with all the bad-mouthing...  |
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Location: Scotland | It's certainly not just a visual thing. Koa works spectacularly well for certain applications. Hollowneck acoustic lapsteel guitars are invariably made entirely from koa (or one of it's close Acacia cousins) because Koa produces the archetypal tone associated with that stlye of playing.
Also comparing koa ukes to koa guitars is total nonsense. The short uke scale length coupled with the relatively low tension of gut (and later nylon) strings means that the tops on Koa ukes are extremely thin with minimal bracing compared to guitar construction, consequently they work well. The strength-to-weight ratio of hardwoods means they are far less efficient for the much greater tension of steel strings on a long scale. That's why you don't see acoustic guitars with solid rosewood or maple soundboards.
One last thing, give me a solid koa top over laminated anything anytime (except of course carbon fibre) |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Just quoting reviews that I've read...
I have never played a Koa anything, unless you count the Sweet T. |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
unless you count the Sweet T. Just think how much better it would sound without the inlaid Koa eppi! |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Hey Now! I got the VIP preamp stuck in the Sweet T at the moment...
I like my 2078T even though some people didn't.
[See? Life is all about personal preferences... I like the VIP too! :p ] |
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Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Originally posted by lanaki:
the very best sounding all koa acoustic guitar i have heard is the tacoma model that andrew ("edensharvest") is selling in the for sale section. quite impressive. it is especially nice in alternate or slack key tunings.
one of these days... Agreed Randy. I love mine tuned down to "D". |
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February 2009
Posts: 194
Location: Huntington Beach | I had a Taylor K22 that I still regret selling. Koa on this particular instrument compared with similar spruce and cedar bodies is quieter and more nuanced. Harmonics were bright, clear and more pronounced than other woods. The smell was exquisite - like a full-bodied espresso. Visually stunning, Koa worked well in this form factor.  |
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What's with all the KOA?