Doug,
I bought my D-42K2 (all koa) new in '02. I'd had a D-25K2 in the mid '80's so I had a pretty good idea on the sound. I found it to be very quiet for the first nine months or so and then it started to open up. I think koa tops can develop a "sweetness" to the sound that you don't get from all mahogany and more sustain. Not particularly loud compared to a softwood top, but a different thing. I played a 00-28K from the late '20's from a local store owners private collection and it had that sweetness too.
I have all koa guitars from Goodall and Taylor as well for comparison and I'd say it's generally similar. I think all koa can be tricky and a lot of people fall for the visuals but give up on the sound.
|