NGD - Pono OO-20D

[Fatfinger McGee]

My first Pono! 12-fret cedar/mahogany, gloss finish, vintage styling. Looks and sounds great, loud and crisp. The neck felt a bit wide at 1 13/16, partly the extra width and partly the old-school neck profile, bit more beefy than my Larrivee OO. Great for fingerstyle, holds up well to light strumming, action just right and super easy to play out of the box. I like the neck on the Larrivee better, but this one is easier to play. Cedar top warms it up a bit but still bright and forward tone, I love it. Should get a bit less hot once the strings have a few days of playing time. Couple of pics below, plus one of the Pono and Larrivee together for comparison.

[3notes]

2 beautiful guitars. Sweet.

[Cool555]

Congrats! Great looking guitar! Enjoy playing it!

Are Pono guitars made in Indonesia? Are they only sold in Hawaii or also in other states?

[Fatfinger McGee]

Yes, made in Indonesia, and shipped from Hawaii. They’ve got one state-side dealer as well. Build and finish on this one are very nice, I can’t find anything to complain about so far.

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by Fatfinger McGee

Yes, made in Indonesia, and shipped from Hawaii. They’ve got one state-side dealer as well. Build and finish on this one are very nice, I can’t find anything to complain about so far.

Thanks for reply! I was fascinated with an all-Koa Pono that I saw here on AGF but yours looks good too!

[Treenewt]

Congrats on your new Pono! I've heard nothing but good things about them. I like that Larri 00 as well! Enjoy them both!

[ifret]

Very nice....both of them. I got my first Pono this year too. I'm quite satisfied with everything about it. Enjoy your new guitar.

[Dave Hicks]

Who is the mainland dealer? (Elderly sells Pono, but not guitars.)

D.H.

[Earl49]

Very nice! I got pretty excited about small Pono guitars a few years ago, shortly before I stopped buying anything but carbon fiber. During our last trip to Oahu, we even tried to arrange a visit with the Pono folks hoping to bring something nice back with us, but the schedules did not work out. I have an excellent all-koa Pono ukulele.

DH, I'm not sure that they have a mainland dealer network. Pono and Ko'olau are mostly buy-direct, but could be wrong about that.

[bsman]

Originally Posted by Dave Hicks

Who is the mainland dealer? (Elderly sells Pono, but not guitars.)

D.H.

Guitar Solo in San Fran: https://gspguitar.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=pono

[Fatfinger McGee]

Originally Posted by frets4fun

Very nice....both of them. I got my first Pono this year too. I'm quite satisfied with everything about it. Enjoy your new guitar.

Thanks! So far, me too - well everything important. I'll note that the saddle is quite tall, almost 1/4" on the bass side, and the break angle fairly steep as a result. Action is great and the intonation is fine, so not something I'm worried about right now, and can be addressed at the next setup. I guess it gives me plenty to shave before I need a neck reset.

Originally Posted by Dave Hicks

Who is the mainland dealer? (Elderly sells Pono, but not guitars.)

D.H.

GSP Guitars in San Francisco. They've got an OM in stock on their site right now, if someone has an itch to scratch.
https://gspguitar.com/instruments/st...ng-guitar.html

[bufflehead]

Beautiful. I love the fact that the mahogany isn't stained darker, as most guitar manufacturers do. It looks like actual mahogany!

[Br1ck]

Pono is a fabulous deal. I have an OP 30 an OP12-30, and a mahogany tenor uke. I believe you have to order the guitars special now. Been thinking about a hog slope dread.

My Ponos are pretty much top of the line, back when they were still using rosewood. One of the quirks of Pono is not staining mahogany. But what you get is pretty amazing. No plastic of any kind on the guitar. Mine have wood binding, abalone rosette, bone nut and saddle and the fit and finish is very well done. Yes, due to conservation of resources and cost, the necks have a scarf joint holding the headstock. It would be hard to spent $1300 on one of these, a plain style 15 type can be had for more like $600.

They used to have a no questions asked return policy. When I was shopping parlors, I liked them better than Eastman. I knew they would not be a main instrument for me and offered a good alternative. And no, they won't put a SCGC or Collings to shame, but they are great for what they are, and their plant is not a sweatshop.

[pmichael]

I got the same guitar a couple months ago. It's a great little guitar and plays very well.

I had a setup done and installed an LR Baggs Anthem SL. Great plugged or acoustic.

Might let it go for something a bit more funky. No fault of the Pono.

[mercy]

I love the sound of Pono's, it is different. Ive been trying to buy a 000 for several years but havent located one.