Thoughts on KOA as a tonewood ?

[evening_crow]

Looks awesome but has always seemed to lack something when I've tried it. My expectations are low cuz of this.

[ChuckS]

I haven't tried a koa guitar in quite a while, and those I tried were all new.

I love the look, but I've never bonded with the tone of those I tried (and some were sole luthier built instruments). I could never figure out what it was, but when the owner of the shop described the tone as hollow and crackly I thought 'yea, that's what I hear too'.

[Bob Womack]

I've got two and they are very, very different beasties.



The Taylor koa/cedar K14c GA guitar is the lightest acoustic I've ever played. It is resonant, intimate, and delicate, with very fine trebles, a controlled upper-midrange, and a full midrange that begins rolling off around 160hz. It is the most responsive combination I've ever experienced and has a wide dynamic range. The trade-off is that it doesn't compress much, instead going into a jangly overdrive when pushed. The back and sides are moderately flamey. This one is twenty years old.



The Taylor koa/sitka GA guitar is far different from the K14c. It is heavier, really a guitar of average weight. It less resonant than the K14c so you aren't as rewarded on the backside of the instrument as much. It also isn't nearly as responsive and dynamic an instrument, as you would expect from a sitka-topped guitar. However, it has its own rewards. The top compresses nicely when pushed. In the studio it can be a maid of all duties and sits in a combo really well. It is nineteen year old.

Bob

[Frankie2blue]

Best guitar I have is a Collings Koa 000 with a German top.

[HFox]

I have a 2016 all Koa K62ce limited Edition Taylor 12 string.
very warm sound (but maybe a 12er is more naturally warm sounding than a 6 string) not bright.
I bought it used from a friend who owns a lot of guitars and I don't think it saw a lot playing. I'll be interested to see if it matures as much as the Reverend Roy post describes , as I play it about an hour each day and have for the last few months.
It is my only 12 and I intend to keep it .

[hairpuller]

Originally Posted by scotchnspeed

Kampgrounds of America?

That's funny. That's the first thing I thought of when I saw the title.

Can't wait for summer!
scott

[mawmow]

I happended to get a Larrivee L-03 koa back and sides...
The builder apparently made some forty then, half L and half LV as I once read.
Unfortunately, I cannot say much since I never had a chance to compare with any other similar non koa guitar.
It sounds quite better than the OM03-R I once got and as good as the OM-09 I do own.

[Gee Man]

Recently picked up a Martin 00C Custom Shop, 14 fretter, w/highly flamed Koa back and sides and a grade 8 Adi top. Its the only Koa guitar I have played for any time and I would say it's somewhere between Mahogany and Rosewood, if I were to generalize. It has the strong mids and fundamentals found in hog but with more depth and overtones like RW, but not as deep, if that makes any sense. Woody, warm and dry also come to mind. It is also the only Adi top I've ever played, and find it has a huge dynamic range. I would buy another guitar with this wood combo in a heartbeat, in fact, I'd love to hear a dread version.

[Zissou Intern]

Originally Posted by Frankie2blue

Best guitar I have is a Collings Koa 000 with a German top.

My brother-in-law has two koa/German Collings, an OM and a SJ. They are spectacular guitars, as I am sure your 000 is.

[SprintBob]

When I think koa, I think balance and a “sweet” tone (because of the balance). I think it pairs best with an Adi or Euro spruce top even though my first experience playing one was a Taylor K-24 that was all koa and wonderful (never got it out of my head). Quality of wood and skill of the luthier with it is a big factor.

[cu4life7]

It's beautiful to look at, if that's your thing. Pretty meh for me after that.

[usb_chord]

Absolutely fantastic tonewood in experienced hands. I think of it as like mahogany with more compression on the attack. It's sweeter and more rounded off on the top end than mahogany. Pairs brilliantly with Engelmann and German spruce for fingerstyle. Very lightweight.

In broader market applications, Koa sells extremely well because it's pretty. It remains vastly underrated for its tone, which can be difficult to grasp in factory guitars. Perhaps the best build tactic I've seen in large scale manufacturing is Martin's 000-28K Authentic 1921. Those can be fabulous.

[silvereagle48]

Originally Posted by fregly

I don't like the upcharge you usually have to pay to get it. Australian Blackwood, some Walnut, Lacewood, and other tonewoods have a similar sound for less. Are we just paying for scarcity these days with Koa? I mean many luthiers can give you bright, clean and so on with Maple.

Agree with the Australian blackwood.

[Bill Kraus]

Koa can stand alongside any back and side wood. I have twice had my koa guitars favored in direct comparison with pre-war martins of the same size. One was a koa and Sitka spruce OM I made that was displayed with a dealer who also had a '30's Martin OM-28 in stock. When someone would ask to play the OM-28, they would put mine in a stand next to it. On multiple occasions my koa guitar was chosen over the OM-28. I know this because two of their customers emailed me afterword to tell me of their preference.
On another occasion, I made a Koa and red spruce OO size guitar for a player who had a '32 Martin OO-18. A few days after I got the guitar to him, he called to say "Bill, this thing sounds better that my '32".
In the right hands, koa can have a sound on par with any wood.

[colins]

Originally Posted by fregly

I don't like the upcharge you usually have to pay to get it. Australian Blackwood, some Walnut, Lacewood, and other tonewoods have a similar sound for less. Are we just paying for scarcity these days with Koa? I mean many luthiers can give you bright, clean and so on with Maple.

Might depend on the builder and the quality of the koa. I have guitars in koa, Aust blackwood and claro walnut, and the upcharge was much the same for all of them.