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#1
10-08-2021, 01:04 PM
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Describe Koa tone
In one word.
Looking at a small builder koa/ bearclaw sitka I found. Just curious as to others opinions. Thanks
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Eastman~Epiphone~Culwell~PRS~Harmony~Iris~N.E. Wright 
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#2
10-08-2021, 01:39 PM
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Koa.......
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#3
10-08-2021, 02:01 PM
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I have to Koa b/s guitars by two very accomplished and highly regarded builders and the couldn't sound any more different if they tried.
Point being, there is NO consistency regarding the tone of Koa guitar, just like all other tonewoods. If you can't play it in person, you're only possibility is to have the owner make a quick clip for you, but personally I don't give that much attention either - just too many variables. Welcome to the world of the unknown tone.... 
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"One small heart, and a great big soul that's driving"
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#4
10-08-2021, 02:07 PM
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wv, koa varies a great deal from one guitar to another, but if you get a good set it’s very clear and balanced from bass to treble, very even-sounding. I’m primarily an accompaniment guitarist, and I like the way the notes are all balanced in the chords on koa guitars. No notes dominate any others.
Hope that makes sense. whm
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#5
10-08-2021, 02:10 PM
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Describe Koa tone
One word? ‘Undefinable.’ Like fitness1 I have several koa guitars and they are not very similar, tonally. I find this to be true of mahogany also. Sorry! I know it’s not the answer you want.
It’s an excellent, top notch tonewood and often ridiculously beautiful, but it’s tone will vary with the builder, the thickness, bracing, the log, and size. Here in Hawaii it’s been used for over a century, not just for its looks but also its tone. I have one that is a favorite and one that is underwhelming, tho both are beautiful. Good luck! If forced to define it, it’s tonally similar to mahogany, especially as a top wood.
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Doerr, Skytop, Henderson, Kinnaird, Edwinson, Ryan, SCGC, Martin, others. https://youtu.be/_l6ipf7laSU Last edited by RussellHawaii; 10-08-2021 at 08:15 PM.
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#7
10-08-2021, 02:22 PM
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Check out the GS Mini shootout on Youtube and you can hear the Koa against three other tone woods. It is pretty interesting to hear the sonic differences. Of course as other have mentioned above, YMMV.
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"If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything." - Mark Twain
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#8
10-08-2021, 03:00 PM
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I've seen it described as kind of a cross between Maple and Mahogany. I have two axes with Koa B&S and this is pretty close, but I would also say that the midrange is more 'upper-mid', very musical and more complex than either Maple or Mahogany, at least to my ear.
I tend to use my JCL DV-10k for open tunings, especially 'C' tunings. Very pianistic. Sounds great in DADGAD too, as does my '96 Taylor 412K.
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Larrivee L-10 Custom Larrivee DV-10K Larrivee L-03 Taylor 412K ('96) Yamaha LL16-12 (SOLD) PRS 'Studio' (SOLD) Rickenbacker 660-12 (SOLD) Fender USA Deluxe Strat Fender USA Roadhouse Strat Fender MIM/USA Partscaster Fender MIM Nashville Tele Kelsey Custom Hardtail Strat Fender MIM P-Bass
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#11
10-08-2021, 08:41 PM
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Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
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Curtis Martin om21 Chris Carrington classical
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#12
10-08-2021, 09:00 PM
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Quote:
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Please note: higher than average likelihood that any post by me is going to lean heavily on sarcasm. Just so we’re clear...
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#13
10-08-2021, 09:23 PM
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I love Koa. Go for it but be prepared for the risk involved ordering from a boutique builder.
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Martin 00-15M (2019) Yamaha FS5 Red Label (2019) Faith Venus Blood Moon Burst (2018) Taylor GS Mini Koa (2017) Martin LX1 (2009)
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#14
10-09-2021, 01:57 AM
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Describe in one word? Between.
My OM-42K was my favourite Martin, with less of the richness of rosewood but something different to mahogany. I bought it because I liked the Martin sound, and the nuances that koa brought to the guitar My koa Baranik 00 sounds completely different to the OM-42K . It’s a modern-sounding “pocket rocket”, amazingly powerful for such a small guitar. I bought it because I like the Baranik sound, and the nuances the koa brought to the guitar. Again, a woody tone, somewhere between rosewood and mahogany. The Baranik was a custom build and having done my homework prior to the build (play his guitars, and confirm there is consistency of tone and build quality) I was very satisfied with the outcome. Summing up – it’s the builder that defines the sound. Once you like the builder, koa will sit your guitar somewhere between rosewood and mahogany. Also consider walnut and Tasmanian blackwood in this general space.
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#15
10-09-2021, 03:36 AM
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Can only speak for my koa guitar, a 1991 Taylor 855c with top, back and sides of koa. Looks and sounds "beautiful". I love it!
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70 Giannini Craviola x 2 74 Giannini Craviola x 3 72 Giannini Craviola 12 string 91 Taylor K15C Koa
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