KoAloha KSM-25 Silver 25th Anniversary All Solid Hawaiian Koa Soprano Ukulele in case #S22

The KSM-00 solid koa Soprano has been the benchmark for Hawaiian sopranos since we started stocking them over a decade ago. They are just so vibrant, and resonant, owing in no small part to the very clever unit bracing that KoAloha employ. Other Koa sopranos are very good; these are the best!

So, after 25 years of making the world a better place with the KSM-00, KoAloha have released their Silver 25th Anniversary series of instruments. They have taken an already excellent instrument and added a few twists and tweaks to make a really desireable heirloom instrument, which will hold value a well as get better and better sounding with playing. And there is only a small increment in price as well, so still very affordable for what it is. And, they have serial numbered stickers in the soundhole, which is quite important as they will only be making 100 or so Silver series Sopranos this year. This one is S22!

The Ebony fixtures and fittings give it a very classy look, and give it an almost slivery hue when the light strikes it in a certain way. The only contentious issue is the choice of geared machine heads in place of the normal KoAloha friction pegs, The purists will want friction pegs, the progressives will want geared machine heads, nothing will ever be perfect for everybody...what we can say is that these fitted tuners are an absolute delight to used, with a 16:1 ratio, and perform brilliantly. The choice of geared machine heads is very much down to Paul and Alan Okami, the sons and heirs of Pops Okami, who have taken the lead in developing the Silver series. Pops is a fierce advocate of traditional friction pegs on sopranos and concerts, whilst the boys are much more in favour of geared machines. 

The most important thing though is that KoAloha sound, which is present in spades; all of the bombast and liveliness that you have come to expect from a KSM is here, wrapped up in a very special package.

Specifications:

All Hawaiian koa body
CNC shaped sapele neck, Gloss finish
Ebony Fretboard and bridge
TUSQ(tm) nut and saddle
KoAloha 5-pointed crown headstock
Ebony faceplate on headstock
12-fret fretboard, joined at the 12th fret
Ebony binding on the edge of the fretboard
High quality geared machine heads
KoAloha’s patented “musubi” soundhole
Abalone headstock decal
High Gloss finish
Clear fluorocarbon High G strings
Free TGI ABS hard case included
Serial numbered soundhole sticker