KoAloha Red Label Port Orford Cedar/Curly Walnut Tenor Ukulele with Hard Case

KoAloha's famous Red Label premium ukuleles are something to behold and this tenor uke is no exception! They don't produce a large amount of Red Labels in the average year but the very few that do come out of the factory in Hawaii feel completely unique, more modern and just more special than a typical KoAloha.

Hear this ukulele being played in the video above.

What is a Red Label? It is a small production run custom shop instrument produced by the senior 2-3 luthiers at KoAloha that differ structurally from Pops Okami's original KoAloha design. The body shape is the same but the internal structure of a Red Label is braced more conventionally producing a less buoyant sound with tons and tons of texture and depth. It's almost magical the way this ukulele resonates so richly and with so much outward projection and poise.

Paul Okami has always been a bit of nerd for good wood and this most recent batch of Red Labels uses Port Orford cedar on the top and curly walnut on the back and sides. Port Orford cedar is a very strong, light and resonant wood which makes a very smooth and complex sound - and the build of this beautiful uke ensures that this wonderful tone sounds clearly in every position and all the way up the neck.

The most interesting design feature is the Wagara resin inlay between the 7th and 12th frets, and the lovely luscious green soundhole rosette. You will either like it or you won't, but it is a stunning feature which just looks more stunning the closer you examine it.

This is one of the best sounding ukes in the world, but you will find small inconsistencies in the gloss finish. There is a small line of rough finish in the gloss just past the nut on the headstock, consistent with the type of small imperfections you find on most KoAloha ukuleles. Because of this, we are reducing the price by £100.

Specification:
Solid Port Orford cedar top
Solid curly walnut back and sides
CNC shaped mahogany neck
Ebony fingerboard and bridge
Tusq nut and saddle
Black Hipshot geared machineheads
Koa top binding with BWB purfling strips
17'' scale length
37mm nut width, with 27mm G to A string spacing
KoAloha 5 point crown headstock
Wagara design resin inlay between frets 7 - 12
MOP position markers
Green rosette
Custom shop bracing
Buffed high gloss finish
Clear fluorcarbon low G strings, plain low G
KoAloha woodshell hard case included