KoAloha Red Label Solid Premium Hawaiian Koa Concert Ukulele w/Hard Case #1

KoAloha's famous Red Label series premium Hawaiian Koa concert ukulele is something to behold. They don't produce a large amount of ukuleles in the average year but the very few ukes that do come out of the factory in Hawaii feel completely unique and more modern than a typical KoAloha.

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 magic 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 some top shelf koa from his collection. The result is ukulele with an almost cherry tree like sweetness to its appearance. The wood on this particular pair of Red Labels (concert and tenor) is interestingly quite lower elevation koa with a straighter grain pattern...

KoAloha have always liked this type of Koa and made efforts to use it a few years back for the Silver series 25th anniversary models. The straighter grain can often directly translate into projection and volume as well as giving a ukulele a more traditional look.

The rosette on this is especially stunning but the whole aesthetic of this ukulele is worthy of the Red Label name! This concert also comes in an extremely cool open plan hard case with a clear acrylic panel in the top, meaning the owner can look at the ukulele all the time even when the case is closed... Perfect for displaying this heirloom quality instrument in a safe way. The case is very sturdy, so not to worry about that.

Specification:
Curly Hawaiian Koa body
Mahogany neck
Ebony fingerboard and bridge
Tusq nut and saddle
Black chrome KoAloha geared machineheads
Gold MOP koa leaf rosette
Custom bracing
Gold MOP diamond position markers
15'' scale length
37mm nut width
28mm G to A string spacing
KoAloha 5 point crown headstock
CNC shaped neck
Custom fret inlays
Buffed gloss finish
Unique rosette
KoAloha woodshell case with clear acrylic panel in the top included

See and hear this ukulele in more detail in the video below;