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#2
02-13-2007, 07:33 AM
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Mmmm... Talking about GA shapes now:
Koa, with a cedar table, yields a very light, refined sound, very pretty and intimate. It makes for the kind of guitar you want on your lap when you are just sitting on the couch playing for yourself. Koa with sitka makes a great stage guitar, not a lot of bass but very balanced. Bob
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"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' " Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring THE MUSICIAN'S ROOM (my website) 
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#3
02-13-2007, 07:59 AM
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Are you planning to buy an existing guitar or ordering one?
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#5
02-13-2007, 09:17 AM
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I asked because my experience has been that there is greater variability in the sound quality of koa than any other wood I've had the opportunity to try. I've played some that sound great and others that don't. So based on my experience I wouldn't order a koa guitar, I'd buy one already made or at least one I could return after trying it.
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#6
02-13-2007, 09:40 AM
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Quote:
Interesting. A friend of mine told me the same thing a few months ago.
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#7
02-13-2007, 09:50 AM
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I have heard Taylor Koa that has sounded spectacular and Taylor Koa that has sounded muddy and dull. I would not have believed that there could be such a difference between two gorgeous looking guitars. I would never buy a Koa without having the opportunity to play / hear it first. That being said, I LOVE KOA.
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#8
02-13-2007, 09:54 AM
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In my rather limited experience, koa sounds a LOT like mahogany. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I love a good mahogany guitar.
Tim
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#9
02-13-2007, 10:04 AM
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Quote:
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#10
02-13-2007, 10:06 AM
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My K-20 sounds like a Martin D-35 and a Taylor 810 got married and had a child. It has the deep smooth bass of the Martin and the shimmer of the highs from the Taylor. It is also very warm sounding. It is KOA front, back and sides.
I added a Colosi bone saddle and it has sustain to die for.  I have played two R-Taylors that were solid KOA bodies and the were both spectacular. And because they were beautiful KOA they were very expensive.
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1957 Gibson RB-150 5 string banjo. Bought it new & I still have it. 1983 Yairi - Alvarez DY 73 1992 Taylor K-20 1993 Yair - Alvarez DY99A 2001 Yairi-Alvarez DY-91 SOLD! 2002 Taylor Stock 810 Ltd. 2003 Taylor 855e 2003 Taylor 814ce Fall Ltd 2003 Tradition Jerry Reid Sig. Telecaster 200? Esteban American Legacy (New Owner Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center)  
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#11
02-13-2007, 02:15 PM
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Koa is one of the most visually stunning woods out there, but is also one of the most hit or miss from a tone perspective. Taylor Koa guitars seem to run from crystal clear & bright to "did someone leave their socks stuffed in the soundhole"?
I almost bought a beautiful K14 a few years back when Mars Music was going out of business. It had some of the most incredible Koa (Kenny Loggins signature quality) and was available for an absolutely incredible price (well below cost). However, it sounded like it was stuffed with cotten. I mean it sounded absolutely awful! Now, I have also played a K22 Taylor that was in the top 5 guitars I have ever heard category. Point is, Koa guitars seem to have a lot of variance in tone, and how pretty or plain the wood is does not seem to be an indication of how good it will sound!
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Mike
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#12
02-13-2007, 02:27 PM
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I just bought a Taylor K10 and I am in love with the tone. I played 35-40 guitars before the K10, and none of them had the warm, rich tone and projection that I was looking for. The K10 does.
From what I have read, and as has been posted above, Koa is an inconsistent wood. If you get a great Koa guitar, it sounds "better" (subjective) than basically anything else. If you get a bad one, it sounds like crap. But either way, it looks incredible!
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#13
02-13-2007, 02:56 PM
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I love koa. Unfortunately, only in theory on a guitar. Have owned 3 Taylors made of koa. A 410-K, a 420K (all koa limited), and the Legends of the Fall koa. (Have also owned a Goodall Aloha model and an old Kona lap steel of koa). They all looked beautiful. But none of them ultimately lived up to the sound I need to hear from a guitar. At least in a band/jam session setting.
And, another vote for it depends on the particular guitar. I've not had good luck. But have heard a few koa guitars that really do make the cut. A friend has a Charlie Hoffman koa that is fantastic. He also has a jumbo 12 string Taylor in koa that's a mighty fine instrument.
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#14
02-13-2007, 03:06 PM
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I have a few Koa guitars that I love and wouldn't trade. That being said, I did audition at least 5 other koa guitars for each that I bought, until I found the right sound for me. And out of the 4 koa Taylors I have, only one(1) is a Kxx series, a K12ce to be exact, the others are lower end limited models that just happened to have the right sound. I was going to buy a K14ce all koa, but a 324ce all koa limited that sounded even better for half the price was on the wall next to it! Basically, when it comes to koa, it is graded by looks not sound. And a lower grade wood can be sonically better, than a higher graded one. If you found a koa that sings to you, buy it! You might never find one quite like ti again!
Aloha
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Kaimana450k A string here, a string there... Last edited by Kaimana450k; 02-13-2007 at 03:07 PM. Reason: spewwel-wing ewwor
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#15
02-13-2007, 07:27 PM
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I love my Taylor K22,sounds really good.Nice sound for recordind.Never going
to sell this beauty.But I have to admit that I´m feeling GAS for another guitar. I´m a lefty so I never played many guitars but I know that I feel very good with grand concerts. I want to ask you what is the best option for a second guitar(a good complementary one). Thank you and have to say that I really like this forum because since I´m here I play more acoustic guitar and usually don´t have the time because I´m a bassplayer,I write many strings scores and sometimes produce.But when I´m home I am an acoustic guitarplayer. Regards Acoustic Guitar Forum.  noisetree
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Larrivee OM-10 Taylor K-22 Tanglewood folk Sadowsky bass Zon 6 string fretless bass Conklin 7 string bass Alembic bass (all lefty)
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