KoAloha KTM-10MG Tenor Mango Ukulele

The KTM-10MG is the mango version of KoAloha's tenor — the same build as the koa KTM-10 sitting beside it, in a different wood, with a different voice. Mango runs warmer and rounder through the mids and hits with a softer attack than koa, which is the reason to pick one over the other. It's solid mango front and back, not laminate, so it will keep changing for years instead of staying where it left the shop. The tenor scale gives you the low end and the elbow room that a soprano can't, and the 20-fret ebony fretboard meets the body at the 15th — five frets out over the soundboard, where you can actually get at them.

The neck is CNC-shaped mahogany, which in practice means one of these plays like the next; there's no lottery on the profile. TUSQ at both the nut and the saddle keeps the density even, so no string sits dead against its neighbours. The fretboard is ebony and so is its binding, which is not a given at any price — bound edges are what stop fret ends sprouting when the heat goes on in January. Ebony bridge, and KoAloha's own geared tuners for fine adjustments that hold.

You can tell it's a KoAloha across a room: the five-pointed crown headstock, the “Musubi” soundhole, Thinlam paua in the logo and the fret markers. The Pikake satin finish is the quieter option next to a gloss — less shine, less slip against your forearm, and it doesn't hold a fingerprint the way a polished top does. It's covered by KoAloha's “Better than the Weather” warranty.

• All-solid mango body, front and back — warmer and rounder than koa, with a softer attack
• Tenor scale, for the low end and the fret spacing a soprano can't give you
• CNC-shaped mahogany neck, so the profile is the same on every one
• 20 frets on ebony with the body joint at the 15th — five of them out over the soundboard
• Ebony fretboard binding, which keeps fret ends from sprouting in dry indoor winters
• TUSQ nut and saddle for even response from string to string
• Ebony bridge, and KoAloha geared tuners that hold their setting
• KoAloha's “Musubi” soundhole and five-pointed crown headstock
• Thinlam paua headstock logo and paua fret markers against the dark ebony
• Pikake satin finish — less shine and fewer fingerprints than gloss