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Koa


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Posted

I'm having a hard time bringing myself to sell the (formerly HHB's) Mirage. It's a beautiful guitar.

My question is: What is Koa and where does it fit in the overall 'tone woods' picture?

100_4927.jpg

Posted

damn fine photo! Koa is in the mahogany family and grows only in Hawaii , that may be the best top ever, wish I could have kept it

Posted

From Tom Anderson's Web site..."Koa's influence on the sound of the backing wood is similar to that of maple but its contribution to the overall sound is not as soft and delicate. It has a harder, more focused upper-mid crispness."

For a flattop analysis, check out www.guitarnation.com/articles/koa.htm

Posted
that may be the best top ever

Sorry hhb but MY girl is purtier than YER girl. Too bad my photographer sucks! ;-)

MirageTopClose.jpg

Posted

Noonan your speaking of my ex LOL, here's the current, figured much like yours

also featuring tapped Rio's, a really verstatle setup w/ push pulls on vol and tone

Mirage%20II001.jpg

Posted

I love my brunette with red highlights. But HHB I must say your sun bleached blond looks mighty tasty too.

Posted

Pretty guitars, mine is too. My aunt who lives on Maui told me that the king (mid '1800s?) traded most of regions Koa for guns (for island conquest ya know), it was pretty abundant before that. I have no reason to doubt my aunt...

MirageII1.jpg

Posted

You guys are killn' me!

LOL :)

Mark.

Posted
You guys are killn' me!

LOL :)

Mark.

How come.... why would anyone one want one of these silly PRS killers? ...

Posted

I think it might have been a one off. It was a '94 and

I got it from Jim from MI who is on this board sometimes

and I think was the original owner. The top was pretty

nice, I have some really nice pics on my home PC that

I'll try to round up...

Posted
You guys are killn' me!

LOL :)

Mark.

How come.... why would anyone one want one of these silly PRS killers? ...

...and now for something completely different (because it's not koa):

The '96 Mirage I bought from DavidE some time ago.

Rio Grande Genuine Texas and BBQ wired with a 5 way switch "PRS Style."

This guitar has become one of my favorites!

DSCN8205.JPG

Posted
damn fine photo! Koa is in the mahogany family

This is absolutely untrue. It's an acacia tree and completely unrelated to mahogany.

For the original poster: Tonal character is tough to nail down as it varies pretty widely with Koa. I've played a lot of Koa guitars and found it to be generally darker in character than alder and ash, but often it has more top end than Mahogany. However, it can be quite varied both in weight and tonal qualities. Sometimes you'll find a koa axe that's duller sounding than mahogany, many other times very lively, acoustically loud, and with great clarity.

As a top-only wood, I'll defer to tom anderson's site. I've never played a koa-topped guitar that wasn't all koa.

Posted

That first photo made me gasp!

Beautiful!

Guest teefus2
Posted

does hamer use koa for anything nowadays? i have seen a koa ovation or two recently but nothing hamer that i recall.

Posted

According to the acoustic builders ,Taylor and Martin. There is no more instrument grade Koa available. A Martin rep once told me that Taylor has the biggest stockpile of it followed by Martin. I'm sure there are pieces of it at small wood boutiques for tops etc. Apparently the tree grows really slowly, which I guess is no supprise since its on an island. The next havest will not take place for about 50 years. Then the tree population will be back up and they can harvest again...granted this was all info from Martin and Taylor guys (justifying the crazy prices of all koa acoustics). John Shur said he could only find suitable pieces of koa for tops but he couldn't find anything for a solid koa body, he's usually pretty reliable for that kind of info. As for Hamer m guess would be if they have any stashed away ts pretty pricey due to its scarcity.

Guest galejt
Posted
This guitar has become one of my favorites!

DSCN8205.JPG

That's really uglier than shit!

Sell it to me now! Oh wait... it has one of those concealed cheese slicers.

Posted

so now I find out Koa is rare and in short supply, great! :) A Mirage II w/ splitable Rio's is a do anything gig guitar fer sur , the MII w/ the triple coil mod is badass too

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