a quick and easy replacement for the koki’o after the top and bridge started bending under the string tension. at that price point i really did not care about getting a replacement, i simply wrote it off.
technically both are on par, most of the things i wrote about the kokio are valid for the waterman as well. the “bracings” and the bridge are slightly different though, i’ll add some detailed pictures later. the waterman is a tiny little bit lighter on the scale with only 406g (compared to 422g of the koki’o). the fretboard has a matte finish and silver dot markers at frets 5, 7 and 10 as well as on the side of the neck.
as with the kokio i immediately replaced the aquila strings with fluoros (i had a spare set of my favourite ukumele in the box). so far the waterman seems to take the tension (~3kg) a lot better – and with some added led lights it becomes quite an eye-catcher on every christmas gig…
here’s a visual side by side comparison between the koki’o (left) and the waterman (right):
Hello, has the Waterman’s top and bridge bent under string tension like the Koki’o did? If so, is it causing string buzz?
Thanks
J
Hi Jon, so far I have not experienced any serious bending – seems the Waterman’s construction is a tad sturdier than the koki’o. I think the slightly different “bracing” really does the trick here.