Kremona, headquartered in Bulgaria, is a seasoned manufacturer of guitars, ukuleles, violins, violas and cellos. I've been playing their Mari Tenor ukulele, and got an itch for her sister model, the Coco Tenor ukulele.
Kremona Coco Tenor Ukulele | A beautiful and original design
Coco's Sound
I normally play my ukuleles within an instrumental ensemble. Let's begin with how Coco sounds in a mix as the main melody instrument. I used two octaves of her range (up to the 12th fret) and even managed a few natural harmonics in my original composition, Leeward Coast Redux:
Leeward Coast Redux | Peter Kun Frary | Neumann KM 184 mic, Tascam US 2x2, Logic Pro X
Now, I'll breakdown Coco's sonic characteristics to individual components. Listen to me play the unadorned melody of Father I Adore You in Coco's lower register with flesh thumb strokes:
Father I Adore You (melody) | Neumann KM 184 mics, Tascam US 2x2, and Logic Pro X
Next, a simple sequence of Rasta strums, also thumb flesh strokes:
Rasta Strums | Neumann KM 184, Tascam US 2x2, and Logic Pro X
Finally, I put the melody and chords together with bass and percussion and improvised between phrases, sounding most of Coco's notes from the first to the twelfth frets. The upper register melodic fills were played using fingernails. Coco used Aquila Nylgut strings on this track.
Father I Adore You (Full Mix) | Neumann KM 184, Tascam US 2x2 & Logic Pro X
The pop ballad classic, The Rose, was performed on Coco using fingernail plucks for the melody. I strummed the chords on Coco's sister model, the Kremona Mari Tenor, using sul tasto flesh thumb strokes. Both instruments were strung with D'Addario Extruded Nylon Ukulele Strings. And, yes, nylon strings respond much better to vibrato than fluorocarbon strings.
The Rose | Neumann KM 184, Tascam US 2x2 and Logic Pro X.
Queen Liliuokalani's love song, Sanoe, was performed on Coco using fingernail plucks for melody, improvised fills and arpeggio accompaniment. D'Addario Extruded Nylon Ukulele Strings were used on this track.
Sanoe | Neumann KM 184, Tascam US 4x4 and Logic Pro X
I arranged Fernando Sor's classical guitar piece, Andante Op. 31 No. 4, for ukulele and played it on the Coco Tenor using fingernail plucks for melody and arpeggios. Again, I used D'Addario Extruded Nylon Ukulele Strings.
Andante Op. 31 No. 4 | Neumann KM 184, Tascam US 4x4 and Logic Pro X
Coco's edgy sonorities are a pleasing contrast to the fat mids of Coco's sister model, the Kremona Mari Tenor, making for nice duets. In Amazing Grace, Mari plays the melody while Coco lays down arpeggio accompaniment. Coco let rip a few upper register blues licks towards the end.
Amazing Grace | Neumann KM 184, Tascam US 4x4 and Logic Pro X
These pieces are demonstration tracks for my MUS 121Z, Ukulele 1, course at Leeward Community College.
Break-in
After Coco was played for a few months her sound blossomed. And, yes, this is a loud ukulele. A real cannon and louder than any ukulele I've played. She also stands out nicely in a mix with other instruments. That big tone is clear, resonate, robust and warm but with a bright edge, similar to the upper range of a flamenco Negra guitar. I found Coco best suited for single line soloing, fast arpeggios and percussive chord jabs. Unlike the Mari tenor, I couldn't coax out a mellow harp like strum over the end of the fingerboard—too much focus and bite for that sound.
Timbre Response
Coco is receptive to vibrato, even in lower positions, and exhibits clear timbre distinctions when played at the bridge, sound-hole and over the fingerboard. For Coco to sound her best with fingernail technique, I needed to plucked the strings precisely. Fingernails need to be sanded and polished to silky smooth perfection for the best sound. Coco's mahogany sibling, Mari, allows a more sloppy touch while still sounding good. Incidentally, Coco also sounds great with pure finger flesh plucks and strums, albeit more mellow and dark.
Dynamics
It takes a firm stroke to squeeze a forte single note out of Coco but she just keeps getting louder as I dig in. There's amazing tone and clarity if you have the technique to draw out her full range of colors, dynamics and articulations.
It is important to give a new soundboard (or one stored with slacked strings) a week to settle in before making a final assessment. While the soundboard is flexing at full string tension, tone and volume change from day to day and wolf tones come and go. Once Coco's soundboard settled in—she took longer than Mari due to the stiffer bracing—she exhibited consistent timbre and volume from the first fret to the twelfth, i.e., no dropouts or wolf tones. After the twelfth fret, volume and sustain drop off into blinky land.
January 2020 Update: Coco's tone mellowed and sweetened after a year of playing and sounds even better!
Design and Build Quality
Like her sister model, Mari, Coco is nicely crafted with a quasi-gypsy style oval sound hole, offset headstock with rosewood cap, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, bone nut and saddle, and matte finish. But, instead of a traditional mahogany body, Coco boasts tone woods typical of classical guitar construction: solid cedar top and solid rosewood back and sides. She's a showoff with inlaid rosette, guitar-style binding on the body and gold plated open gear heads. The aerodynamic sound-hole, bridge and head stock lend a modern design ethos to Coco while the light and dark contrasting woods enhance and accent her visual attributes. Coco is one of the best looking ukuleles I've seen at any price.
The mother of pearl fingerboard position markers are a wasted cosmetic feature for me: can't see them while playing. Side position markers are the bee's knees: visible while sitting, standing and with ukulele tilted or flat on the belly. Coco has a single side position marker on the 7th fret. That's enough for me but I bet many players would like more side dots.
Coco's Rosette | Inlaid four-piece wooden rosette and body binding
I peeked inside Coco's wee sound-hole with a mirror and was pleased to find a full complement of smoothly sanded soundboard bracing. Such attention to interior design is a good sign and important for structural strength and sonic character for softer tone woods like cedar and spruce.
A Little Trouble in Paradise
I own two other Kremona—the 7-string Fiesta guitar and a Mari ukulele—and they exhibit impeccable workmanship. Coco appeared perfect at first but, after close inspection, I found a few zits: glue sticking out of interior kerfing, uneven coloration near the bridge, tool marks on the fingerboard, and the bridge is slightly off center, albeit the strings are aligned properly. Granted these are minor cosmetic gotchas but should not have squeezed by quality control. It was apparent Coco had serious musical mojo so a few zits are sort of okay if she sounds and plays well.
Rosewood Back and Sides | The beautiful book-matched solid rosewood back and sides lend Coco a mini classical guitar vibe.
Playability
The fingerboard felt great under my fingers and I could play with ease and confidence up to the twelfth fret. By the fourteenth fret, spacing became too small for my fingertips (and too thin and blinky for musical use).
Like most tenor ukuleles, Coco has a scale length of about 17" (430mm). Her neck is on the slender side with a rounded contour and is well suited for players with small to medium hands. I prefer a thicker, fatter and wider neck profile, but I got used to the quasi-broomstick shape after a month and can play fine on it.
The resistance of the strings is stiffer than Mari, albeit strung with the same gauge and type of strings. I suspect the stronger bracing needed to reinforce the soft cedar soundboard is responsible for the stiff feel. I prefer instruments on the stiff side due to the greater dynamic range but weekend strummers may be less comfortable with the string resistance.
Kremona specifications indicate a 36mm (1.27/64") nut. Like the Mari tenor, my calibers show a slightly larger measurement of 36.5mm (1 7/16"), so Coco's nut is a little shy of 1.5 inches. Most players should feel comfortable with the nut width but I prefer a wider 38mm (1.5") or 40mm nut. The more fingerboard room the better!
Coco's string spread at the saddle is 39.5mm, 1mm smaller than my Mari tenor. She's not as comfortable for finger-style playing as the wider spacing on Romero Creations, Cordoba and Kanile'a tenors. If you're mainly a strummer, you'll be happy as Coco requires shorter strokes than wider designs.
Coco Sticks Her Neck Out | The extra fingerboard space to the right of the A string reduces chances of the string sliding off the fret during vibrato or bends.
My Adjustments
I'm picky about the action and the first thing I did was adjust Coco's string height to 2.75mm at the 12th fret. The frets are excellent so I suspect you could drop down to 2.5mm if you are a light touch player.
I reshaped Coco's nut because the strings were set too deep in the grooves, impeding vibration and reducing volume. The fix was simple: 1) shave off enough bone so the strings protrude partially above the nut; 2) widen the grooves so the strings vibrate freely; and 3) file the groove angle so the string sits on the front edge of the nut and the groove drops 20 to 30 degrees towards the head stock). I widened the 4th string groove slightly to better accommodate a low G string.
The Coco Nut | I reshaped Coco's nut so the strings protrude from the groove. Tool marks and the unfilled pores of the fingerboard are visible near the first fret.
I installed a strap button on the lower bout as I prefer an upright posture with both arms moving freely without the burden of supporting the instrument. I felt nervous about drilling a hole in Coco's bottom but the surgery went well. A gold plated or polished brass button compliments Coco's cosmetics nicely.
Coco's Head Headstock | Coco's "aerodynamic" headstock design.
Coco's Strings
Coco arrived on my doorstep setup for reentrant tuning, strung with Aquila Nylgut. I prefer the note placement logic of a bourdon, i.e., low G on the 4th string, and installed a D'Addario .028 (.711mm) silver wound string, yielding a pleasing and resonant bass tone. Aquila Nylgut string timbre leans to the bright side and has a slightly rough "sanded" texture and a short sustain compared to fluorocarbon and nylon. Nylgut is best suited for treble deprived instruments. And Coco has plenty of treble response so the horrid Nylgut had to go.
I prefer a warm tone and gravitated toward D’Addario Extruded Nylon Ukulele Strings. The tone was round and responsive to vibrato and timbre changes but a little dull for my taste. Next, I tried sets of D’Addario Dynacore and D’Addario Carbon (fluorocarbon) but both proved too bright for me. I liked the tone of Worth Brown (medium tension) but the third string was too thin for my playing style and buzzed if I looked at it wrong.
After some testing of various sizes, I settled on Seaguar Pink Label 30LB fishing line for the first string, 50LB on the second string and 80LB on the third string and it was magic: sweet bright tone like Worth Browns but I could customize string tension to my playing style! Pink Label is smoother in feel and mellower in tone than Seaguar Blue and Premier and most fluorocarbon string sets for that matter. And the per roll price is right for a frequent string changer like me!
Kremona KNA UK-1 | The UK-1 piezo pickup installed on Coco's bridge.
UK-1 Pickup System
I only play acoustically and use Neumann mics for recording so I don't need pickups on my ukuleles. Nevertheless a Kremona UK-1 piezo pickup was installed on Coco and it worked okay after fiddling with the position under the string ties. I removed the UK-1 during a string change because it felt awkward while playing pizzicato (palm mutes) and bridge golpe. Plus, it keep snagging on my shirt sleeve! I discuss the UK-1 piezo pickup in detail in my Mari Tenor review if you'd like to know more.
Vinyl Alligator | No reptiles harmed in the manufacturing of Coco's case.
Carrying Case
Coco is sold with a wood hardshell case. It looks more like a violin case than an ukulele case but is well made: black leather textured vinyl on the exterior, thick light brown interior padding inside, large interior stash pocket and chrome hardware. The fit is snug so if you wish to leave straps and clip-on tuners mounted you'll want roomier digs. The one glaring omission on this case is a lack of strap hooks. Cases need a shoulder strap since musicians often carry two or more instruments and need to preserve hand strength for the gig. I carry Coco in an amazingly protective and easy on the shoulder Gator Pro Go gig bag.
Kremona Coco Tenor Ukulele | Coco chillin' in my studio.
Last Blurb
I'm pleased with the tone, projection, aesthetics and playability of Coco. Her brighter timbre and wider dynamic range make a nice contrast to the mellow traditional tone of her sister model, Mari. And, as a classical guitarist, I love Coco's guitar like sensitivity and sonic palette. Plus, I'm used to keeping my fingernails super smooth and polished so no problems taming Coco's edgy tone.
Judging from other reviews of Coco and my past experience with Kremona instruments, the minor quality control issues I experienced with Coco were not typical.
We're not suffering from a lack of ukuleles in the Aloha state, so do we need yet another tenor ukulele model? In this case, affirmative: Coco brings to the table a unique design paired with projection and tone rivaling instruments costing considerably more.
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Coco's Sound
Design and Build Quality
Playability
Coco's Strings 
Carrying Case
Last Blurb
Coco's Specs