Hawaiian or US made Ukuleles- whats available?

[1geo]

The best bang for your buck is a Pono second. Pono is made by Ko'olau who for my money builds the best ukuleles on the planet. When they spot a cosmetic blemish they pull the instrument and sell it as a second. Any ukulele with a structural problem is destroyed. I have and have sold a number of these seconds and in most cases can not find the blemish. The ones I could find the blemish had to do with discoloration of the rosewood on the fretboard. I have both a Pono Mahogany Tenor and a Pono Acacia Tenor both are great ukuleles.

[haolebrownie]

Honestly, I find Ponos to be a bit overbuilt. That's for a different thread though. With that said, I recommend them 9.9 out of 10 times when someone is looking for a quality "cheaper" ukulele. I think they are a bargain for what you pay and head and shoulders above Kala, Lanikai, etc.

I think the OPs problem with a Pono is going to be that it is built in Indonesia.

[the.ronin]

Originally Posted by haolebrownie

I assume you're talking about Nice. If so, there has been a lot of discussion that the ukes were actually made in PI and finished on Oahu by Edmund (similar in a way to Keli'i). People that pressed him had him admit it. I'm not sure if that has changed, but I doubt it...

I am and he does. To clarify, like many other luthiers, he sends materials to the Philippines where the main construction is done. He receives them in Oahu where he finishes the ukulele. This is no secret for Ed and certainly not for a lot of luthiers - not even your venerable K brands.

The difference is that at least he is doing the finishing himself and not a factory line as with Keli'i.

[haolebrownie]

I don't mean to split hairs with you the.ronin, but I'm going to split hairs (and, please don't take offense to any of this. I don't want this to be a personal attack. It is just a rant on forums being less than clear with their use of terminology and accuracy of information). I think that the term "luthier" needs to be used more carefully. Lutherie and manufacturing are two separate things. I don't think it is accurate (or fair) to say that "many" other luthiers have their product essentially built overseas and then do the finish work here. Some manufacturers might do this. They are two separate things. Honestly... if you aren't building the instrument, you aren't doing too much lutherie (finishing, sure, setup sure, building the instrument... questionable at best). I also don't think it is accurate to state that Kamaka, Koolau, Koaloha, and/or Kanilea are sending materials overseas where the main construction is done and then doing finishing work here. Could you be more specific on what you mean by main construction? Where do you get that information from? I also don't think any of the K brands should be called "luthiers" unless you are referring to the actually luthiers building the hand-built instruments and their practices differentiated from the factory ukes. The K brands are manufactures/companies. Sorry for the semi-rant, but I think the term luthier gets used too loosely and that does a disservice to the actual art and skill of lutherie.

I think that if the product is manufactured overseas and finished in Hawaii or anywhere in the US, it cannot be called a Hawaii/US made instrument. At best, it should be said the instrument is built in ____ and finished in ____.

[bynapkinart]

Sorry for bumping this to the top because it's a little older, but I just had to interject.

People think that just because a ukulele is smaller, it should be cheaper. If that were true, we should be able to go out and buy Lloyd Loar- built mandos for less than $50k, and a Strad violin should never be more than a few thousand dollars. It isn't the size of the instrument that matters. Those of you who think that the ukulele is a toy are sorely mistaken, it is a serious instrument when built properly and takes a hell of a long time to build (properly).

First of all, the tolerances on ukuleles are so much smaller than on guitars. The top, for instance, cannot be even slightly too thick, otherwise it won't project the volume you need. The bracing has to be as minimal and light as possible while still being strong enough to withstand years of abuse. The action, fit, and finish has to be as carefully adjusted as any good guitar would be. I realize that this same work has to be performed on a guitar, but we're talking about something that is 1/3 the size with nylon strings instead of steel that, when built properly, can actually be played in the same room with a guitar and cut through the mix. This isn't something you can build in a day, and it's not something you can figure out in one go. Luthiers spend years perfecting a design before it can be produced.

Some manufacturers punch up the prices without a reflected jump in quality (I personally think Kamaka doesn't build to their price point). This isn't unheard of in the guitar world, especially amongst well-known American companies (ahem Gibson).

The point is, just because something is small doesn't mean you're going to spend $200 and come away pleased. The ONLY way to spend $200 and come away with a playable instrument is to buy foreign-made instruments. Some USA builders on a very small scale do build tenor ukuleles for $500, and the well-known K brands build sopranos for as low as $550. Martin is producing decent tenors down in Mexico that can be had for under $600. Pono is my personal favorite, built in Java and finished on Oahu and they clock in anywhere from $400-$1500.

If you want to buy USA, you are looking at anywhere from $900-$1300 for the base tenor model from any K brand and $1700 for Martin...and even more for Collings. Personally I can't stress enough that when you buy a good uke you'll see that people unbelievably actually enjoy playing them because they're serious instruments that can be used in a wild range of genres and skill levels. Most guitar players disregard them...I disregarded them for 13 years before picking up my first, and now I'm hooked.

If you're a songwriter looking for a new feel and tone, buy one. If you're a dedicated guitar player looking for a new challenge, buy one. But please, please, please don't buy a crappy knockoff branded as "Made in the USA" when you can get an actual quality instrument not made in China for the same kind of cash. Check Pono out, check Martin out. If you're more spendy, buy a K brand or a custom like Mya Moe for a little over a grand and if you hate it, flip it in 6 months for almost the same amount of cash. Don't buy a cheap, poorly built instrument and expect to be impressed. If you do end up buying one that sounds like a toy, well...it's because you bought a toy.

[kevdog]

Bynapkinart is correct in that you really do get what you pay for.

If you're serious about guitar and you get into the uke there is a good chance you'll get a serious uke...

American made on the left coast-

http://www.kinnardukes.com/For_Sale.html

[copdog]

The height of my tenor figured the the pig side / back of ADI soundboard. Strings in low-g, is by far the best sounding UKE I've played. Self-defined by the waiting list is similar to the guitar. I think I was about 11 months from start to finish.

[GGinMP]

I went into my local shop with the idea of getting a nice koa uke from one of the K's. I played a few of them, but it was an all-mahogany Pohaku from Peter Hurney that won my ears over.

[radarlover]

What you are looking for its what i found while in Kauai. Larry's music has Hawaiian designed, Chinese built ukes at a great price point. I bought a gc solid spruce top, solid maple back and sides with a bag for $238. He even threw in a small humidifier and a chord sheet. It sounds traditional but a bit bigger and decent sustain. Traditional ukes decay very quickly tonally. He has a website and ships worldwide.

[radarlover]

Kamoa is the brand name.

[Red_Label]

I'll likely have a Breedlove Masterclass koa uke on the way before long. Based on the six Breedlove guitars, bass, and mando that I've already bought, I have little doubt that the Breedlove uke (built in Bend, Oregon) will also be a killer. It runs about $2K new at cheapest I've seen 'em.

[Watt]

I know that I am a bit late to the discussion, since the OP posted in January, but ... There is a builder in Indiana, David Gill, who makes simple, lightly built, ukuleles that sell for under $500. I have a mahogany concert model, made in 2010, that is a very nice instrument. As I recall, I paid $350. I believe that he currently sells through Weed Patch Music. So there you have it: an American-made, hand-built instrument under the OP's budget.

I can't compare it to any of the high-end instruments, because I have not tried them (though I have a KoAloha on the way). My only other uke was a Mainland mango concert. It was nice instrument, with a more polished appearance. But the Gill is a much better uke, well intonated, lightly braced, more responsive, sweet sounding. I sold the Mainland.

Nick

[rodsf]

They are off the charts. I've had two so far- given them both away to musician friends. (You know the George Harrison thing.)

[darylcrisp]

i've just did the process you are going thru.

in the end, due to a couple recommendations here, i purchased an all koa tenor from willie wixom. i can't remember specific price but it was around $650. Came with the Uke Crazy lightweight "ice cooler" foam formed, cordura lined case with shoulder straps. the uke is pretty awesome. the neck feels great, the tone and intonation is spot on for the lowG that i like. it plays easy and came with an excellent setup. nice, easy to use grover tuners. the finish is not the best( a drip or run and in the reflection there are some imperfect areas) and there are some 'makers marks' on the uke in certain areas. they don't stand out, but if you look you can find tool marks near the neck joint, the bridge, and here and there. those things don't bother me because it plays so easy and so nice. very well balanced.

the other Uke i ended up with in a guitar trade is the breedlove american series. sitka top, sapele back/sides. this came with a very nice hardshell case-that fits!
the breedlove sounds very nice, plays easy, and the build quality is like a $3000 guitar. its as perfect as an instrument could be. everything fits like a glove, the finish is excellent, and Uke intonates perfect up and down the neck. i've strung it up in high and low G and it sounds great in both.
these can be found on occasion in the used market for $600-700. They play/sound as good as any $1500 Uke i've had in my hands-and probably better.

d