Showing posts with label Ohana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ohana. Show all posts

Saturday 13 January 2018

Ohana 39 Series solid mahogany ukuleles in the Martin Model 3M Style.

A Concert and Soprano ukulele made in the Vintage Martin Style, but without the $3,000 US Dollar price-tags.  

No they are not USA made, nor are they Vintage, in fact they are brand spankin modern made Chinese instruments.  But the premium woods and styling cues are bang on point and the price for such quality is amazing. 

New to The Ohana Vintage Line is the much anticipated Ohana 39 series. Having been introduced at Winter NAMM’17, the SK-39 & CK-39 are modelled after the original Martin 3M ukuleles.


SK-39 & CK-39
The anticipated -39 series finally made its way to the public earlier last month. Inspired by the early Martin 3 ukuleles (known as 3M), these NEW ukuleles are instant vintage classics looks and sound.

The Design  The -39s feature premium solid Mahogany, with a multi black and white rosette and purfling along the top and back of the body as well as down the middle of the fretboard. Pearloid double dot inlays adorn frets # 5, 7 & 10, solidifying the classic aesthetic while simultaneously serving as a visual cue for ease of play.

The -39s also feature a Maple pendalogue (the contrasting triangle maple inlay on the lower bout), complemented by Maple binding which further unifies the look and feel of these ukuleles.

Designed with the discerning ukulele player in mind, these all-solid instruments are the perfect addition to any collection!

DEMO
Friend of Ohana, Rachel Manke, talks about what makes the 39 series unique as she compares and test runs SK-39 & CK-39 in the video below!


SK-39 SOPRANO
The SK-39 soprano is styled after the classic Martin 3M ukuleles from the 1920s and is part of the Ohana 39 series, part of the Vintage Line.

DESCRIPTION
The new Ohana SK-39 features premium solid Mahogany, with multi black and white purfling and Maple binding. Its all-solid construction provides this soprano with a very bright and balanced sound, producing really good sustain and resonance.

BODY
Top: Premium Solid Mahogany with Maple
Back: Premium Solid Mahogany
Sides: Premium Solid Mahogany
Sound-hole: Rosette in black/ white
Binding: Maple with multi black/ white purfling
Finish: Vintage satin
Body Length: 9-1/2"
       
NECK
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Black/ white purfling strip on center; Pearloid Double Dot Inlay on Frets # 3, 5, 7, 10 & 12
Frets: 12 frets to body; Total 17 frets
Finish: Vintage
Nut: Bone
Scale Length: 13-3/4"

GEAR
Headstock: Mahogany
Tuners: Gotoh friction
Strings: Aquila
Saddle: Bone
Total Length: 21“

CK-39 Concert
DESCRIPTION
The new Ohana CK-39, like its soprano counterpart, features premium solid Mahogany, with multi black and white purfling and Maple binding. Its all-solid construction provides this concert with a very bright and balanced sound.

BODY
Top: Premium Solid Mahogany with Maple
Back: Premium Solid Mahogany
Sides: Premium Solid Mahogany
Sound-hole: Rosette in black/ white
Binding: Maple with multi black/ white purfling
Finish: Vintage satin
Body Length: 11"

NECK
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Black/ white purfling strip on center; Pearloid Double Dot Inlay on Frets # 3, 5, 7, 10 & 12
Finish: Vintage
Nut: Bone
Scale Length: 15"

GEAR
Headstock: Mahogany
Tuners: Gotoh friction
Strings: Aquila
Saddle: Bone
Total Length: 24“






















The Ohana Story: A Small Family Business making a Big Splash in the Ukulele World


THE OHANA STORY 
Quality . Playability . Value

As an homage to the spirit of family and with a passion for music, Ohana was born. We are a small, community-oriented ukulele company best known for our commitment to quality—every instrument is individually inspected and set up before delivery to our authorized dealers around the world.

That’s because we believe that regardless of your skill level, your ukulele should be functional and immediately playable, so the places you go with it are marked by the experiences that awaken you.


Today, Ohana contributes to interesting lives everywhere, heading out to far reaches of the globe. Bands have formed. Songs have been played. Relationships have been built. Lives have been changed. And whether you are purchasing your first, next, or best ukulele, we’re here to help. Welcome to the family.

Quality, Playability, Value
Headquartered in Long Beach, CA, we at Ohana, believe in the importance of Quality, Playability, and Value. Since 2006, we have focused on making ukuleles from rich tone woods and constructions that yield the best-sounding instruments possible.

From Our Warehouse To You
We are passionate in what we do, which is why we make it our top priority to properly inspect and set up every instrument before being shipped. We believe that an instrument ought to be functional, playable, and most importantly, be able to inspire a person to continue to learn and create music.

At Ohana, we believe innovation is the key to any endeavor, tempered with an appreciation of those who paved the way for the ukulele before us. When conceptualizing a new line, we take everything into consideration— from sourcing and pairing tone woods, to the unique shape and construction of each model.

The Ohana Spirit
As a player, you deserve Quality, Playability, and Value, when purchasing a musical instrument. Thank you for choosing Ohana as part of your ukulele collection. We promise to continue to strive for excellence in our instruments and service.

Saturday 28 January 2017

CK-28 Concert Size "Vintage Manuel Nunes' Style Solid Mahogany Ukulele.

'Historic Recreation' 
'Time Traveller Special'
'The Son of'
'Homage to the great Lutheirs of the past'


Great ways to describe Ohana Ukuleles very fine, all solid mahogany wood 'Manuel Nunes' Style CK-28 Concert ukulele.

$495 RRP In Australia
Includes;
FREE Hardcase,
FREE Tuner,
FREE Set-up
FREE Postage in Australia.

As per normal I bundle all my ukes with a full set-up with your choice of; either Low or High G 
and Right or Left handed. And YES you can tell the difference between an 'Off the Shelf Factory uke' and one that has undergone a proper setup. They just play and sound nicer!

The CK-28 Limited Edition Concert Ukulele is a crackingly good instrument.  As sweet a tone and great Playability as you will ever find.  And those Ultra Hip Retro Looks are fantastic, this Ukulele is really Rocking that centre racing stripe and rope binding.  Rope binding is time consuming and difficult to make and fit, but I'm glad they did.

And it is made fully of Solid Mahogany too boot.

A STAR SELLER OF MINE.  WHY?Because the CK-28 is one Seriously Good Quality Concert Ukulele, it comes with a really good Hardcase,  plus I include a FREE Tuner and FREE Setup and well ... because it's an Ohana Ukulele and players know that Ohana is synonymous with 'Quality' 

 "I play lots of different ukuleles every week; what with Personal Shoppers getting Demos and doing Ukulele Setups everyday. 

The Ohana CK-28 is becoming a favourite of mine, they are so damn sweet sounding, and they play great."   CHEERS CC

ABOUT 
The 'Figure 8' or 'Peanut' body shape is a true classic, it is the closest relative of the Portuguese instruments brought to the Hawaiian islands.

Manuel Nunes is where ukulele making in Hawaii all started, Nunes was at "Ground Zero" the Pioneer. Manuel Nunes crafted ukuleles for more than 40 years and they are legendary instruments amongst ukulele enthusiasts.

History tells that Samuel Kamaka and Nunes own son, Leonardo, were apprentices and continued making quality ukuleles.  In 1998, the Ukulele Hall of Fame inducted Manuel Nunes  into their honorees.

SOUNDS
One of the LOUDEST little ukuleles around,
the top back and side are 'vintage style' ultra thin and made of high grade stiff mahogany, perfect for extracting every ounce of volume.

Modern ukes err on conservative and generally have thicker tops, backs and sides. All well and good for "easy manufacture", but thick wood tops kill volume and tone.

Crafting a thin wood top is harder and more time consuming, you have to get them "just right". But the returns in Volume, Tone, Weight and Sound are HUGE.

Also note that unlike modern ukuleles where the fretboard extends over the top of the ukulele (and restricts volume and tone)  the CK-28 fretboard is completely flush with the body edge,  this leaves ALL of the top to vibrate, helping to shape the tone of the instrument.  Another vintage style feature that is hard to implement in production, but well worth the time invested to get it to work.

WELL DONE CREATING THIS UKULELE
Louis Wu of Ohana Music has come up with a fantastic homage to the 'original' ukulele, made in the traditional Portuguese / Hawaiian style.

The Ohana team gathered together great examples of vintage ukuleles made by Manuel Nunes, and the team set about working out what made these old timers sound so damn sweet.

Prototypes were made and lots of players tried out the Prototypes providing feedback to the design/engineering team.  It was a long journey from concept to production ... all the time and effort involved by all those prototype Luthiers, test pilot players and Production Engineers has paid off in spades with the Nunes Series.

SUMMARY
If you are serious about your ukulele playing and uke collecting then a 'Peanut' body style Concert is a must have for you.

This Concert has such a pleasing warm tone and easy playability that you soon realise that the old master Luthiers really were onto something good!

SPECS
Premium Solid Mahogany top, back and sides
Friction tuning heads
Rosewood fingerboard and bridge
Vintage Nunes Style Rope Binding
Bone nut and saddle
14 frets Aquila Nylgut strings (or Worth)
Limited edition
Vintage re-issue
Nunes/Dias style body shape
Solid Premium Mahogany top, back & sides
Rope binding
Vintage finish
Gotoh tuners

CK-28 Concert Size "Nunes' Style
Solid Mahogany Ukulele.














Sunday 25 September 2016

Ohana VK-70 Ukulele. Ohana have been playing in their Time Machine again

Ohana VK-70 Concert/Soprano Ukulele.
Solid Spruce Top and mahogany Back and Sides.

$250 
Including Postage In Australia.
FREE Headstock Tuner
FREE Lesson via Skype with Jeffrey Thomas.

With the Ohana VK-70 you get a modern well built Ukulele with modern ease of playability AND the Cool 1920's Art Deco looks.  An original Roy Smeck Vita Uke from the 1920s will set you back a heap of coin, and finding one in good playing condition is hard.

Luckily for us the good people at Ohana have been playing with their Time Machine again.  

This time they have transported us back to 1927 and The Wizard Of the Strings Roy Smecks ukulele of choice, the Vita Style Uke.  Complete with its 1920's Deco body and "Seal' Soundholes.

The VK-70 RRP in the USA is $299 USD (Before Shipping) in Australia this ukulele is VERY KEENLY priced at $250 Aussie Dollars Including Shipping.

Just like Fiat, Mini and VW have recreated modern versions of their classic cars, Ohana has, in the vita VK-70 ukulele, crafted a modern version of a 1920's Art Deco ragtime ukulele Classic. 

 A Classic Pear-shaped "Vita" style body with solid spruce top is ordained with the equally classic the "Seal Shaped" soundholes.

I always thought the Roy Smeck Vita ukes had such an interesting design, and the 'Seal' shaped soundholes were "Radical and Futuristic' for the 1920's.

WOULD YOU LIKE BITE WITH THAT LOUD TONE
The Ohana VK-70 has a wide broad top and no waist, this makes a much bigger sound than a traditional figure 8 ukulele. Like the Originals the Size of the VK-70 is somewhere between a Soprano and a Concert.

The Spruce top adds a loud bit of Bite to the Ukulele, its NOT in any way a harsh tone, just voiced perfectly to "Cut Through' a mix.

With the Ohana VK-70 you get a modern well built Ukulele with modern ease of playability AND the Cool 1920's Art Deco looks.

AN ART DECO UKULELE?
Art Deco took its name, short for Arts Décoratifs, from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes held in Paris in 1925.  The
between the wars period was all about the new and futuristic and Art Deco design cues touched seemingly everything, even ukuleles

SPECIFCATIONS OHANA VK-70
Vintage re-issue
Vintage "Vita-Uke" Pear Shape
Solid Spruce Top
Mahogany Back & Sides
Rosewood Fingerboard and Bridge
Aquila Strings, Geared Tuners
Top and Back Binding
Bone Saddle and Nut



HISTORY
Roy Smeck, born Leroy Smeck, 6 February 1900 was an American musician. His skill on the banjo, guitar, steel guitar, and especially the ukulele earned him the Nickname "Wizard of the Strings.

The Vita ukuleles were first made by Harmony in 1927 and Roy Smeck, Mr uke wizard himself endorsed them and hence the vita name, you see the "Vita" part came from the Vitaphone Movie recordings that often featured Roy.  The original style Roy Smeck Vita from the Harmony Company was from the fancier end of their Ukulele range. IMHO were the equal of any Martin or Lyon & Healy product from the era.

The Vita had a futuristic body shape that is approximately concert uke wide and with a 14" scale so the Vita is somewhere between a concert uke and a soprano uke.

ABOUT OHANA UKULELES
"Welcome to Ohana, where you will find the many hand-crafted ukulele models we offer. Our selection ranges from: soprano to baritone, mahogany to selected
koa from the islands of Hawaii, conventional to vintage models, and also unique models for those who are looking for something different.

At Ohana, our goal is to provide the highest quality product at a reasonable price.

Every ukulele that leaves our warehouse is carefully inspected and set up for maximum playability. Yes that's right — EVERY UKULELE, regardless of model
and price. Should musicians compromise on quality just because they need an entry-level ukulele? We don't think they should.

At Ohana, we believe in the basic concepts of QUALITY, PLAYABILITY, and VALUE. As a player you deserve each of these when you purchase a musical instrument.

Ohana Music markets its products primarily through a network of excellent dealers around the world. However, we are here to answer any questions you may have. So go ahead, send Ohana an email or call; we will be happy to inform you about the products Ohana offers.

Meanwhile, have fun, share the Aloha spirit with your loved ones, and Happy Strumming!"


Ohana VK-70 Concert/Soprano Ukulele.
Solid Spruce Top and mahogany Back and Sides.

$250 
Including Postage In Australia.
FREE Headstock Tuner
FREE Lesson with Jeffrey Thomas.













Thursday 21 July 2016

CK-28 Concert Size "Vintage Nunes' Style Solid Mahogany Ukulele with FREE Hardcase Tuner, Setup and Postage

CK-28 Concert Size "Vintage Nunes' Style 
Solid Mahogany Ukulele.


Retail is $495.
Includes

FREE Hardcase,
FREE Tuner, 
FREE Set-up*
FREE Postage in Australia.



  
*Plus as per normal I bundle ukes with 
a full set-up with your choice of 

either Low or High G




The CK-28 Limited Edition Concert Ukulele is a crackingly good instrument and a
Star Seller of mine.


A sweet tone and great Playability with those Ultra Hip Retro Looks.


This Ukulele is really Rocking the look of that centre racing stripe and rope binding.  


And it is made fully of Solid Mahogany too boot



The Concert sized Nunes style ukulele now joins the little brother the Soprano SK-28. And it is a  Seriously Good Quality Concert Ukulele because it's an Ohana Ukulele.


"I play lots of different ukuleles every week, 

what with Personal Shoppers getting Demos 

and doing Ukulele Setups everyday. 
the Ohana CK-28 is becoming a favourite of mine, 
they are so damn sweet sounding, and they play great." CHEERS CC

ABOUT 
The 'Figure 8' or 'Peanut' body shape is a true classic, it is the closest relative of the  
Portuguese instruments brought to the Hawaiian islands.  

Dias and Manuel Nunes the earliest ukulele makers and crafted ukuleles for more than 40 years 
and are legend amongst ukulele  enthusiasts.

History tells that Samuel Kamaka and Nunes own son, Leonardo, 
were apprentices and continued making quality ukuleles. 

In 1998, the Ukulele Hall of Fame inducted Manuel Nunes  into their honorees.  

WELL DONE CREATING THIS UKULELE
Louis Wu of Ohana Music has come up with a fantastic homage to the 'original' ukulele, 
made in the traditional Portuguese / Hawaiian style.

SUMMARY
If you are serious about your ukulele playing and uke collecting then a 'Peanut' body style Concert is a must have for you. 

The fretboard is completely flush with the body, another vintage style feature - this leaves more of the top to vibrate, helping to shape the tone of the instrument.

This Concert has such a pleasing warm tone and easy playability that you soon realise that the old master Luthiers really were onto something good!

SPECS
Premium Solid Mahogany top, back and sides 
Friction tuning heads 
Rosewood fingerboard and bridge 
Vintage Nunes/Dias Style Rope Binding 
Bone nut and saddle 
14 frets Aquila Nylgut strings (or Worth) 
Limited edition
Vintage re-issue
Nunes/Dias style body shape
Solid Premium Mahogany top, back & sides
Rope binding
Vintage finish
Gotoh tuners

CK-28 Concert Size "Vintage Nunes' Style 
Solid Mahogany Ukulele.

Retail is $495.
Includes
FREE Hardcase,
FREE Tuner, 
FREE Set-up*
FREE Postage in Australia.