https://app.box.com/s/u7ij1pveul1d4fd8xgd0
This is a link to my Vita Uke Collection. Yesterday I received my Pete Howlett Concert Vita to complete the collection.
The ukes are:
1. Frisco Uke
2. Ukiyo Uke
3 Original Vita Uke
4. Pete Howlett Vita Tribute
4. Ohana Vita Uke
This collection came about by serendipity. A friend of mine who is a very talented amateur luthier had restored a Vita that he bought on ebay. I became enamored of his Vita and started shopping for one.
Before I found the original Vita I found a Ukiyo uke on ebay. I bought the Ukiyo and contacted the seller. It turned out that he had acquired a collection of ukes and had several ukes. Among them was the Frisco uke. The Frisco Uke badly needed a setup and it took me a long time to get around to fixing it, which I finally did. Then, I found an original Vita locally on Craigslist. It has a few cracks on the back and some splitting at the feet of the seals. The bridge had been home repaired and badly. It had no strings. To my surprise its a decent player. There are no cracks in the top.
When I wrote on UU about the Vita, Pete Howlett contacted me and shared his love of the Vita uke. We started corresponding and Pete offered to build a Vita for me. So I commissioned a Vita from Pete, for which I waited a year and now it is here.
So what is the appeal of this uke? Well to me the original Vita has a resonance that is unique. It's very loud for its size, and the notes seem to echo in the chamber. There is just something about it that, if it grabs you it doesn't let go. I don't know that I could capture it on the web because it is subtle, and a lot is in how the instrument feels.
That said, none of the copies, until I got the Howlett captured the spirit of the Vita uke. They are all fun in their own way, but the Howlett does capture the sound of my Vita. At some point I will give the Howlett its own review because it deserves to be discussed on its own.
The Ohana is very loud, and not very subtle. It is really an inexpensive laminated uke with a unique shape. On its own terms, for what it is, it is a nice uke. However, it doesn't sound or feel anything like a Vita when played.
The Frisco uke is something of an oddity. The work on it is beautiful and the wood is really nice. The shape is kind of awkward as it is quite large relative to the Vita uke. And it sounds nothing like it.
The Ukiyo has the look of the Vita and is nicely built but it doesn't have the volume or the resonance.
I wanted to put together a collection of some kind of ukes that was a "different" collection. The Vita uke seemed like something unique. It's also cool because with the exception of the Howlett (and even the Howlett is in its own way when you realize the level of Pete's skill relative to what he charges), these ukes were all surprisingly inexpensive. Both the Original Vita and the Frisco were unplayable when I got them, and the Frisco was pretty much rescued from the trash.
This is a link to my Vita Uke Collection. Yesterday I received my Pete Howlett Concert Vita to complete the collection.
The ukes are:
1. Frisco Uke
2. Ukiyo Uke
3 Original Vita Uke
4. Pete Howlett Vita Tribute
4. Ohana Vita Uke
This collection came about by serendipity. A friend of mine who is a very talented amateur luthier had restored a Vita that he bought on ebay. I became enamored of his Vita and started shopping for one.
Before I found the original Vita I found a Ukiyo uke on ebay. I bought the Ukiyo and contacted the seller. It turned out that he had acquired a collection of ukes and had several ukes. Among them was the Frisco uke. The Frisco Uke badly needed a setup and it took me a long time to get around to fixing it, which I finally did. Then, I found an original Vita locally on Craigslist. It has a few cracks on the back and some splitting at the feet of the seals. The bridge had been home repaired and badly. It had no strings. To my surprise its a decent player. There are no cracks in the top.
When I wrote on UU about the Vita, Pete Howlett contacted me and shared his love of the Vita uke. We started corresponding and Pete offered to build a Vita for me. So I commissioned a Vita from Pete, for which I waited a year and now it is here.
So what is the appeal of this uke? Well to me the original Vita has a resonance that is unique. It's very loud for its size, and the notes seem to echo in the chamber. There is just something about it that, if it grabs you it doesn't let go. I don't know that I could capture it on the web because it is subtle, and a lot is in how the instrument feels.
That said, none of the copies, until I got the Howlett captured the spirit of the Vita uke. They are all fun in their own way, but the Howlett does capture the sound of my Vita. At some point I will give the Howlett its own review because it deserves to be discussed on its own.
The Ohana is very loud, and not very subtle. It is really an inexpensive laminated uke with a unique shape. On its own terms, for what it is, it is a nice uke. However, it doesn't sound or feel anything like a Vita when played.
The Frisco uke is something of an oddity. The work on it is beautiful and the wood is really nice. The shape is kind of awkward as it is quite large relative to the Vita uke. And it sounds nothing like it.
The Ukiyo has the look of the Vita and is nicely built but it doesn't have the volume or the resonance.
I wanted to put together a collection of some kind of ukes that was a "different" collection. The Vita uke seemed like something unique. It's also cool because with the exception of the Howlett (and even the Howlett is in its own way when you realize the level of Pete's skill relative to what he charges), these ukes were all surprisingly inexpensive. Both the Original Vita and the Frisco were unplayable when I got them, and the Frisco was pretty much rescued from the trash.