There were posts here regarding the Koa Kalane ukuleles a few years ago. At that time they could be picked up for under $200 at such stores as the local K-Mart in Kona or Sears.
I am presently on the Big Island (come here a lot). Last week, while wandering through the local Sears store in Hilo, I stumbled upon a glass case containing Koa Kalane ukes (located near the HDTV sets). I asked to see the Tenor uke. They also had Soprano and Concert. The tenor uke appeared to be solid wood top, back, and sides - and apparently was either Hawaiian Koa (true Koa Acacia) or a related Acacia wood. Hard to tell, but sure looks like some sort of acacia wood - even has some curling - really nice. The headstock says Koa Kalane with a Honu figure (turtle) below it. The finish appears to be sort of a semi-gloss (not satin). Anyway, it was selling for only $219, so how could I resist? I bought it - not a major financial risk. And the Sears salesman said I could return it, no questions asked, if I had an issue with it.
I have to say that the workmanship is absolutely impeccable. Perfectly bookmatched top, back and sides (the front of the side). Everything else looks beautifully done - the joints, the lack of visible glue, etc. The strings are evenly spaced/symmetrical down the entire fretboard. I was, and still am, shocked over this. I have absolutely no complaints about the appearance, and I happen to be quite picky about my ukes. The strings appear to be Aquila Nylgut, but feel more like Supernylgut. After spending some time on and off tuning the strings to get them stabilized, the uke now plays very well, and sounds quite good, with good intonation. It's certainly not on par with my KoAloha tenor (then again, what is?), but nicely playable indeed. And for just over $200 what is there to complain about?
Now for the mystery. Who are these guys? On the label inside the sound hole it just says Koa Kalane (no indication of where manufactured) and underneath it is printed an email address Koakalane@hotmail.com. How weird is that? So, I emailed them as I have some questions about the uke, and my email promptly got kicked back to me with the message: "mailbox unavailable" - Hmmmmm... BTW, I am getting essentially nowhere searching for these guys on the internet.
If any of you have more information on Koa Kalane, please enlighten us.
So, there you have it. Can't trace it back to the manufacturer, but I sure have a nice, possibly real Koa (?) - but certainly a great looking Acacia - bargain-priced solid ukulele. Next time any of you are in Hawaii check the local K-Mart (don't know if they still sell it there), and certainly the local Sears. I might just buy myself a second one, mystery or no mystery<smile>.
I am presently on the Big Island (come here a lot). Last week, while wandering through the local Sears store in Hilo, I stumbled upon a glass case containing Koa Kalane ukes (located near the HDTV sets). I asked to see the Tenor uke. They also had Soprano and Concert. The tenor uke appeared to be solid wood top, back, and sides - and apparently was either Hawaiian Koa (true Koa Acacia) or a related Acacia wood. Hard to tell, but sure looks like some sort of acacia wood - even has some curling - really nice. The headstock says Koa Kalane with a Honu figure (turtle) below it. The finish appears to be sort of a semi-gloss (not satin). Anyway, it was selling for only $219, so how could I resist? I bought it - not a major financial risk. And the Sears salesman said I could return it, no questions asked, if I had an issue with it.
I have to say that the workmanship is absolutely impeccable. Perfectly bookmatched top, back and sides (the front of the side). Everything else looks beautifully done - the joints, the lack of visible glue, etc. The strings are evenly spaced/symmetrical down the entire fretboard. I was, and still am, shocked over this. I have absolutely no complaints about the appearance, and I happen to be quite picky about my ukes. The strings appear to be Aquila Nylgut, but feel more like Supernylgut. After spending some time on and off tuning the strings to get them stabilized, the uke now plays very well, and sounds quite good, with good intonation. It's certainly not on par with my KoAloha tenor (then again, what is?), but nicely playable indeed. And for just over $200 what is there to complain about?
Now for the mystery. Who are these guys? On the label inside the sound hole it just says Koa Kalane (no indication of where manufactured) and underneath it is printed an email address Koakalane@hotmail.com. How weird is that? So, I emailed them as I have some questions about the uke, and my email promptly got kicked back to me with the message: "mailbox unavailable" - Hmmmmm... BTW, I am getting essentially nowhere searching for these guys on the internet.
If any of you have more information on Koa Kalane, please enlighten us.
So, there you have it. Can't trace it back to the manufacturer, but I sure have a nice, possibly real Koa (?) - but certainly a great looking Acacia - bargain-priced solid ukulele. Next time any of you are in Hawaii check the local K-Mart (don't know if they still sell it there), and certainly the local Sears. I might just buy myself a second one, mystery or no mystery<smile>.