Martin versus Ohana

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alabamaboy

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I am currently in a battle between blowing my Christmas money (to myself) on either an Ohana sk-38 or one of the Mexican Martins (either the OXK or the S1)

I have owned Martin guitars through the years and absolutely love them, and can speak very highly of the craftsmanship.

Between those three is my budget for a uke and I plan on playing the crap out of it. I love the look and sound of the S1, the durability of the OXK yet for a little cheaper I can get a sk-38 from ohana.

To be quite honest, my gut is telling me OXK because I am not the best at taking care of instruments, leaving them laying around or carrying them outdoors and such. I would totally swing for the OXK if I could get some opinions that told me if it sounded like a cheap laminate uke or not, I know you know what that means. I don't want it if it sounds like a toy cheap uke. All I have to listen to are randoms youtube videos as there are no local shops that have decent ukes around here. What are your opinions in this matter? Will I be satisfied with the OXK for decent sound and playability?
I also appreciate the full 17 frets that the Martins have.
 
I can only partially address your questions so I hope others will chime in. I have owned and played several S-1's, but no OXK's, so I cannot speak to them. I also own an Ohana SK-28 (different model), so can't speak to the SK-38. I can say that I found the S-1's and the SK-28 to be nice bargains for the price point. As one would expect at these price points, there can be a lot of variability. I would most definitely buy from a reputable dealer who does set-ups.

Merry Christmas to yourself! ;-)
 
I'd throw in a Famous (Kiwaya) FS-1 or FS-5, if you are looking for a quality laminate (compensated saddle and all, really does not sound like laminate at all, and is loud).
 
I would go OXK. It has a wonderful sound. I put some strap buttons on mine and play the heck out of it.

It is my main winter uke, and I take it camping in the summer with my OU tenor.

BTW, mine had no setup - I unboxed the sealed Martin shipping box that Musician's Friend just put their box around it and shipped it on to me after my purchase. Seemed perfectly fine from the factory.
 
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I don't have an Ohana, but will try to record my OXK and put it on Sound Cloud.

BTW, mine had no setup - I unboxed the sealed Martin shipping box that Musician's Friend just put their box around it and shipped it on to me after my purchase. Seemed perfectly fine from the factory.
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That was not my experience. I definitely had to set mine up. I do think the workmanship is very high quality! Also, the gig bag is very nice.
 
Of the Martin ukulele's I am fortunate to have only 1 of them is a modern made uke......and it is the 0XK. I purchased it new for an excellent price, and I have been very happy with it ever since I first opened the box. It is heavier than my vintage ukes but has a great feel and sound. It is definitely a keeper for me!
 
I've had both the SK-38 and the Martin S-1.

They are both good instruments, & enjoyed playing both. In the end, during one of my instrument diets, I gave up the SK-38. I don't remember the price difference between the 2, but I liked the Martin better than the SK-38.

I've never played the OXK, so I can't comment....
 
I have had the Ohana SK25, SK35G and SK38. All bought trying to get the Martin sound cheap... which turned out to be not so cheap as they have all gone.

I have the Martin OXK and S1. Of the two the S1 wins hands down. I really should have went for these in the first place. Got a good deal from two different shops shopping around. Got a thread running which started as an OXK purchase and went on to C1K and S1 purchases.

I, like you have had Martin guitars in the past. I knew the uke's would come eventually. Can't go wrong with either IMO. The OXK is warmer but still has the pop from the G & A string's. The S1 is old time pop and plink. Less like the old stuff i guess due to warranty just like the guitars but still lightly built. Same is true of the still lovely modern acoustic guitars. Old wood is old wood too.

Between you and me if you search YouTube and filter to most recent i have an OXK demo which is a good representation of it's tone. I hate the camera so stick to well practiced songs. S1 demo incoming when i get the time.

Hope this helps.
 
I had an OXK and wasn't really impressed, but I also have a 1930's style 0. I also had a C1K and it was amazing, gave it up only because I wanted a Hawaiian made instrument.
 
Of the S1 and the OXK that I own, I like playing the S1 best. But the OXK is the one that gets schlepped around to uke club meetings and events.
 
UkerDanno said:
I had an OXK and wasn't really impressed, but I also have a 1930's style 0. I also had a C1K and it was amazing, gave it up only because I wanted a Hawaiian made instrument.
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If you want a nice soprano sound go vintage.
 
there's an SK-35 for sale in the marketplace for a good price...
 
The Martin has a wider nut which I really like , the Ohana nut is a little small for me. Get a Martin , you wont regret it.
 
Just to add to my previous post.

The Martin OXK is being returned. The S1 is that much better. Saves me selling it later. Good luck with your decision.
 
I have both the Martin S1 and Ohana SK-38, love both but lately I have been playing the S1 daily. It is a great instrument, not a single scratch and it has received a couple of hits. I recommend the S1.
 
I wpuld go w martin s1.
You buy the ohana and you'll still be thinking about the martin.
You buy the martin, you wouldn't think about the ohana.

The more the frets the better too on a soprano. I need at least fifteen anything less I wont consider anymore. Seventeen or 19 is excellent for a more diverse repertoire to work on.
 
If you want something that will stand up well to lack of care & outdoor use, get the OXK. The tone is great, it feels good in the hands, and the laminate material will withstand lots of abuse. They can be had for well below MSRP if you shop around on the web.
 
Well the Martin mahogany S1 will sound a lot different than the Martin formica version. The S1 will be more responsive and brighter and will have more sustain. Ukuleles like to taken care of but you shouldn't have a problem unless you're gonna leave the little thing out in the rain.

The hpl (formica) top of the other Martin is going to be darker toned and will be less resonant and responsive
and will have a lot less sustain. But you can take this camping and not have to worry about it!

The Ohana's I've played have been very bright with good sustain and extremely responsive: you breathe on them and they play. Just be sure to get one with all solid woods.

It depends on what tone you're looking for and what other attributes are important to you.
 
I own an Ohana SK-38 and I love it! It was the first solid wood instrument I bought. I was deciding between it and a Martin S1. I opted for the Ohana because I was unsure if the Martin was actually worth the extra money, or if I was just paying extra for the name. I tried the Martin in a store, and it was good, but I wasn't sure it was good enough to be worth the price. I have not tried a Martin OXK, so I can't comment on it, but between a laminate Martin and a solid wood Ohana, I'd choose the Ohana. I purchased my Ohana from Mim and she set it up so it plays like a dream. It's great for both strumming and fingerpicking. Good luck!

I also later purchased a vintage Martin style 0 from the marketplace here for less than the price of a new Martin S1. I'm happy I spent the money on that rather than the new S1, but that's just me. It's definitely not a knock-about uke though. Maybe that should be your deciding factor - how you intend to use it.
 
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