Ohana opinions?

Iulia

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I'm a relative newbie - only owned two half decent instruments, a hand made concert by Stuart Longridge, and a soprano by Ohana, the cedar top willow back sorry can't remember the number. In fairness to Mr Longridge, I didn't bond with it because my thing is I think sopranos.

I kept trying concerts thinking I would get why everyone wanted them more than sopranos ...

My little Ohana is an awesome little girl. On the occasion I've not been happy with something I've picked up a cheaper instrument and realised its me, not the uke ;)

I haven't seen much love for Ohana on the forum, just wondered how you all rate Ohana compared to other stuff?

Who's had them, who loves them, who doesn't??

Just curious, not the brand police :D
 
I have a spruce top Ohana soprano. I like it fine. It gets the job done, so I have no complaints. I have a soprano and two concert size ukuleles. All three are different brands. I can't say that I prefer one size or one brand over the other. In my day to day playing I don't notice the difference between them.
 
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I've had several Ohana ukuleles over the years and have nothing but good things to say about them. I've had sopranos, concerts and tenors - all were very satisfactory. Now I only play sopranos and three of my twenty (or so) sops are Ohanas. I have SK50MG (Cedar top); SK300G (solid Koa body); SK35G (solid mahogany body).

I acquired all three between eight and ten years ago, and I wouldn't want to part with any of them.

John Colter
 
Two of my three ukes are Ohanas and I'm happy with them both. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another if the situation arose.
 
What's not to like about an Ohana soprano? Not much I reckon. Mine is their basic all mahogany model. I'd rather have friction tuners, but otherwise it's a great little instrument.
 
I think that Ohana, like all the companies, has stepped up in quality over the years and offers a line of products that matches the quality and value of any other sub $500 ukulele brand.

The ukuleles are affordable and attractive—and they make some models in the style of older models in solid wood at a much lower price (e.g. Vita, Nunes, and Martin Model 3).

I also like the offering of “build/paint your own ukulele” kits.

I have 3 Ohana products—a shakulele, a Pineapple Sopranissimo, and the Spruce Taropatch. I’d certainly recommend all three to other buyers.
 
I believe Ohana’s are atop grade instrument fo factory built instrument.
I have several and played many more.
 
Two of my favorite everyday players are Ohanas -- the mahogany soprano and the cedar/willow concert. I also had a pineapple and a tenor. Both really fine instruments, especially for the money. Kala has a stronger retail presence, esp. through the big box stores, but I like the neck profile and playability of the Ohana more, generally speaking.
 
Bill,

Ohana doesn’t interact here. Has anyone asked them, on the record, to source the Eucalyptus that was used? If not, boycotting the company is an unfair leap in the process.
 
I think Ohana gives you good value for the money. I have owned several Ohanas, currently keeping an Ohana Cedar/ Rosewood Soprano. It compares quite well to my other $2000+ Sopranos. The important thing is to get it from a reputable seller who can do a good set up. Mims from Mimsuke and Mike from Ukerepublic will do a good job.
 
I am a tenor person through-and-through. My second tenor was an Ohana TK-50GS. I bought it at a local music store. It was sold to me "on sale" but recently I realized that the "S" in the model stands for "Second" and there is a "B" stamped on the label. I can't blame the maker for the seller's lapse. As far as the quality goes, the instrument has a solid Rosewood body with a cedar top. I had it setup when I bought it. It plays well. And sounds pretty nice. So other than a few cosmetic flaws I can't say anything bad about it.

I bought a SK-70WG Soprano for my wife. It has a very pretty laminate willow body with a solid spruce top. It was properly setup and I put Living Waters strings on it because I prefer fluorocarbons to nylons. It sounds OK. well it sounds like a laminate soprano. Gloss finish. Reasonably loud. Fair sustain. Quite a few glue drips inside. It's a good starter ukulele.

So quality wise, I think Ohana is not bad. Mid-level instruments that offer good value for the price.
 
I have only owned 2 ukes and both were Ohanas. For strumming and just banging around, I love my little CK-10S. It's loud and punchy and just a fun little instrument to play. My TK-50G has a more complex sound but lends itself more to fingerstyle playing. So those are the only 2 ukes that I have owned and I like them both. Nothing wrong with an Ohana, however....

I played a very nice Martin T1K the other day. Hmmmmm....
 
Ohana is the equal of Kala. I always recommend them to newbies because they are both good value for money at the lower end. :)

I started out with Kala ukes, but bought my first solid wood mahogany from Ohana, what an eye opener, marvellous sound/tone compared to any laminate that I had.

I put (Living Water) fluorocarbon strings on my ukes, low G for me, & these Ohanas sound great.

I, personally, don't get on with anything smaller than a concert scale, but I do have a soprano with a tenor neck Ohana solid mahogany, & a concert necked one too, because I like the sound of them.

My main instruments, after much searching, are tenor necked concerts, one of which is the Ohana solid mahogany, the other is my most expensive uke, my KoAloha Opio solid acacia.

As you don't like anything bigger than soprano, may I point you towards the Ohana solid mahogany sopranisimo, I think you may well like one of those. ;)
(I really like their sound, but, unfortunately, I doubt I could play one comfortably.)
 
I have an Ohana TK35G that I bought a few years ago to strum backing rhythms for my YouTube videos. Every time I picked up this Ukulele I thought it just sounded so lovely. I decided to put a low G on the Ohana (as a guitarist it makes more sense).......I then could not put the little ukulele down. It inspired me to arrange a host of tunes that I have posted on YouTube and got me well and truly ukulele hooked. I have since bought a Kanile'a which is all Koa and is also very lovely. The Kanile'a is beautifully made and sounds gorgeous. The Ohana is very well made and also sounds gorgeous! I have only really played a few ukuleles in my time so I may not be the best judge, but from my limited experience the Ohana is great.....highly recommended!

All the best,
Mike
 
Kala and Ohana turn out nice ukes by the thousands. They're good quality for what you pay, with some being better and more expensive than others. Given the choice, I take an Ohana over a Kala, with no justification at all. : ) I have two Kala Watermans and a Kala cedar tenor with slotted headstock. Obviously, there's no comparison between them, but I wouldn't bring the cedar with me in a canoe.

I have three Ohanas, with another on the way. I have a sopranino, Vita-Uke, glossy spruce pineapple, and a black & white ebony concert is hopefully on the way.
 
Hi Iulia,

The all koa Ohana, to which you provided a link, looks very similar to my SK300G, but with a much higher MRSP. I was lucky enough to get mine at a very reduced price, about six years ago, because it had "issues" that needed to be addressed. I was able to fix it myself. Mine has a loud, clear voice and a pleasing tone. It feels good in the hands (well, in mine), and plays easily.

My only other all Koa soprano is a KoAloha. They are quite different, and if I had to choose between them, I would always take the KoAloha. Having said that, I must add that I'm very glad I can keep them both!

John Colter.
 
Bill,

Ohana doesn’t interact here. Has anyone asked them, on the record, to source the Eucalyptus that was used? If not, boycotting the company is an unfair leap in the process.

I asked them. I got no reply.
 
Hi Iulia,

The all koa Ohana, to which you provided a link, looks very similar to my SK300G, but with a much higher MRSP. I was lucky enough to get mine at a very reduced price, about six years ago, because it had "issues" that needed to be addressed. I was able to fix it myself. Mine has a loud, clear voice and a pleasing tone. It feels good in the hands (well, in mine), and plays easily.

My only other all Koa soprano is a KoAloha. They are quite different, and if I had to choose between them, I would always take the KoAloha. Having said that, I must add that I'm very glad I can keep them both!

John Colter.


Yes I suppose that was the question I was asking - do the high end instruments compare with those of more 'prestigious' companies. KoAloha are a bit more pricey though I think?
 
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