Ohana Willow Laminate Soprano arrived

Uncle Rod Higuchi

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I'm choosing not to entitle this "NUD" primarily because I do not
have any pictures... that I know you all want. I'm still not sure how to do
that :) Perhaps there are pictures on the Ohana website :)

I got it from Butler Music and I was treated very well, indeed!

anyway, the uke is easy to play and easy to look at with all that unique
and very bold grain. It was a lighter color than it seemed it would be
from the pictures, but it's still striking!

good sound to my ears, easy to hold chords (doesn't require much pressure
to get good sound from the chords).

I'm bringing it tonight to our weekly song circle (STRUM at Kona
Kitchen, 6-8p) and will be leading the singing with it - to run it
through its paces. I'm sure it will do well.

just thought I'd let you guys know what's up with me and some new
ukes. I also bought a low-G concert made by a local luthier who is a
member of STRUM. [see the thread about moving from reentrant to
low-G :) ]

and keep uke'in',
 
it's the all laminate model. I believe some of the others have a different tone
wood (solid?) as the sound board.

I think the all laminate model might be the least expensive of the offerings :)

OK, just checked. it's the SK-15W :)
 
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I like the sound. It's a bright mellow, so not harsh to my ears, but with enough
volume for leading song circles. your picture is more like what I have. the original
picture showed a darker grain, but it's still charming :)

I'm thinking about redoing the finish for a darker grain pattern, but I don't want
to disturb the sound. I'm afraid that if I mess with the staining I may adversely
affect the sound. So I think I'll just keep it as it is.

thanks,
 
That's really pretty!

I believe some of the others have a different tone
wood (solid?) as the sound board.
I was just looking at these, and if I understand Ohana's naming scheme correctly the -50 series is solid cedar top and the -70 series is solid spruce top. Both series are mostly "deluxe" models, which I think is purely cosmetic (fancy binding, etc.)

I think the all laminate model might be the least expensive of the offerings :)
Truth! One of my goals was inexpensive, and it was way to easy to incrementally upgrade $25 at a time to $WAYOUTOFMYPRICERANGE #boilingfrog
 
I actually don't really pay attention to the brand of the tuners... only if they seem to
work well - easy to tune and holding steady :) I'll check and try to remember to
post here.

I would recommend the all-laminate model for its mellow sound.
I used it last night at our weekly song circle and did notice that it didn't seem to have
as much volume as I thought it might. However, it was very pleasant to play and held
its own when I started some of the Hawaiian songs with various vamps.

I think I might like a darker stain that would highlight the pronounced grain, but again
it's still very striking, albeit now in a more subdued manner :)

keep uke'in',
 
take another look at post #4 as that more yellowish tint is what mine turned out to be.
the original picture had a darker tint with a more pronounced grain visible. So if you're
looking for that, you may want to contact the seller first.

the grain is pronounced, but mine turned out to be a muted yellow rather than one with
a darker grain.

just saying,
 
I have the willow laminate body with cedar top. Don't have the variations to compare it to, but its a lovely thing
 
I have the SK-70WG. (Bought it for the wife.) It's solid spruce top with willow laminate sides and back. Very pretty. Good sound. Strings make a big difference.
 
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