Aloha JJ, I hope you don't mind my intervening here, as I am one of the 3 principals of NALU Ukulele Company. Of course, I can only say great things about our ukuleles being one of the founding partners. First off, also thanks for the plug on the "looks" of our ukulele. As principal creative designer, we believe we accomplished an eye-catching product while also offering nice sound at an affordable price point. I have been very closely involved in the design development including discerning sound and tone of our instruments. Having been a collector of vintage ukuleles for over 25 years, it has given me a sensitive ear of what's been produced in the past, and I must admit to referring to tonal quality from ukes in my collection. Along with the modern day high end ukes out there with great sound, we also had to realize that there are vintage ukuleles that possess a distinct sound worthy of replicating. Of course, all 3 partners have been involved and we have also sought the advice of other experts and players, and feel their input has been critical in our development to this point. We at NALU continue to strive for "better", because we know there are many choices out there. Do know that we are positioned as a mid-range instrument and our attention to detail has been a critical part of the quality we expect in our instruments. Also know that our ukuleles carry a 5 yr. limited warranty, but our sole purpose is that we have happy strumming customers for a long time. Please note that I am not offering an opinion, merely a bit of NALU's history and mission statement.
OK, back to your question, yes we are a NEW company, but did not plan this overnight. This project and forming of our "new" company has been about 2 1/2 years in the making. Without going into too much detail, we debuted our first ukuleles at the UFNC, Northern California Ukulele Festival in April 2009. We decided to expand our base from local hawaiian venues to "the world" you might say, and exhibited at NAMM 2010 in January with our complete line of products. It's safe to say our ukes have been well received, and we have secured a number of core dealers from this show, along with continued interest by other dealers. We are experiencing some growing pains, and we appreciate your understanding and patience as we are working to build up our inventory as we have had so much interest! We are currently dealing with some back orders, but in this situation we see it as a good thing. Again, we know there are many other ukuleles out there, high-end, mid-range, entry level, luthier one-offs, etc...we know as a company you can't please everyone. Just knowing that you have inquired about NALU ukuleles and queried peeps online, does express an interest about NALU ukuleles. We at least hope you consider what NALU can offer you as a player as one of your selections. Depending on where you live, we could direct you to a NALU dealer. If not, please give one of us a call, our phone numbers are located on our web site at
www.nalu-ukulele.com or fill in the contact information and we'll be happy to assist you by contacting you at our earliest convenience. JJ, thanks for your interest and I hope that you find a uke that fits your needs and look at NALU as a possible choice. MAHALO! Rick Rasay