My new Sinkin' Cute Uke!

Close up it may look like just a normal All-Solid Soprano Mahogany Uke... but from a distance...

It is in fact:

There it is (mine is the one with the tuner) tucked in between the sopranos!

I have been waiting anxiously for these to come in!
My husband and I made a deal (or basically I made a deal to make me feel better about buying another uke and he went along with me) that if I sold a certain amount of Eleukes I could treat myself to a new uke! I initially wanted a Sopranino, but since it was backordered, I jumped ship in my mind and was going to go for a Low-G tenor. I was about a week away from putting my order in.

Well... the Sopraninos finally came in and it took me about 2 minutes to change my mind... I tuned him up, gave it a bit o playing, and immediately clung to this Uke... and proclaimed that it was NOT going anywhere!

I heard they were loud... but I had NO IDEA! Seriously, when I pull this sucker out of it's soprano gigbag... people say "awwww" like I was showing them a new baby! Then when I play it they go "ooooo" like "Wow! I was not expecting that from that little thing!"

Anyone else have a chance to play these?

And the crazy thing is, for it to be so small it is a VERY well-made instrument. But I really should not have expeced any less from Ohana. They seriously make an amazing uke!

The only problem: it is so small and portable it goes everywhere with me. Great for me... bad for husband who may or may not want to hear ukulele playing through every commercial break on TV, in the car, by the pool, outside watching the kids ride their bikes, in the kitchen waiting for water to boil... I have done all these and it has only been 2 days!

Anyway... I had to gush!

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not completely abandoning my hope for a Low-G tenor. I just need to sell more ukes! I need to put a higher # on it this time since I really want a Lanikai Monkey-pod, Zebra Wood, or Mongo (with Electronics). I am going to order one of each for stock and then decide which I like best.

BTW: I do have another sopranino. So if you ever want one, let me know! I'll give ya good price so it would get me on my way to rationalizing that Lanikai Haha!

Aloha Mim,
I don't have one yet, but seen them at the uke stores. I think they call them pocket ukes too, do they????which makes sense, you can
take them everywhere. It's so convienient. good for you and may not be for your husband. May drive him uke crazy. Anyways what
brand is it and what's your opinion of the tone of it? Always on my mind of geting one but need the facts first. And thanks for the
picture too!!!Ho'o lono ana i ke kani hone hone a ka ukulele- Pause to listen to the sweet sound of the ukulele..Aloha and Mahalo
"Keep um vibrating them strings" Uke On!!!!

mm stan said:

Aloha Mim,
I don't have one yet, but seen them at the uke stores. I think they call them pocket ukes too, do they????which makes sense, you can
take them everywhere. It's so convienient. good for you and may not be for your husband. May drive him uke crazy. Anyways what
brand is it and what's your opinion of the tone of it? Always on my mind of geting one but need the facts first. And thanks for the
picture too!!!Ho'o lono ana i ke kani hone hone a ka ukulele- Pause to listen to the sweet sound of the ukulele..Aloha and Mahalo
"Keep um vibrating them strings" Uke On!!!!

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The Kalas are called Pocket Ukes. They are a bit smaller, and yes, you can literally fit them in your pocket.

The brand is Ohana, and I can not say enough good things about them! Great ukes! Well made!

The tone is punchy due to the small size. Yet the solid mahogany gives it a really nice warm undertone.
I am really bad when it comes to describing tone. It has a great classic plucky ukulele sound, but is quite loud, in a very compact size.

Anyone else who has tried them want to weigh in on the sound. I do not have my mic with me (it is at home) or I would concoct a sound sample !

I have a sopranino Ohana and love it! I switched out the Aquilas to Fremont blackline strings. I think they fit the sound and feel of the Sopranino much better.

They are loud, barky and fun to play. If you can get really good playing a Sopranino, then switching to a concert or tenor feels like you're playing a guitar!

Great little uke. I grab mine frequently. In fact I think I'll go do that right now.
Cheers,
Skottoman

I been wanting one of those myself. I want to get one, and attach a key chain clip to the head of it so it will look like a Key chain..lol.. I am really fond of the Ohana ukes myself. I have been very pleased with my SK.

Ok, I just jammed out on my Ohana Sopranino for a while. It's awesome. The Fremonts have settled in and the sound and tuning are great! I pitch mine up 1/2 or a full step for a tighter sound. Plays better too. One thing to notice is how the sound 'opens' up. So if you like it now, wait a while after it's settled and broken in. I've had mine over a year... The sound changes and it just gets MOAR AWESOME!!!!

Cheers,
Skottoman

Awesome uke Mim! I just wanted to thank you again for the ukes I picked up yesterday! My nephew has now been assimilated. And now I have a new one I can't put down!

I tried bornagainjeeper's Ohana Sopranino at UWC and fell in love with it. I really want one, some day.

One of my favs out of my too many ukes. Amazing sound. And Ohana is my fav. brand of reasonably priced ukes. (I do not own any K brands thou. But I do have a Mainland in it's way.)

Mim, as you know, I'm gonna be taking you one step closer to your dream... and I have a feeling that in a very short while, I'll be taking you yet another step!
At 6'2" and lanky, I'm getting the giggles just picturing myself playing one of those little things!

Love it!

johnc240 said:

Awesome uke Mim! I just wanted to thank you again for the ukes I picked up yesterday! My nephew has now been assimilated. And now I have a new one I can't put down!

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HOORAY!!! So glad! Those LU-21s sold like Hotcakes! I need to order more on Monday! Such a great uke for a low-end!

I would love to have one of those someday. Congratulations! I've never owned an Ohana, but I've played a few and have been really impressed. The ones I played were LOUD! I've never played a sopranino though, or even SEEN one in person. Hopefully someday I can try one out.

congrats on the new uke! you totally deserve it. i'm surprised that you almost gave up on it. when i was buying my eleuke from you, you were talking it up so much. because of your enthusiasm, i definitely want to try one of these myself.

I have nieces in Charlotte, sounds like I should visit them and check out your store.

arashi_nero said:

congrats on the new uke! you totally deserve it. i'm surprised that you almost gave up on it. when i was buying my eleuke from you, you were talking it up so much. because of your enthusiasm, i definitely want to try one of these myself.

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I know... I REALLY wanted one! BUT... I am also a wood grain nut! And I got a Lanikai Tenor Spalted Solid Mango in the shop and it took all I have in me not to WANT... IT.... NOW!!! It has an amazing wood grain on it and the sides are not only spalted but flamed and 2 of the guys at my Uke Jam were drooling over it and I wanted to say, "NEVERMIND.... NOT FOR SALE... MINE MINE MINE!" But I want to get a Monkey Pod and Zebra Wood in first and see which I prefer more. So I was making myself hold off.

But then that Sopranino won my heart over! And it even fits on the arm rest of the couch. I even picked it up and played along with the ditty on a commercial the other day. My husband just looked at me... and smiled... he likes my quirky uke-loving self!

Pondoro said:

I have nieces in Charlotte, sounds like I should visit them and check out your store.

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PLEASE COME SEE ME!

Just let me know when you are coming! Because I am an ice cream and ukulele shop, sometimes I am not there (or I would be working 80+ hours a week) and my employees know little about them. They will know a lot by the time I am done with them, but for now they just know general things. I love to meet people from the board! I live close and can always make sure I am in when you are!

Melissa82 said:

I tried bornagainjeeper's Ohana Sopranino at UWC and fell in love with it. I really want one, some day.

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I also played bornagainjeeper's Ohana sopranino at UWC. Coincidentally, I also got to play Ukisociety's Kala Pocket Uke, too. Both were very nice little instruments and were surprisingly loud. I feel a bit cramped on a soprano, so both of these felt even more so, but they felt as if I would get used to them over time. Nice ukes, but I think I'm primarily a concert uke fan....

I hear ya on that one. I am 6'5" at nearly 600 lbs, and you can only imagine the smiles I get when I crack out my Soprano. Dunno, it just fits for some reason and we make a great team.. hahha.. I would too like to get the Sopranio just to go a notch smaller even, for even bigger grins... And I really do plan to install a key chain, chain and catch on the end. I think it would make an awesome key chain for me <grin>

My sopranino is pretty much my instrument of choice these days, and after switching my Aquila strings to high tension Fremonts, it sounds even better (I'm too stubborn to change to D-tuning, so the Fremonts really did the trick). I find the Ohana less cramped than the Kala Pocket, so I usually recommend it for folks who already have trouble with regular soprano fretboards. (I like to consider myself the unofficial sopranino evangelist since I talk about it all the flippin' time.)

Hooray for bringin' this fella into your home! I guarantee the sopranino won't leave your side ever (you might want to keep it in a cradle when you go to sleep in case it tries to jump in your bed for dreamtime ukin' .)

I agree that Freemont Blacklines are better strings for the sopranino than the aquila.
Cheers,
Skottoman