Bought a Honu

jehicks87

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So, I bought a Honu to hold me over until I my custom could get started... well, really until I got the concert from MPUkuleles sent to me... or is it because I thought it was a good deal? (read: UAS IMPULSE BUY lol)

Aaaaaanyways...

I was wondering if anybody currently owns a Honu and how they like it. Anything I should know before she arrives? It'll probably be a week or more, it has to get shipped all the way to Afghanistan, but I'm already excited about it.

For $400 a thrice-played Honu Tradition Tenor Ukulele? Does it sound good to y'all?
 
I played a Honu Tenor at a music store and really liked it. At $400, you're getting a great deal. Congrats and enjoy.
 
I have a Honu Rope Series concert. I love the way it looks and sounds, though it is a little quieter than my KoAlohas.
 
All the way to Afganistan.....dude you deserve a medal. Stay safe, keep strummin', come home safe! Enjoy your uke, post a picture when you get it if you can!
 
thanks for the input, guys. I had heard alot of good stuff about them, one guy in the thread even said it was his dream uke, but he didnt have the money... so, being the ass that I am, I scooped it up lol.

I had also read some less-than-flattering reviews... one of them actually called the sound "tinny". So, I just thought I'd reach out to my fellow UU'ers and see what was what.

I really appreciate the support from folks like you Ryan, but I gotta say there are guys who go out there every day and risk it all much more than I do. They deserve the medals.
 
I have the Honu Deluxe Concert (the one with the turtle bridge) and I dig it. It's got a sweet tone. The one you bought has geared tuners, right? Mine has friction tuners and I've noticed that they get really hinky when they experience big shifts in temperature. You probably won't have a lot of control over the temps your uke is exposed to while you're deployed, so friction tuners are a good thing.

I'm pretty sure you're going to love it. Honu makes lovely instruments, I hope you're getting the case with the shoulder straps. It's way handy, like a backpack.

Take care, stay safe.
 
I've never played or seen one in person, but I think they are gorgeous, and are the nicest looking ukes I've seen in that price range. If the sound is in the same ballpark as the appearance, they should be great! Let us know how it plays, and congratulations!
 
I have a Honu Traditional tenor strung in low G with Worth Clears. I am biased, but I love the sound. I would not call it "tinny" or quiet. The intonation up the fretboard is very good.

The wood is good quality wood. If you can, try and keep the uke humidified in the 50% range.

Best wishes.
 
Congrats on the uke, I have heard good things about them.
More IMPORTANTLY stay well and THANK YOU for being there !!
 
Maybe there are people who risk more on a daily basis......but there are still those of us who send our respect and concern to anyone deployed in the military!

I can't wait to see that Honu, I bet it sounds great......
 
You should like it. Honu ukes have prettier wood than many of the custom "K" ukes. The owner owns a wood harvesting company on the Big Island so he gets first choice on the koa. If I wasn't a Mele fanboy when it comes to imports then a Honu would be my import of choice.
 
Aloha Jehicks87,
Congrats on your new purchase, I'm sure the ukulele will bring you much happiness
as you will share it with others too. I know the power of music has special healing
powers and many will benefit from it over there. Good luck to you and all there,
stay safe and have a speedy safe return. It's because what all of you there do,
let's us all here do what we do.....Many thanks .."Keep on strumming them strings"
Ukulele is forever.....MM Stan..
 
Hey jehicks87!!! I think Honu is quite a nice uke for the price. And congrats once again for a MP custom!!! Mike is truly a gentleman and his work is always flawless! The important thing with MP uke is to find the right strings for it. Also might take you a little bit of time to get used to his uke to get all the complex sound that his uke can make but once you know it well, it's really nice.
Once you get your custom from him, PM me, I'll let you know what works well on his uke.

He built 4 customs for me already so I know how they sound and how they react with different strings by heart!!! By the way, I have a string acquisition syndrome so I'm a little bit freak when it comes to strings!!!!

Congrats and take care!
 
one more here. I've got a honu traditional tenor and i love it. It positively sings
 
Hey jehicks87!!! I think Honu is quite a nice uke for the price. And congrats once again for a MP custom!!! Mike is truly a gentleman and his work is always flawless! The important thing with MP uke is to find the right strings for it. Also might take you a little bit of time to get used to his uke to get all the complex sound that his uke can make but once you know it well, it's really nice.
Once you get your custom from him, PM me, I'll let you know what works well on his uke.

He built 4 customs for me already so I know how they sound and how they react with different strings by heart!!! By the way, I have a string acquisition syndrome so I'm a little bit freak when it comes to strings!!!!

Congrats and take care!

Thank you for sending me his way as well. You are right, he is a gentleman and a damn fine luthier from the looks of his ukes.

I do want to stress though, I have not yet committed to a custom from him, the concert I am buying was on his page already and absolutely spoke to me. I mentioned it in my email and asked if he would take half and half, and he graciously said yes. So, yeah I am really excited! But, I am still talking to other companies about a custom piece (mainly MP, Boat Paddle, and possibly Moore Bettah). I was originally leaning towards the boat paddle after I ruled out William King, but their prices have certainly gone up to where it's near the same pricepoint of Chuck at Moore Bettah. MP is still nearly half the price of those two, though.

LeftOverMagic, thanks for the post. You folks on here are certainly putting my mind at ease about my purchase of the Honu! I'll be sure and post a review and FINALLY get some videos up on youtube. lol
 
I have a Honu tenor and love it. I had it shipped to me and the action at the nut was very high, making barres nearly impossible. Took it to a local luthier and had the action lowered and now it is hard to put down. It is brighter sounding than my other uke, (a Flea soprano) but wouldn't call it "tinny" Maybe 'plinkier'?? It's hard to say because I have the soprano strung Low G. My Honu came with Aquilas. I'd take any recommendation for strings that bring out the Honu's strengths.

One thing I found is that the neck isn't very thick, which took some adjusting to since the Flea has a lot to grab on to. The Honu's neck is so thin that my capo won't work on it.
 
I played a Honu traditional once and I really liked it! I thought it was a breeze to play and it sounded great. Congrats, I have seriously thought about buying one myself, but i found KoAloha and now I have no money....But once I can afford it, I might look into it.

They're great ukes! Have fun
 
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