Island Ukulele, All Koa concert size made on Kauai

Status
Not open for further replies.
Haven't played one, but heard good things about Raymond Rapozo's ukes. Seems like a good deal for all Koa, handmade uke. You should go to Scotty's and try it in person though. I highly recommend it.
 
This is the extremely rare situation where I feel that being silent is worse than intervention. UU is based on Kauai so we're very familiar with this brand. I don't know this maker personally, I have never met him, I'm sure he's a nice guy and is trying to make great looking instruments. The following is just my experience and opinion from playing multiple instruments from that company and does not necessarily reflect the views of UU as a company or my partners.

I honestly do not think you should buy this (or any of his) ukuleles unless all you plan to do is hang it as a display piece. They are great looking instruments as he knows how to choose nice looking woods and applying finishing technique but there are too many flaws in craftsmanship that cannot be overlooked. Tonally i've found his ukes tend to be very bad, tinny sounding without any kind of resonance or sustain. Every Islander uke I've touched had multiple spots with buzzes throughout the fretboard which would require a lot of work to just get them playable.

This post is really hard for me to make because I never want to prevent anyone from making a living, but I would hate for any UU member to spend $600 and not be completely satisfied with what they purchased. I think this is my first on record negative post about any ukulele brand so you know this is an extreme circumstance. This is more to protect UU members than to put down this guy, I hope he does try harder to improve so we can recommend him as he is from the same Island we grew up on.
 
Last edited:
yikes. well I still think you should go to Kauai and try some ukes out in person. way to look out Rayan.
 
didgeridoo2 said:
yikes. well I still think you should go to Kauai and try some ukes out in person. way to look out Rayan.
Click to expand...

Yeah some people might like it so it might be best to try it out for yourself but here's a comparison video with a Kamaka. Now keep in mind, almost anything will not sound as good as the Kamaka, but you can hear what it has to offer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtklqJLBL58
 
Last edited:
Thanks for looking out for us UU members Rayan.
 
Thanks Ryan! We know the staff must try and stay impartial but there is a balancing act when trying to protect the community too. I think you made the right call.
 
Mahalo rayan for looking out for your Ohana..........way to go...............
 
I happen to have an Island Ukulele soprano. I purchased it on a trip to Kauai, to play at my friends wedding.

Thread is here - http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?29926-Back-from-Kauai-Island-Ukulele-acquired!

Now for me, to purchase a Kauai built ukulele, and play at a wedding on a Kauai beach, was awesome.
Regarding the ukulele itself, I purchased at Scotty's, and was looking at Kamaka's etc. This one stood out to me as "The one" to have for my friends wedding, due to the local production, look, and it plays pretty nicely.

That said, I have 9 ukes, and this is not my fav to play. It lacked sustain, so I changed strings to a clear KoAloha set I had around. This helped things. It really does sound like the one in the comparison video posted earlier in this thread. A bit "plucky" on the high strings... The size is slightly larger than a standard soprano, and it sounds it. Mine is Mohagany with a Koa front and Fretboard. It is a very nice looking uke. I am very impressed with the workmanship, and it seems to be finished as nice or better than my Pineapple sunday. It's a looker for sure.

I also paid closer to $400 for it, and not $600. So I felt it was a good deal for what I was getting.

Would I buy it again? For my intended purposes, yes. I enjoy having it, and the memories it brings me. Do I play it often? Not as much as some of my others, but I do like having it in my "stable" of ukes. Would I purchase the one on ebay? Probably not.

Cheers,
Skottoman

kauai_uke_4.jpg

kauai_uke_6.jpg

kauai_uke_7.jpg

kauai_uke_8.jpg
 
Last edited:
I'm just gonna gonna repeat what everybody said. Rayan, YOU ARE THE MAN! We want quality for our money.
 
pretty lame to bash local artists

rayan said:
This is the extremely rare situation where I feel that being silent is worse than intervention. UU is based on Kauai so we're very familiar with this brand. I don't know this maker personally, I have never met him, I'm sure he's a nice guy and is trying to make great looking instruments. The following is just my experience and opinion from playing multiple instruments from that company and does not necessarily reflect the views of UU as a company or my partners.

I honestly do not think you should buy this (or any of his) ukuleles unless all you plan to do is hang it as a display piece. They are great looking instruments as he knows how to choose nice looking woods and applying finishing technique but there are too many flaws in craftsmanship that cannot be overlooked. Tonally i've found his ukes tend to be very bad, tinny sounding without any kind of resonance or sustain. Every Islander uke I've touched had multiple spots with buzzes throughout the fretboard which would require a lot of work to just get them playable.

This post is really hard for me to make because I never want to prevent anyone from making a living, but I would hate for any UU member to spend $600 and not be completely satisfied with what they purchased. I think this is my first on record negative post about any ukulele brand so you know this is an extreme circumstance. This is more to protect UU members than to put down this guy, I hope he does try harder to improve so we can recommend him as he is from the same Island we grew up on.
Click to expand...


Wow no class....name bashing, slander.....island ukulele is a beautiful sounding instrument.....maybe some people dont know how to play.....
 
Island Ukulele

I own 2 Island ukuleles, a concert, and a standard, all koa with ebony fret.
My instruments are cosmetically perfect, wonderful craftsman ship, excellent sounding overall this is what drew me to island ukulele instead of other brands. I was sold immediatley....I have had my ukes for many many years....still perfect....As far as I know Island Ukulele has been around for over 20 years, and his craftsmanship is definitely upping the bar a little for its competitors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANtBXNtRzmA&feature=player_embedded
 
Hmmm, so, who shall we trust? Rayan...or someone who shows up with a username of "123456789" apparently solely for the purpose of rebutting Rayan's extraordinarily rare warning?

Pretty much a no brainer for me. LOL

John

Edited to add PS - if that clip was supposed to be a "+" for the ukes in question I guess I have to confess to not getting it. The uke in that clip sounds pretty lifeless - maybe it's just a case of a poor mix or poor miking but it sounds about like the Lanikai laminated 8-string that I gave away because I couldn't bring myself to stick someone here on UU with it. (The Lanikai was great plugged in, though, I'll give it that.)
 
Last edited:
123456789 said:
Wow no class....name bashing, slander.....island ukulele is a beautiful sounding instrument.....maybe some people dont know how to play.....
Click to expand...

Hmmm, maybe if you'd been around here for a while you'd know how rare it is for Rayan to criticize anything (and also know that the guys running this outfit are very accomplished and respected ukists.

:biglaugh:
 
123456789 said:
Wow no class....name bashing, slander.....island ukulele is a beautiful sounding instrument.....maybe some people dont know how to play.....
Click to expand...

sorry 123456789 but i wouldn't call what Rayan did as name bashing or slander. He stated his opinion. Just like you. I'm glad you had a great experience with your two island ukuleles.
I'll keep your positive review in mind when I look into getting my next uke as well as the negative review.
 
haolejohn said:
sorry 123456789 but i wouldn't call what Rayan did as name bashing or slander. He stated his opinion. Just like you. I'm glad you had a great experience with your two island ukuleles.
I'll keep your positive review in mind when I look into getting my next uke as well as the negative review.
Click to expand...

personally I'd give Rayans review a bit more weight then the internet trolls review ;) They're pretty ukes, I'll give em that, but I'll never be owning one based on the comparison to the Kamaka.
 
I really hope 123456789 doesn't work for or represent Island Ukuleles, because making an account for the sole purpose of responding to a critical post in an old thread raises a lot of suspicions. This kind of conduct hurts a manufacturer way more than a negative review does, so assuming this guy is just a random person who likes the brand, he'd be better off editing those remarks. :B
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

M
Iseman Tenor Koa Ukulele - Handmade in Hawai'i - 'fallen' Big Island Koa
Replies
1
Views
837
Kanaka916
Kanaka916
Icelander53
Kelii Koa Tenor Ukulele Gold Series vs Big Island Traditional Koa Tenor
Replies
11
Views
2K
wayfarer75
wayfarer75
L
For Sale: Big Island Ukulele: Tenor All Koa
Replies
3
Views
853
pahu
pahu
P
FS: Big Island Honu Solid Koa Soprano Ukulele – SP-KRGT
Replies
0
Views
2K
phreddcatt
P
G
Free 2 Koa tuner buttons from Big Island Rope Series KRP-CT Honu Ukulele
Replies
3
Views
885
Gmoe
G
Top Bottom