Ukes at the Frankfurt Trade Show

Ken Middleton

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Frankfurt Musikmesse is the biggest music trade show in the world. The problem is that most of the instruments appear to be accordions. I kid you not.

There were plenty of ukes on display though. Most of the big companies were represented. And most were in Hall 3.1, the acoustic hall. A few foolishly chose to set up their booths downstairs in the drum hall. A big mistake.

I obviously spent most of my time on the Ohana stand, so apologies for so many shots of our ukes. But I did find time in a very busy week to film most of the other uke companies in the acoustic hall.

If you have any questions about the people in the videos, the uke companies or the instruments, ask away and I will try to answer them.

The music I used for this video is Kimo Hussey and me playing at the Dallas Festival.


 
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Nice video Ken! Almost like being there without the jet lag and vast expense. At the end you have a shot of an Ohana with a rope inlay stripe down the center back. Which model is that one?

At NAMM in Anaheim, I saw some thin travel Ohana ukes with amplification. Is Ohana going ahead with that concept?

–Lori
 
Nice video Ken! Almost like being there without the jet lag and vast expense. At the end you have a shot of an Ohana with a rope inlay stripe down the center back. Which model is that one?

At NAMM in Anaheim, I saw some thin travel Ohana ukes with amplification. Is Ohana going ahead with that concept?

–Lori

The model at the end with the rope stripe is the CK-80. It is made from beautifully figured myrtle wood.

Yes, the thin-bodied electros are going to be quite inexpensive and available from the summer. We won't be using that name though, Lori. I think the idea of any uke being too big to travel with is preposterous. I regularly travel with at least two normal tenors.
 
lovely stuff Ken. What was the traditional peanut shaped soprano being played at around 5'36" and featured again in close-up at 6'22"?
 
Ohana brand. It is imaginatively called a US-10.
I couldn't find it on Ohana's site and a search for it fails me. Are these stands new and not available to the general public yet? Any idea when/where I can buy one?

I have an A-frame guitar stand, but when you squish the two legs together to accommodate the lesser width of the uke, the center point with the padding is too high. The Ohana stands look like they fit the bill nicely. :)
 
I couldn't find it on Ohana's site and a search for it fails me. Are these stands new and not available to the general public yet? Any idea when/where I can buy one?

I have an A-frame guitar stand, but when you squish the two legs together to accommodate the lesser width of the uke, the center point with the padding is too high. The Ohana stands look like they fit the bill nicely. :)

Yes, we don't usually put accessories on our website. It will only be available from an Ohana dealer. Even then, if they stock another brand, they may choose not to stock ours. Sorry.
 
lovely stuff Ken. What was the traditional peanut shaped soprano being played at around 5'36" and featured again in close-up at 6'22"?

We wanted one of the first ukes in our catalogue, so we had this copy made from an original that we have. The copy is fairly accurate and the sound is terrific. Unfortunately, because it was brand new, it went out of tune very quickly and the only video I had of someone playing it sounded terrible because of this.

It is not available yet and we have not even given it a model number. It will be available for stores to purchase sometime in the summer. It is all-solid, so the price will only be a little more than our regular all-solid sopranos.
 
We wanted one of the first ukes in our catalogue, so we had this copy made from an original that we have. The copy is fairly accurate and the sound is terrific. Unfortunately, because it was brand new, it went out of tune very quickly and the only video I had of someone playing it sounded terrible because of this.

It is not available yet and we have not even given it a model number. It will be available for stores to purchase sometime in the summer. It is all-solid, so the price will only be a little more than our regular all-solid sopranos.
yes, it's lovely. I will have my ears and eyes open for its arrival, especially at that kind of price. Thankyou for the reply mate.

It was also nice to see a Maton featured. You'd be aware they're one of Australia's premier guitar makers but only recently have dipped their toes into the uke waters. I had the chance to play only one awhile back and didn't like the sound I admit. The tone felt a bit strangled and the volume unplugged was very low; no projection. Felt the top was a bit thick but this was several years ago now. Would certainly like to hear one of their newer ones. Don't suppose you got to play one?
 
... Don't suppose you got to play one?

Of course I did, J. I didn't speak to anyone about it but I did try it. I only had to play a few notes to realise that it was a nice instrument. They only had that one, which I thought was unusual, but it was a good one. Good projection, clear, crisp tone. No idea of the price though.

It is interesting to look at which guitar companies are actually taking the ukulele seriously. Martin have only recently (in the last year) released that they need to have a good line in ukes, even when they are not made in Nazareth. They now have a guy in charge of their production. Breedlove seem a little mixed up. They had nothing on their stand this year. Taylor and others seem undecided. Collings have certainly gone all-out to produce something of quality right from the start, though. Let's hope Maton realise that they have a name for quality and produce a great line in ukes. This one example was certainly nice.
 
!!!

Great Video.

Is that a Concert Pineapple or just a Longneck?!?!?! I measured the screen and it appears the body is larger than the PK-25! I have the PK-25 and it's by far my favorite uke, even after I got an SK-25.

When, oh when will I be able to buy one?
 
sounds like it is overbuilt, typical guitar maker's issue, lighten the build until it breaks and then strengthen a bit, just like Mya-Moe did.

yes, it's lovely. I will have my ears and eyes open for its arrival, especially at that kind of price. Thankyou for the reply mate.

It was also nice to see a Maton featured. You'd be aware they're one of Australia's premier guitar makers but only recently have dipped their toes into the uke waters. I had the chance to play only one awhile back and didn't like the sound I admit. The tone felt a bit strangled and the volume unplugged was very low; no projection. Felt the top was a bit thick but this was several years ago now. Would certainly like to hear one of their newer ones. Don't suppose you got to play one?
 
!!!

Great Video.

Is that a Concert Pineapple or just a Longneck?!?!?! I measured the screen and it appears the body is larger than the PK-25! I have the PK-25 and it's by far my favorite uke, even after I got an SK-25.

When, oh when will I be able to buy one?

Thanks. Yes, it is a concert pineapple. It will be available sometime in the summer.
 
sounds like it is overbuilt, typical guitar maker's issue, lighten the build until it breaks and then strengthen a bit, just like Mya-Moe did.

The particular Maton in the video sounded great. i think the company must be looking seriously at the uke now. One of our main dealers also stocks Maton ukes and they tell me that they are really very good. I can only go by the one I tried.
 
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