WTB: Ohana Vita Uke Reproduction (or other Vita Reproduction)

Thanks to Craigslist I now have the vintage Harmony Roy Smeck Vita I've looked for for a long time. On my way to finding it I also got a Mark Schoenberg Ukiyo Uke and a Frisco Uke. I think it would be kind of cool to have a collection of Vita Uke and Vita Uke copies since I'm on my way.

If you've got one of the Ohana's gathering dust and would like to sell it, please PM me. I'd really like to find a case or cases too. But mostly I'd like the Ohana Reproduction. If no one has a used one I'll pick one up new. If you've got any of the other reproductions around, like the Tuma Vita, and its been gathering dust, I might be interested in that as well.

Sometime please consider posting your thoughts on them, and how they compare.

Since you mentioned the Tuma-Vita, I'd like to say that Roy Cone (Ukulele World) and I built the Tuma-Vitas back in the late 1990's.
Roy built the necks, I made the bodies. We had loads of fun doing them. We built quite a few, and I hear of one every so often, so good luck finding one.

I have a one of a kind Glyph Vita clone that was made by Dave Means, who is no longer building ukes. I've been thinking about moving it here on the forum. PM me if interested and I can send you some pics over the weekend when I get home. In the meantime if you google "Glyph Vita Uke" you can find some pics of it when it was being built.

Happy Holidaze!

I've played both the mahogany and rosewood bodied Ohana's and covet the rosewood model. I feel it's much brighter and more "chimey" which would be the reason I want one of these models.

I have an Ohana Vita with soft shell case that I'd be willing to sell. It's been sitting on the shelf and has seldom been played. Contact me if interested.

I bought the one at Elderly. Thanks for the heads up.

How does the Ohana compare size-wise to the Ukiyo Vita? My Ukiyo lives in one of the inexpensive hard cases with the palm tree embossed into the top. There is an inside junk pocket which needs to be altered. The wall closest to the body has a single screw on the front side and two on the back. Remove it, and the lid comes along with it. The remaining crosspiece holds the neck nicely. The two pieces of hook and loop fastener --Velcro (R)-- were on the front wall, so there is even a safety feature should someone inadvertently pick it up with the lid unfastened.

The seals are more crudely fashioned on the Ohana. Comparing it to an original and the Ukiyo copy, was a sudden cure for UAS. The sound also was lacking. Perhaps a set of Guadalupe strings would help them.
I did call Mark to ask about creating a felt circular patch with the Ukiyo Label. Permission was granted, and he even has a link to me if someone else wants one. The fur was shorn on the inside of the case so the patch would be recessed and firmly attached. I also asked for his permission to install PEGHED tuners to get rid of the heavy tuners with the buttons sticking out the side. It now weighs 15 ounces total weight.

I own the Vintage, the Ukiyo and the Frisco...AND I'm very happy with all three. Unlike you, I don't feel the need to go on...but then again I already own a total of about 30 ukes, so that may explain why I'm stopping and you are continuing. I have a special place in my heart for the Ukiyos...both Vita and Tenor...but mostly the Vita. I cannot believe that the Frisco has, as it seems recently, lost some of it's former popularity. I still do love mine very much. It has a very different and so unique mojo all of it's own.

Enjoy the ride!!

Wm.

Katy, how does a person hold this kind of uke?

Captain America said:

Katy, how does a person hold this kind of uke?

Click to expand...

One of the great things about these ukes is that they are actually very easy to hold. The lower bout fits very easily into your arm. The Ukiyo has a strap button so I guess that is one thing that people do, but I find these ukes very easy to hold without one.

A couple of weeks ago I was at Anacapa Ukulele and they had a couple of the Pepe Romero - Don Ho Mini Tenors. One of the things the owner was telling me is that those were meant to be easy to hold; the shape is somewhat similar to the Vita and they do nestle easily in the arm.

I still like and probably prefer the traditional figure 8, but there is something about the Vita that i think is special. It has a unique sound and vibe. My collection happened more by accident than design. I wanted the real thing but ended up with the copies. Now I think it's kind of cool to have the set. It's kind of fun to compare the differences. When I get the Ohana I will do a Youtube video comparing and contrasting the original Vita with the reproductions.

Ohana used the Vita body to produce a resonator a few years back, have you seen it? Scarce as hens' teeth, though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu-ckoN9-zo

I did get a chance to try the Vita body resonator at NAMM and it was great. Resonators are not my thing, but that resonator had a great sound and was great to play.

Have you seen the Vita model for sale on Flea Market Music Bulletin Board?