HMS and PONO

Icelander53 · Jul 2, 2014

So is HMS the only online source for a decent selection of PONO ukes?

Just curious. I know Mim and Uke republic sell them but at least right now their selection is pretty sad.

If I spring for that new Pono I'll pretty likely go HMS but I was just curious if they carried the whole line or if there are other sites to look at with models they don't carry?

hawaii 50 · Jul 2, 2014

Icelander53 said:
So is HMS the only online source for a decent selection of PONO ukes?

Just curious. I know Mim and Uke republic sell them but at least right now their selection is pretty sad.

If I spring for that new Pono I'll pretty likely go HMS but I was just curious if they carried the whole line or if there are other sites to look at with models they don't carry?

Pono is owned by John Kitakis...Andrew's dad....John uses one of the better factories in Java to build his Pono ukes and Guitars....
so when you buy your Pono from HMS you are getting it direct from Pono....you get the HMS setup etc..

so yes they have the whole line of Pono's before anyone else as they are shipped to other dealers from the Wahiawa warehouse

iamesperambient · Jul 2, 2014

hawaii 50 said:
Pono is owned by John Kitakis...Andrew's dad....John uses one of the better factories in Java to build his Pono ukes and Guitars....
so when you buy your Pono from HMS you are getting it direct from Pono....you get the HMS setup etc..

so yes they have the whole line of Pono's before anyone else as they are shipped to other dealers from the Wahiawa warehouse

did not know that thats pretty sweet!

Icelander53 · Jul 2, 2014

hawaii 50 said:
Pono is owned by John Kitakis...Andrew's dad....John uses one of the better factories in Java to build his Pono ukes and Guitars....
so when you buy your Pono from HMS you are getting it direct from Pono....you get the HMS setup etc..

so yes they have the whole line of Pono's before anyone else as they are shipped to other dealers from the Wahiawa warehouse

That's what I figured. Thanks. I've got my choice narrowed to three models right now. I'm going to get Andrews opinion on them hopefully and let his ear help with my choice. All Cedar top and either rosewood back and sides or Mahogany back and sides. Radiused fretboard of course. I'm leaning slightly towards Mahogany right now as the sound sample sounds really loud but clean and balanced. Not to mention it's slightly less expensive.

Ukulele Eddie · Jul 2, 2014

Dixie Ukulele (www.ukulele.mx) is also an authorized Pono dealer and also may have some seconds remaining (seconds are now only sold by the factory store).

coolkayaker1 · Jul 2, 2014

I had a cedar topped Pono, with rosewood back and sides, and it was lovely--deep, rich tone. Cedar takes exceptional care to prevent dings and scratches (and I am exceptionally careful and I still didn't appreciate the butter-softness of cedar until I owned it), so I sold it.

This is the exact Pono cedar/rosewood (the -E stands for electronic pickup) that I owned (like, I owned this exact one--I bought it used from Bernunzio after watching this video. Turned the shipping box inside out--no girl included.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Z_VgTvaX4

These days, mahogany is king for me. That said, my current blonde Pono tenor cutaway, spruce-topped maple, sounds the best to me with Worth Browns. I like brightness in my instruments.

Andrew will, literally, keep his eye out (i.e. order for those buyers with patience) for precisely what you want. He's super accommodating. Patience is a virtue with getting what you want. There is no substitute, Ice, for buying from the source (Andrew speaks to his father, John, daily; he can get you factory seconds if you want, and does all future warranty work right there).

Icelander53 · Jul 2, 2014

By "factory store" do you mean HMS?

Ukulele Eddie · Jul 2, 2014

Icelander53 said:
By "factory store" do you mean HMS?

No, I believe they now only sell seconds at the factory showroom.

hawaii 50 · Jul 2, 2014

Ukulele Eddie said:
No, I believe they now only sell seconds at the factory showroom.

Andrew(the Ukulele Site) and John(Pono) have offices on the same floor in the Ko'olau/Pono/HMS warehouse in Wahiawa...
I am sure you can email Andrew to try new Pono's there, but most of them are at the Store in Haleiwa...

but you can buy Pono Guitars and Ukes at Pono....hope this helps

PhilUSAFRet · Jul 2, 2014

" my current blonde Pono tenor cutaway, spruce-topped maple, sounds the best to me with Worth Browns. I like brightness in my instruments. "

Sure wish I'd have snagged one of these about 5 years ago...I sure liked the price a lot better back then.

Luke El U · Jul 2, 2014

coolkayaker1 said:
I had a cedar topped Pono, with rosewood back and sides, and it was lovely--deep, rich tone. Cedar takes exceptional care to prevent dings and scratches (and I am exceptionally careful and I still didn't appreciate the butter-softness of cedar until I owned it)

I found that out the hard way with essentially the same model. Still, I'm keeping mine.

Icelander53 · Jul 2, 2014

I don't care about dings and scratches. If I like it, I want play it and I'm not going to spend my time being too careful. It's only money after all. I like dinged up instruments for their lived in and used look.

Icelander53 · Jul 2, 2014

coolkayaker1 said:
I had a cedar topped Pono, with rosewood back and sides, and it was lovely--deep, rich tone. Cedar takes exceptional care to prevent dings and scratches (and I am exceptionally careful and I still didn't appreciate the butter-softness of cedar until I owned it), so I sold it.

This is the exact Pono cedar/rosewood (the -E stands for electronic pickup) that I owned (like, I owned this exact one--I bought it used from Bernunzio after watching this video. Turned the shipping box inside out--no girl included.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Z_VgTvaX4

These days, mahogany is king for me. That said, my current blonde Pono tenor cutaway, spruce-topped maple, sounds the best to me with Worth Browns. I like brightness in my instruments.

Andrew will, literally, keep his eye out (i.e. order for those buyers with patience) for precisely what you want. He's super accommodating. Patience is a virtue with getting what you want. There is no substitute, Ice, for buying from the source (Andrew speaks to his father, John, daily; he can get you factory seconds if you want, and does all future warranty work right there).

Actually that's just what's going on. I've been going back and forth today with Andrew. He's looking for something nice and will pick one out himself, either B stock or full price is fine as long as he picks out a sweet sounding one.

And like I said I don't care if it gets dinged up in normal use. I'm a Willie Nelson type.

You should get a look at how dinged up I am.

Kimosabe · Jul 3, 2014

I agree with Icelander. I, too, am not going to spend my time being too careful and yes dinged up instruments have a lived in look.

Did any of you ever see J.J. Cale's guitar? It wrote some pretty songs. I believe Willie Nelson isn't that careful with his guitar either. My Kanilea K-1 has a nice belt buckle mark on the back. I believe it sounds still sweeter than the day I bought it.

When I first started playing at the Berkeley Ukulele Club eight years ago, there was an older gent, a very good musician, a professional musician, who used to leave his Martin tenor lying around on the tables and the floor. He sure played well and was very friendly. Let me try it a couple times. Just set it back down anywhere.

I'm still puzzling over the fact that he'd simplified chords down to basically using 6ths. They have both that major AND minor feel, but then that's another topic all together.

coolkayaker1 · Jul 3, 2014

I hear you about the dings. On the other hand, unlike willie Nelson or JJ Cale who know what guitar they want, I am trying out dozens of ukes to find the right one. In the meantime, they come and they go. Trust me in this...buyers can say they don't care about bling and dings, but my sale of 20+ ukes to date tells me they don't know themselves well at all. Bling and dings is, frankly, all they care about when they open their wallets. Third on the list: sound. Lol

Luke El U · Jul 3, 2014

Icelander53 said:
It's only money after all.

If its not so important to you, I'd be a happy recipient of either your money or ukes. :drool:

Yukon Cornelius · Jul 3, 2014

Icelander53 said:
So is HMS the only online source for a decent selection of PONO ukes?

Just curious. I know Mim and Uke republic sell them but at least right now their selection is pretty sad.

If I spring for that new Pono I'll pretty likely go HMS but I was just curious if they carried the whole line or if there are other sites to look at with models they don't carry?

Well considering Pono and HMS are owned by same family...

Icelander53 · Jul 3, 2014

Luke El U said:
If its not so important to you, I'd be a happy recipient of either your money or ukes. :drool:

The money goes to my friends. You can have the ukes and my body goes to the buzzards.

Icelander53 · Jul 3, 2014

coolkayaker1 said:
I hear you about the dings. On the other hand, unlike willie Nelson or JJ Cale who know what guitar they want, I am trying out dozens of ukes to find the right one. In the meantime, they come and they go. Trust me in this...buyers can say they don't care about bling and dings, but my sale of 20+ ukes to date tells me they don't know themselves well at all. Bling and dings is, frankly, all they care about when they open their wallets. Third on the list: sound. Lol

Sound is third, man that's telling. lol

So I went for the PONO that Andrew picked out for me. A Cedar/Mahogany with Radiused fretboard. He said said the sound is really sweet and it's lighter than the Rosewood models.

coolkayaker1 · Jul 3, 2014

Yea, sound is third to used buyers bc all sound samples sound the same on the internet. Unless one has thousands of dollars of top equipment, like HMS, the expensive uke pretty much sounds the same to the ear as the cheaper one...so although a few buyers ask for a sound sample, MOST used ukes sell without them. Lol. But photos of curly Koa sell like mad. On the other hand, words like ding, strum marks, scratch, crack...one might as well deduct $150 from their already low sale price bc, in their mind, the buyer just deducted at least that much. Lol.

You picked a lovely combo! Pictures on a New NUD thread when you get it, Ice.

Oh, and a sound sample. ;-p

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