Honu Ukes from Vietnam
Hello all!
very interesting discussion... I was almost about to sleep and then found this thread and just couldn't resist. Haolejohn, thanks for the kind words- we really try hard. I wrote a bit about the process for my line of ukes in Vietnam in another thread:
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10412&page=3
Since it isn't too much of a secret that I am also a supplier to many of those same factories you mention, in addition to having had samples made from them as well, I've gained a little insight into the "imports"
Kiwaya was mentioned here as well. I also wrote a little bit about their line another thread as well:
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10412&page=3
Kiwaya is a retail store, distributor and has their own brands of product made. Their line of ukes is actually made by T's guitars. Shinji's "factory" isn't so much of a factory as you might imagine. His place is small but efficient with a handful of staff that are ever-so-attentive to the miniscule of details. every ukulele that leaves his factory is checked by Shinji himself and if they don't pass the muster- it doesn't leave. I think his whole ukulele and guitar factory is smaller than most western-sized houses! I think he has less that 1500 SF altogether and that's on two floors in a square building! I wonder how he does it, but being organized, efficient, and CLEAN really helps.
every country has good and bad ukes. I'll use my wfie, the professional violinist, as an example again... she supplies her students with well-made instruments from China. She also gets her students $1000 - $3000 Chinese made violins- well, most of the work was done in China, but the final setup in the US, but still the majority of the work was done in China and she still feels it is worth it for the money paid. don't forget- about 30 or 40 years ago, Made in Japan also meant mass-produced, cheap, junk... but oh how we've evolved! Some of the Chinese companies are on the same track to producing better and higher quality instruments. J&D is like the Taylor Guitars of China. I'm not even sure if there instruments make it to the US, but they sell well in the rest of the world. Don't forget about many of the lesser-wealthy countries that still love music but cannot afford a US or other rich-country made product- South America, Africa, etc.
I've said it before, cheaper doesn't necessarily mean lesser quality. Often it does, but not always. The same rings true that more expensive doesn't always mean better quality.
It was mentioned about different brands of ukes coming from the same factory. that doesn't necessarily make them all the same. the owner of the brand has the final say in what they decide to sell to the public. it's interesting how some of the Japanese brands made in China sold only in Japan are made by some of the same factories that make for US customers / brands, but the Japanese brand is a higher quality instrument than the US products! how can that be if it's the same factory making it? well, the Japanese owner of the brand might be paying the factory a higher amount for the product to pay more attention to certain details, for example. I know I pay my factory more than what I could pay for ukes to be made in China. I know this becasue I've paid them to do it in China. But I decided I would pay more for a better quality instrument and make a little less on each one sold and hopefully sell more of them over the long run.
Also, just because it's a koa uke, it doesn't mean it's a quality product. there is skill and technique required to cure the wood properly, cut it to quartersawn specs, bookmatch it properly, etc. I've had some import factories butcher my koa that I've sent them to make samples. I couldn't believe how they bookmatched sometimes!
One of my favorite import lines is the KALA brand. Made in China but with a general overall better quality than what you would expect to find for the price you pay. Their $200 - $400 koa and mango plywood models are just awesome for what you get. it's amazing how many locals in hawaii are buying Kalas when they could spend about $100 more or so to get a solid wood KoAloha. I was in a few shops in Honolulu recently and saw it happening before my eyes. I think the shop sold 3 Kala's in the span of about an hour and a half that I was there. and not the cheaper ones... I think they were all around the $300 level.
I think a lot of their success has to do with the owners and factories commitment to the ukulele. The Chinese factory owner is one of the few that I know of that makes trips to Hawaii occasionally to learn more about how to make their product better. they aren't just relying on the brand owner, but they themselves go! To me, that shows commitment to what they are doing.
time to sleep....
Jorma