KeVita Uke by Kepasa

Anyone out there own one or have played one. The article on Vita ukes in Ukulele Magazine got me listening to sound samples. I know Pete Howlet makes one with pretty good reviews. Kevin's work looks good on line. His KeVita is concert and has a wide mouth sound hole so different than the original or the copies out there that have the "seal" sound holes. Kevin also said he could do a tenor neck on his concert and has done so and it worked out great. That tenor neck got me real curious. Would the Tiny Tenor be sort of the same thing? It's different and sounds good also! Always looking!

I have not yet played any Vita ukes, but recall seeing one made by Ohana recently and think that it is maybe still a current model (and likely about 1/5 the price given the Asian factory production of the Ohana).

I'd bet that the Pete Howlett instrument is worlds-apart better in terms of craftsmanship, playability and tone from his reputation, but I have not yet had the pleasure to fondle one of these esteemed instruments.

Re: Ohana Vita, from the one's I've played and heard, the rosewood bodied solid spruce top model is worth the extra money.

Kevin at Kepasa ukuleles makes a premium handmade instrument that is well worth the money spent for a custom. Although I've never played the Kevita model, I've owned four of Kevins' ukuleles through the years, and I have commissioned two of those four personally. I've been very happy with the craftsmanship and sound quality of every Kepasa ukulele that I've ever played, and I still own a concert size Maple/Cuban mahogany Gypsy model with the larger oval sound hole.

I'm sure that there are mass produced instruments out there that are fine for the money, but they are not in the same league as a custom handmade instrument. If the price of an Asian import fits your budget better, than I'm sure the Ohana would probably fit the bill very nicely.

I've never played a Pete Howlett handmade instrument, however Pete does have a great reputation as a premium builder, as does Kevin at Kepasa Ukulele. I'm confident that you'd be happy with the offerings from either one of these builders.

Wm.

The Ohana is nice, but not in the same league as one of Kevin's or Pete's customs

If I was in the market for a vita style uke, Pete Howlett would be my choice. But be prepared to wait, Pete's wait list for a new custom is typically a long one (maybe 1 year +).

Thanks for all the replies. For me, inquiry is more about the sound of this style with the bigger soundboard. I've read Kepasa are a nice build. No doubt Pete Howlett makes a great product and most accurate reproduction on what Vita is all about. What I'm curious about is the pear/teardrop shape. KeVita has the spape and a wide mouth soundhole and can do tenor. At the same time a Tiny Tenor had kinda same shape, has the scale. Both have bigger soundboards that are unique. You could put in this "different shape" category the Hoffman/Boatpaddle ML.

IMHO, you'd love the Tiny Tenor. We have a mahogany one, and are tickled pink with it. I wanted to play it today, before work, then realized my wife had grabbed it to go to a jam session. It's our most popular uke for finger picking. Maybe I'll do a review on it, it's killer.

I'd be interested in review of Tiny Tenor. Is your all mahogany or the one with a spruce top?

M3Ukulele said:

I'd be interested in review of Tiny Tenor. Is your all mahogany or the one with a spruce top?

Click to expand...

All mahogany.

I do build an interpretation of the publicised 30's VitaUke concert. I've seen plenty of soprano models but never any of the others advertised in the range so my instrument is not strictly a reproduction. You may wish to view this:

Funny.......I JUST commented on the Howlett Vita Uke, on another thread. So in the interest of my laziness here is a cut and paste of those comments,
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I must concur with katysax. I also own the very rare Pete Howlett custom Vita Uke. Not only does it sound great and plays extremely easy, but to my (maybe poor) ears, it is indistinguishable from the original Vita sound, and is in fact a far better made instrument than the original. (Kind of reminds me of the Ken Timms reproduction of the Martin that everyone wants to own because it's arguably superior to the actual original Martin) While the original Vita was, in its day, the quality of an upper midrange priced instrument, the Howlett quality level is more in the MBU stratosphere. I own several High end instruments (K-ukes, Mya Moe's etc.) and the Howlett Vita is by far my favorite. This instrument seems to be a "semi-secret" build that is unadvertised on the Howlett Ukulele webpage. At the present time, I doubt if there are even 10 of them in existence in the whole world. And with Pete not that far away from becoming a "man of leisure", It behoves the "Vita Lover" out there to try and sweet talk him into making one for him/her. A high end Vita is a really different experience than what one gets from a conventional Uke.

Pete Howlett is now making a DewDrop model which I would call a pear shaped model. Check out his facebook page "Pete Howlett Ukulele Club" for details.

The DewDrop and Vita are certainly different models of the same type. My Vita is an interpretation - I have never seen a concert VitaUke or know of anyone who owns one. The DewDrop is an 'evolving' design - I shortened the body by 1/2" in the mood making session on my CNC to see if it would improve the look....

Pete, I must have missed the pics or video of the dew drop design. If you have a show and tell video , I’d love to see it. All the best to everyone this holiday season.

Try this:|

[video]https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t42.1790-29/10000000_472276093173340_61671134755553280_n.mp4?e fg=eyJybHIiOjEwMzUsInJsYSI6NDA5NiwidmVuY29kZV90YWc iOiJzZCJ9&rl=1035&vabr=575&oh=1e7ee518858b639809e267d5fd4b7071&oe=5A4708D8[/video]

Thanks Pete. I like the Dew Drop. Great volume and lunch but also, sound great when you pick softly. Tenor neck and the body is evolving, is that correct? I like the head stock so, if the is concert size it definitely works with this design. I really like spruce tops. I will keep an eye on this. When you are ready to sell, make sure you announce on UU. I’m not on Facebook but will check out you page and get my wife to sign me in. I like it.

The latest is a one off never to be repeated.