WOW soprano ukulele by Alvin "Pops KoAloha" Okami

It was good to hear Pops singing his America song. A small very group of us ( 4 or 5), went on a factory tour in early 2013 and he sang it for us. One of the couples recorded it cause we all liked it. Then Pops was reminded it hadn't been released so the couple erased it. We had such a nice time with Pops and his wife. He even let me play his Jukebox model. A very nice family and friendly factory.
 
Yes, they are such great people. I took a high school age choir to the factory and Pops asked them if they would make America's Song their own and sing it at every performance. The kids were thrilled. We had it arranged for 4 part harmony. Pops gave us a bunch of Wow's for the kids to play. it is a work in progress. Pops adds stuff, we add stuff. We just added movement and some vocal refinements. Here is a video of the first time we did it (this is from NYE). Pops is donating to this choir (Harmony Show Choir) from every Wow that is sold by us.
 
Old thread but is he still making the wow? It is weird that the high cost of koa is mentioned but has a koa fretboard which is superior to other fretboard materials, and spruce and pine body that must be shipped from mainland or Asia so may actually be more expensive than locally cut koa. But maybe shipping of timber halfway around the globe is cheap these days.
 
0 copy 5.jpegOld thread but is he still making the wow? It is weird that the high cost of koa is mentioned but has a koa fretboard which is superior to other fretboard materials, and spruce and pine body that must be shipped from mainland or Asia so may actually be more expensive than locally cut koa. But maybe shipping of timber halfway around the globe is cheap these days.
Aloha, Pops is still making the Wow, and now the Supa Wow, and the AO, and a new version called The Pine Apple. I will include a photo of the new one and a few others. You can see many of these on the UkeSa website www.ukesahawaii.com. Pops is always experimenting and changing things up. Finding a strip of Koa for the fretboard is a whole lot easier than finding the perfect pieces for backs, sides, and tops of the ukes, but Pops has changed it up now with an ebony fretboard with Koa fret bands, however, since these are made once an order is placed, you can basically have any kind of tonewood or fretboards you ask for. Here are some pics of the ukes that Pops has been working on in addition to his Pineapple Sunday, Sceptres, and Masterpiece minis (www.ukesahawaii.com):
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These are really wow but have gone up in price since original post. Would he make a basic one in concert size with koa fretboard to pick up at the factory?
 
Oooo... that Pine Apple looks super interesting. But I didn't see them on the site. Do you have more info about them?
 
Oooo... that Pine Apple looks super interesting. But I didn't see them on the site. Do you have more info about them?
Pops has not sent me the finalized version to put up on the site as of yet. What you are seeing are prototypes he was making for Japan. Once I get the word on the price and actual model, it will go on the site. I currently own a prototype and it is incredible, especially with the side sound port.
 
These are really wow but have gone up in price since original post. Would he make a basic one in concert size with koa fretboard to pick up at the factory?
I will ask him about concert size and which style he would make in that size (Probably the newly revised model). This post first came out in 2017 and now 5 years later prices have gone up as the original Harmony Wow is only $475, and trust me, it is an amazing instrument.
 
These are really wow but have gone up in price since original post. Would he make a basic one in concert size with koa fretboard to pick up at the factory?
Pops said that a Wow, or Supa Wow in concert size would be no problem at all and picking up at the factory would be great. He only asks that you go to the website and choose which model you would like and send a picture to me at ed@ukesahawaii.com. Or you can select characteristics from different pics because this uke would be made just for you. All of the ukes on our site are pics of ukes that were sold just to give an idea of what others have ordered. All of Pop's ukes now are pretty much custom, but still very affordable.
 
Are those Thai Pi going to be produced again? I have one concert scale and I absolutely love it. I am also wondering if Pops will ever consider a cheaper version of the Scepter made in Thailand.
 
Are those Thai Pi going to be produced again? I have one concert scale and I absolutely love it. I am also wondering if Pops will ever consider a cheaper version of the Scepter made in Thailand.
The Thai Pi and a Thailand made Sceptre is talked about but I don't believe that either will be happening very soon. There is a lot that goes into this with Pops bringing the Thai luthiers to Hawaii to train them on how to make the instrument, etc. Pops is a single builder now and takes only the amount of orders he can handle, himself. As a result, he is always busy but players get their custom ukes pretty quickly. I cannot imagine him having the time, but you never know. I will bring it up to Pops again and see if he and Moms can work it out.
 
The Thai Pi and a Thailand made Sceptre is talked about but I don't believe that either will be happening very soon. There is a lot that goes into this with Pops bringing the Thai luthiers to Hawaii to train them on how to make the instrument, etc. Pops is a single builder now and takes only the amount of orders he can handle, himself. As a result, he is always busy but players get their custom ukes pretty quickly. I cannot imagine him having the time, but you never know. I will bring it up to Pops again and see if he and Moms can work it out.
Thanks, a more affordable sceptre would be great. It’s so unique looking it will definitely be a conversation piece.
 
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