Ohana SK-30M long neck soprano

mikelz777

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Does anyone here have an Ohana SK-30M? (soprano body, concert neck/scale, all-solid mahogany) If so, I'd like to hear your impressions about sound, playability, quality, etc. I did a Google search and there isn't a whole lot out there on this model. While I certainly don't need another uke, this one checks off several boxes for me. I think I might want one. :uhoh:
 
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They're a nice little uke, mine has Living Water Low G fluorocarbon strings on it, & I really like its tone/sound........kind of warm & mellow, with good sustain. :music:
 
They're a nice little uke, mine has Living Water Low G fluorocarbon strings on it, & I really like its tone/sound........kind of warm & mellow, with good sustain. :music:

What is the volume like? Does it project well or does the warm and mellow sound mean kind of a softness/quietness? All I have are concerts so their sound is what I'm used to. This uke would allow me to play a soprano without sacrificing the concert scale. The soprano is a bit too smushed for my fingers to properly make chord shapes.
 
I have one.

The volume is impressive to me. The biggest volume to instrument size ratio among my ukes. Then again, my collection is not the biggest.
While it is probably warm and mellow plenty, my other ukes are so mellow that it seems very pretty defined in the tone compared.
Sometimes I think the warmth takes over a little bit, so it becomes a little bit boomy. I dont know if that is the C string resonnating a bit too well with the sound board and dominating the sound when strummed. I am not an expert. Sometimes the bark is more like "oomph" than "vuf". But overall a really good little ukulele.

Mine came with aquilas on it. It improved a lot to my ears when I put som Worths on it. I tried both Browns and Clears, I am not sure which I prefer.
 
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Mine came with aquilas on it. It improved a lot to my ears when I put some Worths on it. I tried both Browns and Clears, I am not sure which I prefer.

I'm not a fan of Aquilas either sound-wise or feel-wise so it's not a suprise to me that the uke sounded better to you with Worth browns and clears. I've only ever tried Worth browns which to me, have a warm and mellow sound. They're good strings if that's what you are going for but what I like even more are Martin and Oasis strings. Both are brighter sounding and to my ears, a bit louder than the Worth browns. Maybe it's just that I hear the brighter sound better which gives the impression of more volume. I don't know, I'm not an expert either.

Thanks for your feedback on the uke. I think you're feeding the itch I'm not sure I should scratch. I already have four ukes which is managable but I thought I was really pushing it when I bought the fourth. Buying a fifth may be pushing it over the line with me. But like I said earlier, this uke checks a lot of boxes for me.

-It's a soprano and I don't have a soprano which is too small for me to play comfortably and effectively. Since this one has a concert scale, playing a soprano comfortably would be possible for me.

-Adding it to the collection would be adding something different, not something similar to what I already have.

-I've always kind of wanted a mahogany uke and I don't have one. This one's solid mahogany. (and I still like the look despite it being quite plain)

-It has a satin finish. My first uke (which I've since sold) had a satin finish and I loved it. (and miss it) All my other ukes have a gloss finish except the ziricote one has a satin neck finish which I love.

-It's very reasonably priced. Even with a case I could probably be all-in for less than $200
 
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Sorry, Mike, the general rule of thumb is that you shouldn't buy a new uke unless it checks off at least five boxes for you; so unfortunately you're......................

oh, wait...
 
Well, if I strum it hard, it will certainly shout out! ;)

It will ring out if I pick it firmly, too - if I use a pick it becomes too loud for me at home - so, yes, I think it has quite a loud voice if you want it.

(I also have a couple of all solid acacia ukes, & mahogany is just a little bit less sharp/piercing sounding, to my ears.)

P.S. I spent most of my time on long necks, even though I have concerts - but I have now found I prefer the tenor scale, & now use long neck concerts as my main ukes, one is a solid acacia KoAloha OPIO, the other is a solid mahogany Ohana. :)
 
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Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. :)

I think I'm going to really like it. The wood grain on it reminds me of my first uke (now gone, kind of regretfully) except this is an all-solid mahogany whereas that one was an all-laminate. It'll also fill that desire for a satin finish and it will be unique since it will be my only soprano.
 
Awesome! Please let us know your impressions after you've had a chance to get acquainted with it!

I got my Ohana SK-30M about a week ago and my first impression was amusement at how small the body is! I only have concerts so it looks so tiny! It was a B stock I bought from Mim. It doesn't have a "B" imprinted on the inner label so it must have been declared a B stock by Mim rather than Ohana. She said it had light scratches all over the body which it does but in order to even see them you have to hold it so the light catches it just right and you have to purposely look very hard to see them. I may not have even noticed them if I didn't already know they were there.

Sound-wise I think that this is a little gem. I love the tone and the warm sound and it's got a nice sustain. It's got good volume for its size, a little louder than I thought it might be. I played it for several hours to help break the strings in and then I played it side by side with one of my concerts to compare the sound. Maybe it's just me but I didn't think there was really that much difference in the sound between a soprano and a concert. I thought that there would be a more sizable difference. The soprano is just a bit more high and chimey. I love the look and feel of the satin finish. (I can already sense that my love for the satin finish is only going to feed my lust for another uke I have my eye on which also has a satin finish.) I'm very happy with it and could easily recommend it to anyone looking for a solid long neck soprano. I think it's a great value and to me, worth more than its price point.
 
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