Bushman & Ohana Similar Design

I've wondered about this for a while, but never asked. I have a Bushman Cedartone baritone ukulele that I love. It is light, resonate and sounds great. My favorite ukulele. I've noticed the design is basically the same as Ohana baritones (maybe other sizes as well) which seems more than a coincidence. Is this because they are using the same supplier, part sources, etc. or did Ohana takeover Bushman? The headstock is the same design, rosette around the sound hole, bridge. See pic below.

The only thing I don't like is the location of the position dots are not the same.

Thanks,

Bushman got a lot of guff for not delivering on time but I loved my Bushman baritone and regret selling it. I don’t know the answer to your question but I believe there may have been a schism in the Bushman company. You’re lucky to have your Bushman. They were light and they did resonate and they looked nice. Bravo for you!

Kimosabe said:

Bushman got a lot of guff for not delivering on time but I loved my Bushman baritone and regret selling it. I don’t know the answer to your question but I believe there may have been a schism in the Bushman company. You’re lucky to have your Bushman. They were light and they did resonate and they looked nice. Bravo for you!

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Yea, I remember Bushman had issues with delivery and there were a number of posts about that customer service. A shame since the actual ukes seemed to be good. I bought my Bushman used, and have had it quite a while. It will be the last uke I get rid of (if I have to get rid of any).

As I recall (dimly) the Bushman story was quite an unsavoury saga. There are some who post on here who are well qualified to relate it, but it might be best to draw a veil. They were decent ukes in the generic "made in China" fashion. That is not a snide remark. I have great respect for the better mass produced ukuleles from China. I own several and like them very much.

John Colter.

I'll pass on what I've learned after going to NAMM four years in a row, and also buying direct from China. At the NAMM show, there are many Chinese manufacturers who show a great variety of uke choices that any distributor can order and have their own name added, it's very common practice. The distributor does not design or manufacturer, they just choose what they think will sell.

About 6 years ago I was online and ran across a Chinese manufacturer site, East-Start, showing an archtop steel string hollow body electric tenor uke that looked like a very well known Gibson jazz guitar. I was intrigued and asked about the price. I was told $400, a little higher than I wanted to spend, so they said if I order 20, the price would be $165 each and delivered in 2 months. I announced here on UU that if anyone is interested, I'll spearhead the buy. I got the 20 people right away and made the order.

I'm always surfing the internet for ukes and while waiting for the order, I ran across the exact same archtop uke being sold by Kamoa in Hawaii for $750, delivered in 4 months, making it seem like it was their design. I immediately contacted East-Start, who told me they provide that uke to Kamoa, as well as many other distributors.

When we got the ukes, I quickly realized the it was not of the best quality, but for $165, it's OK. If I paid $400, I would have been disappointed, but if it was $750, I would have gone into a rampage. I actually ended up selling it because I really had no need to play a steel string electric uke.

I wonder if Bushman and Ohana fall into the same category?

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This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

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I've never seen or played a Bushman but I think that Mainland and Ohana are the same ukes, the main difference being Mainland's bold rope binding which sets it apart. My Ohana CK-42R shares the identical distinctive headstock binding/edge detail that I've seen on Mainlands. The rope binding is identical as well though mine is a less bold version.

kohanmike said:

I'll pass on what I've learned after going to NAMM four years in a row, and also buying direct from China. At the NAMM show, there are many Chinese manufacturers who show a great variety of uke choices that any distributor can order and have their own name added, it's very common practice. The distributor does not design or manufacturer, they just choose what they think will sell.

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Kohanmike, I think you may be correct about many Chinese manufacturers offering various options uke distributors can select from accounting for the similarities.

I had a Bushman baritone uke 'way back when, and it was very nicely made, and played and sounded pretty nice. This is back before the market was flooded with scores of brands from China. Bushman eventually went the way of the dinosaur primarily because of the way they did business and treated customers, not because they sold inferior products. When I bought my first Bushman, the company was located in the guy's house, about 30 miles east of Indianapolis. I actually got to drive over and pick out the one I liked best.

As I recall, they were all solid woods at that time. I don't know if that continued through the years, but mine was pretty well-made, and looked great. I have a couple of Mainland baritones, and they remind me a lot of my old Bushman. I highly recommend the Mainland brand, and they are within driving distance from me in Nashville, Indiana. They are great folks, and provide outstanding customer service.

Fast forward, Bushman-wise, to this past weekend. I was surfing the net, browsing baritones, and came across a used Bushman Cedar Tone bari at a Guitar Center Cleveland). It was reasonably priced, so in a fit of nostalgia, I bought it. When it arrived, I was quite pleasantly surprised. It was one of the "old" Bushmans, and came with a hardshell "Vineyard"-brand case, and three extra sets of Aquilas! After lowering the saddle, and stringing it with Martin 630's, it was like stepping into a time warp. It won't replace my high-end stuff, but it's a sweet little uke!

Of course, it has no side dot markers, and the dot markers on the front of the neck are at 5,7,9 (not 10), and 12, as was common on some of the earlier Chinese imports. Minor annoyances, to be sure.

Years ago, there were a number of threads here connecting Bushman and Mainland to the same factory. The consensus being that though nearly identical, Mainland, with its thorough U.S. based setup, was a more consistent instrument than Bushman.