Hello again! Sorry it’s been so long. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sitting around playing ukulele. I’ve been spending my free time (a.k.a. middle of the night) building the new Ko’olau Ukulele website! Click the logo to check it out, it will be a continuing process. I’ve also been recording Corey and Aaron weekly and we now have well over 500 videos …
Everyone knows we don’t need an ukulele this nice. But we love them! We dream of how awesome it would be to get them. The combination of beauty and what we can do with them makes us feel so alive. I will liken it to a beautiful woman, that also happens to be a Master Chef. She doesn’t have to be beautiful to appreciate her food, but it doesn’t exactly hurt. I personally LOVE taking ukes like these in the photo room. It’s glorious! My gratitude goes……
My wife and I have owned Hawaii Music Supply for about eight years now. For the first five years I did most of the in-store assisting of customers. At the time, Mike was running his eBay store and I used to think, he probably just sits in his boxers all day listing ukes and answering emails. He couldn’t handle helping people in a …
I say caught because Ned is one of those great players that you couldn’t find a video of online. You can learn some about Ned from his brother’s website –
As teenagers, Led and his twin brother Ned and cousin Dennis Pavao formed the Hui Ohana, one of the hottest groups of the 70s and 80s and now legendary among Hawaiian musicians.
So Nedward is Ledward’s twin brother! They grew up in Kalapana on the Big Island of Hawaii. Playing music was what they did. There were no video games, there was no cell phones and iPads. They took music traditional Hawaiian music to another level. Ned left that ambition and now teaches ukulele to kid’s. Truly a nice man and I am glad to showcase him here at The Review.
Ok, they’re guitars. Our most popular ukulele company is making guitars again! When I first got news of these coming I may have rolled my eyes. Not that I didn’t always like Pono Guitars, but it’s been impossible to keep their ukes in stock, especially the tenors. Their small team of builders don’t mass produce, but they do it right. With models like the AT or MT we can’t get enough. So the prospect of guitars seemed a little beside the point, if you know what I mean. BUT…
Once in a great while Ko’olau will get their hands on some of this precious wood indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands. MILO has been highly valued for many years here in Hawaii. To the ancient Hawaiians it was the most valuable wood used for furniture, paddles, and bowls, and was and was used by the Kings more than any other tree. This dazzling Hawaiian wood is in VERY limited supply and has the most wonderful deep tones you could wish for. The dimension of colors is truly a testament to the beauty of gods creation! And the sound…wow! Of course it doesn’t hurt that it has a Redwood top. If you did not already know, Redwood has an astounding resonance and is arguably the best soundboard wood money can buy. It sounds how it looks, warm and rich, with beautiful harmonic overtones; a perfect match to the natural bright tones of the tenor ukulele. Ko’olau finishes with a striking nitro cellulose finish taken to under three thousandths of an inch so as not to hinder the open tone of the wood…
It has been a while since I just sat back and appreciated the sound of music. There’s always some sort of responsibilities or initiative keeping me from really experiencing the good in life, like the sound of an amazing instrument. Well, last night as Corey started playing this Koolau archtop ukulele I transcended all of that. It was about midnight at the Koolau warehouse in the country side of Oahu. The natural reverb and resonance created inside of this instrument…the clarity and bell like tones…what can I say, I fell in love with this ukulele!
So last year we did a video showcasing 10 ukulele models you can buy for less than $200. We also did a blog review here of those 10 ukes. But there are so many other options that we just had to pick out another 10 to compare. So here ya go, 10 more great ukes that won’t break the bank! …
Now that we are solely focusing on the ukulele and working with Michael Aratani, a.k.a Music Guy Mic, we’ve made orders with some great ukulele companies that are new to us! These include Ana’ole Ukulele , Kiwaya Ukulele , Keli’i Ukulele, Worth Ukulele Strings, and Fremont Ukulele Strings. We will be bringing you many more video reviews and comparisons from these new products in the months to come.
Earlier, we mentioned Skype lessons with Aaron. He will continue to give lessons free of charge on our website. But, for an optimal learning experience, technology now enables you to get one on one lessons with Aaron, no matter where on Earth you are. (provided it has internet). We will be posting his link on our homepage soon.
Dat lucky buggah Aaron… he got his new custom Ko’olau!!!
Here is a video of it.-