Big_Island_Ukulele
Member
Big Island Ukulele Co. - aka HONU Ukulele
Hello all! I hope you guys don't mind if I jump in on the thread here. To be up front- I'm quite biased about which one I think you should get... but to answer a question you've had but no one has seemed to be able to answer- Is my highest end uke - XXX model- better quality than the lower end uke?
The simple answer, no (and yes)- BUT it doesn't lower the quality of the high end- the low end is of the same quality and craftmanship put into it as the $2000 - $3000 ukes out there by custom builders. the reason they only cost as little as they do is, 1) they are NOT made in Hawaii 2) I get the koa cheaper
They are still made by craftsman who spend as much time and attention to detail as the luthiers in Hawaii or anywhere else in the world for that matter- they just happen to live and build in Vietnam. They still have just as much pride and joy in making quality instruments as the best makers in the world. I can attest to this in their willingness to make the perfect instrument everytime and allow me to reject ukes as I need to.
that's why my XXX is close the $1000 and not a $400 model made in China nor is is a $2000 uke made in Hawaii.
if you were to buy the exact same model with the same specs from Kanielea, Da Silva, La Pronzi, KoAloha, Koolau etc. you probably have to pay at least $2000 and more likely $3000.
I feel the quality in craftmanship and sound would still rival their uke.
someday I'll get all this info on the website with pics of them in the factory to give everyone a better idea of it all.
I myself do business in Japan and I cannot really keep enough of the XXX in stock- because they do appreciate the value they get without having to spend $3000 for a simliar item just so they can have one that says, "Made in Hawaii."
Having grown up in Hawaii and owning businesses in Hawaii and Japan, visiting factories all around the world, it is my experience that there are many very well made ukes made just as good, if not better than most production level ukes coming from Hawaii. I'm not going to say ANY names here, but I'm sure even some of the well known makers would agree, "Made in Hawaii" does not always equal "Made with Quality." it means "Made with Aloha!" Although I will say that Kanilea DOES produce a quality instrument and their sound is probably "different" than mine- but does different equal better?
my wife is a professional violinist- we were buying violins for students and I was with her while she was picking out violins in the $1000 range. As she was going through them she easily dismissed certain ones becuase the sound wasn't the sound she liked, not because of anything to do with the quality of the sound.
Also, unlike violins that are made with generally the same species of wood that generally emit the same tonal qualities, the same cannot be said for koa. Koa has varying physical properties that will affect the sound of each one and generally mean no two ukes will sound exactly alike. there is another thread that discusses this a bit - light vs. dark koa. but it's true- I've goine through 100's of thousands of BF of koa and you'd think they were completely different species sometimes!
Also, just because someone gets paid less to make something, doesn't mean they are going to put out an inferior product. Overall we use high quality products in every part of the ukulele without cutting corners, from the parts used to the final finish work.
by the way- the koa button on the tuning gear took three years to perfect and a lot of errors along the way! that alone would probably add $100 up charge on someone elses ukulele, but it comes standard with our every model.
how about the laser engraving on the back of the headstock for the XXX? How about the pure black, high grade ebony fingerboard? that hand carved turtle is a killer to make perfect everytime... how about the real abalone small turtle inlays? I'd be real curious to know what a maker would up-charge for that. Do you know how difficult it is to get the little turtles legs perfectly inlayed? Even though it's "standard" on my XXX model, it still takes the same time and skill for any luthier to do those attnetion to details- I just don't have to pay my guys $15 - $25 / hour to do it! it's all these little things and attention to details that make this uke perhaps a $2500 uke by a famous and even a not so famous maker- because of the time and attention to detail involved in it.
Have you guys all noticed that most production level models are a matte finish? even a gloss finish often commands a $100 premium or isn't even offered for the <$400 ukes (expect for the really mass produced models). it's because it is just too hard to make a quality glossy finished uke in a hurry and still have it sound good. matte finish is cheaper and easier to allow the wood to sing. I used to use a matte finish, but the general market seems to want to buy a glossy over the matte, especially when so many are sold online. so I hae to work even harder to make it sound better while still keeping the costs down!
when one compares ukes, please make sure you are comparing the same specs to make it a real comparison.
as far as sound goes- well that always going to be a personal preference and there will be some who like mine and some who prefer others sound over mine. And that is great, otherwise we would all be just one big mass of the same sound without any variety.
by the way, I'm not sure people really know- my line isn't a mass produced line. It's not that I don't have the orders- it because I cannot rush quality control- if the koa isn't ready to make an uke, we cannot make an uke! if it isn't finished drying properly, it's not done. I'm competing with the $500 to $3000 ukes so I treat it as such and the attention to detail and inspection is rigourous!
I hope that gives you all a little better insight to this line of ukes and perhaps make your mind spin even more about which one to choose!
by the way, please all don't forget to check out the dealer page to find the authorized dealer who will take care of you, especially if you have a shop nearby. If you don't have a shop nearby, I think we should all start a grass-roots operation to commit to getting one shop near them to carry ukuleles, whether my brand or not! if you, the player and buyer, started bugging local shops to carry ukes they would put more thought into it. I always have appreciated paying a little extra for the brick and mortar operation in the instrument market. If you were able to play, touch, smell, and even lick your uke before you buy, we would all have a better fighting chance to get the uke that sounds and feels right for US!
Aloha !
Jorma:shaka:
Hello all! I hope you guys don't mind if I jump in on the thread here. To be up front- I'm quite biased about which one I think you should get... but to answer a question you've had but no one has seemed to be able to answer- Is my highest end uke - XXX model- better quality than the lower end uke?
The simple answer, no (and yes)- BUT it doesn't lower the quality of the high end- the low end is of the same quality and craftmanship put into it as the $2000 - $3000 ukes out there by custom builders. the reason they only cost as little as they do is, 1) they are NOT made in Hawaii 2) I get the koa cheaper
They are still made by craftsman who spend as much time and attention to detail as the luthiers in Hawaii or anywhere else in the world for that matter- they just happen to live and build in Vietnam. They still have just as much pride and joy in making quality instruments as the best makers in the world. I can attest to this in their willingness to make the perfect instrument everytime and allow me to reject ukes as I need to.
that's why my XXX is close the $1000 and not a $400 model made in China nor is is a $2000 uke made in Hawaii.
if you were to buy the exact same model with the same specs from Kanielea, Da Silva, La Pronzi, KoAloha, Koolau etc. you probably have to pay at least $2000 and more likely $3000.
I feel the quality in craftmanship and sound would still rival their uke.
someday I'll get all this info on the website with pics of them in the factory to give everyone a better idea of it all.
I myself do business in Japan and I cannot really keep enough of the XXX in stock- because they do appreciate the value they get without having to spend $3000 for a simliar item just so they can have one that says, "Made in Hawaii."
Having grown up in Hawaii and owning businesses in Hawaii and Japan, visiting factories all around the world, it is my experience that there are many very well made ukes made just as good, if not better than most production level ukes coming from Hawaii. I'm not going to say ANY names here, but I'm sure even some of the well known makers would agree, "Made in Hawaii" does not always equal "Made with Quality." it means "Made with Aloha!" Although I will say that Kanilea DOES produce a quality instrument and their sound is probably "different" than mine- but does different equal better?
my wife is a professional violinist- we were buying violins for students and I was with her while she was picking out violins in the $1000 range. As she was going through them she easily dismissed certain ones becuase the sound wasn't the sound she liked, not because of anything to do with the quality of the sound.
Also, unlike violins that are made with generally the same species of wood that generally emit the same tonal qualities, the same cannot be said for koa. Koa has varying physical properties that will affect the sound of each one and generally mean no two ukes will sound exactly alike. there is another thread that discusses this a bit - light vs. dark koa. but it's true- I've goine through 100's of thousands of BF of koa and you'd think they were completely different species sometimes!
Also, just because someone gets paid less to make something, doesn't mean they are going to put out an inferior product. Overall we use high quality products in every part of the ukulele without cutting corners, from the parts used to the final finish work.
by the way- the koa button on the tuning gear took three years to perfect and a lot of errors along the way! that alone would probably add $100 up charge on someone elses ukulele, but it comes standard with our every model.
how about the laser engraving on the back of the headstock for the XXX? How about the pure black, high grade ebony fingerboard? that hand carved turtle is a killer to make perfect everytime... how about the real abalone small turtle inlays? I'd be real curious to know what a maker would up-charge for that. Do you know how difficult it is to get the little turtles legs perfectly inlayed? Even though it's "standard" on my XXX model, it still takes the same time and skill for any luthier to do those attnetion to details- I just don't have to pay my guys $15 - $25 / hour to do it! it's all these little things and attention to details that make this uke perhaps a $2500 uke by a famous and even a not so famous maker- because of the time and attention to detail involved in it.
Have you guys all noticed that most production level models are a matte finish? even a gloss finish often commands a $100 premium or isn't even offered for the <$400 ukes (expect for the really mass produced models). it's because it is just too hard to make a quality glossy finished uke in a hurry and still have it sound good. matte finish is cheaper and easier to allow the wood to sing. I used to use a matte finish, but the general market seems to want to buy a glossy over the matte, especially when so many are sold online. so I hae to work even harder to make it sound better while still keeping the costs down!
when one compares ukes, please make sure you are comparing the same specs to make it a real comparison.
as far as sound goes- well that always going to be a personal preference and there will be some who like mine and some who prefer others sound over mine. And that is great, otherwise we would all be just one big mass of the same sound without any variety.
by the way, I'm not sure people really know- my line isn't a mass produced line. It's not that I don't have the orders- it because I cannot rush quality control- if the koa isn't ready to make an uke, we cannot make an uke! if it isn't finished drying properly, it's not done. I'm competing with the $500 to $3000 ukes so I treat it as such and the attention to detail and inspection is rigourous!
I hope that gives you all a little better insight to this line of ukes and perhaps make your mind spin even more about which one to choose!
by the way, please all don't forget to check out the dealer page to find the authorized dealer who will take care of you, especially if you have a shop nearby. If you don't have a shop nearby, I think we should all start a grass-roots operation to commit to getting one shop near them to carry ukuleles, whether my brand or not! if you, the player and buyer, started bugging local shops to carry ukes they would put more thought into it. I always have appreciated paying a little extra for the brick and mortar operation in the instrument market. If you were able to play, touch, smell, and even lick your uke before you buy, we would all have a better fighting chance to get the uke that sounds and feels right for US!
Aloha !
Jorma:shaka:
