I suppose with a laminate, you can make the veneer any wood you want. When substantial, willow is resilient (it is used for cricket bats), but can be weak when used as a tone wood. That said, willow is used for the soundbox on Celtic harps.
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Indeed
@johnchastain7890Ай бұрын
Such a deal! And I like the "honey-mustard" appearance, too.
@richardsnow7299Ай бұрын
For that price sounds amazing. Thanks Barry 😊
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
You bet!
@judynpeterjones3307Ай бұрын
A wipe down with lemon oil on the fret board will darken it down a bit, think I'll get a couple for the club, good value!
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
It would if it was dry, but it’s actually really well conditioned - almost glossy it’s that well fed.
@nickiemcnichols5397Ай бұрын
A luthier told me to never use lemon oil. It opens up the pores too much. Use a good fretboard butter instead.
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
I wouldn’t use either - I use mineral oil designed for high end clarinets.. but I stress again - this board does NOT need feeding
@bonniedavidson936Ай бұрын
I’m a big Ohana fan. But I would have to agree with you. This is great for the price ! Nice review as usual 😊
@StevenDoyleLukeАй бұрын
I have the Ohana Willow Soprano, big fan of the tone and look!
@annajones1426Ай бұрын
Thank you!
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Thanks kindly Anna!
@chrisbergonzi7977Ай бұрын
Great info...thanks man...
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
No problem!
@marieandersson6655Ай бұрын
Thanks for a very nice review ❤ The price suit all of us who not only play ukulele, but also collect. Ohana is american, and logically they are intersted of high profit.
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
You are right on that final sentence
@alanwhitney3263Ай бұрын
I like the colour, for the price you can add a gig bag and get away with £100, amazing. Would want strap buttons added too
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Yep, remarkable value
@alanwhitney3263Ай бұрын
@@GotAUkuleleare RUMC box shifters or a bit more than that ?
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
@@alanwhitney3263 Bit more than that - been around for years - they are distributors and sellers of imported stuff, but everything goes through them rather than them just drop shipping to the buyer from China.
@bonniedavidson936Ай бұрын
Thanks!
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Thank you Bonnie!
@jensenhealey08Ай бұрын
Sold out in 3..2...1...
@bonniedavidson936Ай бұрын
Good review as always ! I love Ohanas. This is a nice ukuleles especially for the price !
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
I do too - though it really makes you question their pricing when you see the identical uke for half the cost
@bonniedavidson936Ай бұрын
@@GotAUkulele Yes it does. I have a Ohana solid mahogany concert pineapple. I put worth clear strings on and it’s just perfect for me. I haven’t tried the laminate as much as it is limited supply where I live. I was fortunate to get the perfect one for me. But like you said it makes you wonder about the price on these. Always enjoy your reviews !
@mrmisfit635Ай бұрын
Great review, and playing...always look forward to the jingle!
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Thanks!
@lsclairАй бұрын
Nice little instrument for the price. Maybe they could charge an extra 20 or 30# and put a solid top on it. I have several Ohana, they are one of my favorite brands. I'm actually a brass player and some of my instruments are in the 5 digits so the cost of a good uke doesn't bother me as long as the quality is there....
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Solid tops are not necessarily 'all that'. I'd take a good laminate over a solid top made for the sake of it and to a budget every time
@sortof3337Ай бұрын
Such a beautiful shirt. 😊
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Nice innit?
@sortof3337Ай бұрын
@@GotAUkulele Oh yeah. looking forward to the next one. :D
@chuckvt5196Ай бұрын
Such great value and sound very nice for such a low price! Not into that yellow hue, either, but what a great beginner instrument. Thank you, Baz!
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Remarkable value!
@uknavynigeАй бұрын
A nice beginner uke at a unbelievable bargain price, I hold RUMC with high esteem. I still have my clearwater roundback baritone on your recommendation and still play it occasionally although it's pick up became unattached but I don't plug in much anyway. They used to do good B stock deals aswell.👍
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Those round backs are a marvel for the money. Zoe Bestel and Ian Emmerson both performed professionally with them
@uknavynigeАй бұрын
Was gonna mention Zoe played one but her name.slipped my old.brain!😂
@Mick_HollandАй бұрын
I enjoyed this review very much and I’m sorely tempted. I’ve noticed in other reviews that you sometimes mention ’set-up’ as in ‘if you buy from Southern Ukuleles they will check and set up the instrument’. Does that service only apply to high-end models? Does the company that sells these Clearwaters provide the same service but you just didn’t mention it? Cheers👍🏼
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
No - SUS (and World of Ukes) check EVERYTHING. Clearwaters are sold direct from the RUMC co. I've never had an issue with them, but I couldn't say that they have the same standard as SUS.
@Mick_HollandАй бұрын
@@GotAUkulele Thanks for your kind reply. I have my eye on the Kanile'a Islander A-ST-4 Super Tenor from SUS and I’m thinking that their inspection/set up service is likely worth paying for if only for the peace of mind. Cheers 👍🏼
@pixpusherАй бұрын
Ohana is an American Company in California that pays taxes and has employees to pay. The doubled price makes sense.
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
And RUMC are a UK company that pays taxes and has employees to pay. What's the difference?
@Tyreman22Ай бұрын
@@GotAUkulelePlus our dreaded VAT.
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
@@Tyreman22yep!
@13mietteАй бұрын
Very pretty wood veneer. I tend to prefer satin finishes, certainly for the neck, but also the body. I recognize it's a subjective quirk of mine. Even high-quality gloss looks ostentatious to me. and so I prefer the agricultural look, heh. Tone is fairly mediocre and inhibited to my ear, but passable and the value seems good as you say.
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Preferable to me too - it's just that having seen this uke in gloss I think it makes the grain finish look nicer. Very subjective view though. Tone is on the slightly better than average laminate tone for me - but again that price.. I've played laminate Kalas for twice this money that don't sound any better. And remember that it sounds EXACTLY like the Ohana version which is more than twice the cost.
@MariUSukuleleАй бұрын
@@13miette we share the same "subjective quirk"
@ROCKINGMANАй бұрын
Strange, I thought you would have liked the finish. I thought it looked nice. Simple, nice grain and colour. A good little instrument at that price. Good review.
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
I think it’s the bold colour puts me off the most!
@keithgardner5818Ай бұрын
"Not a horror show..." High praise, indeed! The main reason I'm watching these low-end reviews (the instruments, not the reviews!) is for ideas for a knockabout uke of some sort. I'm thinking of something inexpensive and cookie-cutter, that is at least playable, that I won't be too crushed by if something happens to it. I just returned one that I bought off the Temu site, which tries to treat shopping like a game of chance, which in fact it seems to be. The instrument was beyond awful, not in tune with itself, and hideous. Of course, I did buy the blue one, so there's that. But all in all, it just didn't work out. Anyway, I'm looking at various offerings from Flight, Enya, Kala, etc, probably used. A person on one of the ukulele forums suggested the Outdoor Ukulele, but I don't want to spend more on this than I spent on either of my other two instruments. I don't want to have to worry about it. I can't consider the one reviewed here because they're basically not available in the States. But I thought that maybe some viewers of this video would have their ideas and suggestions on the matter?
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Flight Travel series?
@glsurfnutАй бұрын
I've looked through your videos, but I'm wondering if you've ever reviewed the Clearwater ukes with the round, plastic back (Ovation style)?
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Yes, a couple of them!
@glsurfnutАй бұрын
@GotAUkulele Just found them, thank you! I've been watching your reviews for years, so not sure how I missed them. Thank you for your knowledgeable, informative, and impartial reviews!
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Thank you!
@smilingdave99Ай бұрын
Interesting review. Re the price difference between this and the original, although it’s made on the same production line, could it be made to different labour standards? China is infamous for using slave labour in unsafe conditions, and I’m just wondering whether that could explain the difference, and maybe how Ohana could justify their higher price?
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
I doubt it - having seen both the quality control is identical - can't see they would change the labour force for different headstock names. I have also seen footage from several factories that build for the likes of Kala, Ohana, Flight etc - their working conditions are considerably greater than the western media suggests. The cost difference here is purely, in my view, down to how much margin the companies want to make.
@nickiemcnichols5397Ай бұрын
I kinda like its striking looks. I think Ohana might be in a bit of trouble. I’ve seen their glossy one up close, and didn’t care for it. I like the satin finish better. Subjective, eh?
@GotAUkuleleАй бұрын
Yep very - and I don’t like gloss as a rule!
@MariUSukuleleАй бұрын
" … not a horror show … " 😂 and it clear-water-ly is not!