Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

I need some help. My birthday is next month and I wanted to get a new ukulele. I would like a concert ukulele that looks good and sound great! One that sounds good and is easy to play. One that is up to professional standards. I would prefer a Hawaiian brand, but it doesn't really matter, all I need is a good concert ukulele. I don't have a price range so anything goes! I was thinking about getting the Kamaka Concert but I wanted to know what the friction tuners are like, I have never really liked them, and also the Urulu Pukana La Concert. But I don't know, then I also know that KoAloha and Kanile'a make good concert ukes. I guess I just want peoples opinions. Sorry if I didn't include much info..

Hard to go wrong with an all koa ukulele from any of the K brands and HMS is a good business to deal with. Be aware, you will need to pay duties if over AUD$1000 including shipping (or they used to be the rules... they may have changed more recently) - this can add up if it is charged - another 20 per cent i think.

Locally, for a traditional Hawaiian ukulele I would recommend Scott Wise. Lovely lightly built instruments and rope binding etc. For something more modern looking, check out Barron River .... absolutely stunning instruments for both looks and sound. Some photos on this website in the gallery too..... for what its worth, this last option is the one i would choose for a special uke and i would probably ask for some special cuban mahogany or some other fancy timber.......

Happy instrument hunting!

I have one that I just completed a couple weeks ago and have posted images to the form here.

If it interests you it's available from my website.