Ana'Ole AT Solid Hawaiian Koa Tenor Ukulele Made in Hawaii #22140521

This stunning AT solid Hawaiian koa tenor ukulele from Ana'Ole is utterly fantastic. Made in Hawaii and brought all the way here to show off just how fantastic this brand really is. Long established around Honolulu and Kaikoloa and popular in the far East, we're bringing these amazing instruments to Europe.

Ana'Ole means immeasurable in Hawaiian, and, considering the value for money, we completely agree! This AT model is a fully Hawaiian made ukulele built from solid figured Hawaiian Koa. It has a gloss finish with a kiawe (Hawaiian wood) fingerboard and bridge.

It has a mahogany neck and good quality open geared grover tuners. The neck profile is reminiscent of other Hawaiian builds being quite chunky with a 36 mm nut width. It's incredible really that a new neck with so few hours life can feel so played in.

This koa tenor ukulele is considerably more affordable than the more established Hawaiian manufacturers too. The waxy finish over open pore wood can make the instrument appear older than it is, but the gloss finish works so well with the tone woods to create something gorgeous.

The sound is very similar to many older Kamaka ukuleles we have seen. It has plenty of the usual koa bubbliness we have come to expect but with slightly more prominent mids like Martin and Gibson ukes. The finish is also very reminiscent of years gone by too with an almost waxy high gloss finish that reminds us of KoAloha pre-2012 or 1970s Kamakas we have been privileged to hold.

The price of these instruments is much lower than the K brands not because they sound inferior (quite the opposite in fact, they sound stunning!) but because not a huge amount of time is spent on the finishing. So, cosmetic issues with the finish are to be expected - some runs in the gloss, drying marks and pockmarks where the nitrocellulose finish has sunk into the open pores of the wood are common. No grain filler is used on these ukes, which goes towards the sound being as good as it is, but be aware that this comes at a cost to the finish.

If you have dreamed of owning a Hawaiian made ukulele but are not ready to invest in some of the bigger brands then Ana'Ole is definitely worth paying attention to. The Ana'Ole has a rustic charm that we're sure will win out when you're comparing it with other brands at a similar price, like Pono ukuleles.

Pictures show actual instrument.

Specification:
AT model
Solid Hawaiian koa top, back and sides
Hawaiian kiawe fingerboard and bridge
36 mm nut width
Bone nut and saddle
Sapele mahogany neck, gloss finish
Open geared grover tuners
Fluorocarbon high G GCEA strings
Nitro cellulose high gloss finish over open pore
Comes in a lightly padded gigbag