Mar/26/10
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Juke-A-Lele, Ludwig Wendell Hall: Ukulele Window Shopping

No competition for the uke I want most this week. The Juke-a-lele is the latest addition to KoAloha’s Masterpiece series. Not as classic a design as the Sceptre, but that’s not going to stop me wanting one.

I’m not much of a banjolele fan, but I could go for one that looks as good as this Ludwig Wendell Hall.

A bunch of the cheapo Regal ukuleles up including the Harold Teen and the Regal nautical.

Jake Wildwood has a bunch of great vintage instruments up this week including a 1920’s Mele ukulele, a Slingerland Banjo and a Custom Kraft Kay Archtop Guitar.

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8 Comments

  1. aimee March 26th, 2010 8:34 pm

    I would like 4k for a juke-a-lele! Coolest uke ever!

  2. mictoboy March 26th, 2010 8:35 pm

    I have to say, I really dislike the look of both Juk-a-lele and the sceptre. The Juke looks heavy and clumsy, and the sceptre, well, pointy isn’t my thing at all.

    I am, however, fighting the urge to get a banjo-uke, and that ‘frankenstein’ banjo isn’t helping my resistance!

  3. Tony Boland March 27th, 2010 8:06 am

    Rarely disagree with your choices Al, and much as I love Koalohas (own two) and the old wurlitzer style juke box, that combination design makes for one of the UGLIEST ukes I have ever seen!
    I appreciate the fine work that went into building the Juke-a-lele, and can hear from Mike Aratani’s video it sounds wonderful but none of this makes up for what is essentiallly a visual joke!
    On the other hand its a great “Conversation Piece” and therefore great pubicity for Koaloha and as they already make some of the best ukuleles on the planet, I don’t begrudge them that.

  4. aimee March 27th, 2010 9:38 am

    I like it. I would pretend I was a juke box and have a little list of songs attached to me that they could make requests from :)

  5. Woodshed March 30th, 2010 8:13 am

    mictoboy: I could understand not liking the Juke, but the Sceptre is just lovely.

    Tony: It’s not up the standards of the first two, but one of the ugliest ukes you’ve ever seen? Haven’t you seen Leolani’s range? Or Luna?

    aimee: Ha ha. Excellent idea!

  6. Jnobianchi November 3rd, 2010 6:31 pm

    Ahh – the Wendell Hall. Among Banjo Ukes, it’s not the prettiest, it’s certainly not as fancy as all the Langes and Weymanns, but oh brother, that sound. You can hear one in the dark and know its a Wendell Hall. Just perfect.

  7. Rebele February 6th, 2014 3:29 pm

    I am one of the fortunate and proud owners of a Juke-a-lele. As a sculptor by education, I was immediately drawn and enchanted by Pops KoAloha’s ingenious design. I get the impression that this design is one of those that people either love or hate. To those who hate it or just don’t “get” it, I would ask you to think outside of the box on this one, or rather to look outside of the box. After all, Ukuleles have come in any manner of shapes and sizes over the decades—even shaped and made from cigar boxes. There is no reason for the F curve on a mandolin and yet the very best of them have it. And, there is nothing that says an Ukulele must be shaped like the the typical shape of an hourglass or perhaps that shape came from a woman’s figure? That, in itself would be an abstraction of something that is true to life. HEY, and the sound is UNBELIEVABLE!!!

  8. Woodshed February 6th, 2014 9:26 pm

    Rebele: Thanks for the write up. I’m very jealous!

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