LOCALS Ukulele
RatingsLOCALS are a brand of ukulele that have cropped up on eBay recently and ,I must admit, I know very little about them. I Googled them and the first result was me - no help at all. So everything I know comes from their eBay listings: they're solid koa, made in Hawaii and, "the finest quality of ukuleles as like KAMAKAs or MARTINs but only half the price." The boldness of that claim coupled with the fact no one is talking about them make me a little suspicious.
On eBay
Sorry, this ukulele is not currently for sale on eBay.
7 Comments
My dad just got back from Hawaii with a new uke in hand the other day. I saw it was a Locals ukulele, I had never heard of it before. After my first chord I fell in love with it! Im surprised how little there is about them on the web. LOVE IT! A++++
Thanks for the review, Paul.
I bought a locals uke in hawaii a few months ago from a small shop I personally love it but I dont have much experience with ukuleles however from what little I do know it is great quality
Aloha, I am the maker of Locals Ukuleles. I work out of home garage in Makakilo-Oahu, Hawaii. Just a little about myself and how I got started. I started back in 1996 with K.C. Moore of Kelii Ukulele Company. Kelii just started his company about 2 month before I started with him. It’s been 12 years of helping him to build the Kelii product to a household name in this industry. Every ukulele that went through there had my detail finish on it. Along with shaping all necks, which after got its final C & C machine made copies, to bridge design, head stock, intonation and so on. In 2008 it was time for me to move on and fulfill my own dreams and goals. So here we are today, “Locals” Is just one label I started. In May of 2010 be on the look out for “Ka’Ohana” Ukuleles. I am proud to say as a 60% blood Hawaiian, that these ukuleles have a true Hawaiian sound with the finest quality of craftsmanship. And, to all of you who bought one of my ukulele’s, I say with much Aloha and Mahalo for keeping our culture and heritage alive today. Aloha
I’ve played ukulele about for about five years was recently visiting family in Oahu and looking to get a better ukulele. I played a lot of instruments in music stores and also met a number of builders/dealers who had tables at places like the Aloha Stadium flea market, the Hula Festival and the 40th Annual Ukulele festival. Most of the instruments I liked were about $700 and up which was out of my range. I met Zachary from Locals and Ka’Ohana at the Hula Festival and played their instruments which are Koa, made in Hawaii by musicians yet starting at $300. To my ears, fingers and eyes, these were comparable to instruments selling for triple the price. I think my next ukulele will be a Ka’Ohana six-string. By making them in a garage, they appear to keep overhead way down and offer these exceptional instruments at an affordable price. For a serious musician on a budget to be able to support local artisans and get an instrument like this is a rare opportunity.
I just returned to the Mainland from Oahu and purchased two ukuleles while I was there. One was a “Locals” suprano, and the other was a “Ka’Ohana” concert size. Let me just say that for the price, one will not find a better uke anywhere…especially in Hawai’i! I own a beautiful, cutom-made “Kamaka” tenor and I have to confess that I enjoy the quality, tone, etc. of these two instruments just as much as the “Kamaka”. I don’t mean to compare and no disrespect, but until one plays and hears one of these fine instruments, there should be no critisism. Mahalo Noela for designing such excellent instruments!
I purchased a Locals Tenor Ukulele at Bob’s Ukulele in Honolulu last Summer. I had spent the previous 3 months backpacking the South Pacific and wanted to purchase a descent ukulele in Hawaii before I returned home to the Mainland. I purchased it for $550 with a case, but just saw the suggested retail price for a Tenor was $799 on the Le’ale’a Ukulele website, so I’m not sure that really means anything cuz SRP is always higher anyway. I just went to Bob’s site and he doesn’t even list Locals as a brand he carries, so not sure what to make of that either. I am an experienced guitar player, but not very experienced in the Ukulele so I don’t really know what to compare the sound to. It sounds awesome to me with a great and rich sound, but again I don’t really have a frame of reference for comparison. Overall, I am satisfied with my Locals Tenor Ukulele.
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