Luna Ukulele
Luna have been making guitars since 2005 and are one of the few guitar companies started and headed by a woman, Yvonne de Villiers. Villiers started out as a designer and stained-glass artist. Which might explain the Luna ukulele’s individual and ‘love it or hate it’ look.
The website is heavier on symbolism than it is on technical specifications, but I think all their ukes are laminated.
At the time of writing they have six models. At the top end there are the tenor and concert High Tide ukuleles. In the middle are the Floral and Dolphin designs (both concert size) and the cheapest are the tattoo (a soprano pineapple ukulele) and the Honu (not to be confused with lHonu ukuleles).
Luna Ukulele Review
JuKeBox661 reviews a soprano Luna Honu.
On Overstock
Overstock is selling the full range of ukuleles in the UK, Europe, Canada and the US.
Luna Pineapple Tattoo
Soprano Tribal Turtle
Concert Dolphin Maple
Flora Maple Concert
High Tide Concert
High Tide Tenor
On eBay
On Amazon UK
On Video
Rachel Pearl lays out on a Luna High Tide
62 Comments
After two years with a concert sized Lanikai starter, I decided it was time to upgrade. I scouted the Uke dealers in my area and narrowed my choices down to the Ibanez UEW30RWE (Rosewood with a pick-up), the Luna High Tide (Koa with a pick up) and the Kala Spruce top flame maple. I was leaning towards the Ibanez when my birthday came up and my wife got me the Kala. I played the Kala for several hours last night and I’m liking it a lot. Today I went back into the shop and played the Ibanez again, this time with an amp. I don’t foresee me having much opportunity to plug in on my own, but I do like having the option. The action on the Ibanez works for me. It seems like some of the chords I often have problems with don’t buzz like they do on other models. The drawback is that without the pick-up it’s not very loud. I suspect the Luna is going to have the same issue. All three are gorgeous instruments. In order of aesthetic preference I’d rank them 1.Ibanez, 2.Luna, 3. Kala, but my bonding session with the Kala last night has me thinking I’m likely to stick with the flaming Maple and maybe pick up something with a pick-up a couple of years down the line. I’m told I have a couple of weeks to return the Kala if I change my mind, so I thought I ‘d throw my situation out there and see if anyone had a strong argument for going in a different direction.
Anyone tried the Luna U bass?
They appear to be a new item, with their site’s description noting: “featuring flatwound strings that are tuned to E-A-D-G like a traditional bass guitar – but one octave up.”
I’m interested in a uke bass – new to uke and bass – and wondering how do these string compare to the proprietary strings seen on other u bass.
I have a luna cutaway acoustic-electric concert uke model uke tec mah, that i bought last year when my daughter finally decided to take up an instrument (I’ve been a musician for almost 50 years, she’s in her 20’s). I got her a riptide which she adores. I also adore my Luna. She has great intonation up past the 16th fret, sounds great plugged in or acoustic, and played it for my bride at my wedding last september. I intend to buy their banjolele (ukejo?) in the near future based on my pleasant experience with them. Not high end, but quite satisfactory mid-range ukes.
I’ve had a Luna Maluhia Concert uke for over a year and I love it. Great deep sound and a lot easier to play than my Lanikai soprano. I’ve been thinking to buy a tenor uke and thought Luna Tattoo tenor could be the one. Anyone knows is there a big diffenrence in size between concert Maluhia and tenor Tattoo when it comes to playing? Strangely Maluhia seems to have more frets that Tattoo…
I bought a Luna Great Wave concert Uke and I’ve had it for about 2 months. I bought it online after reading good reviews about it. I love the design- I’m a Japanese Major and this one fits my personality perfectly. The wave of Kanagawa on the front is beautiful and the deep blue stain on the body is alluring. I’m no expert but she sounds beautiful- my more knowledgeable friends agree. I’ve had some buzzing, but I’ve been able to resolve that by tightening the tuning knobs and improving my technique. I’m happy to have this as my first Uke.
I also made a friend who had the same Uke, but he bought his over a year ago and still played great!
I recently purchased a high tide concert and LOVE it! It’s my fourth uke and I prefer it over my Kala, lanakai, and Amahi, not quite as loud, but sounds well rounded. I can’t get over the ease of playing! I was kinda stuck with being able to advance with my others and was getting depressed thinking, ” is this as far as I’m able to go?”, then my Luna came and, BAM! The ease of playability has me playing faster, barring chords easily, and making complex shapes without buzzing!! I should say NOT to purchase through overstock or Amazon, these sites get “blemished” products. The blemishes may be cosmetic, or acoustic! Get yours through a dealer or Luna’s website! Also, when you register your uke, Luna’s started a Luna University with online lessons and what not for free, ukulele coming soon, only guitar up right now:(
I bought the Luna Honu (Turtle) Soprano Uke.
Once I had skimmed approximately 4mm off the bridge and 2mm of the nut heights it now plays like a uke worth ten times the price I paid. I got mine by mail order and would advise people to visit a store to check the string height and playability prior to parting with your hard earned cash. I’m now about to purchase a lunar concert uke too. They are really great value for the money and funky too.
I settled on the Luna Tattoo Tenor after a lot of deliberation and research. I also have an Oscar Schmidt OU5 Concert (another fantastic uke), and while that is truer to the Hawaiian sound, I was on the look out for a deeper sound. My other options were the Gretsch G9120 and Kala TEM. However, in sound tests on review sites, Luna TT came out as a winner with a deeper resonance – which was perfect for me. So I took the leap of faith and ordered one.
The Luna TT is a beautiful instrument. It’s engraved with traditional Hawaiian body ornamentation. It has a lovely matt finish. Feels very well weighed and rests comfortably in my hands. It’s a showy ukulele, with a mature feel. The sound box seems to be marginally larger than other tenors. The color of the fretboard is lighter than the one in the picture, there is a lighter gradient on mine – it’s pleasing.
It’s pre-strung with Aquila Nylgut, definitely the best strings in the market. The intonation is rich, closer to a classical guitar, and still on the same sweet spectrum as a traditional ukulele. The sound is definitely loud, and it responds very well to strumming and plucking. The frets are distanced just right for my fingers. That’s one of the things I was looking out for in a tenor uke. While my OU5 has a lovely sound too, my relatively large fingers felt constrained while playing melody bits. The Luna TT handles that just fine.
Overall, I highly recommend the Luna TT. It’s an excellent instrument for intermediate to advanced players. Very versatile and absolutely gorgeous to look at. The price is just right in the under $200 range.
I have a Luna Orchid Koa Acoustic Electric. This concert uke sounds amazing! It is by far my favorite uke and I have several. It is a limited edition by Luna and retailed for $560.00. I was able to get mine for $350.00 and I am more than happy.
Hi everyone, where can I get these in NZ? Anyone know?
I just bought my very first ukulele. I got the luna Tattoo. I’m so thrilled to start learning and play this amazing instrument.
Who sells the Luna Guileles ?
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