Kala Ukuleles are a relatively new ukulele brand, but have made a big impact. They are a great choice for people who want a well-made, quality ukulele at a decent price. They are particularly good for people who are getting more serious about playing the uke and want a quality ukulele without breaking the bank. […]

Ohana ukuleles are some of the cheapest solid wood ukuleles around. A number of their instruments are solid mahogany yet priced at under $200. That’s very rare. Obviously, with the instruments being so cheap, they are not made in the US but China. As you can see from Ken Middleton’s review below, this means that […]

Lanikai are part of the Hohner music company. Initially their ukuleles, being made in China and laminated, were at the cheaper end of the scale (although they are increasingly moving into higher end ukes) but that hasn’t stopped them getting some high level support. Lanikai are a bit hit with the indie crowd. The most […]

KoAloha started making ukuleles in 1995 and have quickly become very highly respected. There are an impressive number of top ukulelists using KoAloha ukuleles including Herb Ohta Jnr, Daniel Ho, Britt Paiva and Victoria Vox. KoAloha ukuleles are all made of solid Koa wood (hence the name: koa+aloha=KoAloha) and built in their factory in Hawaii. […]

Oscar Schmidt are an offshoot of the Washburn guitar company. They started out as the ‘folk instrument’ wing of Washburn and seem to focus on Autoharps more than ukuleles. Oscar Schmidt ukes tend to be at the cheaper end of the price scale but have a good reputation for quality. I have an Ashbury Concert […]

The last few years have seen ukulele makers introduce all sorts innovations and quirks to standard ukuleles but banjoleles have been seemed a bit stagnant by contrast. Duke from New Zealand are trying to change that by making them lighter, electro-acoustic and more durable. You can learn more about them on their website DukeUke.com. On […]

Noah Ukuleles are a Ho Chi Min City based maker set up in 2012. Their all-solid wood ukes are handmade by a family of Vietnamese luthiers and have found their way into the hands of a number of the UK’s top players. You can find out more at NoahUkuleles.com On Video Ben Rouse (of the […]

Lymana ukuleles are made in Hawaii by Lymana Ashikawa. He’s been making ukuleles more than 20 years and was the ukulele maker of choice for Bill Tapia. On Video Dianne Rubio plays Lulu’s Back in Town on her Lymana Ukulele. Video Review

Hawaiian-based ukulele company with a range of ukuleles: – Ahua (their entry level ukuleles) – Kaiko’o (sitka spruce top, zebrawood elsewhere) – Papakea (spruce top, rosewood elsewhere) – Hokua (solid, all mahogany ukuleles) On Video Sarah Maisel demonstrates a Nalu Ukulele at NAMM. On eBay

Not to be confused with Kona Ukuleles (which is very easily done). Kona Guitars are a Texas-based company who have two cheap soprano ukuleles in their range: the KUK258 and the KUK260. On Amazon