Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Koaloha Ukulele

Did you know that not all ukuleles are created equal, nor do musicians want every ukulele to sound the same?

I learned this and more when I visited my friend Alan Okami (@Koalohauke) at his family’s shop in Kalihi. This humble little factory—now in its 16th year—is known for its instruments that have distinct shapes and designs, as you can see from the photo at right.

Koaloha’s various ukuleles are known to have a brighter sound than others, and they produce unique tones according to each musician’s needs. There’s basic ukuleles, soprano, concert, tenor, and more.

I actually wanted to go IN to the factory to show you how their ukuleles are made, how they select the woods, etc., but that actually would have been a little too dangerous for me and disruptive to the guys in the shop. So, you can see the finished products and learn about the various styles they carry … and how you can get a “factory special” instrument at a discount.

If you want to learn more about Koaloha Ukulele and see Alan in action, visit www.HawaiiIRL.com.

To celebrate their 30th anniversary, and to showcase some of their noted artists, they are having an exclusive, special preview of “The Koaloha Story Part 2” tomorrow night. It’s by invitation only and you can meet the people behind the music, but they opened up some seats for our blog readers. Want to go? Click here to find out how!