Ana'Ole Ukulele - ACL Solid Hawaiian Koa Long Neck Concert Ukulele (Made in Hawaii) #21630220

This solid Hawaiian koa concert ukulele from Ana'Ole is brought to you straight from Hawaii. If you've always dreamed of owning an authentic Hawaiian ukulele but want to avoid the big brands, this is for you. We're so excited to bring this incredible ukulele brand to a European market that does so well in Honolulu, Kaikoloa and the far East.

Ana'Ole means immeasurable in Hawaiian. We can't help but agree when we consider the value for money you get with this stunning koa concert ukulele. The AC model is a fully Hawaiian made ukulele built of solid figured Hawaiian koa. It has a gloss finish with a kiawe (Hawaiian wood) fingerboard and bridge, mahogany neck and good quality open geared grover tuners.

The neck profile is reminiscent of other Hawaiian builds. The ACL in particular has a Tenor neck with a 36mm nut width... The instrument feels somewhere lovingly slotted between a Concert and Tenor!  In fact, the whole package is incredibly desirable whilst remaining considerably more affordable than the more established Hawaiian manufacturers.

The sound is very similar to many older Kamaka ukuleles we have seen. It has plenty of the usual koa bubbliness we have come to expect but with slightly more prominent mids like Martin and Gibson ukes. The finish is also very reminiscent of years gone by too with an almost waxy high gloss finish that reminds us of KoAlohapre-2012 or 1970s Kamakas.

I can see many customers comparing these to Pono ukuleles at a similar price and walking away with the Ana'Ole. It offers something a bit more unique with rustic charm. The waxy finish can make the instrument appear older than it is but the important thing is the way in which the gloss finish works with the tone woods.

The price of these instruments is much lower than the K brands not because they sound inferior (quite the opposite in fact, they sound stunning!) but because not a huge amount of time is spent on the finishing. So, cosmetic issues with the finish are to be expected - some runs in the gloss, drying marks and pockmarks where the nitrocellulose finish has sunk into the open pores of the wood are common. No grain filler is used on these ukes, which goes towards the sound being as good as it is, but be aware that this comes at a cost to the finish. Please note, on this one there is a prominent bit of grain on the bridge, which has been epoxied and is completely stable (see pic).

There really isn't anything to say about Ana'Ole except where have you been all my life?

Specification:
ACL model
Solid Hawaiian koa top, back and sides
Hawaiian kiawe fingerboard and bridge
36 mm nut width
433mm scale length
Sapele mahogany neck, gloss finish
Open geared grover tuners
Bone nut and saddle
Fluorocarbon high G GCEA strings
Nitro cellulose high gloss finish over open pore
Will come with a tenor gigbag