Ohana USA - High Grade Spalted Mango Exhibition Tenor Ukulele - PT-SMANGO

Ohana's USA Custom Shop continues to really impress the whole team here at SUS. At NAMM in 2024 and 2025; I found the exhibition Ukuleles built by Ohana's Luthier Brad Kahabka to be irresistible. Brad has a history in fine art and the way in which he has transferred these skills and his flair for design over to the art of Ukulele building is perhaps rivalled only by Kawaii at Coast Ukuleles. Maybe there is something in the water in California that is breeding these eccentric, crazy and highly conceptual Ukulele luthiers right now?!? Brad is in his 3rd year of heading up the Ohana USA custom shop and in many ways, we feel he is hitting his stride right now. 

This is clearly a luxury instrument made with hundreds of hours of love.  The Ohana USA instruments have a more Earthy, folk instrument feel to them than the more lullaby like tones of a Hawaiian made Koa instrument. I anticipate for many, a Ukulele like this is a once in a life time purchase and you can't go wrong with a once in a lifetime instrument.

This Spalted Mango Tenor is one of the first Ukuleles from Brad to feature this offset soundhole shape. The sound hole shape mirrors the shape of the USA Ohana headstocks with a slight wave and flick to it. I have to say it drew my eye immediately and really gives the Ohana USA Ukuleles their own identity.

Brad exhibited this Ukulele in a glass cabinet at the 2025 NAMM show; it is made from high grade Spalted Mango which is a triple threat of sounding deep, rich and gorgeous all at the same time. It doesn't look bad either!

The Ukulele has abalone trim throughout with front and back abalone binding and it is mirrored throughout small details like the back seam and even the end graft on the butt of the Ukulele. Its gorgeous, even in the places you don't look very often. The Maple neck gives this Ukulele its soft feel and the darker notes linger really nicely when you fingerpick it.

Mango has been for over a decade one of our favourite tonewoods at Southern Ukulele Store. It has many of the sleepy, tropical qualityies of Hawaiian Koa but also has a more wooly darker edge if you choose to play it in Low G. I think mango is the perfect vocal accompaniment and this Ukulele makes even simple chords like C sound important in the context of the song you are playing.

The artistic nature in Brad is present here with a Mango strip running up the length of the instrument and accented by strips of white Clay and Mother of Pearl inlays. It looks timeless whilst in itself feeling like a moment in time. We love it, I'm proud to have it here at SUS for sale. We did decide to change the strings as we felt a sweeter string with wound G and C would work best. We chose the Kala Revelator Strings

Solid Spalted Mango Top, Back and Sides
Abalone Binding Throughout
Abalone Rosette
Offset signature Ohana Sound Hole
Ebony Bindings, heel cap and end graft
Ebony Fingerboard with detailed Mango, clay and MOP inlays within abalone trim
Ebony faceplate
38mm Nut Width (30mm string spacing at nut)
Gotoh Geared Tuners
Kala Revelator Low G Strings (worth brown trebles with silverwound G and C)
Hard Case Included