Hi
I am looking to buy a concert ukulele and have been looking around at different makes etc. to try and find what is good and what to avoid as this will be my first ukulele.
I recently found a Huawind Concert ukulele but have not heard of this make before. I have tried searching out info on this ukulele on the internet but have not been able to find out much at all.
About all I know is, it has worm drive tuning pegs and it is mahogany. If anyone else could tell me anything more about it and if it is a good make to buy or not and where it is made, I would be very grateful
Thanks!
Huawind Concert Ukulele
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Huawind Concert Ukulele
Last edited by Prlure on Wed May 01, 2019 9:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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mhschmieder
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Re: Huawind Concert Ukulele
I have not heard of this make either, but due to the revived popularity of the instrument, there are more manufacturers coming along all the time, and also a rather unusual thrust in the boutique market where so many mods are being made that it's hardly an 'ukulele anymore (not to judge those instruments; they're beautiful and some of them sound great too).
I went through several generations of increasingly higher-end models, and went for a different wood for each voice, as well as even more variety by skipping the re-entrant tuning for the tenor and baritone models, and sticking with super-traditional flush-to-the-body fingerboard (12 frets) for the soprano and concert models.
My concert model was a surprise as I was prepared to spend much more, but then decided I really liked what Ohana was doing with their new "Nunes" 19th century influenced designs, in their all-mahogany construction which also is like the early Martins (1920's). Originally I was to buy a Kiwaya model made in Japan but also traditional vs. modern (i.e. short flush fingerboard and curvier waist).
My tenor is a pineapple model and in mango wood. You gotta love an instrument that you can call your Mango Pineapple flavour.
From Pono, at their high end, like my Cedar/Ebony baritone. These two are designated for jazz music mostly.
Soprano was the first size, then concert, but as you probably know, other than the choice of whether to tune the lowest string up an octave or not (traditional), most people tune all but the Baritone to the same pitches. Mostly, it's the body size and shape, just as with guitars (parlour vs. dreadnought etc.) that make for a very different sound and especially help when there's more than one player.
Some find the soprano a bit too small to play comfortably, and the tenor can even be a bit long for some. You are probably wise to focus first on the concert size, and I highly recommend the extremely affordable Ohana CK-28 Nunes model, if you're serious, but if you're just testing the waters, Lanikai (at least until recently) was about the best bang-for-buck at the lower-end. I think they've refocused their line recently towards cutaways and electro-acoustic. The market is WAY more competitive now.
The best site by far for 'ukulele's is The Ukulele Site in Hawai'i. Very expert and helpful, and lots of audio demos (with video). They don't carry everything though (maybe not the Ohana Nunes I just mentioned, which I think I bought from Elderly Instruments in Lansing MI), but they do have a wide range of prices, and it's a great place to do a lot of listening and get a better idea of which styles and woods you think you are mostly likely to connect to.
My soprano is too expensive; I';d buy something else now, but it was my first highg-end purchase and before the market took off with new high-end models everywhere., aNueNue 1879 Koa I Vintage "Kumulae" replica. Great sound and stunning looks, but pricey compared to other high-end models. No regrets though. It is rather tiny though, and somewhat cramped. Good for certain styles of playing, but not as versatile as a concert model.
Be aware that though Koa is the traditional wood (sort of), mahogany isn't THAT different, and acacia is almost the same wood (especially black acacia from Australia) -- after all, Koa is an acacia itself. The irony is that Koa USED to be cheap and was used for that reason way back, as mahogany cost more than Koa at the time. All three are great woods. Almost all other woods sound significantly different, and especially with a spruce top, where it starts sounding more like a small guitar or a cavaquinho.
I went through several generations of increasingly higher-end models, and went for a different wood for each voice, as well as even more variety by skipping the re-entrant tuning for the tenor and baritone models, and sticking with super-traditional flush-to-the-body fingerboard (12 frets) for the soprano and concert models.
My concert model was a surprise as I was prepared to spend much more, but then decided I really liked what Ohana was doing with their new "Nunes" 19th century influenced designs, in their all-mahogany construction which also is like the early Martins (1920's). Originally I was to buy a Kiwaya model made in Japan but also traditional vs. modern (i.e. short flush fingerboard and curvier waist).
My tenor is a pineapple model and in mango wood. You gotta love an instrument that you can call your Mango Pineapple flavour.
From Pono, at their high end, like my Cedar/Ebony baritone. These two are designated for jazz music mostly.Soprano was the first size, then concert, but as you probably know, other than the choice of whether to tune the lowest string up an octave or not (traditional), most people tune all but the Baritone to the same pitches. Mostly, it's the body size and shape, just as with guitars (parlour vs. dreadnought etc.) that make for a very different sound and especially help when there's more than one player.
Some find the soprano a bit too small to play comfortably, and the tenor can even be a bit long for some. You are probably wise to focus first on the concert size, and I highly recommend the extremely affordable Ohana CK-28 Nunes model, if you're serious, but if you're just testing the waters, Lanikai (at least until recently) was about the best bang-for-buck at the lower-end. I think they've refocused their line recently towards cutaways and electro-acoustic. The market is WAY more competitive now.
The best site by far for 'ukulele's is The Ukulele Site in Hawai'i. Very expert and helpful, and lots of audio demos (with video). They don't carry everything though (maybe not the Ohana Nunes I just mentioned, which I think I bought from Elderly Instruments in Lansing MI), but they do have a wide range of prices, and it's a great place to do a lot of listening and get a better idea of which styles and woods you think you are mostly likely to connect to.
My soprano is too expensive; I';d buy something else now, but it was my first highg-end purchase and before the market took off with new high-end models everywhere., aNueNue 1879 Koa I Vintage "Kumulae" replica. Great sound and stunning looks, but pricey compared to other high-end models. No regrets though. It is rather tiny though, and somewhat cramped. Good for certain styles of playing, but not as versatile as a concert model.
Be aware that though Koa is the traditional wood (sort of), mahogany isn't THAT different, and acacia is almost the same wood (especially black acacia from Australia) -- after all, Koa is an acacia itself. The irony is that Koa USED to be cheap and was used for that reason way back, as mahogany cost more than Koa at the time. All three are great woods. Almost all other woods sound significantly different, and especially with a spruce top, where it starts sounding more like a small guitar or a cavaquinho.
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mhschmieder
- Posts: 11288
- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:01 pm
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Re: Huawind Concert Ukulele
You might have had trouble finding info because you treated it as one word, whereas even anglicized terms tend to be pairs in most East Asian languages and cultures, so actually it is "Hua Wind".
https://www.amazon.com/huawind-ukulele/ ... nd+ukulele
https://www.cmuse.org/best-ukulele/
It shows up somewhere on the "Best 30" list above.
Other than Lanikai, the other brand that has tended to offer bang-for-buck at the low end is Kala, but I have personally not liked their timbre as much or the neck feel. Everybody's hands are different. I've tried dozens of models from many vendors (when on the island of Hawai'i) and have owned many too.
I guess I should recommend some specific ones NOT to buy though, even though these can be reasonably good brands for other stuff:
Cordoba -- they pretty much use their classical guitar know-how vs. making a true 'ukulele
Oscar Schmidt -- just read the reviews regarding issues, if you can't pick one out vs. ordering blind
The list goes on, really. Basically, the majority of the established budget instrument companies and guitar manufacturers (Martin excepted, but theirs are super-pricey), do not tend to make good bang-for-buck 'ukulele's. They're just cashing in on the bandwagon. The specialty vendors -- even those who stick exclusively to the low end and/or intermediate models -- tend to deliver better value and quality.
Having said that, Cordoba seems to be listening to criticism and modifying their designs to be more 'ukulele-like, just as their flamenco guitars have recently started sounding and feeling less like standard classical nylon guitars.
https://www.amazon.com/huawind-ukulele/ ... nd+ukulele
https://www.cmuse.org/best-ukulele/
It shows up somewhere on the "Best 30" list above.
Other than Lanikai, the other brand that has tended to offer bang-for-buck at the low end is Kala, but I have personally not liked their timbre as much or the neck feel. Everybody's hands are different. I've tried dozens of models from many vendors (when on the island of Hawai'i) and have owned many too.
I guess I should recommend some specific ones NOT to buy though, even though these can be reasonably good brands for other stuff:
Cordoba -- they pretty much use their classical guitar know-how vs. making a true 'ukulele
Oscar Schmidt -- just read the reviews regarding issues, if you can't pick one out vs. ordering blind
The list goes on, really. Basically, the majority of the established budget instrument companies and guitar manufacturers (Martin excepted, but theirs are super-pricey), do not tend to make good bang-for-buck 'ukulele's. They're just cashing in on the bandwagon. The specialty vendors -- even those who stick exclusively to the low end and/or intermediate models -- tend to deliver better value and quality.
Having said that, Cordoba seems to be listening to criticism and modifying their designs to be more 'ukulele-like, just as their flamenco guitars have recently started sounding and feeling less like standard classical nylon guitars.
Last edited by mhschmieder on Tue Sep 20, 2022 6:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
iMac 27" 2017 Quad-Core Intel i5 (3.8 GHz, 64 GB), OSX 13.6.6, MOTU DP 11.31, iZotope RX 10
RME Babyface Pro FS, Radial JDV Mk5, Hammond XK-4, Moog Voyager
Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35
Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, Johhny Marr Jaguar, 57 LP, Danelectro 12
Eastman T486RB, T64/V, Ibanez PM2, D'angelico Deluxe SS Bari, EXL1
Guild Bari, 1512 12-string, M20, Martin OM28VTS, Larivee 0040MH
RME Babyface Pro FS, Radial JDV Mk5, Hammond XK-4, Moog Voyager
Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35
Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, Johhny Marr Jaguar, 57 LP, Danelectro 12
Eastman T486RB, T64/V, Ibanez PM2, D'angelico Deluxe SS Bari, EXL1
Guild Bari, 1512 12-string, M20, Martin OM28VTS, Larivee 0040MH
Re: Huawind Concert Ukulele
Prlure wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2019 10:21 pm Hi
I am looking to buy a concert ukulele and have been looking around at different makes etc. to try and find what is good and what to avoid as this will be my first ukulele.
I recently found a Huawind Concert ukulele but have not heard of this make before. I have tried searching out info on this ukulele on the internet but have not been able to find out much at all.
About all I know is, it has worm drive tuning pegs and it is mahogany. If anyone else could tell me anything more about it and if it is a good make to buy or not and where it is made, I would be very grateful
Thanks!
I've had HUAWIND Concert Ukulele for a while now and it continues to look and sound great, even though I'm clumsy and often bump it into things. My brother is a professional guitarist and he has a ukulele as well, but he frequently borrows mine because, according to him, it sounds way better than his. So, now you've heard it from a beginner and a professional--this uke has a great sound!
Also, as expected, the A string is no longer a problem. I tune all of the strings every day before playing and the A string now stays well-tuned through my whole practice session!