Archives: Hawaii

Or, “How I found the holy grail of ukuleles and took one back home”

I’m sure I’ve lost many of you in the two years since I confessed that I was seriously searching for a second ukulele during a visit to Hawai’i.

Makes sense. I’m not sure I’d have stuck around either after reading that an ukulele player (owner of just one ukulele!) explored the finest ukulele shops Oahu had to offer—with a valid credit card clutched tightly in hand—and yet rejected all the instruments she found.

But (after lots of non-ukulele-related busy-ness and some family health issues) I’m back to tell you “the rest of the story.” And for us ukulele aficionados, it’s pretty darn exciting because it involves one of the holy grail four-stringers: a Moore Bettah ukulele.

Visit Hawaii. Play ukulele with friends.

That’s my personal recipe for happiness and this week cooked up some great fun as I joined a group of Kona-area players at their weekly kanikapila here on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Ah, Oahu. Land of pineapple and sugarcane.

Okay, not so much these days.

But it certainly is Valhalla for ukulele players. Especially those looking to add a four-string lovely to their instrument stable.

But that wasn’t the only reason why Mark and I visited the island known as “The Gathering Place” (or is that just a tourist slogan?). There are other things to do on Oahu. Things beside search out ukulele shops, play multitudes of koa (and other) delights, talk story with ukulele players even more passionate about ukes than I and just absorb the island ukulele vibe.

Well, sure there are. But the ukuleles are the best part.

And, this visit, I knew I’d discover a perfect second ukulele. Yes, “second” as in just one beyond a single ukulele. You see, my little LoPrinzi soprano and I have been monogamous for ten years now; other instruments have tempted me at the more than 25 festivals I’ve attended, but none stole my heart. I figured perhaps I was simply a one-uke gal–and I was kinda proud of that loyalty.