Ohana O'Nino

A few months ago I had already had the pleasure of trying an Ohana — a beautiful pineapple-shaped ukulele . I had always known that Ohana does not do things by halves: they make genuinely premium-quality ukuleles. This time I got my hands on a truly unusual little instrument, the Ohana O'Nino, a miniature ukulele that the manufacturer calls a sopranissimo — a size other manufacturers might call a sopranino.

The entire body of the O'Nino is solid mahogany, so without much exaggeration I can say it is made from about the best possible material — at least many international forums swear by solid mahogany. The ukulele is only 43 centimetres long, so it really disappears in your hands. Because of its tiny size, the normal strapless ukulele hold — which already takes some practice — does not really work, so you have to pay particular attention during chord changes to keep it from slipping. The fretting hand inevitably has to help hold the instrument. Quick chord changes close to the headstock are not easy either, and accurately finding the progressively smaller frets as you move higher is an art in itself. This uke comes with a DGBE string set, the same tuning as a baritone, although of course it sounds in a higher register and is fitted with a high D string.

This wonderful little Ohana is a masterpiece in every detail. There is not a flaw anywhere on the body, the decoration is restrained, and the result is elegant, beautiful and — yes — cute . (Believe me, I looked for another word, but I simply had to write that one .) It really is. Just look: