"Ko'olau Guitars and 'Ukuleles" are professional quality, hand crafted instruments. The shop is located in Kaneohe, on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, approximately fifteen minutes from Honolulu, at the foot of the the beautiful Ko'olau Mountains.

I got my first guitar when i was about 13.A cheap and extremely nasty plywood model with metal strings about 1/2 " off the fingerboard(got me started on slide mind!)First thing I did was shave down the floating bridge to save my soft little fingers -it was the start of a long journey. Years went by I learnt to pick a little and went through a succession of gradually better guitars until I visited a guitar shop in Denmark St London(tin pan alley) and tried a Martin an epiphany - had to get one .I saved for a second hand D-35 but I wanted more. Budget would not allow so I hit on the idea of building my own. Enrolled at an evening class. 4 years later there it was a steel string, solid as a wardrobe but it played.

Corresponding in size to the tenor ukulele, the Uke has a scale length of 39 cm. It is built like an acoustic archtop guitar, with parallel bracing and handcrafted arched top and back. The one-piece bridge provides a very direct transmission of string vibration to the body. The Uke is amplified by a single-coil pickup made by Coil Tec.

My name is Dennis Lake and here you‘ll find photos and information on the Custom ‘Ukulele and Guitars I make at my home shop here on the southern slope of Mauna Loa, in the remote and rural Ka‘u District of the Big Island of Hawai‘i. This is a very small shop. I work alone, with an occasional assist from a talented friend. Since all of my instruments are individually made, and most are custom orders, each is really “one of a kind”.

Saul Koll grew up in southern California just north of Los Angeles in a town called Newhall. He always had an interest in how things were made and what made things work. While other kids were playing sports, Saul was in the garage taking expensive toys apart and gluing the components into new weird new contraptions. At 12 he started to play the guitar and his compulsive tendencies were then directed to learning the instrument. It was about this time that he found a book on guitar making at the library in Redondo Beach. It was Classic Guitar Construction by Irving Sloan. One of the earliest writings on the subject and as it turns out eventually very influential.(Notice how even at the beach, Saul was at the library!) Saul found the book intriguing but beyond his skills at age 12. He continued his guitar studies and school and all the usual teenage stuff.

Whatever You’d like to ask for - perhaps a jazz-mandola, bouzoukis, speciality guitars small or big, A or F mandolins, tenor guitars, ukuleles, a mando-uke, banjos, electric guitars and mandolins, carved tops and backs, fancy woods, custom inlays, french polish... whatever you’ve seen in the books or heard of... don’t hesitate to ask for your own special instrument. There will be a way to make your dream come true at a reasonable price!

A new line of ukuleles from an establish fine instrument company. Manufacturer/Distributor of High-Quality Ukuleles including Amahi and Snail Ukuleles. Over 40 models available with exotic woods and unique designs.

Mike Upton is the founder of Kala Brand Music Co. in northern California. Established in 2005, Kala builds 140-plus models of ukulele, including travel and bass variations.Kala and Makala brand of ukuleles.