Product: Oahu Hawaiian 6-string
Price Paid: US $150.00
Submitted
03/05/2006
at
01:19am
by
Phil Stuart
Features
:
7
Made some time in the 40s as far as I can tell. These guitars have no serial number and were intended as a 'catalogue' guitar for people to learn Hawaiian music with out the need to purchase more expensive instruments.
Appears to have solid top, back and sides possibly of Birch. Mine has a 12 fret, round neck with very small frets and ebony board with a raised nut for lapstyle playing. Each fret has the number hand painted in white and this was something apparently done at the factory. Oahu logo is burned into the inside of the guitar and mine also has a Martin label but I'm not sure if this is genuine.
Sound
:
10
This is one of the most remarkable sounding acoustic slide guitars I have come across. It just sings and has a level of sustain and projection quite unexpected from it's small body.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
6
Action on these guitars is a bit of a problem. Being lightly built they are prone to bellying and mine is no exception - a resent is in order in the next 6 months. Not a problem if you're into lap style but I'm a bottleneck player so I have lowered the nut a little but fretting higher notes and chord work is a little difficult.
Finish is a satin kind of dark burst with painted on binding around the top, back and soundhole.
Reliability/Durability
:
8
60 years and still carrying a tune not too shabby!
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Yeah right
Overall Rating
:
10
I have a National woodbodied single cone and a tricone but this little Oahu has impressed me to keep picking it up and playing it. It doesn't have the volume that the others can provide but it has tonal characteristics that they can't match - all that for 150 bucks!
