This is the limited edition tenor ukulele from Ohana, the TK-450QEL, made from all solid quilted eucalyptus. This wood is pretty pale in colour and as a result, until you get up close, the fabulous quilted grain and its patterns and 3D effect isn’t as blatant as it might be on, say, koa, but it's there (in its more subtle way), and very pretty it is too.

Eucalyptus is a fairly dense wood, perhaps similar to acacia in that respect, and gives some pleasant warmth. This TK-450EL also delivers a nice chime and good note separation and clarity. In part, that clarity is provided by the fluorocarbon strings (aNueNue Green Planet) that have been fitted here on arrival. Because of that slightly denser wood, I felt fluorocarbon would do a better job of teasing out more volume and sustain than the stock Aquila strings (and having now played these with both, I don’t think I was wasting my time with the experiment!).

I measured the nut width as 35.9mm, and the string spacing G to A as 27.8mm, which is fairly standard. It certainly offered no challenges for playing to me. I often sit down to attempt to write a paragraph on playability and then discover than the ukulele in question is just quite… normal. Which almost sounds like a criticism, when it’s not meant to be. I just picked it up, played and found it unchallenging.

As well as the eucalyptus wood, there are lots more interesting visual features with the TK-450QEL. If you start at the top there’s the interesting slotted headstock which puts me in mind of the Taj Mahal… (I might be a bit odd, but there you go!). To this are fitted good quality gold coloured machine heads. There are side markers on the rosewood fingerboard, as well as a maple inlay at the 12th (on the side), with the fingerboard itself only home to a pretty abalone and mother of pearl flower decoration.

The body is adorned with plenty of sparkly abalone purfling, as well as some dark hardwood binding which contrasts nicely with the creamy colour of the wood. All of this looks very pretty under a gloss finish, and there’s a scalloped comfort edge in place as well.

Why would you opt to by an Ohana TK-450QEL tenor ukulele? Well, it does sound very pretty. There’s a clarity there but it does have some ‘guts’, some depth that projects well in the mix. It looks very pretty and isn’t just the same as everything else. And it’s a limited edition so you’re unlikely to be sitting in your ukulele group alongside several other people with one! Is it better than everything else at this price point? No. Is it better than some things at this price point? Yes, and significantly so in some cases.

The TK-450QEL is sold as it is, with no bag or case and no strap buttons. At the bottom of the page you’ll find (under the pictures), handy add-ons to add those to your basket if needed.