About Us
Together with two Ecuadorian luthiers, we are proud to present to the world these excellent ukuleles. Each Oceana Ukulele is built with the finest tone woods and materials available, no corners are cut, no effort is too great. Quality of sound and workmanship is guaranteed! Our efforts are centered on the quality and sound of our instruments, as well as the economic conditions of the luthiers we work with.
History: In 1995 Zac Steimle traveled from the Pacific North West to Ecuador and worked part time with a luthier in Quito and began his fantastical journey into musical instrument building. Later he returned to Cuenca, Ecuador to work in a community health project.
After working in a region that supported many luthiers, Zac discovered one particularly talented luthier that specialized in small stringed instruments. Working closely together they made their first ukulele. This was during a time when the instrument market was being flooded with cheap Chinese knock offs. Thru this experience Zac immediately recognized the uniqueness and quality of an instrument that was made with the traditions and art that had been passed down from generation to generation. A tradition of building an instrument meticulously from start to finish with only hand tools. A tradition of building each instrument to maximize its fullest potential of tonal qualities. This art takes both the skill and the well trained ear of the luthier, a quality that can not be reproduced with machines or on a production line.