About us and how we started

In 1995 Zac Steimle traveled from his home in the Pacific North West to Ecuador, South America to study Spanish. While there he worked part time with a luthier in Quito, thus beginning his fantastical journey into musical instrument building.

In 2002 he returned to Ecuador with his wife and daughter to work with a community health project. They volunteered almost 8 years there helping under served people get medical attention as well as access to family and social support services. Traveling all over Ecuador they developed a love for it’s rich culture and traditions.

In 2005 Zac met a master luthier that specialized in small stringed instruments. Working closely together they created a ukulele design based on rich musical tradition. Zac continued his luthier training with a 2-year apprenticeship specializing in ukuleles, learning the tradition and art that had been passed down from generation to generation. A tradition that involved meticulously crafting instruments from start to finish with hand tools. This art takes both the skill and the well-trained ear of the luthier, a quality that cannot be extracted from the Internet or reproduced on a production line.

Excited by this passion for crafting instruments, in 2008 Zac started Oceana Ukuleles, believing that he had something special to offer musicians and music lovers.

In 2009 Zac and his family moved back to the U.S. where he now builds custom ukuleles, no two alike! Each Oceana Ukulele is built with the finest tone woods and materials available, no corners are cut, no effort is too great. Our efforts are centered on the quality and sound of our instruments.

 Currently Zac lives in Port Orchard, WA with his wife Melody and two girls, Sequoia and Brisa. They are frequently on the road at festivals… hope to meet you there!    

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