Mabuhay means „long life“ in the Tagalog language. Accordingly, the brand promises to make their ukuleles from carefully handcrafted wood that is over 100 years old.

In the Philippines, mango is valued and protected as a national treasure. So far, mango trees have therefore only been harvested and burned when they grow old and no longer bear fruit; this is often the case only after 100 years. A Japanese woman working in the Philippines for the Japanese guitar maker Deviser (successor and brand owner of Headways guitars, located in the city of Matsumoto) was ashamed to simply throw away the old trees. This was the trigger for the birth of the Mabuhay ukulele brand. At their factory in the Philippines, Deviser have old mango trees dried and processed under the supervision of Japanese craftsmen by local artisans to stabilize the wood for use as an instrument. The instruments are finished with a clear satin color to emphasize the natural beauty of the mango material.

The names of the different models

• all start with „M“ for „mango“,
• followed by
  • S for soprano,
  • C for concert or
  • T for tenor.
  • TS and TC are variants with thin bodies.
• The current model lines are:
  • 11 = built totally from mango,
  • 12 = rosewood fretboard and
  • 32 = rosewood fretboard with acacia body.
• The E code designates electro-acoustic instruments.
• The finish is marked as follows:
  • C = colorized,
  • G = gloss,
  • OIL = oiled.
• The „12“ series is also available with decorations in abalone below the sound hole:
  • BUTTERFLY
  • DOLPHIN
  • HONU = turtle,
  • LIZARD,
  • NAZCA = spider web,
  • SEAGULL,
  • SEALION.