Russellbarnett
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Hey UU, my name is Russell and this is my NUD.
I got my new custom tenor from Maui luthier Ken Potts this week and decided to record the unboxing. I told him not to send me any pictures of it when he was making it and when it was done because I figured it should be a surprise. Fortunately Ken's lead time was pretty short as these things go and his build time was only about three weeks once he started.
Ken doesn't advertise and there isn't much out there about him or his instruments, which is a large part of the reason I decided to post this video publicly. I actually found him this past May when I was trying to find the hours of the local ukulele shop in Lahaina while on vacation with my family. Instead I found out there was a builder a few blocks away from that shop and decided to go meet him. When I decided to look into having him make something for me I searched around and found a couple threads here that mentioned him but not much else. So, in this video I talk about working with Ken as well as the new uke.
Fair warning before you watch the video:
1) It's a bit long at about 13 minutes
2) I spend almost the entire time staring at the uke rather than looking into the camera. This was the first time I saw it so I was distracted by it while I was talking. I make no apology for this, I know y'all understand :drool:
3) The two songs I play to test the sound are Blue Roses Falling and Missing Three, both by Jake. I'm a big Jake nerd and I don't sing, so most of what I play on my own is his stuff. Like I said, nerd.
4) I've never watched myself play before. I didn't realize I made that face while playing, oops. I'll also be working on not staring at my hands so hard as I didn't realize it looks so obnoxious. Part of it is that it is a new uke so I am not confident on relying on muscle memory, but most of it is just that I'm not good enough to not stare at my hands while I play.
Anyhow, without further ado, here is my New Uke Day video!
http://youtu.be/azKTXXUl-1c
Update:
After a few days playing it I wanted to mention that I really like the way he balances the volume across the strings. I didn't even know that was a thing, but with my Kanilea I often felt that the lower strings drowned out the higher strings, especially higher up on the fret board. This hasn't been nearly as much of an issue so far. This may also be related, but I also feel that the clarity and volume on the higher frets is exceptional compared to my previous instrument.
The instrument itself seems a little heavier than my old one but I don't mind at all. It is barely noticeable, but I remember someone else saying on a different UU thread that they felt Ken Potts ukes had "gravitas", and I think that might be part of what they meant. I know Kanilea drills out their necks some and adds carbon fiber rods to make them lighter and stronger, so that might well be the difference. Well that and I added a pickup, I'm sure it isn't that heavy but it is probably part of it.
If anyone has any questions about the uke or about working with Ken please feel free to ask. As I said, I did this video for fun but also so that future customers of Ken's can hear of my experience and see the instrument. So if you want to see a picture of a certain part of it or want to hear it doing something specific I am glad to help out.
I got my new custom tenor from Maui luthier Ken Potts this week and decided to record the unboxing. I told him not to send me any pictures of it when he was making it and when it was done because I figured it should be a surprise. Fortunately Ken's lead time was pretty short as these things go and his build time was only about three weeks once he started.
Ken doesn't advertise and there isn't much out there about him or his instruments, which is a large part of the reason I decided to post this video publicly. I actually found him this past May when I was trying to find the hours of the local ukulele shop in Lahaina while on vacation with my family. Instead I found out there was a builder a few blocks away from that shop and decided to go meet him. When I decided to look into having him make something for me I searched around and found a couple threads here that mentioned him but not much else. So, in this video I talk about working with Ken as well as the new uke.
Fair warning before you watch the video:
1) It's a bit long at about 13 minutes
2) I spend almost the entire time staring at the uke rather than looking into the camera. This was the first time I saw it so I was distracted by it while I was talking. I make no apology for this, I know y'all understand :drool:
3) The two songs I play to test the sound are Blue Roses Falling and Missing Three, both by Jake. I'm a big Jake nerd and I don't sing, so most of what I play on my own is his stuff. Like I said, nerd.
4) I've never watched myself play before. I didn't realize I made that face while playing, oops. I'll also be working on not staring at my hands so hard as I didn't realize it looks so obnoxious. Part of it is that it is a new uke so I am not confident on relying on muscle memory, but most of it is just that I'm not good enough to not stare at my hands while I play.
Anyhow, without further ado, here is my New Uke Day video!
http://youtu.be/azKTXXUl-1c
Update:
After a few days playing it I wanted to mention that I really like the way he balances the volume across the strings. I didn't even know that was a thing, but with my Kanilea I often felt that the lower strings drowned out the higher strings, especially higher up on the fret board. This hasn't been nearly as much of an issue so far. This may also be related, but I also feel that the clarity and volume on the higher frets is exceptional compared to my previous instrument.
The instrument itself seems a little heavier than my old one but I don't mind at all. It is barely noticeable, but I remember someone else saying on a different UU thread that they felt Ken Potts ukes had "gravitas", and I think that might be part of what they meant. I know Kanilea drills out their necks some and adds carbon fiber rods to make them lighter and stronger, so that might well be the difference. Well that and I added a pickup, I'm sure it isn't that heavy but it is probably part of it.
If anyone has any questions about the uke or about working with Ken please feel free to ask. As I said, I did this video for fun but also so that future customers of Ken's can hear of my experience and see the instrument. So if you want to see a picture of a certain part of it or want to hear it doing something specific I am glad to help out.
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