Hi fellow members,
A loooong time guitar player here, who has never paid much attention to uke. I do have a Martin S1 made in Mexico for a long time, but uke to me is just a convenient tool that I can very easily carry around while camping or going to friend's parties etc. I bought that Martin because I play Martin guitars and I trust the quality and all solid wood construction.
Until recently...
I went to Hawaii for a friend's wedding and visited some vintage guitar shops. Obviously in Hawaii you gotta try some uke. I played some Martin ukes made in the old days - they sound so sweet. It made me feel like my modern Martin uke is a cheap sounding instrument. That sure opened some cans of worms for me.
Afterwards I discovered there are all those venerable Ks but they are pricey. There are also Kiwaya which are very faithful Martin copies. Ohana has Martin copy models too. Doing some research, I found the old Martins and Kiwaya can be had around $500 in US. Cheapest Kamaka though is double the price.
I'm thinking of getting an "upgrade" for my S1 and leaning towards an old Martin but would like to humbly listen to the people's advice here. Really appreciate your time and help.
A loooong time guitar player here, who has never paid much attention to uke. I do have a Martin S1 made in Mexico for a long time, but uke to me is just a convenient tool that I can very easily carry around while camping or going to friend's parties etc. I bought that Martin because I play Martin guitars and I trust the quality and all solid wood construction.
Until recently...
I went to Hawaii for a friend's wedding and visited some vintage guitar shops. Obviously in Hawaii you gotta try some uke. I played some Martin ukes made in the old days - they sound so sweet. It made me feel like my modern Martin uke is a cheap sounding instrument. That sure opened some cans of worms for me.
Afterwards I discovered there are all those venerable Ks but they are pricey. There are also Kiwaya which are very faithful Martin copies. Ohana has Martin copy models too. Doing some research, I found the old Martins and Kiwaya can be had around $500 in US. Cheapest Kamaka though is double the price.
I'm thinking of getting an "upgrade" for my S1 and leaning towards an old Martin but would like to humbly listen to the people's advice here. Really appreciate your time and help.