Thanks everybody for reading the reviews, I'm glad they were helpful (even for those who decided to go against the Kamoa and choose an Ameritage or something else). I have no stake in the outcome, I firmly believe they are both wonderful cases but for very different reasons. And chances are anyone who loves one of them will not like the other (if you like the light Kamoa the Ameritage is too heavy, if you like the protective Ameritage, the Kamoa is lacking in storage and protection). I love both of them and will use my Ameritage if I ever need to ship my uke anywhere. But for day to day travel the Kamoa is right for me. I completely understand why others feel otherwise though (even I wish it had a bit of a storage compartment but I make do).
On the other the Komoas do look cool, maybe a red onewould be nice, if someone can figure out which one a Pineapple Sunday would fit into
Don't I wish? I asked Sam's mom (a wonderful lady who works out of their Koloa store) as I wanted a yellow one for my Pineapple Sunday. Unfortunately, she said that the tenor neck makes a concert case too short and the small concert size body makes the tenor case too wide. I had a ton of problems finding a case that fit that uke well. I store mine in an Ameritage concert size silver series case. It fits perfectly in there.
Thanks for the great reviews. Been looking forward to it since your post about picking up your case. Love the "race car" look and feel of the Kamoa case. What's the best way to contact Sam to place a custom order?
You can contact him on the webpage -- but be aware, his dad told me he gets hundreds of emails a day, so it is sometimes slow going. You might have better luck if you call one of the stores. Sam and his dad Joe work out of the Kapa'a store (808) 822-4181 and his mom Geraldine is at the Koloa store (808) 742-1500. If you call, tell them Staci sent you! Or hey, after what a pain in the okole I was sending tons of emails to him, you may not want to after all!
I know they will need a color sample of what you want. He said I could do a photo, but just as it shows in my photos, you can never tell what someone's camera or monitor will show -- these photos I took still don't show the color properly. So a color swatch is a better bet. I had to use a string I found at a local craft store in Kauai since I wanted to drop off a color sample. I would mail them a fabric swatch or something they can match it too. Just be prepared to wait...it took about three months from the time I officially placed my order.
Do you think one of those Oasis humidifiers would fit in the Kamoa case in the area behind the headstock?
Since I'm in the process of re-humidifying my Kamaka tenor prior to her repairs this September, I have an Oasis humidifier hanging from the strings, and a Herco one behind the neck cushion -- though if you don't put the hygromter in the part immediately behind the headstock you could fit a humidifier in front of the cushion. I'm not sure about the Oasis case humidifiers since I don't have one and I don't know how big that clip they use is. But a Herco will definitely fit in the case and an Oasis string hanging humidifier will definitely fit inside as well.