The case on cases - Calton, Kamoa, Ameritage, Kamaka

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?
 
Hi Wicked...! Your case is very nice, the color is just amazing!!! I just received yesterday my fiberglass case that I bought from China. It's not exactly like the one that Chuck Moore bought, but quite similar. I didn't open it yet to see how does it look like but will surely do today.

I'll post pictures of it to show it if you want.

Nice case once again!
 
Thanks for the in depth review.

I use the ProTec case for my Kamaka tenor. It is a little on the heavy side but it offers great protection and there is a ton of storage space - there is a large compartment on the inside and there is an outside zippered section where I keep my songbook binder. My one concern would be the size of the case when flying - I forget the dimensions but I think they are pretty close to the Ameritage.
 
I'm still on the fence about the Kamoa case. When I saw it in person I had some worries. Like WW said, there isn't a lot of padding, it's pretty thin. Fiberglass is strong, but still need some more substance inside. Just look at the Calton cases, they are more than just a fiberglass shell with some padding. Calton cases also are not really on the light side. The lack of a compartment inside, I understand that is how Sam wanted it, but it doesn't make a lot of practical sense to me. I'll be interested to see how these hold up in the long run. With not much padding I would guess a drop would be just a little better than if it didn't have a case. I'm just a little skeptical at this point. Time will tell :)
 
Thanks for the wonderfully full reviews. Makes one feel that one understand the options involved in choosing one
of these cases!

I'm all for OCD (ie, a case for the case, or cover for the case, etc). I'm a bit over the top myself. I just got a
backpacker-design ukulele from a private party (not the Martin or the Captain models) and I saw another backpacker,
home-made in a plastic tube 'case' (like one for rolled-up documents). Looked cool, but I could envision too much
extra space inside.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading the reviews. Keep up the good work. What a wonderful UU community!

Keep uke'in', everybody,
 
Thanks for the reviews, Staci!

I have a custom uke that is just getting underway - I live 60 miles from the builder and will be going over there Sunday to pick out my wood and talk details - so excited!

I haven't quite decided on the case yet. Right now I'm hoping it will fit into my old Ko'olau case, because I don't want to move my stickers :). If it doesn't fit I'm toying with Armitage, but I don't know if I'll have the budget for it. I like the look of the Kamoas, but the lack of an interior compartment of any sort is a deal breaker for me. I still don't quite understand that decision - I read Sam's explanation...but it still makes me scratch my head a bit.

Anyway, this new uke is going to be my absolute baby and I'm still on the fence a bit about the best way to protect it. Staci's review at least was enough to know that Kamoa isn't in contention...
 
Nice reviews! I was curious about the Kamoa case, and might someday go for a yellow one.

I love Ameritage cases as much as the next guy (I have five of them), but I basically only use them for home storage (the humidifying vents inside is great). They're too damn heavy to take anywhere else. I've taken ukes to place as far as Taiwan, and I use a Kiwaya canvas/foam case during those trips and it's worked great.
 
Great reviews, Staci. Personally I prefer the more classic look and storage capacity of the Ameritage cases. I have two of the gold series. They are heavy, but they definately have an air of invincibility about them. They are fortresses. I am going to look into getting the shoulder strap package for them.

I also have or have had at one time; Pro Tec, Kiwaya, Oahu (both new and old stile), Collings, Chuck Moore's as well as the hard foam cases. But both of my MB's live in the Ameritage gold series.
 
Thanks for the great and informative reviews, Staci. Your Kamoa case looks great and your review may have pushed me over the edge for buying one for my new Kamaka tenor. If I do get a Kamoa case, I don't suppose I could persuade you to sell me a Kamoa case cover? :)

Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto sells Kamakas but not with Kamaka cases, in part because they noticed the same problem you did with the skin peeling off. When I bought a Kamaka concert at Gryphon, it came with a Ko'olau case.

I've been using an Uke Crazy case to take my Kamaka tenor to my ukulele classes, partly because it has more room for an Oasis hymidifier than the Kamaka case does. (The Ko'olau case also accommodates my Oasis humidifiers. I can clip it to the storage door in the neck area, as the neck of the Ko'olau cases is wider than the neck of the Kamaka cases. I have no trouble putting an Oasis humidifier in the Ko'olau case for my concert.) Do you think one of those Oasis humidifiers would fit in the Kamoa case in the area behind the headstock?

Thanks again for taking the time to compare and write about your cases. I'm glad your Kamoa case saga is finally over and you're happy with the case you got. it looks beautiful, even in the wrong light.
 
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.
 
Great reviews, thank you. :)

Just a minor point but I think the pics were a bit too small. I love pics and wouldn't mind a little more scrolling.

WRT the Kamaka case: is it the one with the palmtree on the lid?
 
Great reviews, thank you. :)

Just a minor point but I think the pics were a bit too small. I love pics and wouldn't mind a little more scrolling.

WRT the Kamaka case: is it the one with the palmtree on the lid?

I see your point on the images, if you want to see them larger, you can see them on my blogsite larger -- just click on the image and it will appear in a larger format. I just didn't want to overload the posts here since there were so many pictures in the posts.
http://kamaainaatheart.blogspot.com/2011/07/case-on-cases-kamoa-ameritage-and.html

As for the Kamaka case, no it isn't the one with the palm tree on the top lid (though I used to have one of those for my Pineapple Sunday). It is about the same level as that one though -- maybe slightly better but not by much. They are roughly similar in appearance and weight though.
 
I am saving up for an upgrade uke, and after that will start the real save up for a luthier built uke. I think these top of the line cases are a good fit for a custom built uke (I am thinking Moore Bettah...)
 
I am saving up for an upgrade uke, and after that will start the real save up for a luthier built uke. I think these top of the line cases are a good fit for a custom built uke (I am thinking Moore Bettah...)

You may want to opt for the Ameritage one. Ronnie Aloha has a Moore Bettah and tried it in a Kamoa case and thought it was a bit too roomy for it. Congrats on your upcoming ukes. :)
 
I happen to favor the Reunion Blues leather mandolin gig bag. It easily fits in an airline overhead compartment, and it offers very good protection for reasonable handling. Of course you can't drive over it with a car or sit on it or put it at the bottom of a stack of luggage, but it's of moderate weight, is well padded, and is probably good for more than my own lifetime. I think hardshell cases are perhaps overkill unless you really want to mistreat the uke in the case. Yeah, they're cute, but they're klunky.
 
Just to let everyone know, when I bought my Ameritage case, I had them install the d rings at the factory. I had to wait a couple of weeks longer, but they didn't charge any extra either, only for the parts. Another good thing about Ameritage is they are great to work with you if their is ANY problems. They are expensive, but you get what you pay for. And to answer the question about the D rings holding up, I have been lugging my case around with the strap slung over my shoulder with most of the weight on one D ring, and it shows no sign of loosening. I talked to Nancy, who does the custom orders (technically adding the D rings made it a "custom" although there was no labor charge) and she said since they added the rings, they would repair them if anything went wrong. I know they're a heavy case, but I'm tellin ya, it just don't get no bettah than that! It is the only case that I will ever house my custom KoAloha tenor hand-built by Paul Okami.
 
To Rick: I know this reply is a long time in coming, but the problem with flying and a gig bag is, sometimes no matter how much you beg and plead, on the smaller planes, the flight attendants will NOT allow it on the plane and will make you check it at the plane door to be given back to you as soon as you get back off. You just gotta hope that the handlers put it on top of the other luggage or *crunch* will go your uke.
 
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