wendellfiddler
Well-known member
After spending time recently with two different Kamaka tenors, I finally gave up on them and bought a Collings UTK. I couldn't handle the loose attention to detail that is inherent in the Kamakas - especially not for what they cost. They remind me of Puerto Rican Cuatros and Mexican guitars. Very nice in their own way - not a bad place to be at all - but not anywhere near precise in finish details. The Collings I wound up with cost as much as two Kamakas, but I would bet there's as much labor in one Collings as there would be in five Kamakas - and I wouldn't trade multiple Kamakas for the Collings. The Koa is beautiful. The finish is perfect, the fingerboard is radiused and bound and it plays like a jazz guitar. And the sound is incredible even as a new instrument. While they're nice traditional instruments with a certain ambiance, the Kamakas really looked like they were just bangin' em' out as fast as they could.
My apologies to the traditionalists. But the reality is .......
Doug
My apologies to the traditionalists. But the reality is .......
Doug