Kamaka Ohta San?

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Joyful Uke

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I've become intrigued with the Kamaka Ohta San, (especially with a cedar top), but only have YouTube to go by. I've never played any Kamaka, but wonder what all those familiar with the Ohta San can share.

What is the neck like? Width at nut? Pros? Cons?

I did email one vendor on Sunday who is mentioned on UU, but assume that my email got lost in cyberspace, since I never got a response. She seems to have one in stock, but maybe the lack of response is just an indication that UAS shouldn't be encouraged. LOL.
 
I believe the Ohta San model is a hybrid of the tenor and concert. Would be interesting to try one. David Iriguchi also makes a hybrid size.
 
Yes, it's a 16" scale. I've only played two, but they are lovely instruments! Were I do buy a Kamaka 100, it would be a cedar-topped Ohta-san. Check with Andrew at HMS.
 
Both Mim at Mim's Ukes and Andrew @ HMS are trusted dealers.

I have only bought from Andrew, and can attest he has always offered me exceptional products and quality service.
 
1 3/8" nut and good wide string separation. Neck is of moderate thickness (Wayfarer), and as mentioned by Eddie, a 16" scale. All of which lend to an excellent finger-picking uke. It is also on the louder side, mostly attributable to the large bell shaped lower bout.

Not to step on your thread or push you off purchase suggestions (HMS, Mim) which are great choices, I may be selling my Ohta-san (I haven't firmly decided), and a couple of other ukes, as I need to downsize the collection due to travel /storage requirements. Mine is a spruce top. Shoot me a PM if interested.
 
I've played a few. I like them very much. In fact, the Otah San is my favorite Kamaka model.
 
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Yes, I would explain it that way. Cedar is mellower and Less bright to me. Only gauge of that is I have tried a lot of Kala spruce top travel tenors and none sound like the limited production travel ones with the cedar top that I bought from music guy mike. He recommended it to me and said it was a prototype run that may or may not make regular production.

It also has their factory pick up installed and came with the Kala gig bag.

As for the Ohta San Kamakas, I played a few with the koa tops and liked them all. Luckily UAS did not cause me to add to the current stable of 2 kamakas.
I think you would be happy with any of the different soundboards on a Ohta San...I would.
 
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Does it have a radius fretboard?

Looking at some old threads, a few people mention that playing an OS caused them pain so they sold theirs. If any of those people are reading, can you only play soprano ukuleles? What was it about the OS that caused pain?
 
Joyful Uke said:
Does it have a radius fretboard?

Looking at some old threads, a few people mention that playing an OS caused them pain so they sold theirs. If any of those people are reading, can you only play soprano ukuleles? What was it about the OS that caused pain?
Click to expand...

I'm one of those people. I had an Ohta-San and gave it a good year-plus trial before deciding it was just too large of a scale for my little hands. (To illustrate - my hands are smaller than a friend's 8- and 10-year-old kids' hands, and my fingers are shorter than my palms.) I developed pain in my fretting hand and decided that I didn't want to take chances, so at that point I gave up.

I do play soprano, but for me, the most comfortable scale is concert, and the narrower the nut the better (I've passed on some lovely ukes that had a 1.5" nut because I couldn't reach the G string with my pinky - same problem I had on the OS). I play a lot of intricate stuff, often on the G string since I play low G. My pinky, which I just measured to be 1.5" long, curves in toward the ring finger (5th digit clinodactyly in medical terms), making the reach even more difficult for me. I might have been able to manage the OS if I only strummed chords, but I just couldn't get the precision I needed for single-note playing.

And no - not a radius fretboard.

Hope that helps! The OS is a great uke - after I got mine, two other people I play with ended up opting for Ohta-Sans as well. They still both play them and love them, but they don't have midget-freak hands like I do :)
 
janeray1940 said:
(To illustrate - my hands are smaller than a friend's 8- and 10-year-old kids' hands, and my fingers are shorter than my palms.) I developed pain in my fretting hand and decided that I didn't want to take chances, so at that point I gave up.
Click to expand...

Thanks for explaining. (I even read the link on clinodactyly.) It makes sense that you might have found the OS to be less than a perfect fit for you.

I have small hands, I assume, (small person), but my pinkie is definitely larger than yours. But having smashed and otherwise injured my fingers over the years, I consider comfort in playing to be a top priority, though a great sounding ukulele is a close second.
 
I thought a vintage Martin soprano was "the Ohta San". Does/did he even play one of these Kamakas?
 
This style Kamaka ukulele was designed by Herbert Ohta and Sam Kamaka in the mid- 1960's.
QUOTE=Soundbored;1855734]I thought a vintage Martin soprano was "the Ohta San". Does/did he even play one of these Kamakas?[/QUOTE]
 
Joyful Uke said:
Looking at some old threads, a few people mention that playing an OS caused them pain so they sold theirs. If any of those people are reading, can you only play soprano ukuleles? What was it about the OS that caused pain?
Click to expand...


I'm another who reluctantly had to give up their OS because of hand pain. Fretboard width was a little wide for me, but I play a Kanile'a concert (I only play concert, sopranos don't interest me) which has that slightly wider nut anyway, so it wasn't that bad.

It was the 16" scale that was my issue. I like to be able to place fingers on the 3rd, 5th & 7th fret easily and the spread was just that bit too much. I should point out I have had serious over-use injuries (which prevent me working & functioning fully), which are easily triggered by tension in my hands.

I loved the big, open sound of my koa/cedar OS, it was a joy to play. Once I picked it up, it was hard to put it down again. Maybe that was the problem...


Unless you have hand issues, I would think that most women with medium-size hands would be able to handle the OS.
 
Katz-in-Boots said:
I'm another who reluctantly had to give up their OS because of hand pain. Fretboard width was a little wide for me, but I play a Kanile'a concert (I only play concert, sopranos don't interest me) which has that slightly wider nut anyway, so it wasn't that bad.
Click to expand...

So Kanile'a is easier on your hands than the OS? Is the OS neck thicker? Or is there some other difference that makes one possible for you and not the other?

I've had hand injuries over the years, like smashing all my fingers, but so far, have been finding ways to work around what my fingers can't do. John Hartford is credited with the line "Style is based on limitations", and it definitely is shaping my style. Lots of chords are out, but fingerpicking gives me options to work around the cranky fingers.
 
Kanile'a concert at the nut is 1 1/2", OS is 1 3/8". It's the 16" scale (compared to a standard concert 15" scale) that is the difference. The finger stretch from one fret to another is greater. Kinda like going from a concert to a tenor, but not as extreme. I have problems with tenor size, but I'm ok with the OS. I think the OS neck thickness is slightly on the thinner side.

Just realized that Katz had already discussed the 16" scale.......... sorry for the repetition.
 
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