another NUD!

Tomorrow the UPS shipment tracker shows that my Kamaka HF2 should arrive. I am hesitant to be too joyful, so as not to set myself up for disappointment. I have been watching You tube videos for months like crazy (and scouring for a good deal I finally pulled the trigger on Reverb), and have come to the hypothesis that this is the uke for me.

I am little concerned, though, because the place where I got it from does not do any 'set up' I believe. Do the higher end ukes need to have additional set up from the company? Also, I have never laid hands on a real Koa wood ukulele, so in my mind this will be holding a magical object...

Any thoughts or suggestions? I read about letting it get used to the temperature before unboxing it. Anything else?

Is it new or used? Either way, be prepared that you will probably want to put new strings on it. If it doesn't sound or feel "right" right away, don't despair. Different strings can make a big difference in sound and feel.

Whether or not it needs set up will be up to you. If it doesn't meet your expectations/needs on action height or intonation, then it will need setup. It's not a given but you never know what the uke has been exposed to in terms of environment or use/abuse since it left the factory. So it's not necessarily a reflection on Kamaka if it needs some adjustment.

Good luck with your new uke! :cheers:

valde002 said:

Do the higher end ukes need to have additional set up from the company?

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It's probably less likely that they do as they are built by hand and quality-checked. Andrew from HMS can probably answer this best, though, since they set up more ukes than anyone else. Personally, I'd not buy an inexpensive-ish uke without a setup, but I'd not be overly worried with a Kamaka. Sounds like a great choice -- congrats, wishing you lots of fun with it.

Many, many of the production ukes benefit from at least some set up work. Even expensive K brand models. If you have a good luthier in your area who does repair work, they can do set up. You might have a local shop that does. Realize that what many shops call set up is not a full, proper set up (complete inspection, check & dress fret ends as needed, check neck set, set action).

how come you did not get it from HMS they had a few 2016 anniversary models in the last 2 weeks they even have a 2016 Deluxe slotted headstock anniversary concert there now...they set up every uke they send out at no charge...Joel wants all the ukes he sets up to be as perfect as possible....Kamakas too..

I suppose it comes down to how particular one is, but I own several Kamakas and have never seen the need for a setup. No intonation issues whatsoever and every one of them has played great right off the shelf.

One bit of unsolicited advice - if it arrives and you are for some reason underwhelmed, change the strings. I know some people like them, but to my ear, the stock black Kamaka strings take all the life out of the uke. My strings of choice on my HF-2 are Martin fluorocarbons - inexpensive and easy to find, and they sound and play great.

janeray1940 said:

I suppose it comes down to how particular one is, but I own several Kamakas and have never seen the need for a setup. No intonation issues whatsoever and every one of them has played great right off the shelf.

One bit of unsolicited advice - if it arrives and you are for some reason underwhelmed, change the strings. I know some people like them, but to my ear, the stock black Kamaka strings take all the life out of the uke. My strings of choice on my HF-2 are Martin fluorocarbons - inexpensive and easy to find, and they sound and play great.

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I can tell you never met Joel or Andrew.... they are so into their craft.....nothing goes out without them checking it out.....

hawaii 50 said:

I can tell you never met Joel or Andrew.... they are so into their craft.....nothing goes out with them checking it out.....

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I'm sure they're great! I've heard all the good things. But I'm fortunate enough to have a local shop five minutes from my house where all my ukulele needs are met.

because they, along with the entire world, are out. That one for 3K is sweet, but unreachable for this neukie!