Pickup on Kamaka

Ronnie Aloha

Mahalo Sen. Dan, R.I.P.
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I'm looking at getting a 2nd hand Kamaka tenor and one of the ones I'm looking at has a pickup for about the same price as a non-pickup model. I have no experience with this. Is there any sound difference when played acoustically? What kind of cost am I looking at for an amp? Can I hook up to my computer?

If I only plan on playing acoustically, is there an detriment to getting the one with the pickup? For example, could the pickup get loose at some point?

The pickup was factory installed by Kamaka.

Thanks in advance.
 
Ceterus Paribus, get the pickup model. Assuming passive pickup, it will have virtually no effect on the acoustic sound. And even if it's active, the negative effect on acoustic sound from extra stuff inside the body is negated by the plugged in sound improvement.

For an amp, it depends on what you're trying to get. But most likely, something like a Roland Microcube or Vox DA5 will be enough for most practice needs. They go for around $125. If you want something bigger like a good 30 watt combo like the Roland Cube 30, you're looking around $250 new.

And yes you can hook it up to your computer. I play the uke through an amp, then use a 1/4 to 3.5mm headphone sized jack from the amp to put it right into the computer's mic in, and it works great.

If it's a stick on piezo, it could come loose after a while. I'm not sure what Kamaka uses for the passive system, but with the active system, eventually, the wire hooks and battery pouch on the inside may become unglued, but it's not anything that can't be fixed w some tape.

Go with the pickup model. You get more versitility.
 
id go with the pickup model.
 
Ceterus Paribus, get the pickup model. Assuming passive pickup, it will have virtually no effect on the acoustic sound. And even if it's active, the negative effect on acoustic sound from extra stuff inside the body is negated by the plugged in sound improvement.

For an amp, it depends on what you're trying to get. But most likely, something like a Roland Microcube or Vox DA5 will be enough for most practice needs. They go for around $125. If you want something bigger like a good 30 watt combo like the Roland Cube 30, you're looking around $250 new.

And yes you can hook it up to your computer. I play the uke through an amp, then use a 1/4 to 3.5mm headphone sized jack from the amp to put it right into the computer's mic in, and it works great.

If it's a stick on piezo, it could come loose after a while. I'm not sure what Kamaka uses for the passive system, but with the active system, eventually, the wire hooks and battery pouch on the inside may become unglued, but it's not anything that can't be fixed w some tape.

Go with the pickup model. You get more versitility.

Thanks for the response. Would you go with the Roalnd or the Vox if you had a choice?
 
Well, if you are looking to rock the house at a gig you will need a bigger amp than the Microcube or mini Vox. I've got the Cube and it just doesn't cut it for gigs.

But if you are just looking to jam in your bedroom, the small amps are probably the way to go. I've seen both amps used with 'ukuleles. I think they have pretty similar controls and from what I've heard (which is minimal because they are not really loud enough to be heard at a kani ka pila of 30 people) they sound similar.

A nice big acoustic amp is going to run anywhere from $400-$1200+ depending on the quality. The best I've played through (with my Kamaka) is the Roland AC90 and that goes for $700 I believe.

If you have the opportunity be sure to try out the pickup. If you haven't used an acoustic pickup before you probably won't notice much if something is out of whack, but at least check for obvious stuff (no sound, distortion, uneven volume for different strings).

Don't cross the 'ukulele without the pickup off the list. It could still be a better instrument.
 
Thanks for the response. Would you go with the Roalnd or the Vox if you had a choice?

I own both, because they're both great. Depends on what you need. If you want to plug in a mic at the same time, DA5. If you want to be able to use AA batteries for easy portability, Microcube wins out. I think if you do a search Ricdoug has a nice comparison thread.
 
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