Kamaka strings

jbm

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Does anyone know who manufactures the Kamaka strings? I like the tone of them and was wondering if they are made by or if they compare to any of the brand name strings.
Thanks
 
I do not know, I have a set of tenor strings and nowhere on the package does it say who made them. After listening to MGM's string comparrison, the Kamaka strings sounded like the Freemont Black strings, but I could be wrong!
 
A well-regarded seller told me that they were made by GHS. Can anyone else verify?

If you like Kamaka strings and don't want to take any chances, Elderly Instruments sells them (cheap!).
 
I cannot verify who sells them either. However, the strings that came stock on my Kamaka tenor were Kamaka brand strings (I would assume manufactured by a major string maker). The extra pack that came with uke states that they are nylon strings of the following gauges: G - .0285, C - .0410, E - .0327, A - .0285. I have not seen another set of tenor strings with a 3rd string of that gauge. It is pretty fat. They can take a real "pluck" to get them to sound loud.
 
kamaka strings made by D'Addario

the strings are made by D'addario but supposedly to specific specs given to them by Kamaka.
 
Yep, this is correct - Kamaka actually just posted about this on their Facebook page :)

This is what Kamaka said on its Facebook page: "Did you know that Kamaka strings are from D'Addario but custom made for Kamaka? Over the years we have tried numerous brands of strings on our ukes. We highly recommend our own strings for your Kamaka 'ukulele."

If you're on Facebook, you can "like" Kamaka on its Facebook page.
 
I'm really liking these strings. But I'm finding that my taste in strings is evolving as my playing evolves. To King FarUke's point, the C string is pretty big. You can really manhandle it for lack of a better phrase. I like them so much, I'm replacing all the strings on my ukes. So far I have them on a Kamaka and a KoAloha tenor and the sound is amazing to me. My first impression was that they were a bit "thumpy" but then I got used to them and find their range to be great. I can do thumpy but I can also apply a lot more pressure and get bright clear tones.

But these Kamaka strings are getting harder to find - I'm not sure that Elderly's is the same? The packaging appears to be different. Anyone know if someone else makes these strings in these gauge? I looked through D'addario's strings and I couldn't find any that were as big as Kamaka's.
 
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When I bought my long-neck Kamaka pineapple last February at HMS during my trip, they told me that the strings are D'Addario black.

It's funny when you pronounce them like: DADDA - RIO. hehe

Pete
 
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