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With the UU video coverage of the 2011 NAMM Show completely edited, exported, and uploaded, I’ll finally find the chance to get some decent sleep at night. Yay! Most of this post is being written from my seat on an airplane, chasing the sunset back home to Hawaii after four crazy days of music madness. While the musical dust settles, I figured I should put down all of my NAMM thoughts before reaching home, where my mind will reset to reality.
Just like last year’s “Personal Thoughts,” the opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UU. If you’ve ever been to NAMM you’ll completely understand – the show is so vast, comprehensive, and ridiculously huge that everyone’s experience of it is different. Here’s mine:
Most Interesting Ukulele -The solid body steel string electric uke proto from Eleuke
Looks pretty plain, not sure how it sounds plugged in, but here’s the thing … the ukulele community has been waiting for this FOR-EVER. We’ve seen one-offs of steel string electrics, and some home-made creations hacked together from scratch, but this will be one of the first real mass-produced steel string electric ukuleles available to everyone. I don’t even like electric ukes, but the fact that so many people (uke players and non-uke players alike) do like them and that finally something will be available to truly satiate them and their electric uke needs – it’s exciting. From what Cory was saying, it sounds like Eleuke is about ready to release it this year, so cross your fingers. This may be the start of something big.
Most Interesting Person(s) - Rick Turner of Renaissance Guitars and Mim from Mim’s Ukes.
We caught Rick as the last interview on the last day of NAMM. The Compass Rose Ukulele sound sample in the interview didn’t sound very good, but I have to say that in person, the sound out of his ukuleles was truly remarkable. I’ve always been skeptical of guitar builders trying their hand at ukuleles because they tend to get the dimensions and bracing all wrong, but the stuff that Rick has been doing with his ukes really makes me believe that he understands the dynamic of wood and what it takes to make it sing, no matter the size of the instrument.
Mim is hysterical. I’m a naturally quiet person, so I appreciate people who could technically carry on a conversation even if I had nothing to add to it. She’s got her opinions and voices them well. I like that. And although I might not agree with all of her opinions or choices of ukes at NAMM, Mim and I had an incredible conversation during the UU Meet Up that made me glad that at least some people understand what this whole “ukulele thing” is all about. She told me that when people walk into her ice-cream-shop-slash-ukulele-store in Charlotte, NC, she asks them what type of music they listen to. From there, she proceeds to tear into a popular song in that genre on the ukulele, shattering all preconceptions they might have had about this cute little “Hawaiian” instrument. And that’s how uke players are born. Way to show ‘em, Mim.
Favorite Ukulele - The base model concert Island Ukulele by Kanile’a (in the video Joe demos the tenor, but I liked the concert)
For most people visiting the Kanile’a booth, this would probably have been the least interesting ukulele on display. But for me, it represented a peek into the future. This uke felt like a Kanile’a, sounded almost as good as a Kanile’a, but its retail price tag was a measly $127. Whaat? With choices like that available, I can just see all the sub-par overseas-built uke companies slowly dropping off the map within the next five years. This is terrible news for people making terrible ukes. But for those who love the ukulele and want others to love it too, this is teriffic. I couldn’t be more excited.
Favorite Person - Matt Dahlberg (pronounced “doll-burg”), thejumpingflea.
We met Matt for the first time, in real life, at last year’s NAMM at the Lanikai booth where he was demoing ukuleles. But this was the first time I really got to hang out and talk with him outside of the Show to find out what he’s really like. I have to say, he’s a pretty cool guy with big dreams and great ideas. Aldrine teased him the entire time we were at NAMM and he held up like a champ. He’s like a sponge, soaking up all the uke knowledge he can find and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s something amazing and famous within another year’s time. Just can’t wait to see where he goes from here.
Other Notables -
I’ve been especially excited about Kamoa Ukuleles since long before this year’s NAMM Show. I’ve always believed that the only way other people are going to take the ukulele seriously is if the ukulele world takes its instruments seriously. Kamoa’s showing this year was a serious step in the right direction. With a focus on sound first, they’ve been honing in on an incredible tone and balance (sometimes at the expense of outward appearance) at a low cost for years. This year, they stepped up their game and added beauty to their already great sounding ukes. They’ve still got a little tweaking to do in the appearance department, but this was a GIANT step for great sounding overseas-made ukes. Go back to the interview to see their booth and listen to the samples. Things to note: their booth wasn’t "island-y" AND their ukes weren’t harsh on the ears. This is important to understand. If other uke companies recognize what Kamoa is doing with just these two things, it could change everything.
I want to commend Cory and the guys at Chesbro / Eleuke USA for honestly caring about their customers. Last year they asked us what they could do to get into the ukulele market and we told them to listen to the ukulele players and find out what they care about. So for the last year, the sales team at Chesbro has been listening to you, refining their offerings and innovating with you specifically in mind. They’ve also been actually learning to play the ukulele so they can understand player preferences, ergonomics, and comfort. That’s a lot more than I can say for many other big box companies, and a damn good job from any distributor’s standpoint. Awesome, guys.
Also want to give a hand to LR Baggs who, despite not having an ukulele-specific pickup system to show us, was willing to do an interview anyway. Their explanation went something like this: “There are a few LR Baggs pickups that people use for ukuleles, but the fact is, they weren’t designed for ukuleles. We are working on creating something great for the ukulele, but it’s not ready yet. When we release products to the public, they are meant to blow minds. If we don’t feel that a product will blow enough minds, we won’t put our name on it.” LR Baggs has a great philosophy and they stick to it. And they were gracious enough to take some time with us. We trust you, LR Baggs, and we’ll wait patiently until your pickup is ready.
A few slight disappointments (for me) included Fishman and Fender. Fishman’s news about the "Kula" pickup system for the ukulele looked promising, but after listening to it, results were “eh” at best. They got the size right but, sound-wise, balance and tonal issues made it like most uke pickups: okay. Might have just been the settings - we'd have to play around with it a bit to find out. Fender, though seemingly excited about the ukulele market last year, didn’t have anything new to show this year. It’s almost as if they gave up on making their ukes any better, instead focusing on marketing and exposure. We got a lot of comments under the Fender interview, but in their defense, Dylan was only filling in for the official Fender Acoustic rep. He did the best he could for the interview and we thank him for even giving us a shot.
This year, Joe, Kristen, & Bill over at Kanile’a were like our family away from family and not enough thanks can be expressed in words for their kindness and generosity. Ken Middleton was charming and wonderful as always and Sally, Mim, & Tim took the cake for most ecstatic ukulele enthusiasts of the show. Ran into Victoria Vox on multiple occasions all over Anaheim and she was sweet as ever. Somehow she is everywhere and I swear she must have at least three clones the way she just appears in places.
Everyone else performed pretty much as expected and I can feel it in my veins that 2011 is going to be an important year in ukulele history. Step up your game, everyone. Step up your game.
Shout outs to Mainland Mike & Tookta, Ron for coming down to hang out with us, Asada who came from freakin' Thailand(!), our boys over at Nalu, Derick Sebastian, Kalei Gamiao, James Hill, Steven Espaniola, Sam & Lulu for the smiles and food when I was starving, John for the awkward hugs and Alaskan Ale, Heather & her mom for everything, and everyone who stopped us to say hi or to rep UU at NAMM! Overall a great show. And now some sleep.
Just like last year’s “Personal Thoughts,” the opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UU. If you’ve ever been to NAMM you’ll completely understand – the show is so vast, comprehensive, and ridiculously huge that everyone’s experience of it is different. Here’s mine:
Most Interesting Ukulele -The solid body steel string electric uke proto from Eleuke
Looks pretty plain, not sure how it sounds plugged in, but here’s the thing … the ukulele community has been waiting for this FOR-EVER. We’ve seen one-offs of steel string electrics, and some home-made creations hacked together from scratch, but this will be one of the first real mass-produced steel string electric ukuleles available to everyone. I don’t even like electric ukes, but the fact that so many people (uke players and non-uke players alike) do like them and that finally something will be available to truly satiate them and their electric uke needs – it’s exciting. From what Cory was saying, it sounds like Eleuke is about ready to release it this year, so cross your fingers. This may be the start of something big.
Most Interesting Person(s) - Rick Turner of Renaissance Guitars and Mim from Mim’s Ukes.
We caught Rick as the last interview on the last day of NAMM. The Compass Rose Ukulele sound sample in the interview didn’t sound very good, but I have to say that in person, the sound out of his ukuleles was truly remarkable. I’ve always been skeptical of guitar builders trying their hand at ukuleles because they tend to get the dimensions and bracing all wrong, but the stuff that Rick has been doing with his ukes really makes me believe that he understands the dynamic of wood and what it takes to make it sing, no matter the size of the instrument.
Mim is hysterical. I’m a naturally quiet person, so I appreciate people who could technically carry on a conversation even if I had nothing to add to it. She’s got her opinions and voices them well. I like that. And although I might not agree with all of her opinions or choices of ukes at NAMM, Mim and I had an incredible conversation during the UU Meet Up that made me glad that at least some people understand what this whole “ukulele thing” is all about. She told me that when people walk into her ice-cream-shop-slash-ukulele-store in Charlotte, NC, she asks them what type of music they listen to. From there, she proceeds to tear into a popular song in that genre on the ukulele, shattering all preconceptions they might have had about this cute little “Hawaiian” instrument. And that’s how uke players are born. Way to show ‘em, Mim.
Favorite Ukulele - The base model concert Island Ukulele by Kanile’a (in the video Joe demos the tenor, but I liked the concert)
For most people visiting the Kanile’a booth, this would probably have been the least interesting ukulele on display. But for me, it represented a peek into the future. This uke felt like a Kanile’a, sounded almost as good as a Kanile’a, but its retail price tag was a measly $127. Whaat? With choices like that available, I can just see all the sub-par overseas-built uke companies slowly dropping off the map within the next five years. This is terrible news for people making terrible ukes. But for those who love the ukulele and want others to love it too, this is teriffic. I couldn’t be more excited.
Favorite Person - Matt Dahlberg (pronounced “doll-burg”), thejumpingflea.
We met Matt for the first time, in real life, at last year’s NAMM at the Lanikai booth where he was demoing ukuleles. But this was the first time I really got to hang out and talk with him outside of the Show to find out what he’s really like. I have to say, he’s a pretty cool guy with big dreams and great ideas. Aldrine teased him the entire time we were at NAMM and he held up like a champ. He’s like a sponge, soaking up all the uke knowledge he can find and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s something amazing and famous within another year’s time. Just can’t wait to see where he goes from here.
Other Notables -
I’ve been especially excited about Kamoa Ukuleles since long before this year’s NAMM Show. I’ve always believed that the only way other people are going to take the ukulele seriously is if the ukulele world takes its instruments seriously. Kamoa’s showing this year was a serious step in the right direction. With a focus on sound first, they’ve been honing in on an incredible tone and balance (sometimes at the expense of outward appearance) at a low cost for years. This year, they stepped up their game and added beauty to their already great sounding ukes. They’ve still got a little tweaking to do in the appearance department, but this was a GIANT step for great sounding overseas-made ukes. Go back to the interview to see their booth and listen to the samples. Things to note: their booth wasn’t "island-y" AND their ukes weren’t harsh on the ears. This is important to understand. If other uke companies recognize what Kamoa is doing with just these two things, it could change everything.
I want to commend Cory and the guys at Chesbro / Eleuke USA for honestly caring about their customers. Last year they asked us what they could do to get into the ukulele market and we told them to listen to the ukulele players and find out what they care about. So for the last year, the sales team at Chesbro has been listening to you, refining their offerings and innovating with you specifically in mind. They’ve also been actually learning to play the ukulele so they can understand player preferences, ergonomics, and comfort. That’s a lot more than I can say for many other big box companies, and a damn good job from any distributor’s standpoint. Awesome, guys.
Also want to give a hand to LR Baggs who, despite not having an ukulele-specific pickup system to show us, was willing to do an interview anyway. Their explanation went something like this: “There are a few LR Baggs pickups that people use for ukuleles, but the fact is, they weren’t designed for ukuleles. We are working on creating something great for the ukulele, but it’s not ready yet. When we release products to the public, they are meant to blow minds. If we don’t feel that a product will blow enough minds, we won’t put our name on it.” LR Baggs has a great philosophy and they stick to it. And they were gracious enough to take some time with us. We trust you, LR Baggs, and we’ll wait patiently until your pickup is ready.
A few slight disappointments (for me) included Fishman and Fender. Fishman’s news about the "Kula" pickup system for the ukulele looked promising, but after listening to it, results were “eh” at best. They got the size right but, sound-wise, balance and tonal issues made it like most uke pickups: okay. Might have just been the settings - we'd have to play around with it a bit to find out. Fender, though seemingly excited about the ukulele market last year, didn’t have anything new to show this year. It’s almost as if they gave up on making their ukes any better, instead focusing on marketing and exposure. We got a lot of comments under the Fender interview, but in their defense, Dylan was only filling in for the official Fender Acoustic rep. He did the best he could for the interview and we thank him for even giving us a shot.
This year, Joe, Kristen, & Bill over at Kanile’a were like our family away from family and not enough thanks can be expressed in words for their kindness and generosity. Ken Middleton was charming and wonderful as always and Sally, Mim, & Tim took the cake for most ecstatic ukulele enthusiasts of the show. Ran into Victoria Vox on multiple occasions all over Anaheim and she was sweet as ever. Somehow she is everywhere and I swear she must have at least three clones the way she just appears in places.
Everyone else performed pretty much as expected and I can feel it in my veins that 2011 is going to be an important year in ukulele history. Step up your game, everyone. Step up your game.
Shout outs to Mainland Mike & Tookta, Ron for coming down to hang out with us, Asada who came from freakin' Thailand(!), our boys over at Nalu, Derick Sebastian, Kalei Gamiao, James Hill, Steven Espaniola, Sam & Lulu for the smiles and food when I was starving, John for the awkward hugs and Alaskan Ale, Heather & her mom for everything, and everyone who stopped us to say hi or to rep UU at NAMM! Overall a great show. And now some sleep.
