Psychedelic Uke? Yes! And, Greetings...

Hi Folks. I've been lurking around this site for awhile, happily reading the reviews, the buying tips and just the general Uke joy that emanates from this place. Thought it might be time to come out of the underground of the Underground for a moment.

Welcome to UU and thanks for posting! What an interesting music journey you're having. I'm at the point where my next uke will be a K brand (my current go-to uke is a Big Islang Honu traditional koa tenor), and I was just at Gryphon today playing the Kamakas (a tenor, a 6-string tenor, and an 8 string tenor) they had on hand there. Your new Kamaka is exquisite! I guess you haven't swapped out the strings yet? I thought the Kamakas I played today at Gryphon sounded a little dull, but people have said that this is typical of Kamaka factory-installed strings, and, as you point out, it seems like most people have better success with other strings (there's a Kamaka tenor in my ukulele class with Worth browns, and it sounds absolutely stunning). I also played some KoAloha and Kanile'a tenors today at Ukulele Source (great store -- thanks for letting me play there today!) in San Jose, and I was extremely impressed. Picking a K brand is going to be difficult!

Welcome to the UU. Glad to have you onboard officially, instead of just as a lurker! That's a nice-looking Kamaka. Someday I hope to have an actual Hawaiian ukulele, but I haven't decided which maker to shoot for. After seeing and playing a few Kamakas, Koalohas and Kanileas, I'm now leaning towards a Kanilea. If I can find a soprano with friction tuners when the time comes... they don't seem to make many of those!

Thanks for both of those welcomes Chris and MDS. I think the thing that really stood out for me with the Kamaka was the neck...just was a really good fit for me. Very comfortable. I haven't swapped out the strings yet and I would agree that the Kamaka strings are a little duller sounding than most, although that could also be considered warmth. I do like they way they sound when I'm softly fingerpicking. I'll keep the Worth browns in mind. Thanks for that tip.