didgeridoo2
Well-known member
Today, I had the opportunity to play a bunch of ukes and since my UAS seems to be in remission, I was curious to test it out by heading over to McCabes Guitars in Santa Monica. I hadn't been there in over 6 months and since they carry Ohana, I was hoping to try some of their newer models. On my list was the SK-38 and the resonator models and hoping to see the 5 string. Unfortunately, they didn't have any of them in, but they are now carrying Kiwaya, A Nue Nue and Magic Fluke.
My problem over the past couple of years has been lusting after ukes that I don't have and just wandering into a place like McCabes can be dangerous to my infant's college fund. I have my collection down to a manageable and satisfying six ukes, and I have plans to build a CBU soon using the box from the cigars I passed out when my son was born and some sinker redwood that I picked up on ebay last year.
They had the Kiwaya KTS-7 and it is beautiful as a Martin Style 3 copy. It feels and sounds similar to my KTS-5 and while I would love to own the KTS-7, I don't feel as if I need to upgrade to it. It is a beautiful uke, though. So if I were to score my experience after seeing the KTS-7 it would be: UAS - 0 College fund - 1
While I was there, another player was looking at ukes after a lesson and they offered me the opportunity to play their Martin 5K. Wow. What a gorgeous uke. Silky smooth to play and it sounded so sweet. But, it didn't sound any sweeter to me than the Kiwaya, other than having fluorocarbon strings on it, which I prefer over Kiwaya's factory installed strings. The price tag for the 5k is the perfect antidote for any UAS symptoms. Plus this uke wasn't for sale, so I'll count this as a push and won't score either side. UAS - 0 College fund - 1
The owner of the 5K was looking at concert ukes and the choice was between the KoAloha and the Kamaka concerts. I have a KoAloha tenor in my collection and gave my opinion and while I have had the chance to compare to Kanilea, I've not had any experience with the Kamakas. There has been a ton of talk about Kamaka on here lately and McCabes has a lot of Kamaka models. They have all sizes and two pineapples even. And a baritone and six string model. All very beautiful, but I thought the tenor felt heavier than my KoAloha and the concert was nice , but I thought the KoAloha concert had more depth in its sound. So did the player who was considering them. The baritone and six string models aren't for me, but the pineapples are nice and I would like one at some point. Just don't need it now. Since the pineapple intrigues me, but the other Kamakas don't, it's another push. UAS - 0 College fund - 1
The A Nue Nue models are nice. I'd really like the model with the rabbit and the bear as a gift for my son when he gets old enough to play, but we're a few years from that. The 1879 koa soprano model was hanging on the wall and I had heard a bunch about. It's a neat little uke with a nice sound, but the price tag at $800+ does not seem justified when compared to the KoAloha and Kamaka sopranos. Easy to pass on it. UAS - 0 College fund - 2
Magic Fluke is new at McCabes and they had 3 of the banjo ukes. Very cool little player. Not overwhelming like other banjo ukes I've played and really light. I didn't like the way it felt in my hands because of the open back and the lack of sustain really stood out to me. I suppose that's just the nature of banjo ukes, and I guess I prefer a little sustain, at least. I've played flukes and fleas before and while I think they're fun, I don't see the need to have one. I have a beach/camp/travel uke right now and if I ever need to replace it, I might consider one of these. UAS - 0 College fund - 3
There was a Collings Tenor that did sound and feel awesome. I had to take it into a private playing room to see if it truly was awesome, and it was. Light and smooth and complex in tone. Could I see myself upgrading from my KoAloha to this? Maybe. It's more guitar like and which might not be a bad thing for what I'm looking for with my choice of tenor. Could I consider selling my National Resophonic for it? hmmm. My UAS flared up for this one. UAS - 1 College fund - 3
Fun day and I left with my son's future still looking bright. The best part about it is that I was looking forward to coming home and playing the ukes in my collection. We'll see if I dream about the Collings and whether or not it infected me with the Syndrome. If you see a KoAloha tenor, or National Resophonic show up in the marketplace, then we'll know I didn't get out entirely unscathed. I don't know. We'll see...
My problem over the past couple of years has been lusting after ukes that I don't have and just wandering into a place like McCabes can be dangerous to my infant's college fund. I have my collection down to a manageable and satisfying six ukes, and I have plans to build a CBU soon using the box from the cigars I passed out when my son was born and some sinker redwood that I picked up on ebay last year.
They had the Kiwaya KTS-7 and it is beautiful as a Martin Style 3 copy. It feels and sounds similar to my KTS-5 and while I would love to own the KTS-7, I don't feel as if I need to upgrade to it. It is a beautiful uke, though. So if I were to score my experience after seeing the KTS-7 it would be: UAS - 0 College fund - 1
While I was there, another player was looking at ukes after a lesson and they offered me the opportunity to play their Martin 5K. Wow. What a gorgeous uke. Silky smooth to play and it sounded so sweet. But, it didn't sound any sweeter to me than the Kiwaya, other than having fluorocarbon strings on it, which I prefer over Kiwaya's factory installed strings. The price tag for the 5k is the perfect antidote for any UAS symptoms. Plus this uke wasn't for sale, so I'll count this as a push and won't score either side. UAS - 0 College fund - 1
The owner of the 5K was looking at concert ukes and the choice was between the KoAloha and the Kamaka concerts. I have a KoAloha tenor in my collection and gave my opinion and while I have had the chance to compare to Kanilea, I've not had any experience with the Kamakas. There has been a ton of talk about Kamaka on here lately and McCabes has a lot of Kamaka models. They have all sizes and two pineapples even. And a baritone and six string model. All very beautiful, but I thought the tenor felt heavier than my KoAloha and the concert was nice , but I thought the KoAloha concert had more depth in its sound. So did the player who was considering them. The baritone and six string models aren't for me, but the pineapples are nice and I would like one at some point. Just don't need it now. Since the pineapple intrigues me, but the other Kamakas don't, it's another push. UAS - 0 College fund - 1
The A Nue Nue models are nice. I'd really like the model with the rabbit and the bear as a gift for my son when he gets old enough to play, but we're a few years from that. The 1879 koa soprano model was hanging on the wall and I had heard a bunch about. It's a neat little uke with a nice sound, but the price tag at $800+ does not seem justified when compared to the KoAloha and Kamaka sopranos. Easy to pass on it. UAS - 0 College fund - 2
Magic Fluke is new at McCabes and they had 3 of the banjo ukes. Very cool little player. Not overwhelming like other banjo ukes I've played and really light. I didn't like the way it felt in my hands because of the open back and the lack of sustain really stood out to me. I suppose that's just the nature of banjo ukes, and I guess I prefer a little sustain, at least. I've played flukes and fleas before and while I think they're fun, I don't see the need to have one. I have a beach/camp/travel uke right now and if I ever need to replace it, I might consider one of these. UAS - 0 College fund - 3
There was a Collings Tenor that did sound and feel awesome. I had to take it into a private playing room to see if it truly was awesome, and it was. Light and smooth and complex in tone. Could I see myself upgrading from my KoAloha to this? Maybe. It's more guitar like and which might not be a bad thing for what I'm looking for with my choice of tenor. Could I consider selling my National Resophonic for it? hmmm. My UAS flared up for this one. UAS - 1 College fund - 3
Fun day and I left with my son's future still looking bright. The best part about it is that I was looking forward to coming home and playing the ukes in my collection. We'll see if I dream about the Collings and whether or not it infected me with the Syndrome. If you see a KoAloha tenor, or National Resophonic show up in the marketplace, then we'll know I didn't get out entirely unscathed. I don't know. We'll see...