Kamaka 6-string "Lili'u" tenor question

Gillian

Gillian

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I just became the owner of a Lili'u. I was given an offer I couldn't refuse. This uke was played only twice by the original owner. Stamped October 31st, 2005, this uke is pristine. No scratches anywhere. The uke you buy new from a dealer's showroom has been played more than this one has.

So, now that my UAS has been mollified for a while, I'm educating myself about the Lili'u, specifically the tuning of the strings.

As you can see from the picture of the headstock, it is strung (from 6th to 1st (G to A)), with a wound low-G, a wound C, a black nylon C, a black nylon E, a wound A, and a black nylon A.

liliu3.jpg


The A strings are an octave apart, but the the C strings are tuned the same. Shouldn't they be an octave apart also? When I tried to tune the black nylon C to the higher octave, it got so tight I thought it would snap.

With the uke having been played so little, these should be the original strings, but are they?

I'm not a fan of wound strings, so I would like to replace these with a non-wound set. Can anyone suggest a high-G, 6 string, non-wound tenor set? Worth makes such a set, but in their "brown" line, and I would like to keep the sound on this uke bright by getting Worth Clears, but I don't think they make a 6-string set in Clears.

Does anyone know of a non-wound, high-G, 6-string tenor set, or have a set you can you can recommend? Thanks!
 
They look like the original strings - I'm not a fan of Kamaka stock strings, and I'd recognize those black strings anywhere! The Lili'u on the Kamaka website has non-wound black strings, and a wound C and A. The C strings should also be an octave apart like the A.

And, wow - that's quite a find :)
 
Worth does make a 6string clear set. Not sure if the doubles are an octave apart however.
 
Aloha Gillian,
Congratulations on your purchase of the Liliu kamaka... I always have mine at the extra C string a octave higher and extra A at a octave lower...Actually it is personal preference... you can have
both of them in unison too...by the looks of the string combination...I know it isn't all factory strings that came with it..they usually don't come that way...and believe me this uke has been played some..you may ask me why I would think that...well for one thing he must have experminted with the strings combination and tuning,..it takes more than a few times to do that definetely...think
about it, when you change strings how much would you play it....first he probally played it at least once with the factory strings..and probally many times with the other strings and tunings..It would be hard to believe otherwise.. I like mine yet with the factory strings...it takes time for them to break in.... the Worths are thinner and would improve playability and comfort..and make it brighter if
you like it that way..or maybe a new set of factory strings...On Kamaka factory string set up, the only wound string is the second A string and comes with a High G string setup.....the person changes a few strings on this uke.
The wound G and wound C is not original. get rid of the mis matched set and put on a fresh set. just to let you know...Hope it helps...MM Stan
 
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I think the nylon C string became brittle from sitting in the case for 5 years because it got scary tight when I tried to tune it an octave higher.

I'm so anxious to hear what it sounds like with a new set of strings on it!


liliu1.jpg
 
Aloha Gillian,
Yup, get rid of the nasty string set up and start fresh with a new set from Kamaka and go from there...check the intonation when you put on the new strings..I'm kinda suspicious there....Good luck,
MM Stan
 
Aloha Gillian, Nice find!
My Liliu came strung like this:
High G

High C
C

E

Low A (Wound)
A

I bought a replacement set of strings, and those are Low G (Wound), High C, C, E, and A, A in unison. I kind of like that too, but I think the low A is more traditional.

I agree you should get some new strings and start over. Try both ways and see what you prefer!
 
mm stan said:
Aloha Gillian,
Congratulations on your purchase of the Liliu kamaka... I always have mine at the extra C string a octave higher and extra A at a octave lower...Actually it is personal preference... you can have
both of them in unison too...by the looks of the string combination...I know it isn't all factory strings that came with it..they usually don't come that way...and believe me this uke has been played some..you may ask me why I would think that...well for one thing he must have experminted with the strings combination and tuning,..it takes more than a few times to do that definetely...think
about it, when you change strings how much would you play it....first he probally played it at least once with the factory strings..and probally many times with the other strings and tunings..It would be hard to believe otherwise.. I like mine yet with the factory strings...it takes time for them to break in.... the Worths are thinner and would improve playability and comfort..and make it brighter if
you like it that way..or maybe a new set of factory strings...On Kamaka factory string set up, the only wound string is the second A string and comes with a High G string setup.....the person changes a few strings on this uke.
The wound G and wound C is not original. get rid of the mis matched set and put on a fresh set. just to let you know...Hope it helps...MM Stan
Click to expand...


Hi, Stan,

Thanks for the congrats. It's a bit of a long story behind why this uke is in such mint condition. I know the seller personally, whose family bought the uke for their mother. She told me they requested a low-G string and tuned it to the mother's liking, who I guess liked the C strings to be in unison. The mother shortly thereafter developed a neuromuscular disease and couldn't even hold the uke, let alone play it. So it sat in its case all these years.

I looked at it from various angles under the lights, looking at the finish for any signs of wear, scratches, dings, blemishes... Nothing... Grunge on the fretboard? None.

Like Jane said, what a find! :)

Edited to add: But now Stan's got me thinking...can a ukulele be refinished to look new? Would there be any tell tale signs?
 
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A very nice find, Gillian. I am envious as I have been looking for a "special" Liliu for a while now. As those before me have said, there are a number of different ways to string these. If and when I find one that I like, I will try different string tunings, but might end up with low G, C strings tuned in octaves and the double A's tuned in unison.
 
Sooooooo jealous. Congrats on your find, let us know what you think of it with the new strings. :)
 
Gillian said:
Hi, Stan,

Thanks for the congrats. It's a bit of a long story behind why this uke is in such mint condition. I know the seller personally, whose family bought the uke for their mother. She told me they requested a low-G string and tuned it to the mother's liking, who I guess liked the C strings to be in unison. The mother shortly thereafter developed a neuromuscular disease and couldn't even hold the uke, let alone play it. So it sat in its case all these years.

I looked at it from various angles under the lights, looking at the finish for any signs of wear, scratches, dings, blemishes... Nothing... Grunge on the fretboard? None.

Like Jane said, what a find! :)

Edited to add: But now Stan's got me thinking...can a ukulele be refinished to look new? Would there be any tell tale signs?
Click to expand...
Aloha Gillian,
Your uke doesn't need to be refinished...it comes will a really strong finish...if it had slight wear and fine scratches it can sometimes be buffed out....and refinishing can make them look quite new..
Look at the strings on the uke for wear...and it will show signs of wear of how much it has been played...
 
mm stan said:
Aloha Gillian,
Your uke doesn't need to be refinished...it comes will a really strong finish...if it had slight wear and fine scratches it can sometimes be buffed out....and refinishing can make them look quite new..
Look at the strings on the uke for wear...and it will show signs of wear of how much it has been played...
Click to expand...


Then, based on the wear on the strings, this uke IS practically new! No discoloration or breaks in the wound strings at all.

Now to find a local music store that sells 6-string tenor string sets...
 
Kamaka factory you can email them for strings...or call
Kamaka Hawaii, Inc..
550 South Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813-5010
Tele...808- 531-3165
E mail: mail@kamakahawaii.com
As for the strings...the person could just have put on these mixture of strings too and just gave up because it didn't sound right..Stan
 
mm stan said:
Kamaka factory you can email them for strings...or call
Kamaka Hawaii, Inc..
550 South Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813-5010
Tele...808- 531-3165
E mail: mail@kamakahawaii.com
As for the strings...the person could just have put on these mixture of strings too and just gave up because it didn't sound right..Stan
Click to expand...

Thanks again, Stan.

Having never played a uke like this, I'll get a set of Kamaka strings to see what Kamaka thinks the uke should sound like and go from there.
 
My dos centavos, I think what matters most is how the instrument sounds to you. You may or may not be happy with the sound, tone, playability or feel of a Kamaka string set. Basically saying there are other string sets on the market, just keep you options open.
 
Congratulations! What a great acquisition! I'm totally jealous. I agree that you should worry less about what strings this uke is supposed to have and think more about the sound you want when you play. If you want octaved double strings, that's how you should string the ukulele. I hope you can post a sound sample after you pick the strings you want.
 
I'm so impatient...I really can't wait for the Kamaka set come in the mail and the only 6-string tenor set available in my area are Aquilas.

So, I'm off to Ukulele Source to pick up a set. I like Aquilas, but I like Worth Clears more and trying to find THOSE in the 6-string set, even online, is proving difficult.

If anyone has Aquilas on their Lili'u, how do you like them?
 
I just put the Aquilas on and...wow. That wound low A makes a big difference in the sound. It rings longer than the other strings. I can see why some people replace the wound low A with a non-wound and have the A strings tuned in unison rather than an octave apart.

I have to remember these are strumming ukes, and not designed for finger picking. Totally different sound than a four string. This is going to take a little getting used to!
 
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