Review those Kamakas!

Alright.. I've nearly decided to buy a Kamaka tenor. this is a BIG decision, but before I do it, it would be kind of all of you Kamaka players out there to review your kamaka and post it on the site's uke review page. or maybe leave a comment about how you feel about your ukulele, Any advice/warnings/peptalks from anyone out there would be greatly appreciated.

aldrine's kamaka was forged by the gods, and jake shimabukuro. after playing his and a "stock" one, you cant go wrong, and wont be dissapointed.

kamaka's are great ukes but they are like nike's. good quality but kinda overpriced for what you get....but you do get the cool little swoosh logo.

SO worth the money though.
go buy itt!
i would if i could!

berylbite said:

Alright.. I've nearly decided to buy a Kamaka tenor. this is a BIG decision, but before I do it, it would be kind of all of you Kamaka players out there to review your kamaka and post it on the site's uke review page. or maybe leave a comment about how you feel about your ukulele, Any advice/warnings/peptalks from anyone out there would be greatly appreciated.

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I got a call from Kamaka and my uke is on it's way. I'll review it as soon as I get it!

I would never buy a Kamaka unseen. You may get a great one, but their quality control is not exactly state of the art (compared to Koaloha e.g.). In this price range, there should be no quality issues. I also second the opinion, that Kamakas are a bit overpriced.

Aloha

Micro

micromue said:

I would never buy a Kamaka unseen. You may get a great one, but their quality control is not exactly state of the art (compared to Koaloha e.g.). In this price range, there should be no quality issues. I also second the opinion, that Kamakas are a bit overpriced.

Aloha

Micro

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lol I don't have a choice unfortunately! I live about 7000 miles from Hawaii and about 3000 miles from the nearest Kamaka dealer. Mine isn't a standard uke and I have a lot of faith in them.

I have to disagree that they are over priced:

Kamaka HF-3 tenor direct from factory: $882
Kanile'a K1 tenor with satin finish: $850
Ko'olau Model 1 series tenor: $899
Koaloha KTM-00 tenor: $950

These prices were all taken from the manufacturers websites and represent the companys' base models. Kamaka give a 10% discount if you order from the factory.

I see. No offense intended. I know it is pretty difficult to testdrive a decent island uke in europe. I am sure, your purchase will turn out well.

aloha

Micro

micromue said:

I see. No offense intended. I know it is pretty difficult to testdrive a decent island uke in europe. I am sure, your purchase will turn out well.

aloha

Micro

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Hey no offence taken! I'll let you know how it goes. Don't worry if there's a problem with it I'll send it straight back. I can't wait for it to arrive though.

Kamaka has been around for years and have built the reputation of being a nice sounding instrument. I own a Kamaka soprano. My parents own 4 Kamaka ukes and I've played a handful of them. I'll keep things real for sake of an honest discussion.

Let's talk about one of the most important qualities of the uke, sound. Kamaka is known for it's deep rich sound, which most that I have played have had. This is probably where the Kamaka will shine the most. I've only played a few Koolau, Kanilea, and Koaloha, however of these three, the Kanilea has a similar deep and rich sound. The sound monster tends to be more responsive, similar to Koaloha. Many uke players love the responsiveness of the Kamaka, it's very loud. The Koolau that I have played in the past (over 4 years ago) were not as reponsive in sound although note clarity was nice. Now lets talk price. I do understand what some are saying about the price for what you get. Kamaka can demand the price because of it's name. I'll talk the local market price because that is what I'm use to seeing. In the local Hawaii market, a brand new Kamaka Tenor sells for about $900-$1000....sometimes $1200 in tourist shops. A Kanilea on the market with the satin/sound monster finish a bit less, in fact you probably could get the gloss UV finish for less than $1000. The finish that Kamaka uses appears to be a quick spray, sometimes uneven. The finish is not as durable compared to other ukes that I have owned and played. This may mean more wear compared to say the Kanilea with the UV finish, or a Koolau with a Nitro finish. In the long run, this is important, to me anyway. Then there's other aspects of craftsmanship such as clean cut soundhole, sanding etc. I have seen a few Kamaka ukes with a rough soundhole and have heard others report the same. This doesn't affect playability, but to me, tells me how much attention went into making this uke. I've also seen random orbit sanding marks on the body of Kamaka and Koaloha ukes that were not subtle but very obvious leaving circular designs under the finish. Then there is the question of durability. Of course this may not be a fair comparison as there are way more Kamaka on the market as there are other ukes. I have seen a handful of Kamaka ukes with pulled bridges and separated tops. In all fairness, these were older (+20 years) Kamaka and perhaps they have changed their glueing process, I hope they have.

Kamaka is a part of Hawaii history and because I love ukes, I also fancy Kamaka ukes, however, I do believe it's important to share ones experiences, even if it may be a bit negative. I don't mean to damper ones excitement over wanting a Kamaka or purchasing a Kamaka, they are good ukes but they are not as perfect as some expect them to be. In comparison to say some of the $200 - $500 imports, the Kamaka will probably tickle you fancy with it's yummay koa and rich Hawaiian uke sound. Would I buy a Kamaka, yes I probably would.

Could've sworn I sent a review in for my Kamaka soprano a few months back. D: When I get home from work I'll submit another one; my opinions have changed slightly now that I've played many more ukes to compare it to (including other Kamakas, and the direct competition).

my loaner Kamaka was so good it was ridiculous. It had six strings, however, so some of my picking songs sounded weird

I left the picking to Isamu

They're totally worth the money, and if you really put a lot of thought into choosing the one that you buy, you'll never regret it. choose wisely!

around 20 years ago, a kamaka tenor costed around $200-$300, and now they're almost $2,000

I've been playing seriously for about 4 months now and i started on a cheap soprano that my grandma got me. I recently bought a brand new kamaka soprano for $400 and it sounds awesome. I would recomend that anyone looking for an ukulele with a great sound to buy one.

micromue said:

I see. No offense intended. I know it is pretty difficult to testdrive a decent island uke in europe. I am sure, your purchase will turn out well.

aloha

Micro

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Sam at Larry's music in Kauai will talk to you over the phone about your playing style, tone preferences, etc and pick out a Kamaka (or other brands if you want) and set it up for you before he ships it off. 808.652.9999. You can see Sam on the "How to buy a uke" on UU main page.

I've been an avid Kamaka player for about 10 years now, and they are like nothing I have ever played.


I have tried playing many different instruments, Kala, Pono, G-Sring, Ko'olau, Sonny-D, Kanile'a..... but a Kamaka Tenor is my favorite.

Today, my main ukuleles I own are: Kamaka Tenor, Kamaka Soprano, Pono Mahogany Deluxe Tenor and a G-String Tenor.

The Kamaka tenor that I own was manufactured in 1998 and purchased for $500. The craftsmanship is very solid, and a different construction from the pieces sold today. It's a full Koa body, with what looks like spruce kerf lining & sound-bars, Koa neck and rosewood fingerboard. The finish is very evenly laid... and still very much glossy till this day (I use Martin Guitar polish weekly). Currently I have a set of Worth clear strings, which brings out those nice clear & concise high-pitched tones & notes that are easily manipulated by string pulling or other playing techniques.

For comparison my G-String tenor on the other hand (which are priced $850 here on Oahu), was manufactured in 06-07. Full koa body with what appears to be koa linings and spruce sound-bars, mahogany neck w/ koa head-plate topped with grover tuners, and a rosewood fingerboard. I also got the bridge replaced with one constructed with bone. With this ukulele, the craftsmanship is also very, very nice; all the pieces of wood were cut very nice with especially nice fretwork, I love the attention to detail here. Unfortunately the finish is no where near as nice as my Kamaka or Pono. The gloss paint was laid very thin, having much of the wood pores visible. The worse part is the neck and faceplate have very obvious swirl marks. But, the reason I bought it was for it's sound. This tenor has a very "bright" tone and it's also VERY LOUD and great to play.

My Pono Tenor (purchased in 07 for ~$380 w/ case) has by far one of the best craftsmanship and construction of any ukuleles I have ever seen. They are a big step up from Kala pieces. The fit & finish on this piece is arguable the best of any of my ukuleles. The gloss paint is so shiny and evenly laid. This ukulele is more for the real "mellow" low-tone love-song type ukulele.



All in all my Kamaka is still my favorite to play, anytime of the day. It's such a playable instrument and has a very precise and accurate feeling to it!

Larrys Music Kauai

I may be able to help with this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjyMIMGynvs&feature=channel_page


I have been maxed out with Kamaka Hawaii since 2003. Over the last 6 years I have tested around 1,000 of Kamakas very fine ukuleles as well as many many Koaloha, Kanilea, G string, Vintage Martins, island ukuleles etc. I have seen countless blue label gold label and white label Kamakas from return customers to our Historic Kauai Music store. I have over 200 ukuleles in inventory and personally sell several thousand ukuleles each year all of which I personally test prior to finding them a new home.
Basically I am on ukuleles 5-8 hours a day 365 days a year.

I have had 2 returns in the last 6 years because of my commitment to quality and dedication to excellent ukuleles if it dosn't meet my standard it doesn't leave the store.

I can attest to Kamakas quality as much as anyone because of the amount of ukuleles I handle and the amount of time I am using them.

Kamakas are consistently the best ukulele built today and are better now than any point in there history in my opinion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjyMIMGynvs&feature=channel_page

They are closing in on there centennial anniversary and are at a point in there business model where real magic is happening.

Since Jake blew up the specs have changed considerably on all models as well as they seem to fine tune regularly as I notice improvement on a regular basis.

the underlying reason I get up and go to work each day is to be near the kamaka ukuleles.

They are worth every penny and if you think they are expensive now I would bet a tenor doubles in list price in 3-5 years.

Try saving for that...better to own one now and enjoy it for the rest of your life.

Aloha and Blessings from Kauai

Samuel Bonanno
Owner
Larry's Music Center Est 1952
Kapaa Hawaii
808 822 4181
cell
808 652 9999

berylbite said:

Alright.. I've nearly decided to buy a Kamaka tenor. this is a BIG decision, but before I do it, it would be kind of all of you Kamaka players out there to review your kamaka and post it on the site's uke review page. or maybe leave a comment about how you feel about your ukulele, Any advice/warnings/peptalks from anyone out there would be greatly appreciated.

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Recently returned from Hawaii with a new Kamaka Tenor. I bought it in Maui as I would not be able to get to the factory in Honolulu. Yes, there are some minor finish issues. Mine had a very very slight scratch in the finish just below the sound hole. The dealer took off $100 and threw in a hard case for it for free. It sounds great, plays great & looks real good. Nothing fancy, which is what I like. I put in a review but see it has not yet been posted. I guess it is being reviewed first. Anyway, I love my new Kamaka and can't stop playing and that is what it really is all about.
I also looked at some of the other K brands and all are in the same price range with $20 - $50 between them.

i played a kamaka locally and i dont know weather it was just a bad instrament but to me it just sounded dead, and i opted for a kanile'a with a satin finish, but saying that, and of the k's is fantastic cant go wrong

molokinirum said:

Recently returned from Hawaii with a new Kamaka Tenor. I bought it in Maui as I would not be able to get to the factory in Honolulu. Yes, there are some minor finish issues. Mine had a very very slight scratch in the finish just below the sound hole. The dealer took off $100 and threw in a hard case for it for free. It sounds great, plays great & looks real good. Nothing fancy, which is what I like. I put in a review but see it has not yet been posted. I guess it is being reviewed first. Anyway, I love my new Kamaka and can't stop playing and that is what it really is all about.
I also looked at some of the other K brands and all are in the same price range with $20 - $50 between them.

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Don't forget to join the Kamaka Klub! http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/group.php?groupid=19

wickedwahine11 said:

Don't forget to join the Kamaka Klub! http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/group.php?groupid=19

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That was one of the first things I did! Thanks!!